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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 0768.PDF
FLIGHT, 20 March 1959 373 The general-arrangement drawing on the left shows a 1946 project for an "unarmed high-speed bomber" for which "four J.P. engines" were specified. Span was 122ft. Above is a wind-tunnel model for a later scheme BEHIND THE VICTOR ... between the fuselage and an aeroplane had "to be avoided. Awooden structure built around it, suggesting the form of a large boat, masked the telltale shape. White sheets completed thedisguise. Upon its side was painted the pseudonym 'Geleypandhy,' an anagram (whose deception was added to by a signwriter'serror) of Handley Page. It was hoped to demonstrate the H.P.80 at that year's S.B.A.C. show at Farnborough. Another setbackoccurred, however, and, as in the case of the H.P.88, it had tragic results. A small fire broke out at the rear of the Victor's fuselageduring a test of the hydraulic system. An electrician who received severe burns died sixteen days later. It took some weeks to repairthe damage and it was not until a week before Christmas that the Victor began taxying tests. Bad weather delayed the first flightuntil Christmas Eve. At the controls was S/L. Hazelden, with Mr. I. K. Bennett as flight observer. . . . The Goons, in theirweekly B.B.C. broadcast . . . gave their own version of the Victor story. The new bomber's eagerly-awaited first publicappearance was at the Queen's Coronation Review of the R.A.F., when it flew in salute at R.A.F. Odiham." Another setback came in July 1954 when the first prototype waslost at Cranfield. The first of a series of tests had been performed by S/L. Hazelden; later, when he was engaged at Handley Page'sWoodley works, F/L. R V. Ecclestone took over. On a low-level, high-speed run, the tailplane became detached following a finfailure. A second prototype (WB775) flew soon after the loss of the first and appeared at the Farnborough display that year. Recent developments will be fresh in readers' minds. The firstproduction aircraft flew on February 1, 1956, and production Victors were delivered for assessment to Boscombe Down duringthat year. In the spring of 1958 Victors became operational with No. 10 Squadron at Cottesmore; there No. 15 Squadron has beensimilarly equipped. At Gaydon No. 232 Operational Conversion Unit continues to train Victor crews, and a photographic-recon-naissance version of the Victor is in service at Wyton. The first Victor B.2—larger and much more powerful—has flown. Rocket-assisted take-off will increase its potential still further. Victor production is concentrated in the Cricklewood andColney Street factories, and Park Street (situated, as is Colney Street, at the Radlett airfield) is responsible for experimental fly-ing, prototype building, testing and development. Although tech- niques do not call for a definite distinction between types of workundertaken at the factories, Cricklewood is primarily responsible for detail component manufacture (machined parts, stringers, etc.),sub-assemblies (wing panels, fuselage frames, etc.) and much major sub-assembly work (outer wings, air-brakes, control sur-faces, etc.). Final-assembly production lines are at Colney Street, where a small quantity of detail components and major sub-assemblies are also manufactured. When production was first envisaged it was decided to reduceto a minimum the number of complicated final-assembly ngs. This was achieved by the extensive use of relatively simple sub-assembly jigs; thus time spent in final assembly has been reduced. This structural breakdown readily lent itself to the manufactureof corrugated sandwich-skin panels, consisting of a corrugated core of aluminium alloy sheet attached to an inner skin by blindrivets and to an outer skin by spot welds. The result is a light structure of excellent stiffness and strength, wherein bendingloads are carried by the skin. Conventional stiffening components have been considerably reduced in number. Corrugated panelsenable fuel tanks to be pressurized without weight penalty and allow much space which would otherwise have been devoted tostructure to be made