FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0098.PDF
98 FLIGHT FROM ALL QUARTERS Military Orders Reviewed SOME reductions in existing orders for aircraft for the R.A.F.and Royal Navy are expected to be revealed when the Defence White Paper and the Air and Navy Estimates are published nextmonth. It has already been inferred that the number of Short Seamews for R.A.F. Coastal Command may be cut back and it islikely that future production of the Hawker Hunter and Vickers- Armstrongs Valiant will also be somewhat reduced. It has beensuggested that production of the Shackleton MR.3 is to cease, but this is denied by Avro; orders for this aircraft, both for the R.A.F.and S.A.A.F., are being fulfilled as planned. The Admiralty, however, have cancelled their order for twin-engined, twin-rotor Bristol helicopters and it is likely that this role will be filled by a Westland-built variant of the SikorskyHSS-1, the U.S. Navy version of the S-58. The Admiralty state, "it has been found that a smaller helicopter would be more suit-able for operating from aircraft carriers and other ships for the anti-submarine role." Present HSS-ls are powered by a 1,500h.p. Wright piston engine driving a single rotor, and are capable of lifting a useful load of some two tons. The type is alreadycoming into service with the U.S. Navy and, in different forms, with the U.S Air Force and Army. Bristol Aircraft recently moved all their helicopter work toWeston-super-Mare where production of a twin-engined general- purpose machine for the R.A.F. will go ahead. Initially poweredby piston engines, these aircraft are expected to develop into a more powerful machine powered by such engines as the NapierGazelle or other types of gas turbine. New Aircraft and Engines NEW aircraft designations officially disclosed are: ValiantB(PR)1 and Hunter T.7. Both aircraft are powered by Rolls-Royce Avons. The official designation of the Rolls-RoyceFlying Bedstead (two Nene) is given as "Rolls-Royce Jet Con- trol Research Unit", and it is disclosed that the power unitsinstalled in the Deflected Jet Meteor (converted by Westland Aircraft, Ltd.) are Nene RN.4s. Among new engine designationsare Avon RA.30 and Tyne RTy.l. It is further revealed that the power rating of the Armstrong Siddeley Mamba ASM.6 is1,650 s.h.p. plus 320 lb thrust. Three Orpheus ratings are as follows: BOr.l, 3,285 lb thrust; BOr.2, 4,520 1b; and BOr.3, TECHNICAL TRAINING os given at the College of Aeronautical and Automobile Engineering, Chelsea, was seen last week by the Minister of Education, Sir David Eccles. He is shown (left) with the Principal, Mr. 6. D. Duguid (centre) and one of the instructors. There are over 400 students at the college, and more than 250 of them are from 50 different countries abroad. RESTORATION: As we reported last week, St. Clement Danes, London, is to be rebuilt as a central church for the Royal Air Force. Seen examin- ing the structure (which was destroyed by an incendiary bomb in 1941) are, left to right, Canon A. S. Giles, Chaplain-in-Chief, R.A.F., Mr. W. A. S. Lloyd, the architect, and A. V-M. Cecil Bouchier, who is directing the appeal for funds. 4,850 lb. Conways RCo.2, 3 and 9,250 lb, 11,500 lb and 13,000 lb. 5 are respectively rated at New M.o.S. Senior Appointments TT is announced that the Minister of Supply, with the agreement*- of the Secretary of State for Air, has appointed A.V-M. W. A. Opie, C.B., C.B.E., to be Principal Director of AircraftResearch and Development (Royal Air Force). A.V-M. H. D. McGregor, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., has been appointed AssistantController of Aircraft in succession to A.V-M. Opie, and A. Cdre. B. A. Chacksfield, C.B.E., has succeeded A.V-M. McGregor asDirector of Guided Weapons (Trials). Guided Weapons Pronouncement TT is reported from Australia that Dr. W. H. Wheeler, head of-•- the Ministry of Supply's staff in that continent, has said that guided weapons would probably have replaced conventionalweapons within ten years. Speaking at Perth, Dr. Wheeler said he believed it would not be long before such weapons werefired from Woomera range, across Australia into the Indian Ocean. It was unlikely, however, that they would be fitted withatomic warheads. As far as was known, no country had ever fired a guided weapon carrying an atomic device. Dr. Wheeler has been associated with rocket development inGreat Britain since it began nearly twenty years ago, and for some years was Director of Guided Weapons (Research andDevelopment) at the Ministry of Supply. Apart from his Ministry of Supply duties in Australia he is also to act asscientific adviser to the British High Commissioner. Three-Nation Naval Exercise AIRCRAFT were co-operating with ships of the Home Fleet•**• which sailed from Portland for Gibraltar last Friday at the beginning of their spring cruise and exercise programme. Coastal Command Sunderlands, Shackletons and Neptunesbased in the United Kingdom and Gibraltar, and French and Portuguese maritime aircraft, together with aircraft of the FleetAir Arm, co-operated in the exercise, which embraced the loca- tion and tracking of submarines, refuelling at sea and NATOmethods of operating aircraft and ships. Vessels engaged included the Training Squadron aircraftcarriers Theseus and Ocean and ships drawn from the Home Fleet Flotilla Command: the cruiser Glasgow, two Daring-classships, several destroyers, and frigates and submarines. Canada and Canadair 'T'HE president and general manager of Canadair, Ltd., Mr. J.-*- Geoffrey Notman, has said in a New Year review that, al- though complete figures for 1955 were not yet available withrespect to Canadian air carriers, current records portend a con- sistent upward trend. Preliminary estimates indicated that about2,700,000 passengers were carried in 1955 (compared with fewer than 50,000 ten years earlier) as well as some 200 million poundsof freight and 36 million pounds of mail. There were now, said Mr. Notman, about 500 licensed airports in Canada, some 750transport aircraft in commercial service, and nearly 2,800 com-
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
