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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 0139.PDF
No. 2607 VOLUME 75 FRIDAY 9 JANUARY 1959 Editor-in-Chief MAURICE A. SMITH D.F.C. *---:.'r':''''nf v :•''•'•:''': ' Editor H. P. KING M.8.E. Technical Editor W. T. GU NSTON Production Editor ROY CASEY IN THIS ISSUE From All Quarters 52 TSR.2 54 New Year Honours 55 First Man-made Planet 56 Britannia 253 Takes the Air 57 Why do Birds Fear Helicopters? 58 Russian Helicopters 59 Vanguard 61 Air Commerce 77 Service Aviation 81 Straight and Level 83 Correspondence 84 Iliffe & Sons Ltd., Dorset House, Stam-ford Street, London, S.E.I; telephone Waterloo 3333; telegrams FlightpresSediat London. Annual subscriptions: Home £4 15s, Overseas £5, Canadaand U.S.A. $15.00. Second Class Mail privileges authorized at New York, N.Y. Branch Offices Coventry:8-10 Corporation Street; telephone Coventry 25210. Birmingham: KingEdward House, New Street, 2; telephone Midland 7191. Manchester: 260 Deaos-gate, 3; telephone Blackfriars 4412 or Deansgate 3595. Glasgow: 26B RenfleldStreet, C.2; telephone Central 1265. New York, N.Y.: Thomas Skinner & Co.(Publishers) Ltd., Ill Broadway, 6; telephone Digby 9-1197. © Iliffe * Sons Ltd., 1959. Permissionto reproduce illustrations and letterpress can be granted only under written agree-ment. Brief extracts or comments may be made with due acknowledgement. • y ^ .- -:'^ • . and Aircraft Engineer FIRST AERONAUTICAL WEEKLY IN THE WORLD: FOUNDED 190S Russia's Year of Destiny ONE week ago we could adduce no more remarkable achievement in "the newrealm" of astronautics than that of America in sending a rocket one-third of the distance to the Moon. On the very Friday morning that Flight appeared with that affirmation the Russians launched their "Planet IIP'; and by Saturday night the world had received notice that the vehicle was by-passing the Moon and was reaching sunwards. Within days of these words appearing it should be orbiting round Old Sol himself—albeit at the respectful distance of about 100 million miles. This first clean break-out from the earth's gravitational field has sent a great thrill around the puny 25,000-odd miles of our own little planet: a thrill of wonder— - of apprehension even, so awesome are its implications. Congratulating the Soviet scientists, President Eisenhower has declared that this latest launch "represents a great stride forward in man's advance into the infinite reaches of space." That Ike is right will be the vote of all parties and races of the earth. The launch of the "Planet III" and new facts about the Soviet helicopters pre- sented in this issue prompt a fresh appraisal of Russia's standing in the aviation world. The Russians have a tremendous national pride in their aeronautical achievements; and the cynicism and open disbelief with which some of their claims have been received in the Western world can erase none of the records standing to their credit in that ledger of international aeronautics the bulletin Records Officiels of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. In civil aviation Russia holds a strong hand; and she is likely to show her cards openly in this new year, especially on the occasion of the first World Congress of Flight at Las Vegas and at the Paris Aero Show. En route to Nevada the enormous Tu-114 may demonstrate that it can take the Moscow - New York trip in its stride—give evidence, in f act3 of longer range and greater capacity than any other airliner. v O.R.339 Becomes TSR.2 THE team of manufacturers to meet the Air Ministry's General OperationalRequirement No. 339 for a comprehensive tactical attack system has at last been chosen (details—p. 54). No previous British military aeroplane has been called upon to fulfil such critical and conflicting requirements. No previous • machine has been of such intense interest to the worried leaders of our aircraft and component firms—nor, for that matter, the daily Press, who have found in it a storm-centre of unparalleled magnitude. Fleet Street has suggested that research and development will cost from £25m to £50m, that the substantial number of aircraft needed will run away with another £200m and that the first squadron of TSR.2s—as the machine is at present styled—may be formed in 1964. These predictions are likely to prove optimistic. Nevertheless, when the whole vast weapon-system is fully developed it should prove versatile, exportable, of great assistance in planning a supersonic transport and—by no means least—a bread-and-butter line for a thousand factories from the vast sprawl of Weybridge to the most humble one-man busi- ness. Many firms are already profoundly relieved to see the prospect of relatively steady work for ten years to come. Other contracts soon to be placed should remove the furrows from a still wider circle of brows.
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