FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0261.PDF
1 March 1957 263 EXTRANEOUS. BUT PERTINENT: External loads on three contrasting types of Service aircraft. Top, 50 gal wing tanks on one of the first two Folland Gnats for the M.o.S. (later versions will have 66-90/ tanks); centre, the "guppy" (early warning) Sikorsky HR2S-1W of the U.S. Navy; and last, the Convair B-58 Hustler with its detachable weapons - or counter-measures pod—virtually a second fuselage. Pupils—whether with or without previous flying experience—have found the aircraft easy to fly. The first course was scheduled to do 160 Jet Provost hours before converting to Vampire T.I Isfor a further 70 hours' advanced training, but it was found in practice that half of them could be transferred after 85-89 hours.The second course is flying 125 hours on the Jet Provost, to be followed by 85 hours on the Vampire—a valuable shift of trainingemphasis to the advanced phase. Sir W. Verdon Smith WE regret to record that Sir William Verdon Smith, C.B.E., " chairman of the Bristol Aeroplane Co., Ltd., from 1928 untilhis retirement in 1955, died at his home in Bristol on February 19 at the age of 80. By professiona stockbroker, Sir William de- veloped early in his career anextensive and accurate know- ledge of company law and com-mercial practice and in 1901 was appointed secretary of LondonUnited Tramways. Later he became managing director ofBristol Tramways, Imperial Tramways, and the Corris Rail-way; and throughout his life transport in all forms remainedhis chief interest. He became a director of theBristol Aeroplane Co., Ltd., in 1927 and the following year suc-ceeded his uncle Mr. Samuel White, of the Bristol stock-brokers George White and Co., as chairman. Sir William wasthus at the head of Bristols from its growth as a privately owned concern to its conversion into a public company in 1935, through-out its wartime achievements and during its post-war contribu- tion to civil air transport. He received a knighthood in 1946, having been made C.B.E.in 1925. When he retired from the Bristol chairmanship in 1955 he was succeeded by his son Sir Reginald Verdon Smith. Sir William is also survived by his widow (whom he marriedin 1934, his first wife having died in 1928) and a daughter of his first marriage. Avro Arrow LAST week Mr. Fred T. Smye, president and general managerJ of Avro Aircraft, Ltd., of Malton, Ontario, announced that "Arrow" has been officially agreed by Avro and the R.C.A.F. asthe name of the CF-105 supersonic delta-winged all-weather intercepter. Powered by two Orenda Iroquois turbojets, each rated atsomething over 30,000 lb thrust with afterburner, the Arrow is designed to be three times faster than the CF-100, i.e., it is inthe 1,800 m.p.h. class, representing Mach 2.7 at altitude. Its ceiling will be about 64,000ft, which it will reach in three tofour minutes. The first prototype is scheduled to enter the flight- test phase later this year. Service-Civil Navigation Aids AUTOMATIC V.H.F. fixer installations like those for the FleetAir Arm, described in Flight last week, are being supplied to the Royal Netherlands Air Force and the Belgian Ministry ofCivil Aviation, as well as to the R.A.F. All will be complete by the end of this year, the F.A.A. system being already in operation.Civil aircraft will be able, when necessary, to use the R.A.F. and R.N.A.F. military service; but the Belgian installation, with itsten C.R.D.F. stations and their central plotting room, is entirely civil and will provide a significant new traffic-surveillance system.The automatic fixer, which is made by Standard Telephones and Cables, Ltd., employs a series of cathode-ray direction finderunits whose voltage output signals are converted to a frequency system for transmission over two normal telephone lines. At thecentral plotting station, possibly over 100 miles away, the signal is reconverted to a voltage and combined with a time-base unitfor presentation on a miniature (2iin-diameter) cathode-ray tube. The traces from up to ten of these miniature tubes are then pro-jected by normal television techniques on to a ground-glass map screen, their points of origin being aligned with the geographicallocation of the C.R.DJF. station on the map. The Belgian screen will reproduce a complete coloured map ofthe Belgian airways. In addition, the plan position display of a French-built surveillance radar will be converted to a televisiondisplay and projected on to the same screen so that the blips of aircraft will be continually displayed on it. Any blip can thenbe positively identified by a short V.H.F. transmission from the aircraft to operate the automatic fixer traces. In terms of airtraffic control, this represents a great advance over present systems. The combination of the two displays was originated by Mr.Raymond Lecomte, Director-General of the Belgian Regie ess Voies Aeriennes. Warton Improvements SEVERAL major improvements are being carried out by theEnglish Electric Co. to their airfield at Warton, near Preston, Lanes. The mam runway has been extended, at a cost of over£250,000, by 850 yd and is now 2,850 yd long. With additional concreted undershoot and overshoot areas, total length availablein emergency is 3,130 yd. Construction work on it was done almost entirely mechanically and the labour force employed onthe site by George Wimpey, Ltd., the contractors, never numbered more than 30. Three other improvements in course of installation are a newcontrol-tower fitted with the latest V.H.F. and D.F. radio aids (supplied by the Marconi Co., a member of the English Electricgroup); new runway approach lighting; and an I.L.S. system. These additions are due to be completed this year, say the com-pany, and with the lengthened runway will enable flight testing of the P.I for the R.A.F. to go on "unhampered" at Warton. New Engine for Ultra-lights WORK is progressing on the preparation of a four-cylinder,horizontally opposed engine giving about 30 h.p. and suit- able for ultra-light aircraft. Made by Rollason Aircraft andEngines, Ltd., Croydon Airport, Surrey, it is "an extensive modification of a car engine which has been widely used forultra-lights in France." Initially known as the R.T.W. Mk 1, the new engine will, it ishoped, be marketed in the near future. The first example is being tested and calibrated and will probably be air-tested in asingle-seat ultra-light. It is designed to use 80-octane petrol (i.e., good-quality car fuel), and to consume about 1.36 gal/hr at2,500 r.p.m. Dry weight is about 130 lb. Dual ignition is fitted, with one 14 mm and one 12 mm plug in each cylinder. Similarengines in France have been developed to give about 35 h.p.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
