FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0676.PDF
682 FLIGHT, 24 May 1957 FROM ALL QUARTERS THUNDERCHIEF: These are the first unre- touched photographs of the Republic F-1O5B Thunder chief to be released. Powered by the Pratt and Whitney J75 (15,000 Ib dry, 24,000 Ib with afterburner) and capable of carrying some 8J000 Ib of stores, it is in bulk production as a standard U.S.A.F. fighter/ bomber.Span exceeds30ft/length exceeds 60ft. about Britannia production, which had totalled nine complete air-craft during the period under review. "As is not unusual in this exacting branch of engineering," says Sir Reginald, "its [theBritannia's] development has taken longer and its cost has been greater than we had intended. Some part of this cost has beencarried by the Government (and will in due course be recovered by the Government in the levy on sales which we pay to theMinistry of Supply) but our own share is an outlay of several million pounds, which will not be fully recovered until over 100aircraft have been sold at satisfactory prices. Orders so far received total 70, and we hope that this number will steadilyincrease as the practical evidence of the Britannia's qualities become apparent from B.O.A.C.'s operations." Of the company's work vis-a-vis current defence policy, thechairman gives a succinct summary: "I believe we can claim that our engineers had recognized correctly and in good time thechanges that have been forced upon this country by the hydrogen bomb and by the development of the means of delivering it, inthat we have concentrated upon three major needs, viz: providing power for the delivery of the deterrent (Olympus engines for theVulcan bomber); providing the defence of the bases from which the deterrent is launched (surface-to-air missiles); and providinga long-range heavy-load-carrying transport force (Britannias with their Proteus gas-turbine engines). We have thus undertaken arole of the greatest importance and value to the defence of this country and to the primary object of policy, the preventionof war." The financial section of the chairman's statement shows that(as recorded in Flight last week) net profit after taxation amounted to £1,065,028 compared with £977,363 in 1955. Autair in Africa TPHE establishment of a new associate company, to be known•*• as Autair Helicopters (Africa), Ltd., and based permanently in Central Africa, is announced by Autair, Ltd. Primary functionof the company will be the sale and operation of Bell helicopters. A Bell 47G2 has already arrived to establish the organization andis operating under the direction of Capt. Lincoln Lord, chief pilot of Autair, Ltd. The company remark that whereas previous heli-copter operations in Africa have often been limited by perform- ance under conditions of high temperature and high altitude, theBell 47G2 and 47J are designed to meet such conditions. The Royal Air Force on TVP I an hour's programme on May 15 the B.B.C. Television ser-vice showed viewers the R.A.F.'s new shape as a deterrent force under the terms of the Defence White Paper. Air ChiefMarshal Sir Dermot Boyle, Chief of the Air Staff, acted as spokes- man, answering questions put by Raymond Baxter and at theend making a short statement on the R.A.F.; and each Command —including 2nd T.A.F., whose simulated nuclear-weapon dropformed a telling climax to the programme—in turn provided a short description and demonstration of its work.Thus, four black Hunters of No. Ill Sqn. showed their formation aerobatic paces against an impressive cloudscape, andtwo Javelins of No. 46 Sqn. were scrambled from Odiham to intercept two Valiants—achieving this 14 min 10 sec later.The P.I—looking strangely like some goldfish in a tank as it nosed curiously up to the photographic aircraft, then flickedaway—appeared as Fighter Command's last manned weapon; and (as examples of future weapons) a Fireflash destroyed aFirefly target aircraft, and a ground-to-air missile, presumably Thunderbird (the C.A.S. commenting that the development ofground-to-air missiles was "going very well") was seen to hit its target. To demonstrate the physiological problems associated withhigh-speed flight, the Institute of Aviation Medicine at Farn- borough showed a practice ejection at 5g (rather oddly, onethought, this was accompanied by Sir Arthur Bliss's march from the Things to Come film music); and later in the programme theInstitute demonstrated its successful answer to the difficulties caused by high temperatures. Bomber Command came into the picture with a descriptionby one of No. 214 Squadron's pilots of one of the Valiants at Marham (the C.A.S. remarking that each could carry a destruc-tive power greater than the whole of Bomber Command during the last war), with a formation of Canberras and air-to-air shotsof a single Vulcan and Victor. Transport Command showed off two Beverleys, the Cometwhich took the Prime Minister to Germany and back, and a Hastings—underlining the stalwart usefulness of the last-named.Coastal Command demonstrated the varied strike powers of a Shackleton against submarines and the efficiency of its searchand rescue organization (a demonstration put on very creditably —by high-speed launch, a Whirlwind and a hardy volunteer—
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
