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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1478.PDF
632 FLIGHT FROM ALL QUARTERS Valiant's Atomic InitiationO N Thursday, October 11, the first British nuclear weapon to be dropped from an aircraft was released by an R.A.F. Valiant over Maralinga, South Australia, as part of "Operation Buffalo." A small bomb, as such weapons go, it was equivalent in explosive power to 10,000 tons of dynamite, and was detonated only a few seconds after it had been released from the aircraft. The height of the explosion—the actual has not been revealed— played strange acoustic tricks. People at Kingoonya, 200 miles away, heard a "thunderous double explosion," but others living less than 100 miles from Maralinga heard nothing. The Valiant's bomb-aimer, F/L. E. Stacey, set his sights on a target ploughed out by bulldozers in the grey-green desert foliage. His aiming was afterwards described as "bang on." Other members of the crew of the aircraft, which was from No. 49 Squadron, Wittering, were S/L. E. J. G. Flavell, captain; F/L. J. A. Ledger, co-pilot; F/L. G. B. Spencer, navigator and plotter; and F/O. G. W. Ford, air electronics officer. Ocean Search for U.S.A.F. Transport ONE of the biggest air-sea rescue searches ever conducted fromthis country was made over the Atlantic last week for sur- vivors from the U.S.A.F. Liftmaster (C-118) which disappeared after taking off from Lakenheath, Suffolk, on October 10 for the Azores. At one time 92 aircraft were taking part—including six from Iceland and six from Malta—and the U.S. Navy sent an aircraft carrier and six destroyers. The Liftmaster, with 50 American servicemen and a crew of nine aboard, was due to land at Lajes, in the Azores, at 12.26 a.m. on October 11 and had fuel to last until 5.30 a.m. The last signal from it was a routine "on course" message received by Shannon at 8.36 p.m. on October 10. On October 15 a partly deflated dinghy (first sighted by a Shackleton) and two wheels with part of an undercarriage, were picked up off the N.W. coast of Spain by the British tanker Navicella. Faster and Higher "CROM across the Atlantic news has been flowing of remarkable -^-achievements in speed and altitude and of die design per- formance of future vehicles. A recent announcement by Mr. Donald Quarles, Secretary of the U.S.A.F., revealed that records extracted from the instru- mentation of the crashed Bell X-2 research aircraft (the accident was reported in our issue of October 5) showed that shortly before its destruction the machine had been flying faster than had any other man-carrying vehicle. The pilot, who was killed, was Capt. Milburn G. Apt, and his probable speed was in the region of 2,200 m.p.h. The same aircraft had previously flown to over 126,000ft. More than three times the X-2's speed, namely 6,864 m.p.h., was recorded by a research missile launched by the N.A.C.A. from their research station at Wallop's Island, Virginia, in recent weeks. It has just been announced that the vehicle was powered by four rocket motors fired in series, the first two being Nike-type boosters. The trajectory attained a height in excess of 200 miles; and the speed reached, equivalent to rather more than Mach 10.4, is greater than any previously announced for such a test firing. The vehicle was fully instrumented and was investigating prob- lems involved in the design of manned vehicles for speeds of more than 3,000 m.p.h. Mr. Floyd Thompson, associate director of research at the N.A.C.A. Langiey laboratory, said that such flight appeared "within the realm of relatively early attainment." Further details have also been released regarding the North American X-15 research aircraft which is being jointly developed with the N.A.C.A., the U.S.A.F. and the Navy. For the current fiscal year the U.S.A.F. requested £6.7m for the X-15 programme but was only allowed £2.8m. The first X-15, which should be ready in about two years, is expected to reach an altitude well above 200,000ft (a ceiling of 100 miles was originally mentioned) and will probably have a control system consisting of small rocket nozzles to effect changes in direction outside the atmosphere. The design speed is reported to exceed 4,000 m.p.h. Finally, it is reported that Lt-Cdrs. Malcolm Ross and Morton Lewis of the U.S. Navy intend to exceed the world absolute height record of 72,395ft, established 21 years ago by Capts. Anderson and Stevens of the U.S. Army Air Corps with a helium- filled balloon. The Navy scientists have already taken a plastic balloon with an open gondola to 40,000ft and are now reported to be aiming at 80,000ft or more in a pressurized gondola, and to stay at that height for about eight to ten hours and collect aero- medical and geophysical information. Fairey's New Chairman FOLLOWING the death of Sir Richard Fairey on September 30, -*- the Board of the Fairey Aviation Co. announces the appoint- ment as chairman of Mr. R. T. Outen, the deputy chairman. Mr. Roland Thomas Outen joined the Board in January 1943. On October 29, 1949, he was appointed deputy chairman of the company and thus for the last seven years has worked in the closest collaboration with Sir Richard. Mr. Outen is senior partner in the City law firm of Ashurst, Morris, Crisp and Co., and has specialized in company and com- mercial work. He is the chair- man of International Harvester Co. of Great Britain and also of Quaker Oats, Ltd., and deputy chairman of Smith and Nephew Associated Companies, Ltd. He is a director of Ashanti Goldfields Corporation and other firms. Mr. Outen. Back to the Antarctic T^HE main party of the Hunting Aerosurveys expedition to the •*• Grahamland Peninsula of the Antarctic continent is due to leave Harwich today, October 19, in their base ship Oluf Sven, for their Deception Island headquarters. The purpose of the expedition (undertaken on behalf of the Governor of the Falkland Island Dependencies) is to photograph some 50,000 square miles of British territory. This will be the expedition's second season on this work. The two Canso amphibians, which left Toronto last month, are due in at Deception early in December, after carrying out an aerial photographic survey in the Falkland Islands themselves during October and November. The Oluf Sven, which arrives a few days before the amphibians at Deception Island, will again act as a heli-carrier, or mother- ship to the Bell-47G helicopter (owned by Autair) used to carry the surveyors. This time a deck lift has been fitted, so that the Bell can be housed in the hold completely assembled. Radio communications are to be operated by International Aeradio, and the expedition will leave Deception Island next March and be back in Britain in May. Westminster, Wessex, Whirlwind, Widgeon PRELIMINARY work on the massive Westminster helicopterhas made good progress during the past year. This is disclosed in the chairman's statement, released in advance of the annual report and accounts of Westland Aircraft, Ltd. With its carrying capacity of five tons, or 40 passengers, this important project is "being tackled with every proper precaution." Actual construction THE GREAT SEARCH for the missing U.S.A.F. C-118 (see news item above) is epitomized by this picture of the chart at R.A.F. station St. Mawgan, Cornwall, showing positions of the aircraft engaged.
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