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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0080.PDF
80 FLIGHT, 20 January 1956 AIRCRAFT INTELLIGENCE U.S.A. Boeing B-47 Stratajet. Some hundredsof Stratojets are being fitted at Lockheed's Marietta plant in Georgia with externalfuel tanks, which increase their range by several hundred miles. The tanks are fittedbetween the inboard and outboard jet nacelles, and in the tailcone of each is an8ft parachute, which pulls the tank away from the wing on jettisoning. The Strato-jets receiving the tanks are out of service for only a few hours. They are flown intoMarietta and parked on a ramp adjacent to the factory. Using special dollies,workers have the tanks already in position and as soon as a Stratojet is parked workis begun. As many as seven aircraft a day are to be flown in, fitted with tanks, andflown away. Lockheed Super Constellation. Accord-ing to Aviation Week Trans World Airlines are still searching for a turboprop for theirLockheed 1649A Super Constellations. It seems that the line would settle for anengine with a fuel consumption of 0.5-0.6 lb per e.s.h.p./hr. Lockheed's L-1449turboprop Super Connie proposal (a fore- runner of 1649A) is said to have beencancelled because the fuel consumption of the Pratt and Whitney T34 was 0.87 lb pere.s,h.p/hr.—considered by T.W.A. to be highly uneconomical. It would appear that T.W.A. have beensearching for an American turboprop with the characteristics described, for Britain'sNapier Eland, Rolls-Royce Tyne and Bristol Proteus and B.E.25 are all capable of meet- ing or exceeding the specified requirements. Convair F-102A. Known as the MC-1,a mobile ground-support trailer is being built for the F-102 all-weather intercepterby the Bogue Electric Manufacturing Com- pany. A variety of electrical services isprovided: a synchronous motor drives dual generators to supply 37.5WA., 150/200v.,three-phase 400-cycle A.C. power and 500-amp., 28v D.C. current. Aero Commander. Deliveries of thesefast and luxurious executive transports during 1955 totalled 42 Model 560s, 34Model 56OAs, and 13 L-26Bs. Output for 1956 is expected to be stabilized at about12 aircraft a month. Daman LZ-5. The Civil AeronauticsAdministration has now certificated this eight-seat helicopter, and the makers willput production in hand without awaiting firm orders. Bell X-2. It has lately been disclosed thatthis ultra-high-speed research aircraft, designed to fly at more than 2,000 m.p.h.,flew for six minutes under its own power after being released from a B-50 for itsfirst powered flight last year. Martin XP6M SeaMaster. Glenn Martinofficials report that the recent crash of the first prototype SeaMaster is expected tocause little delay in the programme, and the second machine is expected to fly thismonth. The wreckage of the first is now being recovered from Chesapeake Bay forassembly at Patuxent Naval Air Station. Extreme contrasts in form and purpose are afforded uy these new views of the Fairey F.D.2 supersonic delta-wing research aircraft (reheat Rolls-Royce Avon) and the latest ver- sion of the McDonnell XV-1 convertiplane. The XV-1 now has a redesigned pylon cap which materially reduces drag interference between the rotor hub and pylon. Northrop F-89H Scorpion. This version of the Scorpion is similar to the F-89D, which is now in general service, but has provision for carrying Hughes Falcon air- to-air missiles. Lockheed Supersonic Tanker. A pre-liminary research and development con- tract is held by Lockheed's Mariettadivision for the development of a super- sonic jet tanker, but the company isreported to be using some of its own money to render the machine convertiblefor use as a cargo transport also. A civil derivative will probably be Lockheed'shope as a successor to the Boeing 707 and the Douglas DC-8. France S.N.C.A.S.O. Trident. Official trials ofthe S.O.9000 Trident experimental mixed- power intercepter are continuing at Istresand military pilots of the official flight test centre have made flights under rocketpower. Meanwhile the S.O.9050 Trident 2, flown by Charles Goujon, has made itspreliminary rocket-powered flights with "excellent results." The second S.O.9050has been transferred to Istres by road and will soon be in the air. Hurel-Dubois 321. Powered with Wright982 C9HE1 Cyclones (nine-cylinder engines developing 1,525 h.p. for take-off)in place of the former 1,200 h.p. Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasps, the Hurel-Dubois321 has been undergoing performance and handling tests since December 22nd.Initial rate of climb is considerably im- proved and performance generally haslargely borne out the estimates of the design department. Sipa 200 Minijet. Two recently com-pleted Minijet light trainers are now beginning acceptance flights at Villacou-blay, where a third machine of the same type is already flying. The original proto-type has been handed over by the Air Training and Sports Service in order thatthe makers may conduct trials with wing- tip tanks, holding 11 gal each. Endurancewill thereby be increased to l£hr. Canada R.C.A.F. Helicopters. The Royal Cana-dian Air Force is soon to fly the first of its six Sikorsky H-34 helicopters from theSikorsky factory at Bridgeport to Dorval Airport, Montreal. Already the R.C.A.F.is operating 10 S-55s and is taking delivery of six Piasecki H-21Bs. These last-namedmachines will differ from the H-21As, six of which were delivered to the R.C.A.F.last year, in being equipped for transport duties instead of search and rescue. Netherlands Fokker 5.14. A second example of thisside-by-side two-seat trainer, considered by Aviation Week to be a possible rivalof the Beechcraft Model 73 (see Flight for January 6th) arrived in the U.S.A. latelast month for a demonstration tour of U.S.A.F. and U.S. Navy training bases. Inthe first S.14 delivered to America Fokker test pilot Gerben Sonderman was killedat Hagerstown on October 20th last.
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