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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0433.PDF
NOM toUtt BRIDLE 435 All the quantitatiye Sea Vixen data that can be published are contained on this maker's g.a. drawing, the first to show the final configuration. carrier lift and to provide perfect access to the radar. Incor-porated on XF 828, and carried through to the production series, are solid metal bumpers beneath the ventral surfaces at the rearends of the tail booms. These bumpers are equipped with hydraulic dashpots to give a degree of resilience in the event ofthe maximum possible angle of attack being reached at touch- down. In addition, the finalized Sea Vixen design has tail boomskinked upwards through 3 deg to give the pilot even greater ground-angle latitude. The de Havilland Sea Vixen FAW.20 is now in full productionfor the Royal Navy. The first series-built aeroplanes are initially coming through the shops at Christchurch. When all foreseeableproblems have been eradicated, responsibility for main produc- tion will be passed to the company'sbiggest aircraft production unit at Chester, whose task is the relatively straightforwardone of making essentially similar aircraft to the agreed schedule. Some of the air-frame components for the first few aircraft have been purchased outside the deHavilland organization, but with few exceptions — Folland-built wings, forexample—later airframe components will be made within the Enterprise, severaldetailed components being supplied by the Portsmouth factory, and the undercarriagelegs being products of the Propeller Com- pany's works at Lostock. The first com-pletely navalized Sea Vixen has the serial number XJ 474. It recently flew for thefirst time and is in all respects a fully- developed production aircraft. One of die most important of the newdevelopments built into this aircraft is the folding wing. Much of the engineering ofthe wing-fold was undertaken at Hatfield. The proportion of each surface which foldsis considerable, the hinge axis coming just outboard of the tail boom. As a resultthe angular movement of the folding por- tion is no less than 110 degrees, in order to Since this picture of XJ 474 was taken other Sea Vixens have reached a similar state of assembly. The general finish is outstanding. conform to the height imposed by carrier stowage limitations.Hydraulic jacks are used to pivot the folding sections directly upwards about two principal spar hinges. Highly-stressed attach-ments are of steel and the hinges are bolted to heavy diffusers which disperse loads into the machined wing skins. This type ofskinning is employed in heavy gauges throughout much of the wing, and exceptional attention has been paid to structuralintegrity. Countersunk or dimpled rivet holes are most carefully prepared and a radius is put on the edge of every hole and atevery change of section. A high proportion of the stiffening mem- bers are special extrusions which are riveted, bolted or bondedto the machined outer skin. The radome and pilot's canopy are large and advanced
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