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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0084.PDF
84 THE ROCKET-BOOST SKEETER . . . at the rotor hub. The tank capacity of 1 cu ft gives over twominutes' duration at this maximum power. The accompanying chart and table show the effect of rocketboost on performance of the Mk 6 aircraft in I.C.A.N. atmo- spheric conditions, the increase being typical of that obtained inother climatic conditions. These performance figures are for identical payloads and piston-engine fuel weights, and are, there-fore, strictly comparable. But the system is flexible, and the values of both maximum booster thrust and duration can bevaried considerably without greatly affecting the basic design of the aircraft or the system. For example, the maximum thrustof a given unit can be changed by introducing restrictors in the Cockpit controls and in- struments for the boost equipment. The timer indicates fuel state. PILOTSFIRING TRIGGER FLIGHT, 18 January 1957 MAX. RATE OF CLIMB AT SEA LEVEL (Jj"|. iNCBEASE) SKEETER 6 PERFORMANCE COMPARISON (I.C.A.N.) MIN. RATE OF DESCENT WITH PISTON ENGINE OFF (52*/. REDUCTION) Condition Take-off weight (Ib) Vertical rate of climb, s.l. (ft/mm) Hover ceiling in free air (ft) Max. rate of climb, s.l. (ft/min) ... ... ••• Min. rate of descent, piston engine off (ft/mm) Max. forward speed (kt) Normal 2,150 230 1,100 1,020 1,350 88 Boosted 2,272 1,470 8,800 1,850 650 100 TIMER fuel lines; and duration depends entirely on the thrust requiredand on available tank capacity, which is restricted mainly by the acceptable limit of aircraft take-off weight.Various methods of fuelling the system are possible. The recommended technique is the use of a detachable aircraft fueltank; when empty, it may be removed and replaced by a new, full one. Empty tanks can then be returned to base for recharging,or can be considered as expendable items. Alternatively, a tech- nique similar to that used at Farnborough may be employed. Thepipeline from a storage tank is connected to the aircraft tank through a self-sealing coupling and H.T.P. is then pumped untilan automatic cut-off valve operates. Another method would be to pour fuel directly from suitably designed containers into a filleron top of the tank. Sufficient work has been done, including a great deal of flighttesting, to prove the complete practicability of the Skeeter rocket booster system, and performance test results have substantiatedpredicted figures. As a result, the operating potential of the Skeeter has been improved considerably and the complete suc-cess of the scheme represents a step of major significance in the development of British helicopters. METEOROLOGICAL OFFICE ACTIVITIES A DECISION is expected soon concerning the proposed com-••**• bined headquarters for the Meteorological Office, to replace the existing establishments at Dunstable, Harrow and London.This news is given in the director's foreword to the Office's recently published annual report*, which appears this year—centenary year—in a revised and illustrated form. In the section devoted to meteorological services for the R.A.F.the introduction is mentioned of a special teleprinter network by which Fighter Command stations exchange weather reports everyIS minutes. This need arose from the short endurance of modern fighter aircraft and the ensuing necessity to select alternative air-fields at short notice. Developments in bomber types, the report continues, and in particular their increased ceiling, range andspeed, are posing new meteorological problems. Plans were there- fore made during the period reviewed for major changes in theprocedure for the supply of meteorological information to Bomber Command units. On the research side, the Meteorological Research Flight atFarnborough (using one Hastings, one Varsity and one Canberra) obtained "remarkable new evidence" on the occurrence of dryair within frontal regions, in addition to much basic data on con- densation trials, clear-air turbulence, cloud structure, watercontent and particle sizes, condensation and freezing nuclei, humidity within the stratosphere, and ozone distribution. Withthe installation of accelerometers and other equipment, informa- tion on the occurrence and nature of gustiness to heights of50,000ft was accumulated for R.A.E. analysis. The Flight co-operated also in experiments on large-scalediffusion by collecting fluorescent tracer particles released from the ground. These experiments "should indicate the effectivenessof silver iodide smokes, generated on the ground, in reaching cloud layers above a critical point in the theory of rain-making." Other lines of research included studies in the forecasting ofpressure distributions by purely mathematical methods, and the * Annual Report of the Director of the Meteorological Officefor the year April 1, 19S5, to March 31, 1956 (Illustrated). Pub- lished by Her Majesty's Stationery Office, price 3s 6d. problem of airflow disturbances over mountains. A theoreticalstudy on this latter subject indicated that large lee-waves might depend on a "rather critical" combination of factors, and it wasalso discovered that radio-sonde observations provided -useful information on such waves. Model experiments, also, might pro-vide a useful means of studying this problem. FORTHCOMING EVENTS Kronfeid Club: "Flying Reminiscences," by C. A. NepeanBishop. R.Ae.S.: Main Lecture: "Aeronautical Research in Hol-land," by Prof. Dr. Ir. H. J. ran der Macs. R.Ae.S.: Section Lecture. "Design for Production," by E. D.Keen. British Interplanetary Society: "Accelerations in Flight,"by W/C. F. Latham. R.Ae.S.. Main Lecture, at Halton, "Synthetic TrainingMethods in Aviation," by W. Makinson. Institute of Transport: Brancker Memorial Lecture: "Com-petitive Economics of Pure-jet v. Turboprop Aircraft," by Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Douglas of Kirtleside,G.C.B., M.C., D.F.C., M.lnst.T. Joint R.Ae.S. and Helicopter Association Lecture: "Vibra-tion Problems Associated with the Helicopter," by 0. L. L. Fitzwillioms, A.F.R.Ae.S. R.Ae.S.: Main Lecture: "The Fairey Delta," by R. L. Lickleyand P. Twiss. British Interplanetary Society: Chemical Demonstration byDr. J. Diederichsen. R.Ae.S.: Section Lecture: "Recent Advances in the Designof Aircraft Tyres and Brakes," by H. W. Trevaskis, A.F.R.Ae.S. R.Ae.S.: Tenth Louis Bleriot Lecture: "New Methods inAircraft Production," by M. Bodre, production director of Sud-Ouest Aviation. R.Ae.S. Branch Fixtures (to Jon. 30): n wni »8/ B/rm'n9*<"». "Aerial Survey," by Mr. Dowe. Jon. 24,u W°M AfP'le?«'°J of Wind Tunnel Relults t0 Aircraft Design," by M. Wilde. Jan. 30, Preston, "Diving and Underwater Engineering," by I. E P^Vk w""5f°2' A*?mic E"er9y *" Aircraft ProP»l«on," by J. Dr C F Bo teYcf ' Electronics and th« Aircraft Industry," by Jan. Jan. Jan. Feb. Feb. Feb. Feb. Feb. Feb. Feb. Mar. 23. 24. 29. 2. 7. 11. 12. 14. 16. 26.
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