available for these tanks and other equipment. Presses for corrugation manufacture and well-equipped spot weld-ing and X-ray testing departments are at Cricklewood; corrugated sheet cores are produced on brake presses with a method of feedwhich ensures constant pitch and depth of corrugation. Sections tapering in both depth and width can also be formed. The first step in the production of a sandwich-panel is mount-ing the outer skin in a sub-assembly jig. It is then checked to ensure contact with a set of contour templates and the corrugatedcore is placed in position and service-bolted to it. This assembly is removed from the jig, dismantled and given normal degreasingand etching treatment prior to spot welding. It is reassembled and the spot-weld pitch marked on the outer skin. Spot welding iscarried out and X-ray examination made. When the panel has been returned to its jig the inner skin is placed in position andheld there by formers. Holes are drilled through the inner skin and the corrugated core; these are then blind-riveted together.Local reinforcing details are fitted at this stage. The panel, now a rigid assembly, is removed from the jig and checked for surfacefinish and contour. Panels are then incorporated in major and final assembly structures. Almost five thousand Victor pans are stretch-formed. Relativelyfew components are produced on conventional rubber presses. Two horizontal stretch-forming machines were designed by thecompany's jig-and-tool drawing office. Much complicated work is undertaken by Cricklewood's spar-milling machines, examplesbeing wing spars and pipe-joints. A normal vacuum moulding process is used to make the hugeradome. The mould is probably the largest of its type vet made; layers of Fibreglass and Hycar are built up and cured in largeovens. Fibreglass is also extensively used for cable ducts. Sub- and major assemblies produced at Cricklewood are trans-ported by road to Colney Street, where they are mounted in final assembly jigs prior to eauipment being installed. Victors aretest-flown from Radlett. Production has now reached a peak rate, and the following facts and figures have been released: TheVictor has 15,000 drawings and 40,000 detail parts; its electrical svstem is connected bv over 40 miles of cable; it has 2,200 itemsof equipment supplied bv the Government or outside manufac- turers; more than 100 sub-contractors are involved. Hand'ey Page name principal suppliers of equipment for theVictor B.I as: — Aero Controls Ltd.; Airscrew Co. & Jicwood Ltd.; Blocrube ControlsLtd.: James Booth & Co. Ltd.; Bristol-Siddeley Engines Ltd.; British Messier Ltd.: British Thomson-Houston Co. Ltd.: de Havilland Pro-pellers Ltd.; Dowtv Equipment Ltd.; Dunlop Rubber Co. Ltd.; Dzus Fastener ("Europe*! Ltd.; Electro-Hvdraulics Ltd.; Elliott Bros. ("London)Ltd.: Fireproof Tanks Ltd.; Flight Refuelling Ltd.; G.O. Parachute Co. Ltd.; Sir George Godfrey & Partners Ltd.: Graviner ManufacturingCo. Ltd.: High Dutv Alloys Ltd.; H. M. Hobson Ltd.; King Aircraft Corporation: Normalair Ltd.; Northern Aluminium Co. Ltd.: PlesseyCo. Ltd.: Rotax Ltd.; Rofol Ltd.; L. A. Rumbold & Co. Ltd.: Saneamo Weston Ltd.: Saunders Valve Co. Ltd.; Self-Priming Pump & Eneineer-ing Co. Ltd.; Smiths Aircraft Instruments Ltd.; T- Stone & Co. (Charlton) Ltd.: Teddington Aircraft Controls Ltd.: Thermal ControlCo. Ltd.; Tltanine Ltd.; Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd. -. , • •-.--. :f..^..,> RETROSPECT --. ;;_.,.,;•-•, >-v-_ /.• From "Flight" of March 20, 1909 The French Pupil Pilots at Work: During: the last two or three weekstrie trial machine used by the pupil pilots has been in hospital, and truth to tell, we should not be surprised to see one or two of the pupilsthemselves there before lonsr. Only the other day, when the machine, once more itself, made its first flight of about 60 or 80 metres,M. Desvaliers took a header off the driver's seat as the result of a faulty manoeuvre. He picked himself up safe and sound, however, and isnow once more waiting for repairs to be effected, for it was he who put the flyer hors de combat on the last occasion.
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