FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0944.PDF
FLIGHT, 13 July 1956 Like a whale shark nosing up to the stern of a boat, a Javelin closes in on the photographic Beverley to present a really close view. FIGHTER, ALL-WEATHER, MARK 1 ... would probably double present endurance. The two Sapphires are cartridge-started and there is provision for carrying a number of spare cartridges for use in case of diversion. The Javelin must be one of the first new R.A.F. aircraft to go into service with toe-operated hydraulic brakes (of disc type). The wide-track Dowty undercarriage and Maxaret equipment give excellent braking and control on the ground, both during landing and taxying. The nosewheel is not steerable. Single-engined flight would appear to present no problems and, because the engines are toed in and lie so close to the centre line, the large rudder tab should be sufficient to trim out full power on one engine right down to minimum flying speed. The low-speed characteristics of the delta wing being what they are, the stall is to be avoided. At the Farnborough Jubilee Exhibition last year films were shown which illustrated the nature of, and the unusual technique of recovery from, a Javelin spin. However, the stall is reached at a very high angle of attack and probably also at a surprisingly low speed. Certainly approaches and landings at Odiham indicated no difficulty. With full flap, the touch-down angle of attack was not in the least pronounced and the speed as the aircraft was flown onto the runway appeared to be little higher than that of a Meteor night fighter. It seemed to be common practice to hold the nosewheel up for a time after touch-down before putting it down and using brakes. Landing and take-off runs were very short indeed—certainly much shorter than those of a typical modern day fighter. Since the first prototype flew the cockpit canopy arrangement has been radically altered, principally to give the radar operator something of a clear view of the outside world. Even now, how- ever, his eyes are just level with the cockpit coaming. The two sliding transparencies are mounted together on rails and move as one unit. When closed, die glazed arch between the two cockpits fills the gap which, in the open position, allows egress for the radar operator. The two moving parts appear to be independently jettisonable and, according to the latest Martin Baker practice, the jettisoning may be by explosive cartridge and tied in with the pulling of the ejector-seat blind. The windscreen has a flat central panel and curved side panels, the left-hand of which hinges inwards on its lower edge to form a clear-vision opening. A small deflector shield immediately ahead of it keeps the main airstream from entering the cockpit. De-icing liquid can be sprayed over the outside of the centre panel and de-misting air can be blown over the canopies as well as the inside of the whole windscreen. The cabin is pressurized and fully air-conditioned and temperature is directly controllable. The ejector seats are Martin Baker Mk 3 J units—the letter J indicating the Javelin installation. The Mk 3 seat can be used at heights as low as 100ft and the thigh guards of earlier seats are replaced by leg-restraining harness. Pilots normally use the American type of pressure-breathing oxygen mask and
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
