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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0384.PDF
FLIGHT, 6 April 1956 "Flight" photographs Key personnel of No. 232 O.C.U. (above, from the right) are G/C. B. P. Young, Station Commander, W/C. D. Iveson, Chief Instructor, W/C. B. Deaves, Chief Ground Instructor, W/C. T. S. Towell, O.C. Admin. Wing, and W/C. R. T. Morison, Chief Technical Officer. Eight of the O.C.U.'s Valiants lined up at right, are still a rare sight. TRAINING FOR VALIANTS . ficial feel is provided by a mechanism in the tail, using dynamicpressure sensed from an intake at the root of the fin. Pressuriza- tion charge air is tapped from all four engines, and two settingsare available, one for normal flight and the other—rather lower— for operational situations. An emergency system will give greatlyincreased flow to maintain some pressurization despite a puncture of the cabin wall. Before the pilot finally reaches his seat 70 itemsoutside and 40 inside the aircraft have to be checked. Sixty items on the panel are checked before the engines are started.The four Rolls-Royce Avons are started with the aid of a large generator trolley which can also supply power for servicing work.There is a connection in the fuselage side for supply of condi- tioned air from external sources on the ground. A great deal of ground equipment is required for servicing,particularly large ladders and gantries for reaching the high tail. Servicing crews are led by a crew chief trained at the Vickersfactory, and second-line servicing is carried out by personnel divided into inspection and rectification teams. Teams wouldhandle one aircraft at a time, and their number would be regulated according to the number of aircraft on the particular station. The most costly and complex piece of training equipment at Gaydon is the flight simulator made by Redifon, Ltd. It isentirely electronic and contains some 3,000 valves. The cockpit section of a Valiant is faithfully reproduced to house two pilotsand the supervisor and operator in the navigating compartment behind them. Everything is realistically simulated, includingsounds such as that of the engines and of the tyres at touch-down. The simulator is mounted on a fixed base and does not simulate g.Though the cost is high, an hour of operation costs only one tenth of a Valiant flying hour, and emergencies dangerous to reproducein the air can be simulated in safety. When the other V-bombers come into service similar schoolswill be set up to train their crews. : Much servicing equipment has been specially designed for the Valiant. At left is the Safety Raiser, a hydraulically raised platform with protective railings, made by Access Equipment, Ltd., for undercarriage and underwing inspection. At right is some more of the equipment, including pressure-refuelling bowsers, Douglas Tugmaster tractor, with special tow-bar, and a gantry for access to and lifting of tail sections. "Flight" photographs I
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