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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0085.PDF
FLIGHT, 20 January 1956 85 SHORT SEAMEW . . . and intake lip are also de-iced from this system. Windscreen de-icing is effected by a manually operated spray of ethylene glycol. Present types of Seamew are operated by a crew of two, com-prising pilot and observer, who are seated in tandem in non-ejecting, 25-g adjustable seats. Both cockpits are covered byjettisonable hoods of blown Perspex, and the pilot's centre-wind- screen, which slopes back at 52 deg from the vertical, is sodeep that it is provided with twin wipers hinged at the upper and lower edges.Flying controls are manual and require no explanation. Instru- mentation is neat and conventional and the general appearanceof the front (pilot's) cockpit is shown by a drawing on page 86. Considerable miscellaneous crew-equipment is provided, includ-ing signal pistols, a twin-barrel signal discharger, chartboards for both crew members, smoke/flame floats, a drift recorder andtwo-stage amber. Radio and radar equipment is still partly covered by securityclassification, but the following notes are publishable. A.S.V. radar is fully incorporated, with a rotating scanner housed withina prominent radome under the forward fuselage. With the excep- tion of the indicator and the control unit, the whole of the equip-ment is accommodated in a hinged bay for easy access. For ground-testing, an adjustable strut can be extended to hold the bayopen at 25 deg. The radome is manufactured by Fothergill and Harvey, Ltd., of Manchester, using "Tyglas" resin-bonded glass-cloth. Several additional specialized operational electronic systems are also fitted, or provided for. Other equipment includes V.H.F.radio telephone, H.F./T.R. voice equipment, intercommunication equipment, Mk 5 low-level radio altimeter and a pilot-interpretedshort-range navigational aid (either A.R.I.5307 or AN/ARN/21). Various loads of stores can be carried in the weapons bay andfrom racks under the centre wing on either side of the under- carriage legs. The main weapons bay is 14ft long, 3ft lin wideand lft lOin deep and is fitted with hydraulically operated, out- ward-opening doors. In our issue of Febraury 18th last year wepublished photographs showing six specimen loads which can be carried by the Seamew in its Naval form; typical combinationsof stores are listed in the tables on p. 83. Consideration has been given to the carrying of weapons up to17ft long by modifying the weapons bay accordingly, at die cost of dispensing with the A.S.V. scanner. The weapons bay isheated by the jet-pipe shroud which passes through its forward end. Droppable stores are selected by cockpit switches andreleased by a firing button on the pilot's control column. Design and manufacture of the prototype SB.6 was completedfor a very small expenditure. Furthermore, the entire job was completed in only 17| months from the start of design. Thefirst prototype, XA 209, was first flown by S/L. W. J. Runciman on August 23rd, 1953, and test flying thereafter proceeded withno setbacks worth mentioning. Almost the only superficially evident modification to die aircraft dictated by flight trials wasthe addition of wing slats and a short length of inverted slat at the roots of the tailplane which was later changed to the internalduct at present used. In 1953 die Ministry of Supply placed a production order for Seamews and diis contract is now beingfulfilled at the company's works on Queen's Island, Belfast, and at Altona, nearby. The tail o/eo is fitted with a slow-leaking dashpot which permits the leg to collapse gently when under load. Landings are always carried out with the leg extended (right). Also visible are the arrester hook and (beneath it in the left-hand photograph) the hold-back link. In conformity with its original design function, the first Markof Seamew to be built was the AS.1 for the Fleet Air Arm, and carrier acceptance trials were very successfully carried out fromH.M.S. Bulwark in July and December of last year. Meanwhile, last Feoruary it was announced in a Defence White Paper thatthe Seamew would also go into service with Coastal Command of the Royal Air Force. For the latter role die MR.2 variant wasdeveloped, this being distinguished principally by deletion of the wing-folding mechanism, arrester hook, catapult hooks andother Naval equipment, including certain specialized navigational devices. The MR.2 is also fitted with the larger wheels withlow-pressure tyres, and the manufacturers have stated their readi- ness to incorporate other modifications, should these be necessaryfor special roles. No information has been published of the programme for work-ing up die Seamew with the Fleet, but it has been stated that Seamews are to go into service with Coastal Command withinthe next few months. The aircraft is also obviously attractive to many other countries, and it may see wide service both as equip-ment for NATO and as a valuable export item. There is probably no other aircraft less than twice as expensive which could do itsjob. And its job could clearly include many roles not envisaged in die original specification. A particular point worth recording is die fact that die Seamewis at present being built at Belfast for a total expenditure of only 28,000 man-hours per aircraft. This results in the very com-petitive figure of 6.46 man-hours per pound of useful load—a yardstick which seems to have much to commend it. In conclusion, reference must be made to the superficial impres-sion made by die aircraft. At first glance it appears retrogressive; and no doubt mis is entirely caused by the choice of a fixed under- A pleasing "Flight" photograph of for Smmms, two AS.ls (foreground) and two MR.2s.
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