FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0151.PDF
FLIGHT, 1 February 1957 BRITANNIA FLIGHT DECK ... the first officer's seat. Fuse and isolation panels are on the rearbulkhead—E.2A, E.7 and E.9. The electrical generation equipment of Britannia has beenevolved in collaboration with Rotax, Ltd. Electrically operated services include propeller and tail de-icing, throttle control,instrumentation, lighting, hydraulic selection, engine starting, flaps, and radio and radar. Electricity is used for everything, infact, not served by hydraulics. Lighting. General lighting of the flight deck is by shaded,recessed, 28v D.C. tungsten lighting, whilst flight instruments are illuminated by red and white lighting, the dimming switchesbeing at the small lower panels, A.5-8. Roof panels have white tungsten lighting, but on the 300 andlater variants F.I will be redesigned to have the Thome "Trans- lite," a system of internal filaments. White lighting is used for thepedestal, floodlit from above, and also for the navigator and radio stations. To prevent windscreen reflections at night from thesestations, night curtains can isolate the pilots and, if necessary, the supernumerary crew-member. Fluorescent instrument light-ing is not used in Britannia. Windscreen. Ten separate panels form the windows of theflight deck, of which six are the windscreen proper, being an integral part of the front pressure bulkhead. The six centralpanels are of Nesa (Pittsburg Plate Glass) type flat laminated glass with thermal heating elements (controlled from B.2) andthe two side panels are of curved Perspex, as are the two roof panels on each side. These last allow a good view in bankedturns, a necessary feature with increasing traffic at airports. The variable-speed windscreen wipers, as noted, are hydraulic, withindividual controls at B.4 and C.3. The two outer Nesa panels, for draught-free direct vision, aremounted on a toggle-action carriage ensuring a sound pressure- seal when closed, and enabling them to be slid aft for opening,in which position they are retained by spring catches. Some trouble was experienced with misting of the plastic side-windows; the problem has been overcome with a further glazing and an electrically heated inter-space with thermostatic control. Navigating Station. The navigator commands full facilitieswith Loran and a Kelvin and Hughes periscope sextant and periscopic drift-sight; instruments are A.S.I., altimeter, clock,outside air temperature, A.D.F. master receiver and bearing indicator, and the Sperry CL2 master compass. In the gangwayis an adjustable platform for use with the periscopic sextant, and recessed as part of the floor structure. As a general sighting point,but not as an astro-dome proper, the emergency escape hatch in the roof is to be modified to form a window. To those who recall wartime navigation, the chart table willappear of luxurious proportions, and such is the state of the art that the navigator has his own private book-case. This is along-side the Loran APN9 viewer, as distinct from the "public" crew book-case behind the radio seat, which is for flight and mainten-ance manuals and for ship's papers. Where navigation is mostly by radio, then the navigator canconveniently do his work-from the supernumerary seat As has already been stressed, Britannia crew requirements are flexible,and there is the space and the facilities for them to be so. Radio and Radar. Signals facilities are comprehensive. ForB.O.A.C. they include duplicated high-power H.F. transmitters and receivers with direct and pilots' remote control; twin multi-channel V.H.F. transmitter/receiver (pilots' control only); twin manual A.D.F. receivers; DME, 200 m/cs; Loran AN/APN9(at the navigator station); cloud/collision warning radar E.I20 (captain, and second indicator for navigator); fully tunableH.F./M.F. receiver (direct control at radio station); intercom, with service selection; and passenger announcement. Items at the radio station are mounted in specially designedracking, enabling units to be readily removed or serviced. Radio in the pilots' roof panel has already been described. Each of the four permanent crew-stations has intercommunica-tion with separate jack-boxes, and additional boxes are available for the supernumerary crew-member.A point worth recording is that on the recent Atlantic flight of G-ANBJ the radio gave an excellent account of itself, andH.F./R.T. contact with base was maintained throughout the crossing right into New York—a fact which was not un-noticedby radio operators in other aircraft. _ Radar is now the hall-mark of the modern intercontinentalair-liner. This fifth sense, a storm-warner and navigational aid, was of great help during the icing trials of Britannia—not foravoiding trouble, but in finding it! Furnishing and Ventilation. All instrument panels for B.O.A.C.are of matt black finish, while C.P.A. will have matt grey for their Britannia 314. Seats, fully adjustable for the pilots, arecovered with green leather and green linen loose covers (maroon 153 for C.P.A.) whilst wall-trim and