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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1448.PDF
600 FLIGHT, 12 October 1956 FROM ALL QUARTERS A.W. 650/651 NEW information from Coventry about Armstrong Whitworth'spromising new Freighter/Coach reveals that two distinct versions of the aircraft will be offered—a twin-engined short-fuselage design designated A.W.650 and an alternative four- Dart-powered version, with an extended fuselage, that will bearthe type-number A.W.651. Both designs are of twin-boom layout, with pressurized fuselageand "full-width fore and aft axial doors," but an unpressurized fuselage of exceptional width can be provided for the car-ferryrole. The "open-ended" arrangement and the choice of power- plant and fuselage length are intended to provide the prospectivecivil or military operator with alternatives from which the optimum payload and range can be selected. The short-range payload of thetwin-engined version will be about 25,000 lb, and the four-engined, extended fuselage version will carry a payload of 30,000 lb—considerably more than appeared likely from the preliminary details upon which our report last week was based. As a resultof A.W.A.'s extensive market research (which although not yet complete, shows the need for a highly-flexible, medium-rangeaircraft of this sort), considerable effort has been made to make the field of application as wide as possible, and the A.W.A.650/651: is visualized as a military transport, civil freighter, car ferry or air-coach. In the 66-passenger variant the seats are arranged six-abreast across the wide floor. Since the ability to uplift passengers may be of considerable value to an operator with all-freightservices, careful consideration has also been given to easy con- version of the aircraft from an all-passenger to a mixed passengerand cargo role. The large loading doors at each end of the fuselage give un-restricted access to a fuselage cross-section carefully chosen to accommodate maximum cargo volume and a wide, level,unobstructed floor upon which high density loads can be carried. Operating stage-lengths of up to 2,000 n.m. are envisaged atcruising speeds quoted by A.W .A. as being between 300 and 350 m.p.h. Some variation in performance between the two- andfour-engined versions can obviously be expected. The take-off weight in the various roles varies between 70,000 lb and 80,000 lb,which is not high for the thrust that will be available. The "special attention" which had been paid to take-off and landing distances—another important consideration in ensuring maximum application —includes the use of double-slotted flaps and a moderate wingloading. • • Dutch Order Hunter T.7s TT was announced last week that the Dutch Ministry of WarA had placed an order for ten Hawker Hunter T.7 dual-control trainers for the Royal Netherlands Air Force, and that a furtherten would probably be ordered at a later date. This is the first overseas order for the two-seat Hunter and itbrings the total value of Hunter exports to £126m—greater than for any other British type of aircraft. It is relevant to note thatHunters are already in production in Holland and Belgium and are standard day fighters with the air forces of both countries.Swept-wing conversion and transonic tuition will be standard procedures with the T.7, but cannot be carried out on theindigenous Fokker S.14 Mach-Trainer. The Hunter T.7 is already in production for the R.A.F. LIVING UP TO ITS NAME: Conversion of the D.H. Otter to an Edo- float-equipped amphibian follows a precedent successfully established with the Beaver. The mainwheels retract into wells and the nosewheel rotates through 270 deg to lie in the deck of the float. ULTRA-LIGHT EVOLUTION: Fairey's Ultra-Light helicopter is under- going intensive development at White Waltham. This new view shows it with a partly "solid" tail boom and an extra phot head on the port skid. Fully powered controls have given excellent results. Gen. Kammhuber with the R.A.F. AT the invitation of the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal' Sir Dermot Boyle, Lt-Gen. J. Kammhuber, Head of the Air Force of the German Federal Republic, has been visiting Britainthis week. Gen. Kammhuber was accompanied by Col. J. Stein- hoff, Col. A. Hentz, Lt-Col. W. M. Horten, Lt-Col. W. Leuchten-berg and Lt-Col. H. Merkwitz. The party's programme included discussions with the AirMinistry on matters affecting future co-operation between the two air forces within the framework of NATO, with particular refer-ence to mutual problems of air defence; a visit to Fighter Com- mand, and talks with the A.O.C-in-C, Air Marshal Sir ThomasPike; and visits to certain firms in the industry. The general was also to fly a Hunter T.7 at West Raynham last Tuesday. Fighter into Missile THE ultimate development of the Trident mixed-power inter-cepter fighter of France's Ouest-Aviation is now known to be a long-range ground-to-air missile. The first pilotless, guidedversion is due to fly shortly, and various types of strategic missiles with a "completely new navigation system" are already underdevelopment. Javelins—and after YX^RITING in the Gloster house magazine, Eric Greenwood,* * the company's technical sales manager, describes the Javelin order as the largest the British industry has on its books at themoment. The design office, he says, is improving the aircraft almost daily, as it did the Meteor, and the company hopes that itwill meet with a like success. "We were all disappointed," writes Mr. Greenwood, "when theJavelin's successor, together with several other development con- tracts in the rest of the aircraft industry, was rejected. However,money must be saved to balance the country's economy, and defence is having to shoulder a heavy burden. The Air Ministerapparently considered that expense can be saved on orthodox aircraft in order that we may spend money on future and moreeffective weapon projects which will appear in several years' time, and Glosters have every reason to believe that they will be in thepicture when these new weapons are adopted." Cansos to Australia and Antarctica THREE Canso aircraft operated by two companies of theCanadian Hunting group left Toronto towards the end of last month to carry out photographic and geophysical surveywork in the Falkland Islands, the Antarctic and Australasia. They comprised two machines of the Photographic SurveyCorporation which are to complete aerial surveys for the British Government in the Falkland Islands and the Antarctic; andCF-GKI, which is being sent by Aeromagnetic Surveys, Ltd., to pioneer aerial geophysics in Australasia with Adastra HuntingGeophysics Pty., Ltd., of Sydney, N.S.W. This particular machine, which has been responsible for discovering manymineral deposits across Canada, is fitted with a triple installation comprising electromagnetic detector, magnetometer, and scintil-lation counter. One of the two Antarctic Cansos was the one which carried out similar work during the British AntarcticExpedition last winter; the crews of these two aircraft are from P.S.C. and its English associate, Hunting Aerosurveys, Ltd.
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