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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0945.PDF
91 FLIGHT, 1956 ' FIGHTER, ALL-WEATHER, MARK 1 ... a demand regulator and wear a normal g suit. Neither pressurejerkins'nor partial pressure suits were in evidence at Odiham. Although a series of steps and hand-holds are let in to the portside of the tailpipe housing, the crew and servicing personnel normally enter the aircraft with the aid of a massive ladder whichattaches to the fuselage over the port intake. Access over the tail is not favoured because of damage to the high-speed finishwhich may result if the top of the fuselage is regularly used as a foot-path. Nothing more than has already been related has been officiallyreleased concerning the Javelin's radar A.I. gear. It can be seen, however, that a short whip-aerial projects from underneath eachtailplane and another whip aerial projects from the top of the fin. These aerials would serve V.H.F. communications and possiblya navigation aid of the Gee type. Two streamlined dipoles, one under the port intake and the other under the port wing rootindicate the presence of a radio altimeter and a short strip aerial set horizontally into the skin just aft of each intake lip suggestsD.M.E. or I.L.S.—more probably the latter. Other equipment externally evident includes a high-speed pitot boom on the portwing and a smallish taxying or landing lamp on each main- wheel leg. All the Javelins at Odiham were fitted with the new "pen-nib"efflux fairing and these appear to have been added to the basic tailpipe structure late in the production sequence. A fuselagebreak is evident just ahead of the wing trailing edge, so that a good portion of the tailpipe housing can be removed bodily.It seems probable that the Sapphires could be unshipped in this direction, though removal of the tail section would not afforddirect access to the engines themselves. There is a fairly large rectangular access panel just aft of the nosewheel bay and, whenat Odiham two engines failed to start first-time, the ground crew changed cartridges having obtained access through this hatch. Although the thickness /chord ratio of the Javelin wing appearsto be in the region of 11 per cent, the actual thickness is con- siderable and would afford space for a good deal of fuel or equip-ment. The guns, housed midway along each wing, are fed from ammunition containers and it appears that some form of winch-ing is available to remove and replace these. Ejector tubes allow cases to be jettisoned, but no link chutes are in evidence and itis presumed that links are collected in the wing and removed after flight. Representative serial numbers of the aircraft at Odiham were XA 628, 627, 620 and 571, all well into the production batch.Since the side of the Javelin's nose is occupied by the roundel and little space is available on the side of the after fuselage, No. 46Squadron's arrow-head marking (in red on white) has been applied high up on the fin. The usual red-white-and-blue flashon the base of the fin is very much larger than usual. Individual aircraft letters are applied on the fin in either yellow or red. Allupper surfaces are camouflaged and all lower surfaces are silver. No. 46 Squadron is commanded by W/C. H. E. White, D.F.C.,A.F.C.—all-weather fighter squadrons now being normally com- manded by wing commanders, with squadron leaders as flight (Top) Four Javelins, led by S/L. J. L. W. Towler, fly past in an impeccable box formation with wheels and flops down. (Above) A row of "pen-nib" fair- ings, with broad fins carrying extra-large flashes, small squad- ron markings and aircraft identi- fication letters. (Left) Ground crewmen help the aircrews to strap in ready for the demonstration flights at Odiham last week. Roundels and serial numbers are carried on the fore- part of the Javelin.
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