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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0775.PDF
• -? ;»•«>'-" * • ^ WEST-COUNTRY WEIGHT-LIFTER: This new picture of the Westland Westminster (two Napier Elands) gives some impression of its size; fuselage length is 70ft. The photograph was taken at Yeovil at the end of last week, soon after the aircraft had been rolled out for ground running of its power plants. Other views are included in the report of a lecture by Westland's technical director on pages 792 and 793 of this issue. photographs and with a sensible economy of placarding. Napier'spiston engines—culminating in the opposed-piston diesel Deltic —have never followed the conventional pattern and the H-typeRapier, Dagger and Sabre engines were classics of their kind. Napier's turbines bear the same stamp of independent thoughtand a fairly substantial part of the exhibition is devoted to the Naiad and Nomad and the antelope turbines—the Oryx, Gazelleand Eland. Napier ramjets and boosters and associated aeronautical activities also have their place. Bristol Research Aircraft DURING the past week it has been unofficially reported that theBristol Aircraft Co. has for four years been developing a supersonic research aeroplane under contract to the Ministry ofSupply. It is stated to be designed for about Mach 3 and to employ a great deal of stainless steel and ceramic material in its construc-tion. One report suggests that it will have two turbojets. No comment has been made either by M.o.S. or the company. S/L. J. S. Booth WITH great regret we record that S/L. John Booth, chief testpilot of Saunders-Roe, Ltd., since February 1956, lost his life in an accident to the second SR.53 prototype on take-off from Boscombe Down on June 5. At aninquest held last Saturday it was found that the pilot lost his life "under cir-cumstances at present unascertained." One witness stated that before the air-craft reached the end of the runway the pilot canopy of the braking para-chute was streamed. S/L. Booth had had a distinguishedcareer as a Service and test pilot before he joined Saunders-Roe (as deputychief test pilot) in 1949. He entered the R.A.F. on a short service commis-sion in 1938; he was awarded the D.F.C. in France in 1940 and a Barto it after serving with Bomber Com- mand (1942-44) on night intruderoperations. His first experience of test flying was at the A. and A.E.E., Boscombe Down in 1944 and thefollowing year he took the E.T.P.S. course; then in 1946 he became one of the group of pilots who worked with Sir Frank Whittle atPower Jets (R. and D.), Ltd. Later that year he joined Short Brothers and Harland, Ltd., as a test pilot, remaining with themuntil he went to Saunders-Roe. At Farnborough last year he gave the SR.53 its first public demonstration. Mr. L. W. R. Robertson VX7E also regret to hear that Mr. Leslie Robertson, who until" 1957 was manager of the armaments division of Sir W. G. Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft, Ltd., died at his home nearStratford-on-Avon recently at the age of 62. He joined Armstrong Siddeley Motors, Ltd., in 1934 (after beingmanager of Kitson and Co., the locomotive manufacturers, and divisional sales manager of the Vacuum Oil Co.) as manager of therailcar department; but when this department was closed down owing to the R.A.F. expansion programme Mr. Robertson wentover to A.W.A., where he held the posts of contracts manager and commercial manager before joining the armaments division. In1957, after a serious illness, he was made A.W.A. publicity manager —a position he held until his recent retirement. S/L. Booth. Royal Send-off for Gliding Team /~\N Thursday of last week the Duke of Edinburgh wished good^-' fortune to the British team for the World Gliding Champion- ships prior to their departure for Poland. After the team's cars andglider trailers had been driven into the courtyard of Buckingham Palace the pilots and crews were introduced by Mr. Philip Willsto the Duke, who is patron of the British Gliding Association. Introductions over, Prince Philip was keen to examine the foursailplanes in their trailers, and went on to discuss the champion- ships with the pilots. He then entertained his visitors to tea, talkinginformally with members of the team about some interesting aspects of royal aviation. After leaving the palace the team went to Horse Guards Parade,where Cdr. Nicholas Goodhart and crew gave a demonstration of rigging and de-rigging his red-and-white Skylark 3 carrying thecontest number 13. When newsreel, television and Press photo- graphers had been satisfied, the team left London for Dover, wherethey spent the night. They crossed by sea to Dunkirk the following morning, and headed for Miinchen-Gladbach, the next night-stopon their way to Leszno. [Championship Prospects, pages 805-810.] R.Ae.S. President-elect THE election of Mr. P. G. Masefield, managing director ofBristol Aircraft and a vice-president of the Royal Aeronautical Society, as the Society's president for the year 1959-60 wasannounced last week. He will take office in May 1959. Elected vice-presidents of the council are A. Cdre. F. R. Banks,a director of the Bristol Aeroplane Company; Dr. E. S. Moult, a director of the de Havilland Engine Company; and Air MarshalSir Owen Jones. F4D Climbing Records IT is reported that the U.S. Navy is submitting, for F.A.I, homo-logation, rate-of-climb figures achieved by a Douglas F4D-1 Skyray. The details are (from brakes-off): 3,000m (9,843ft),44.39 sec; 6,000m (19,685ft), 1 min 6.13 sec; 9,000m (29,528ft), 1 min 29.81 sec; 12,000m (39,370ft), 1 min 51.23 sec. The F4Dalso reached 15,000m (49,212ft) in 2 min 36.05 sec, a height for which no previous record stood. The new figures were set byMaj. Edward N. Lefaivre, U.S. Marine Corps, on May 22 and 23. Current holder of the records is the Nord Gerfaut. Farnborough Prospects THIS year's S.B.A.C. Show at Farnborough seems likely tofollow the pattern predicted after last year's event by Mr. E. C. Bowyer, the Society's director, when he said that guided weaponswould come increasingly into the picture, Service participation would grow in size, and new civil and military aircraft could beexpected each year. The S.B.A.C. now say that the 1958 Display—the 19th—willinclude the latest missiles, some of them in their operational environment; massed R.A.F. and R.N. participation; more stand-space in the exhibition building; and an outside equipment display covering an area more than 30 per cent larger than at last year'sexhibition. Although entries for the flying display are not yet complete,the Society considers that with the number of new aircraft which have flown during the past year or so—Comet 4, SCI, NA.39,Dart Herald, Workmaster and pilotless Canberra among them— there is every prospect that Farnborough 1958 will be a bumperoccasion for new types.
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