FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1488.PDF
642 FLIGHT, 19 October 1956 NAVIGATION IN AIR TRANSPORT . . . a standard plan could be maintained. The randomness of currentoperations would thereby be reduced or eliminated. * * * It will be readily appreciated that many, if not all, of the tradi-tional functions of the navigator can be taken over by automatic devices. The development of new radio aids, particularly foruse over long distances, such as Dectra, Navarho, Radio Web, etc., are all intended to provide direct information of position.From the point of view of the aircraft it is interesting to note, in passing, that the important emphasis is to enable it to adherecontinuously to its intended flight path; whilst progress along this path need only be checked at intervals. Clearly this can beachieved by a suitable combination of fixing aids and automatic dead-reckoning devices. In this context we must remember toinclude the new inertial navigational systems in the latter category. Such a complex of airborne navigational equipment should havea sufficiently large redundant multiplicity in die total system, in order to eliminate the risk of operational fail-jre owing to thetechnical malfunctioning of one or two indivicual components. * * * The human navigator is profoundly conscious of his workingenvironment, and of the various practical problems that are constantly encountered in the air, and some of which have alreadybeen mentioned. The automatic navigator has no such under- standing, and can only reflect the knowledge and attitude of itsdesigners. It is going to be increasingly difficult for these designers to keep themselves adequately informed of all the practical circum-stances in which pilots will have to use their equipment. Similarly, the growing complexity of the equipment itself will ensure thatpractising pilots understand less and less of its basic principles. Unless drastic action is taken to prevent it, there is undoubtedlygoing to develop the very real problem of progress being blocked by the inability of these two classes of individuals to understandthoroughly each other's problems. Once again we can foresee the valuable role which the Institute of Navigation can play in bring-ing together the various diverse interests which must combine successfully if proper progress in navigation is to be ensured. * * * The precision of both information and guidance required toachieve a safe approach in bad weather is of a very high order. First we have the problem of suitably displaying to the pilot anadequate "situation report," so that throughout an instrument approach he is never in doubt about what is going on. Secondly, wehave the problem of displaying to him suitable guidance signals so that he can control the aircraft in an adequate manner. And, finally,we have the problem of using such guidance signals in conjunction with an automatic pilot. * * * The art or science of nayigation does not disappear with dieemergence of automatic guidance, but there is a very real risk that progress in the purely navigational sense may come to a virtualstandstill on this account. Let us not forget this, or we fall into the serious error of confusing the end with the means chosen forits accomplishment. Our end must remain die safe and efficient transport of passengers and goods by die fastest and most flexiblecraft yet invented, in as economic and unfettered a manner as we can devise. DC-8 FLIGHT SIMULATOR AS a help in certain development problems and to provide early**• crew-training facilities, the Douglas Aircraft Company of Santa Monica, California, has designed a DC-8 flight simulatorwhich is being manufactured by Link Aviation, Inc. The simu- lator incorporates a modified fixed-base principle allowing for Layout of the simulator and "Telerama" building. hydraulic simulation of pitch, roll, rough-air and vertical-accelera-tion effects on die crew compartment mock-up. In addition Douglas have developed a means of reproducing arealistic background, to provide visual as well as instrument flight training. The system by which diis is achieved is called Telerama;it entails die projection on a 15ft screen of a model airport scene viewed by a camera mounted on a base which moves according todie speed, course and height indications in die simulator cockpit.. The general layout of the simulator installation is illustrated bydie picture. In addition to die partially moving base, die DC-8 simulator has facilities for reproducing relevant aircraft noises andall emergency situations. I.G.Y. HIGH-ALTITUDE RESEARCH TN a lecture to the British Interplanetary Society on October 6,Professor H. S W. Massey, F.R.S., chairman of die Gassiot committee (which is responsible for "Skylark," the British high-altitude rocket), discussed die study of the high atmosphere during the International Geophysical Year. Prof. Massey said diat aldiough our knowledge of the earth'satmosphere had increased during die last decade, none of die phenomena such as auroras and night air-glow were really under- stood. Even such commonplace data as pressure, density andtemperature were known with moderate certainty up to only about 100 miles. During die I.G.Y. tiiese and many odier items wereto be investigated by die sounding-rocket programmes of the U.S.S.R., U.S.A., France, Japan and Great Britain. In additionbodi die U.S.S.R. and U.S.A. were to launch a number of artificial satellites. The British rocket programme was to be thorough in a limitednumber of fields, rather dian extensive. Only one type of vehicle, powered by a solid-propellant rocket motor, was to be used; butfirings would be carried out from several places, including Woomera and Fort Churchill in Canada. One of the experimentswas to be die investigation of die variation of temperature and wind speed widi height. The technique to be used was a refine-ment of one already employed in die American programme. Grenades were to be ejected and fired at regular intervals. Anarray of microphones and wide-angle cameras on die ground would record die flash and die sound of each grenade against an accuratetime datum. The difference in times for die sound to arrive would give die vertical variation of die speed of sound and hence dietemperature. The angle of arrival of die sound could be used to determine high-altitude wind speeds. A f urdier and more spectacular experiment was to be the releaseof metallic sodium at about 40 miles' altitude during twilight. At this time of day a phenomenon known as "resonance absorption"of die sun's radiation would make the sodium cloud glow, and it could dius be readily observed from the ground. By noting themotion of die cloud, wind speeds could be measured; and by taking spectrographic readings die local temperature could be determined. LINK WITH CANADIAN PIONEERS RELICS and records of the aeronautical work of Dr. AlexanderGraham Bell are included in the collection of scientific material displayed in die recendy opened Alexander Graham BellMuseum at Baddeck, Nova Scotia. Bell's aeronautical research work is briefly recalled in the currentissue of the Canadian Aeronautical Journal. When his work with kites had reached a stage where he required engineering assistance,the Journal recollects, he obtained die help of two young engineers, J. A. D. McCurdy and F. W. (Casey) Baldwin, and with diem,Glenn Curtiss and Lt. Tom Selfridge, formed the Aerial Experi- ment Association in 1907. The Association was financed byMrs. Bell. This group built five aircraft, including the Red Wing, in whichBaldwin made die Association's first flight (and die first flight by a Canadian) at Hammondsport, N.Y., on March 12, 1908; and theSilver Dart, in which McCurdy made die first flight by a British subject in die British Empire on February 23, 1909, at Baddeck. In March 1909 die Association was dissolved and replaced bythe Canadian Aeroplane Company, which built five more aircraft; diese included die Baddeck II, the ailerons of which are amongthe exhibits in the new museum. "The invention of the aileron," the Journal states, "was perhaps die Aerial Experiment Associa-tion's most important contribution to Aeronautics."
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
