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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0282.PDF
280 FLIGHT Great Britain Regains the Speed Record: 1,132 m.p.h. FLYING the first Fairey F.D.2 delta-wing research aircraftover a 15 km course between Chichester and Ford, Sussex,Mr. Peter Twiss, D.S.C., set up a new workt speed record of 1,132 m.p.h. (subject to F.A.I, confirmation) on Saturday last,March 10th. This exceeds by the breath-taking margin of 310 m.p.h.—or 37 per cent—the previous record established by ColonelHorace A. Hanes, U.S.A.F., in a North American F-100C Super Sabre (see table at foot of opposite page). The F.D.2 is poweredby one Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet with reheat. Having taken off from Boscombe Down at 11.21 a.m., the F.D.2climbed to 38,000ft and made its first run at this height over the measured course from Chichester to Ford. The speed achievedwas 1,117 m.p.h. After a wide turn out to sea and in again over Beachy Head, a second run was made in the opposite direction.This time the measured speed was 1,147 m.p.h., giving the average speed reported above. The aircraft returned to Boscombe only23 minutes after taking off. Earlier runs over the course had been made by the F.D.2 on the previous Thursday and Friday and at8 o'clock on the Saturday morning. The height of 38,000ft was chosen in order to provide a vapour-trail indication for the camerasat the start and finish, and in order to obtain the optimum per- formance obtainable near the tropopause. Advanced photographic and electronic equipment designed,built and operated by R.A.E. technicians (under Mr. N. E. G. Hill of the Instrumentation Department) was used to record the passingof the aircraft over the starting and finishing lines and to calculate the speed attained. Officials of the Royal Aero Club were presentat Boscombe, Chichester and Ford. Radar stations of Fighter Command plotted the flight path and transmitted directional infor-mation to the pilot, enabling him to fly precisely and at the specified altitude over the sight-lines of the cameras. An idea of the flyingaccuracy required can be obtained from the fact that the height margin allowed was only 100 metres, or just over 300ft. The Fairey Aviation Company stated that the record wasachieved "in the course of high-speed tests for research and development." Credit for the design development of the F.D.2is given to a powerful team led by Mr. G. W. Hall, A.F.R.Ae.S., an assistant managing director of the company. Chief engineerof the company is Mr. R. L. Lickley, B.Sc, D.I.C., F.R.Ae.S. Mr. Twiss has been a test pilot with the Fairey company since1946. He learned to fly with the Fleet Air Arm in 1939 and served as a night fighter pilot on intruder operations. In June 1942 hewas awarded a D.S.C. for convoy-escort work and later received a bar to this decoration. He was night-fighter representative with Peter Twiss, D.S.C., test pilot to the Fairey Avia- tion Co., Ltd., and—sub- ject to confirmation— new holder of the world's air speed record. the British Air Commission in Washington from 1943 to 1944,and later left the Royal Navy with the rank of lieutenant-com- mander. He was awarded the Queen's Commendation for Valu-able Service in the Air in February of last year, when he made a successful emergency landing in the F.D.2 following a fuel-systemfailure. At a Press conference in London following the record flight,Mr. G. W. Hall said that the record confirmed the company's faith in the delta planform, the potential of the present Delta 2 and suchnew features as the tilting nose and the Fairey power controls with which it was fitted. "The new speed record," Mr. Hall continued,"is not a stunt. The Delta 2 has been achieving speeds of well over 1,000 m.p.h. during routine development for some months."The engine was a standard production Avon, and no special modi- fications had been made to the aircraft itself. The engine wascapable of further development to make higher speeds possible. Describing the record attempt, Peter Twiss said that the meanMach number for the two runs had been 1.731. From take-off to touch-down at Boscombe the F.D.2 had covered a total distanceof 240 miles during the 23-minute flight. After the subsonic climb to 38,000ft over the New Forest acceleration had been applied justbefore Fawley, "Point A," final acceleration starting at Point B (Thorney Island), which was the first "approach gate" to thecourse. Afterburning was brought in before reaching Point B. A similar straight approach of about 40 miles was made into thewestward run, passing over Rottingdean and Angmering. Concerning cockpit temperature Mr. Twiss said that, althoughthe heating problem was not a major one, in view of the short time at supersonic speed, the cockpit had begun to heat up from thefriction of the air over the machine. He was kept comfortable, however, by the refrigeration system in the aircraft [Godfrey cabincooling and air-conditioning equipment is used in the F.D.2.— Ed.]. Air temperature at 38,000ft, Mr. Twiss said, had been minus60 deg C, while higher than plus 50 deg C had been registered on a recording instrument just off the skin of the aircraft. Peter Twiss is congratulated by Mr. Robert L Lickley, chief engineer, and Mr. Maurice Childs (right), chief flight development engineer. Left, a "Flight" photograph of the F.D.2. Below, the F.D.2 displays its "droop snoot" nose, designed to improve the pilot's view.
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