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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0748.PDF
754 FLIGHT, 31 May 1957 How Viscount fuse- lages are secured firmly on the trailers, by the spar ' attachments aft (left-hand pic- ture) and nose- wheel attachment forward. Secure fixing of this kind is essential, both to preserve the load from damage and as a safeguard against the effects of rood vibration and wind-gusts. HIGHWAY TO THE AIR . . . works and that at Hum, near Bournemouth—a road journey ofabout 80 miles. Currently, some of the V.800 fuselages built at Hurn are being brought up to Weybridge for final assembly. The vehicles used by Dallas for this work are mainly powerfuland compact A.E.C. Mercury four-wheelers towing a 33ft 6in trailer by means of an extended drawbar to give the necessaryclearance between the vehicle and the aircraft nose. The fuselage is firmly secured at three points—at the nosewheel attachment andat each of the main-spar attachments, slave fittings being provided to carry the load to the trailer members. Transport operations of this kind call for thorough planning,involving close co-operation with the police, motoring organiza- tions and local authorities—and, of course, highly experienceddrivers are essential. Two police outriders warn oncoming traffic and deal with unexpected obstructions or other difficulties. Some-times, particularly at acute corners, it is necessary temporarily to remove "keep left" signs. Routes must be carefully worked out,especially in the matter of bridge-heights; and here there may be pitfalls—or, more accurately, just the reverse, for the clearancesindicated by the notices on bridges are sometimes unexpectedly reduced by road repairs that raise the surface-level. But skill, experience and forethought by all concerned combineto achieve a successful operation. "I can't recall that we've had a single instance of even slight damage," Mr. Dallas told us; andhis company's methods suggest that this record has a very good chance of being maintained. On another aspect of the company's work—the transport ofcivil and military aircraft simulators, a single one of which may require a fleet of eight or more vehicles—we hope to publish anote in the near future. BALL IN TOUCH A DEVICE with possible applications in test and developmentflying was demonstrated recently in Melbourne to repre- sentatives of Australian, British and American aircraft and instru-ment firms, and failures were simulated in an aircraft of the Australian CivilAviation Depart- ment in order toshow the method of operation. The apparatushas as its mam purpose the identi-fication and record- ing of failure in anyone of a number of parts of the struc-ture of an aircraft in flight. In brief,it consists of 24 detector strips, in-dividually wired to what a news-storyfrom Australia de- scribes as "pres-sure-switch and in- sulator plates invulnerable parts of the aircraft." On asignal being re- ceived from one ormore of these parts the appropriatestrip (or strips) is heated electricallyand becomes dis- coloured. The strips are fitted in a spherical container about the size of afootball, which also houses a battery that makes operation indepen- dent of the aircraft electrical supplies. The container—whichweighs about 10 lb, is shockproof, and will float in water—is housed in the tail of the aircraft "and automatically ejects itselfwhen a crash occurs." Interesting possibilities—especially for the aircraft designer— The inventor, Mr. R. H. Orgill, displays the detector strips in one half of the sphere. are implied in another passage from the Australian report: "Inthe second half of the ball, a miniature tape recorder captures the sounds of the breakages, and also any statements which the pilotmay make." It is apparently the hope of the inventor—Mr. R. H. Orgill,an electrician—that the device might be installed as standard equipment in airliners. Its suitability for such a purpose wasdiscounted by one of the aircraft company representatives, who remarked upon the complexity of warning devices alreadyinstalled in such aircraft. But—to quote the story again—"For other planes, however, this expert felt there was undoubtedlyscope for the invention, which could be developed profitably for the welfare of the industry." D REWARDS FROM ABROAD URING the past five years British aircraft and aero enginesmanufactured abroad under licence have earned almost £25m. In the House of Lords recently Lord Mancroft, ParliamentarySecretary to the Ministry of Defence, gave figures of "royalty pay- ments for the manufacture of aircraft and aero engines abroad(including lump-sum fees for the granting of licences)." These figures, which include the value of some of the material and partssupplied to the licensees, were as follows: £2,562,000 (1952); £4,240,000 (1953); £4,264,000 (1954); £6,736,000 (1955); and£7,007,000 (1956). Of the 14 types of British aero engines for which manufacturinglicences have been granted in nine countries, the Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire has been built in the greatest quantity, over8,000 having been made so far in the United States. More than 4,000 Rolls-Royce Nenes and Tays have also been manufacturedthere. The English Electric Canberra has figured prominently amongthe eight types of aircraft made in eight overseas countries, over 350 having been built in the U.S.A. (as the B-57) and a furthernumber in Australia. In recent months licence agreements have been signed for the manufacture of Folland Gnats in Finland andIndia and for Bristol engines in the U.S.A. The figures quoted by Lord Mancroft do not include royaltypayments—which amount to a substantial total—for equipment and components manufactured abroad.
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