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Aviation History
1958
1958-1- - 0311.PDF
', 29 At^ust 1958 315 Fairey Gannet AEW.3 model. this handicap, and of course to provide the twin-engine security essential for commercial opera- tions over urban areas. The Rotodyne offers alsoto bring air transport to island communities. The name of British European Airways hasbeen associated with the Rotodyne; the Corpora- tion states that the aircraft may well provide theeconomic vehicle which it is seeking to develop scheduled helicopter-type services. F.D.2 Designed and constructed by FaireyAviation to meet a Ministry of Supply require- ment for a supersonic research machine, the F.D.2was outstandingly successful. It was soon appre- ciated that it would be capable of speeds muchhigher than those envisaged when it was first planned, and by 1956 it was regularly flying at1,000 m.p.h. On March 10 the first of the two F.D.2s, flown by Peter Twiss, Fairey's chieffixed-wing test pilot, established a world record for absolute speed of 1,822 km/hr (1,132 m.p.h.),which stood for eighteen months. The F.D.2 was fully described in our issue of April 25 last;powerplant is a Rolls-Royce Avon with after- burner. Gannet A8.4 Now the standard fixed-wing anti-submarine aircraft of the Royal Navy, the Gannet AS.4 differs from the AS.l mainlyin having a more powerful Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba engine and in equipment. Thecrew of three are accommodated in three cockpits, arranged to afford full 360-deg visual coverage(a large number of submarine sightings are still made visually). A capacious weapon bay canaccommodate two homing torpedoes or bombs, mines, depth charges, sonobuoys and otherstores; and the search radar is mounted in -a retractable container immediately aft of theweapon bay. Further stores, including sixteen 60 lb R.P.s, may be carried on underwing racks.The aircraft is fined for catapulting and deck landing; and the engines are specially arrangedfor ease of handling and immediate acceleration in case an overshoot is required. The twoMambas, each driving one of the contra-routing propellers, are independent of each other andeither may be shut down for normal cruising flight. Stopping or starting takes only a matterof seconds. In addition to serving with the Fleet Air Arm,Gannets have been bought by the Royal Austra- lian Navy and the German naval air arm. Gannet T.5 Bearing the same relationshipto the T.2 as the AS.4 bears to the AS.l, the T.5 is a pilot trainer for Gannet handling and weapon-delivery. It therefore retains the weapon bay, but has no search radar. The instructor, sittingin the centre cockpit, has full flying controls and a simple periscope to augment his field of vision Fairey F.D.2. directly forward. An observer, or two passengers,may be carried in the rear cockpit. Full carrier- landing facilities are retained and, as with allGannets, the wings fold at two points. C. M. Lambert, of Flight staff, flew the proto-type Gannet T.5 for an hour from White Wal- tham last year (see issue of December 6, 1957).He reported that "the machine can be flown at weights approaching that of a loaded Dakota yetis very light to handle and without any aero- dynamic peculiarities. At first acquaintance thecontrols of the two turboprop engines seem very complicated, but in practice engine handling isperfectly straightforward. Above all, the approach and touch-down are remarkably simple." Gannet AEW.3 Intended specifically asan early-warning picket aircraft, this variant of the Gannet is extensively modified to accommo-date a powerful search radar scanner in a ventral fairing. Crew accommodation and internal lay-out have been completely revised and a more powerful Double Mamba is fitted. The tail sur-faces, too, have been changed. The first of a batch of AEW.3s ordered for the Fleet Air Armis now completed. In service, the type will replace the AD-4W Skyraiders, which have now beendoing radar-picket work for a number of years. Fairay Gannet T.5 (drawing above)Powerplant Armstrong Siaaeley Double NambaSpan 54ft 4in length 43ft Fairey Ganut AEWJ (drawing below)Powerplant Armstrong Siddeley Double Mamba Span 54ft 6inLength (without uing) 44ft
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