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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1384.PDF
536 FLIGHT FROM ALL QUARTERS Flight of the Royal HeronA FEATURE of Princess Margaret's five-week tour of EastAfrica, Mauritius and Zanzibar is the extensive use which she will make of air transport. Her Royal Highness, who leftLondon Airport on September 21, journeyed to Africa in Argo- naut G-ALHD flown by Captain Houider of B.O.A.C., and mostof her travel over the rugged terrain of East Africa will be made in the royal D.H. Heron.The planning and safety precautions for these trips are com- plicated operations that have been entrusted to Cdr. StaceyW. D. Colls, East Africa's Director of Civil Aviation The Directorate will be able to draw on the experience that theygained during the Queen's visits to Kenya and to Uganda, but the greater extent of the current royal tour will present additionalproblems associated with the co-ordination of normal services and with the thirteen special aircraft that will be used.A preliminary operation carried out before the tour was to check the suitability of the airfields on the route; an inspectionthat revealed the necessity of widening and lengthening Sao Hill (in South West Tanganyika) and improving Nimmo's in Kenya(on the Kinangop). The usual U.K. royal flight procedure of establishing a purple airway—completely closed to all otherflights—has been followed and the various operators affected have been warned. The problems of insufficient radio beaconcoverage have been solved by arranging for portable beacons to be sited along the route; one non-directional beacon is beingtaken 450 miles to Sao Hill and then Amboseli on an R.A.F. lorry and another has been specially made up to be carried on a trailerto Nimmo's and then on to Nakuru. During the flights, additional safety precautions will be taken.The Heron's co-pilot will be the senior superintendent command- ing the Police Air Wing, W/C. Francombe, who has extensivelocal knowledge; and Cdr. Stacey Colls, accompanied by an air traffic control officer, will use a Pembroke to precede theHeron to each destination airfield. Sabres for Israel ON Friday last, September 21, the Canadian Governmentannounced that it had approved the sale to Israel of 24 F-86s. Mr. St. Laurent, the Prime Minister, said that after consultationwjth "certain friendly Governments," the Canadian Government had decided it would not be justified in refusing the request madesome time ago by the Israel Government for the purchase of these aircraft. The Canadian Government had been greatly influenced inits decision "by the fact that Israel's neighbour has recently received large numbers of jet fighters from the Soviet Union and,even more important, a considerable number of modern jet bombers, of which Israel possesses none. Assurances have beenreceived from Israel that the intercepters in question will be used solely for defence against aggression."Mr. St. Laurent added that approval for the F-86s covers a period of six months, during which time the aircraft wouldnormally be made available and shipped. If at any time during that period the political circumstances should change in such away as to warrant cancellation or postponement of the outstand- ing part of the order, such action would be taken. Reported, but Unconfirmed IT is reported from America that the Lockheed F-104A hasnow been flown considerably faster tlian its "best operational speed of Mach 2.5"; and that the engine compressor suffereddamage as a result. Flying at an unstated altitude, the aircraft apparently exceeded Mach 2.8. Officially unconfirmed but reliable reports also have it thata Bell X-2, piloted by Capt. Kincheloe, reached a height of 126,000ft this month, thus setting an unofficial altitude recordfor air-launched aircraft. The X-2 already holds the unofficial speed record of about 1,900 m.p.h. After the Hustler TIJOLLOWING our design-analysis of the Convair Hustler•*• supersonic bomber in the preceding issue, and our editorial comment on supersonic bombers generally, comes news of twonew American machines of this class (though probably smaller). The first is the North American A3J, a carrier-based machinefor the U.S. Navy. Subject of an $86 million contract for research, development and production, it will be capable of morethan 1,000 m.p.h., will have two turbojets and will carry a crew of two. Doubtless it is intended as a replacement for the DouglasA3D Skywarrior. The second machine is a Glenn L. Martin land-based tacticalbomber, designated XB-68, for the U.S.A.F. An American report states that this will be made of stainless steel and will becapable of Mach 2. A range of between 2,000 and 3,000 miles and a ceiling approaching 100,000ft are mentioned. Lost Parliamentary Seats A COURT of inquiry is being held into an incident involvinginjury to several M.P.s last Monday, when a Transport Command Valetta in which they were returning to Northolt aftera visit to the 2nd T.A.F. in Germany went into a sudden dive from 6,000ft at a point between Chatham and Maidstone. According to statements by some of the M.P.s after landing,they were flung upward from their seats and struck their heads on the roof. Mr. Frank Beswick (Lab., Uxbridge), a former Parlia-mentary Secretary to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, and Mr. Geoffrey de Freitas (Lab., Lincoln), a former Under-Secretary forAir, were detained in hospital. The aircraft, from No. 30 Squadron, apparently lost about400ft before the captain (F/L. D. Lawrenson) and co-pilot regained control. The mishap has been unofficially attributed toa "violent air-pocket" and /or sudden failure of the automatic pilot. T.R.3 Triumphs THE Royal Aero Club lost its £50 wager with the British Auto-•*• mobile Racing Club that an aeroplane flying from Land's End to Elstree via John o' Groats would use less petrol than a cartravelling between the same points. In a contest to decide the issue, a Triumph T.R.3, driven byLord Selsdon and Lord Essendon, used 36.6 gal of petrol over a distance of 1,573.1 miles, giving a consumption figure of 43m.p.g.; while the Auster J.4 flown by Mr. Harold Best-Devereux, widi Mr. Geoffrey Sykes as passenger, used 61 gal in flying 1,362 NEW ACQUAINTANCE, OLD FRIEND: Citizens of Sydney (below, left) take a first look at the Avro Vulcan at the city's airport; and, on right, Air Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst, A.O.C. Bomber Command, who flew to Australia in the Vulcan, meets an old friend in Melbourne —Air Marshal Sir John McCauley, now Chief of the Air Staff, R.A.A.F., who was Air Staff Officer in Sir Harry's Group in France, 1944-45.
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