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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1416.PDF
568 ETENDARD IV: Tactical support is the primary mission of the Marcel Dassault Etendard IV, lately demonstrated before representatives of NATO and the French air forces. Powered with a S.N.E.C.M.A. Atar of 7,700 Ib thrust and armed with two DEFA 30 mm guns, it weighs between 12,100 Ib and 14^00 Ib, according to mission. Although "slightly supersonic" in level flight, it can unstick and land in 550 yards. FROM ALL QUARTERS The Vulcan Accident THE Avro Vulcan which was completing a 26,000 mile roundtrip to Australia and New Zealand was destroyed last Monday on landing at London Airport. The aircraft commander, S/L.D. R. Howard, and Air Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst, A.O.C-in-C. Bomber Command, who was flying as co-pilot, successfully usedtheir ejector seats. Four other crew members lost their lives. They were S/L. J. G. W. Stroud, another pilot, S/L. E. J. Eames,navigator, S/L. A. E. Gamble, Air Electronics Officer, and Mr. F. Bassett, an Avro service representative. The Vulcan was due to land at 1108 hr. Weather was poor,with visibility of 1,500 to 2,000 yd in mist and rain. Civil airline flights were operating at a reduced rate, using runway No. 1(100 deg). The G.C.A. caravans were in position beside runway 10 Left. First sign of the Vulcan's arrival was the sound of a brief burstof full power out in the mist at the touchdown end of 10 Left. Flight's representative, standing on the roof of the Queen's build-ing in the airport central area, then saw the Vulcan climbing very steeply up from the runway with undercarriage down. At anangle of about 40 deg it climbed quietly to about 800ft when the cabin roof blew off and both pilots ejected in quick succession.The automatic devices of the Martin-Baker Mk 3 seats functioned immediately and both men were in stable descent before losingany height. The Vulcan then turned gently to starboard and dived at an angle of 20 to 30 deg onto the starboard edge ofrunway No. 4 where it exploded on impact, leaving a 300 yd swath of wreckage which burnt for nearly an hour. Sir Harry Broadhurst landed on runway 10 Left and injuredboth his feet; S/L. Howard touched down on grass and had a bruised forehead and slightly hurt back. A Hawker Siddeley Group statement issued later in the daysaid that S/L. Howard was making a normal G.C.A. approach and that nothing appeared to be wrong with the aircraft. Some600 yd short of the runway the aircraft touched down in a field and lost 15 of its 16 main wheels and parts of the undercarriagelegs. Power was immediately applied, but seconds later it was clear that the machine was out of control and the order was givento abandon ship. Only the two pilots have ejector seats; the rest of the crew have to escape through a hatch in the cabin floor,and none of them succeeded in doing this in the seconds available. An R.A.F. court of inquiry was opened on Tuesday headed byAir Chief Marshal Sir Donald Hardman, Air Member for Supply and Organization. When the accident occurred the Vulcan was concluding a mostsuccessful visit to Australia and New Zealand where its outstand- ing performance and impressive appearance had created greatinterest, official and unofficial. It had made the flight from Aus- tralia in four stages, landing at Singapore, Negombo and Aden.Though seeking no records it had averaged well over 500 m.p.h. on many of its flights overseas. Lord Hives to Retire TT is announced by Rolls-Royce, Ltd., that Lord Hives, C.H.,••• M.B.E., has decided to retire from the board of the company next January. He was first appointed to the board of Rolls-Roycein 1936 and has been chairman since 1950. Few men in the aircraft industry have commanded the respect enjoyed by LordHives. He was a mechanic in 1908 and has since risen from the bottom to the top of the company whose name is a by-word inengineering excellence. He was 70 in April of this year, and we shall publish an appraisal of his work when his retirement takeseffect. He will be succeeded as chairman by Lord Kindersley, C.B.E.,M.C., whose distinguished war record is matched by his ability in the board room. He was appointed to the board of Rolls-Royce,Ltd., five years ago and became deputy chairman in 1952; he is also inter alia a member of the Court of the Bank of England,governor of the Court of the Royal Exchange Assurance, managing director of Lazard Brothers and chairman of the BritishMatch Corporation. Mr. J. D. Pearson, J.P., and Mr. Whitney Straight, C.B.E., M.C., are appointed deputy chairmen; the formerwill succeed Lord Hives as chief executive of the company and will continue as managing director of the aero engine division.Mr. F. LI. Smith continues as managing director of the car divi- sion and Mr. W. A. Robotham is appointed managing director ofthe oil engine division. Back to the Frozen North BLACKBURN Beverley XB262 took off last week from themakers' airfield at Brough, Yorks, to continue winterization trials at Namao in northern Canada. Beverley XB262 is the air-craft which underwent tropical trials in North Africa this summer and now bears the legend "Try Your Strength—BlackburnBeverley" in Arabic over the pilot's door, and the polar bear badge of the Climatic Detachment on the nose. On board were 17 peopleand approximately 12,000 lb of spares and equipment, including a Centaurus engine and a de Havilland airscrew. Captain of the aircraft is S/L. R. H. Janzen, R.C.A.F., whowill fly it during the trials. Co-pilot on the ferry flight was G/C. S. L. Ring, Superintendent of Flying at Boscombe Down; othercrew members were R.C.A.F. officers. In addition to air force ground crew, there were on board Mr. C. Harrop, Bristol serviceengineer, Mr. H. Hall, de Havilland service engineer, and Messrs. R. W. Hilken, J. Langley and J. E. Millward of Blackburns. Theoutbound flight was made via Prestwick, Keflavik, Goose Bay, Ottawa and Winnipeg. The 1,520 miles leg between Keflavik andGoose Bay was covered in exactly 8 hours. William £. Boeing "COUNDER of what is now one of the largest aircraft companiesJ- in the world, Mr. William E. Boeing died suddenly aboard his yacht last Friday, September 28. He had been in failing healthfor some years. Born in Detroit in 1881, he studied at the Sheffield ScientificSchool, Yale, from 1899 to 1902. He was one of the first American private pilots, having been taught to fly by Glenn L. Martin, andin 1916 founded the Pacific Aero Products Company. Unlike many of its contemporaries, the firm prospered during the 1920sand expanded rapidly, taking the name of The Boeing Airplane Company in 1929. Five years later Mr. Boeing severed his finan-cial connections with the firm and in the same year was awarded the Daniel Guggenheim medal for "successful pioneering andachievement in aircraft manufacturing and air transport." Recent Boeing products scarcely require description; but thecompany's earlier prowess is less well known. More than 30 years ago research was progressing upon electrically welded steel air-frames and Boeing were one of the first firms to produce such items as successful oleo struts for undercarriage and arrestingequipment; underslung, inclined-core radiators; reel-type feed for fixed guns to prevent belt-kinking during manoeuvres; and a com-bined trigger and throttle control for high-speed fighters. Another
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