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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0327.PDF
14 March 1958 343 Stages in release of first- and second-stage recovery parachutes and flotation bag:— A, release of four small parachutes from rear of vehicle; B, first-stage parachutes open; C, panel over main parachute container is ejected by explosive jack; D, second-stage parachute opens; E, vehicle supported in water by flotation bag inflated by CO2 supply initiated by "sea cells." frame had originally been designed foruse with different actuators, and no change was necessary. Used with diisactuator was a different method of oil expulsion—introduced because it wasdesired to achieve a period of operation longer than that available from the cor-dite expulsion system. Here it was expedient to make use of high-pressurenitrogen stored in coiled tubes in the centre-body, since the space previouslyoccupied by the cordite was needed for greater oil capacity. Another future requirement alreadyapparent was provision for recovery and guidance equipment. A major changewas accordingly introduced. The front portion of the round was lengthened and,with the object of saving space, experi- ments were made to investigate thepossibility of replacing the existing high- pressure-nitrogen fuel-expulsion systemby a slow-burning cordite charge. It was appreciated, however, that there wouldprobably be some difficulty with heat generated by the cordite and that, inparticular, the plastic bags would suffer. The bag tanks were therefore replacedby an assembly of seven aluminium tubes and this system was flight-tested in"short" rounds whilst still retaining the nitrogen spheres as a source of powerfor fuel supply. A different type of motor, designed by the R.A.E. at Westcott, wasalso successfully flown at about this time. With the introduction of the "long"round the opportunity was taken integ- rally to strengthen the structure and soavoid the use of the longitudinal steel straps. A number of "cold" rounds wereagain fired to flight-test components to be used later on fully guided rounds. Pending the conclusion of ground tests on the cordite fuel-expulsion system, the use of high-pressure nitrogen was retained, but the spherical containers were replaced by bottles. These weremore economical in shape for packaging purposes. It was soon apparent that development of the cordite system would takelonger than had been expected, and further research showed that the use of nitrogen, at a pressure greater than that previouslyemployed, would permit packaging of all components necessary for a fully guided and recoverable round. For this reason, thecordite system was not, in the event, embodied in flight rounds. Meanwhile, a new phase of research had begun with theinvestigation of homing problems in collaboration with Elliott Brothers (London), Ltd.; and, facilitated by the use of the re-covery system, this programme continues. The release of parachutes in two stages, and of the flotationbag, is ingeniously contrived. Four small parachutes housed at the rear of the round are enclosed by a steel strap which, bymeans of a time clock, is released at a predetermined stage of the flight. The steel strap straightens and flies off, and the parachutesare released, checking the rate of the missile's descent towards the sea. In the second stage a charge controlling a jack is exploded, thusejecting the panel fitted over the main parachute container at the front of the vehicle. The main parachute is thrown out and itssteel cable breaks away from a retaining strip along the side of the round, so that when it is fully inflated the missile is suspendedfrom the ultimate attachment-point near the rear fins. With the missile's entry into the sea the flotation bag, housedin the compartment which contained the large parachute, comes into use. "Sea cells," operating on contact with salt water, closean electric contact, thus releasing CCh, which inflates the bag. This is, of course, highly coloured and makes a conspicuousmarker for the recovery crews. Aerodynamic work on the G.P.V. has been carried out with the"cold" rounds already mentioned, with scale models, and by wind tunnel testing. This work proved of great help in working outround trajectories during subsequent collaboration with Elliott Brothers on the study of homing problems. Wind-tunnel tests have covered both low-speed and supersonicwork, the latter with the aid of the R.A.E. Low-speed research has yielded data on pressure distribution, both circumferentialand longitudinal, on the body of the missile, and has determined the subsonic lateral characteristics of both boosted and unboostedrounds. Supersonic tests have included investigation of control effectiveness and induced effects, together with component aero-dynamics, followed by runs with the complete long round. Employment of telemetry for obtaining flight data for sub-sequent analysis is of prime importance in a vehicle such as the G.P.V., and use is at present being made of two differenttypes of telesenders, for both of which Shorts are responsible. CANADA'S AIR DEFENCE POLICY (continued from page 341) critics feel that at the present time too many obsolete Dakotas,C-119 "Flying Boxcars" and even I^ancasters still clutter the R.C.A.F. transport squadrons both in the reserves and in thepermanent force's Air Transport Command. But in November last year the submarine patrol of No. 407 Maritime Patrol Squad-ron at Comox, B.C., put their dozen Lancasters to rest, almost the last of 6,000 of the famous bombers which flew in European,British and Canadian skies. Soon to appear in the military air transport field in Canada is the CL-44, the Canadian version of theBristol Britannia; and for lighter duties, the twin-engined DHC-4 Caribou transport, suitable for work in the Canadian North, is nowunder development at de Havilland at Downsview, Ontario. However, the Suez crisis last November revealed how crudeCanada's troop-carrying facilities had become. It took more than a dozen flights to move 1,000 members of Canada's Queen's OwnRifles from their barracks in Calgary, Alberta, to the port of depar- ture at Halifax, N.S., for the United Nations Special Force in theMiddle East. One-way flight between Calgary and Halifax is a distance of about 2,500 miles. Elsewhere, army critics, led by aretired army Chief of Staff, can always point at the Canadian Army's inability in the decade or more since the war to establishan effective, available airborne infantry battalion, ready for such an emergency as the Suez crisis suddenly offered. In the permanent R.C.A.F., the basic concern of building enoughmodern aircraft and aero engines for Canada's home and over- seas squadrons is associated with the problem of finding themanpower to man and service them. Today, the R.C.A.F. has 12 CF-100 squadrons at home. Four CF-100 squadrons were des-patched to Europe to replace four of the twelve Sabre squadrons abroad. The remaining eight Sabre squadrons overseas will prob-ably keep their aircraft for some time. Since the end of the Korean War, the Canadian economy hascontinued to boom in an inflationary period unprecedented in the country's history. Into it have gone hundreds of the nation's newgraduate engineers, offered premium salaries by frantic consumer- goods manufacturers and even higher ones by mining and oildevelopment companies in the Canadian West. Thus the Services have not attracted as many new engineers as they had hopied todo. In the highly technical R.C.A.F. this has become a serious problem. Pay increases for engineers with long service, and incen-tives on graduation to university undergraduates who take volun- tary training in order to join the R.C.A.F., have been offered ingreater numbers in the last few years. But still the Air Force would like to see more of these men. The new engineeringgraduate, however, compares the annual earnings of an experienced Air Force engineering officer with his civilian contemporary of thesame age and equivalent experience. For example, a squadron leader with 15 years' service in the R.C.A.F., four of them to gethis degree in engineering at a Canadian university (sometimes at the expense of the R.C.A.F.) now earns about $7,500 to $8,000per year, compared to the berter-than $11,000 to $12,000 of the average engineer of equal experience and similar age in civilian hie.Many Air Force technical officers and N.C.O.s have already been offered top jobs in civilian engineering concerns on retirement,even though this may still be two, five or even eight years away. In some few cases these older, valuable men ask for a prematureretirement and go into higher-paying outside industries while the opportunities are there. How these many problems of Canada's future military aviationwill be solved, is, perhaps, the main worry of the Minister of National Defence and of his Department. Already he has showna new resilence in dealing with thorny conditions about which he was already well-informed as the former Opposition defence criticin the House of Commons. Where the future air defence policy of his country is concerned,the gallant former major general is new guaranteed a busy year.
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