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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0434.PDF
436 FLIGHT, 5 April 1957 PROGRESS WITH THE SEA VIXEN . . . examples of the plastic engineer's art, and both are de Havillandproducts. The canopy comprises a blown hood assembled in a magnesium-alloy frame. The windscreen is formed frommultiple glass laminates raked back at an acute angle. The radome is one of the largest fitted to a fighter and covers the latestand most powerful British interception radar equipment. Both pilot and observer have Martin-Baker lightweight Mk 4ejection seats, which, even at supersonic speed, can fire in a trajec- tory well clear of the tailplane. Crew ejection on ditching andunder water has been studied and fully proven. Both crew mem- bers are comfortably seated in the pressurized and air-conditionedcrew compartment, and the pilot has an outstanding view, especi- ally to port. The observer, who enters through a forward-hinginghatch above the starboard side of the fuselage, can navigate, monitor the radar, warn the pilot of any incorrect instrumentreadings and also undertake such tasks as operating the wing-fold. As already noted, the powerplants are Rolls-Royce Avons.The original aircraft had relatively early engines of about 7,000- 7,500 lb thrust apiece, but the Mk 20 has late-model Avonswith a much higher rating. Both units are housed in fireproof bays, which, by virtue of the unusual configuration of the air-craft, bear very little stress. This has facilitated the provision of exceedingly large access doors and, in fact, the whole uppersurface of the engine bays can be unfastened to allow the com- plete powerplants to be lifted out and replaced in less than threehours. Hydraulics are virtually excluded from the proximity of the engines, and the majority of the electrical units are mountedabove the wing where they are free from dirt and oil. Special provision is made for rapid servicing under difficult conditions,and all removable components are grouped in package form wherever possible. Substantial internal tankage is provided between the intakeducts and within the wings. The Sea Vixen 20 is also provided with several standard under-wing pylons, two of which can beequipped to carry additional tanks. Provision for flight refuelling takes the form of a long probe positioned on the port leadingedge inboard of the wing fold. The Mk 20X has successfully completed "dry contacts" in conjunction with a Canberra fromthe Tarrant Rushton airfield of Flight Refuelling, Limited. A valuable characteristic of the Sea Vixen is its ability to carryheavy and varied loads of stores. Two years ago it was announced that a standard underwing load could comprise four air-to-airguided weapons, and there is reason to believe that considerably more weighty combinations of stores could be accepted. More-over, whether the aircraft is intended to fight with guns (which are not, incidentally, in evidence on XJ 474), spin-stabilizedrockets or guided weapons, its performance and radar ability should suffice to put it in the right place for a successful attack. Altogether the Sea Vixen is a machine of outstanding potenti-ality. Its generous wing area confers excellent performance and The fuselage boxing jig has a removable keel, which is raised off its vee blocks with the assembled fuselage and wheeled to the next stage. manoeuvrability at all altitudes and has also made possible theachievement of extremely good slow-flying and landing character- istics. Moreover, the basic flexibility of the aircraft is such as toallow it to develop progressively to meet future demands, and it could undoubtedly accomplish several types of mission quite dis-tinct from the primary role for which it has been designed. It is natural that the Royal Navy are eager to get the SeaVixen into service; but before this can be done a formidable pro- gramme of development must be completed. As de Havillandstate: "Plans for the new aircraft in production form to embark on a final series of carrier trials have already been made. Thesewill be supplemented by further testing at Ministry of Supply establishments. Finally, before the aircraft can be accepted forsquadron service, it will be necessary to assess weapons, radio, radar and navigation systems under a wide range of service con-ditions. Equipment supply and servicing problems must also be investigated." When this work is done Sea Vixens should berelatively plentiful, and the Fleet Air Arm will be markedly strengthened by their entry to first-line squadrons. Forming an interesting aesthetic comparison with the heading picture on p. 433, this view is suggestive of the compactness of the Sea Vixen when folded for carrier stowage. As we reported last week, this fully navalized machine flew for the first time on the evening of March 20. The pilot was Jock Elliott and the observer Mr. R. Adams; they reported that the 36-minute flight was completely successful.
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