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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1189.PDF
FLIGHT, 23 August 1957 277 craft has made its first appearance. This notable developmentcentred on the first flight of the Kingsford Smith PL-7 Tanker. Powered by a 400 h.p. Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah X engine, thenew machine is designed for top-dressing and crop-spraying and features an unusual biplane configuration (see photograph onpage 278). The designer of the aircraft is L. Pellarini and it is constructed by Kingsford Smith Aviation Service, Ltd.Another Pellarini design, the Fawcett 120 light aircraft, is now under consideration as an observation or light-communicationsmachine for the Australian Army. Designed originally as a trainer, the machine first flew in 1954 and has since suffered a number ofdelays in its certification testing. Interest in the machine revived recently with the carrying-out of flight trials of the type by theArmy at Bankstown in May of this year. Civilian development of the 120, a high-wing, tricycle-undercarriage machine powered bya 130 h.p. Gipsy Major, is at present at a standstill pending completion of test-procedure negotiations between the AustralianDepartment of Civil Aviation and the R.A.A.F. Yet another interesting private venture on the Australian sceneis the Molyneux two-seater helicopter, predecessor of the Molyneux XM-1000 five-seat, tandem rotor helicopter poweredby a 550 h.p. Pratt and Whitney Wasp engine. COMMONWEALTH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION PTY.,LTD. P.O. Box 779H, Elizabeth Street, Melbourne. '"THE first major aircraft manufacturing company to be estab-•*• lished in Australia, Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation has its main airframe-producing plant at Fishermen's Bend, outsideMelbourne. The company's engine factory is alongside it, and there is a subsidiary (government-owned) engine factory atLidcombe which C.A.C. operates as a government annexe. The Corporation's activities are under the control of the manager,Sir Lawrence J. Wackett. As mentioned in the introductory article to this section, Avon-Sabre and Winjeel production is at present tailing off. Sabre production—the contract has been for 90 machines—is by farthe most ambitious enterprise yet undertaken by C.A.C. The tapered skins for the wings have been imported, as have abouthalf of the production jigs. Final assembly and test-flying of the Commonwealth-built Sabres has been at the governmentairfield at Avalon. The Commonwealth CA-27 Avon Sabre has a performanceconsiderably better than the F-86F on which it is based. The Avon 20 turbojet, also manufactured by C.A.C., gives some 50per cent more thrust than the American J47. Installation of the Avon farther aft to counteract the engine weight differenceresulted in 60 per cent of the Sabre's fuselage being completely re-designed by C.A.C. The Commonwealth CA-22 Winjeel, forming the basicstandard trainer of the R.A.A.F., closely resembles in appearance and in function the Hunting Percival Provost. Standard power-plant for the Winjeel is the 455 h.p. Wasp Junior. The manufacture of engines as well as aircraft was begun onthe formation of the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation in 1936. The engine division of C.A.C. commenced gas-turbineproduction with the Rolls-Royce Nene (for Australian-built Vampires), followed by the Avon. For Australian-built Can-berras and Sabres, Avon RA.7s have been built, the main components for which have been manufactured by C.A.C. [ CA-27 Avon Sabre Powerplanc Span Length Cross weight Max. spaed C.A.C.-built Avon 20 37ft 1in 37ft 6in 17,0001b 70) m.p.h DE HAVILLAND AIRCRAFT PTY., LTD. P.O. Box 30, Bankstown, N.S.W. A/f AJOR activity at the main de Havilland factory at Bankstown-1-*-"- is at present concerned with the production of 68 Mk 35 Vampire Trainers for the R.A.A.F., the first of which is almostdue for delivery. Approximately 750 men are employed on this project and completion of the order is planned by April 1960. Inparallel with the production of Vampire Trainers the company is manufacturing spares and Vampire long-range tanks; while theproduction of wings and centre-sections for the CA-22 Winjeel has now tailed off. The service department's work at Bankstown includes theoverhaul and repair of Vampires (both fighter and trainer versions) and also the Mk 53 Sea Venoms of the R.A.N.; while the civilside has continued to expand also. A second factory located at Alexandria, a suburb of Sydney, isthe home of the Propeller Division; and guided-missile develop- ment is undertaken at another establishment of this division atSalisbury. GOVERNMENT AIRCRAFT FACTORIES Department oj Defence Production, Lorimer Street, Fishermen'sBend, Melbourne. TOURING the last twelve months the Government Aircraft*-* Factories have continued with the production of Canberra bombers for the R.A.A.F. and Jindivik target aircraft for use atWoomera on joint U.K./Australian projects and for the Royal Swedish Air Board. Servicing, modification and spares pro-grammes for Lincoln, Canberra and Jindivik aircraft were under- taken. Design and development work was carried out on classifiedprojects including the anti-tank guided weapon Malkara. This weapon has had a high degree of success over a period of manytests, and at present a quantity of these weapons is being produced for Service user trials. The Government Aircraft Factories form part of the AustralianDepartment of Defence Production, which is directed by the Minister, the Hon. Howard Beale, Q.C., M.P. The officers of thedepartment concerned with higher policy and administration of aircraft production generally are J. L. Knott, O.B.E., Secretary andpermanent head; R. H. Doyle, Controller-general of Munitions Supply; N. B. Woodfull, General Manager; and S. C. Westman,Assistant Secretary (Aircraft Production). A separate aircraft maintenance branch is headed by M. A. W. Forestier. Manager of the Government Aircraft Factories is M. W. Hodg-son. The central establishment is at Fishermen's Bend, Mel- bourne, where administrative, design and planning offices arelocated, as well as manufacturing and assembly work-hops, machine shop, tool room, experimental workshops and labora-tories, radio and instrument rooms and central stores. Total floor space is approximately 400,000 sq ft. Flying operations are now conduced at the Avalon airfield(B. Ralston, acting manager), where final aircraft assembly and aircraft servicing and modification are carried out. Avalon's mainrunway is 7,000ft in length, with 1,500ft safety over-runs at each end, and the main assembly, servicing and other plant total over200,000 sq ft. Approximately 1,500 employees are now engaged on aircraft work at Fishermen's Bend and Avalon, compared with3,000 at this time last year. Major sub-contractors to the Government Factories, and theirproducts, include Chrysler Australia, Ltd. (see p. 278); South Australian Railways, Islington, South Australia (wing spars); andNew South Wales Railways, Chullora N.S.W. (sundry details and sub-assemblies). Test cells and fuel-system rigging room of Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation's engine division.
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