FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1854.PDF
944 FLIGHT, 20 December 1957 Flying the Caravelle By VICO ROSASPESA TO get the Caravelle moving in order to taxi out it isnecessary to use the two Rolls-Royce Avon RA.29s atabout 60 per cent power; they are first opened up to 5,000 r.p.m., and the correct taxying speed can thereafter be maintained with about 4,500 r.p.m. Directional control is by the steerable nosewheel, making use of brakes unnecessary; owing to the fact that the engines lie so close to the fuselage centre-line asymmetric power is not practicable for steering HERE is "Flight's" first report of the flying characteristics of the SadAviation Caravelle, France's increasingly favoured short-range jet air- liner—a class of aeroplane which is commanding the close attention ofthe British industry at the present time. The author, who regularly contributes Italian news to our pages, is also a free-lance test pilot. purposes. Rudder control becomes effective at 75 to 80 kt. Full take-off power—10,500 lb thrust at 8,160 r.p.m.—can be held on the brakes. For take-off the best flap setting is 10 deg. Allowable eg. travel is between 20 per cent and 35 per cent of the mean aerodynamic chord. With the Caravelle at a gross weight of 90,400 lb the nosewheel is brought off at about 7 kt below unsticking speed, which is 120 kt. Longitudinal stability, both during and after take-off, seemed good. Forward visibility I found to be beyond criticism, but on this prototype the outlook to each side—and especially to starboard—left something to be desired; improvements are promised in the production version. From "brakes off" the full-weight take-off run lasts approxi- mately 30 sec at an ambient temperature of about 20 deg C, and the undercarriage and flaps can be brought fully up some 20 sec after leaving the runway. Optimum climbing speed— 255 kt—is attained in 55 sec. The time taken to reach safety speed of 1.3 V8 hardly calls for consideration, as the Caravelle does not normally unstick until this speed has been passed. In accordance with American C.A.R.4b requirements, for take-off at an airport altitude of 3,280ft a gross-weight reduc- tion of 5,500 lb is necessary in order to achieve a take-off dis- tance comparable with the full-weight sea-level figure. An increase of 10 deg C in airport temperature implies a weight reduction of about 2,600 lb. To put the matter another way: for operations at maximum weight these airfield conditions require, respectively, a 9 per cent increase in take-off distance in the first case and a 490ft increase in the second. One increases optimum climbing speed progressively to Cockpit layout of the Caravelle is designed to permit two-man opera- tion, though a seat for a supernumary is provided. The windscreens and general dimensions are those of the Comet.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