head linings are in grey/green;all are fully fireproofed. Floor covering is also in green, these colours being B.O.A.C standard for all their fleets. Navigator and radio operator may eat in luxury, and the pilotsare at last given a cup-holder (sunk above the forward instrument panels) and all stations have an ashtray—smoking being per-mitted at all times except during landing and take-off. The crew- door incorporates a meal hatch and a circular window, but Britishoperators do not yet specify a requirement made by some air- lines : that the crew door shall be lockable—from inside! Side and upper windows have roller blinds, whilst sun pro-tection from forward is by sun visors for the pilots. Fresh conditioned air to the flight deck is by a duct forward,and the four permanent stations each have a cold air supply with an adjustable air louvre, two extra louvres being available. Heat-ing may be controlled independently of the main passenger cabin. Emergency Facilities. As distinct from aircraft operatingemergency systems, the following equipment is located in the cockpit: Fireman's axe; CO2 hand extinguisher; ditching hatchin the roof; smoke mask; crew life belts; oxygen equipment. The permanent crew-stations have demand-type oxygen masks; and,as is general practice, it is a requirement that whilst the aircraft is pressurized, one pilot be strapped in and have his oxygen maskimmediately available. Later Variants. The flight deck of the Series 310 Britannia(Variant 312 for B.O.A.C.) is similar to the Series 100 described. Significant changes in detail are the enlarged fuel panel, radioand the Smiths Flight System (described in Flight for August 19, 1955). The 305 (Northeast), 313 (El Al), 314 (Canadian Pacific),252 (Ministry of Supply) and 253 (Royal Air Force) have similar changes, together with detail modifications for their own par-ticular needs. Northeast are alone in having to comply with CA.A. regula-tions, and in addition, have specifications to meet their own operating requirements. This calls for various changes, the majorbeing the deletion of the navigating station, the space now becom- ing a crew baggage-compartment, and forward of this will be anengineer station, incorporating electrical, fuel and air condition- ing panels. The supernumerary seat here becomes even moreversatile and, as the new engineer-seat, gives access to engine con- trols and to the new station. An important point is that the firstofficer can also reach the engineer panels, so that the original conception of a two-man crew could again be possible. Radiowill be fully controlled from roof panel F.2, with the radio rack- ing amended accordingly, and no radio operator will be carried.The introduction of an engineer panel appears to challenge the earlier statement that Britannia layout was simple because itdidn't need one. But the case is strengthened—now there is no radio operator and no navigator! And the "engineer" panel isnot new; it is just the existing panels re-located. This useful exercise grooms the cockpit for the American market, and withB.O.A.C.'s inter-continental layout, the Britannia is set for world- wide operation. With some 8,000 flying hours, the Britannia has a reputation asan efficient, responsive and economic aircraft. The whole must contribute to this reputation; but if the heart of an aircraft is inthe engine, then the brain is in the flight deck. Britannia is not only beautiful, but intelligent. R.Ae.S. LECTURE CONTEST TWO young finalists in the N. E. Rowe Medals Competition ofthe Royal Aeronautical Society gave lectures before the Graduates' and Students' Section of the Society in London onTuesday, January 15. Both lectures had been presented previously at Branch meetings (at Bristol and Southampton respectively);after the London meeting, the author of the Bristol paper, Mr. P. F. Sutherby, was adjudged winner in his class of the contest. The competition, inaugurated this year, is for the best paperon a technical topic by a young member of one of the branches of the Society. One medal is awarded for members under 21, andone for those between 21 and 26. Normally, judging is by the Branches Committee of the Society; in the case of a tie in eitherclass final selection is made following presentation of the papers at a meeting of the Graduates' and Students' Section in London. The two papers presented on January 15 were in the over-21class, and comprised Possible Flight Paths for Helicopters, by Mr. P. F. Sutherby—previously a member of the Bristol branchand now with Elliott Brothers (London), Ltd.—and Fins, by Mr. J. Wolkovitch, B.Sc.(Eng.) (previously of the Southampton branchand now a Research Fellow at the College of Aeronautics). After the two speakers had presented their lectures and answeredquestions from the audience, the winner was selected by the five members of the R.Ae.S. Council who were present. In theunder-21 class, it was announced that Mr. R. D. Trender (Halton branch) was the winner with his paper The Development ofParachutes and Ejector Seats.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
