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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 0925.PDF
460 FLIGHT, 3 April 1959 -«-•* Sport and Business CLYING FROM HOUSTON, TEXAS on March 19 in a-*• Mooney Mk 20, William Mullen failed in an attempt to set up a new distance record for light aircraft. He had intendedto aim for Rome, a distance of 5,698 miles, and, if no snag had developed, to fly on to Athens or Cairo in an endeavour to beatthe 6,856-mile record set up by Pat Boling last year from Manila to Pendleton, Oregon. Mullen's first attempt failed earlier lastmonth when icing forced him to land near Bristol, Tennessee, after taking off from Longbeach, California, for Rome. His secondattempt, from Houston, ended at the Royal Naval Air Station at Yeovilton, where he landed on March 20 after experiencing fueldifficulties. Mullen took off for Paris on March 22. NEW AND USED AIRCRAFT for sale will be on view at theShackleton Sales Weekend at Kidlington Airport, Oxford, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on April 24, 25 and 26. Demonstration flightswill not be a major feature on this occasion. New models by Beech, Cessna, Piper and various German and Italian companieswill be included. Further inquiries concerning this event should go to the organizers, W. S. Shackleton Ltd., 175 Piccadilly,London, W.I. FOLLOWING 50 trouble-free hours of flight testing bySFERMA, the first Beech PD.18S powered by two Turbomeca Bastans has been handed over to Compagnie Generate des TurboMachines at Marignane for a series of tests designed to develop a control system. SFERMA are converting a second Beech D.18Sat Merignac and will include greater fuel tankage. Beech in America are also converting a D.18S as a demonstrator and inorder to obtain an American C. of A. A BENSEN GYRO-GLIDER is to be used by a Midlandsengineer in a test-flying programme intended to lead to the development of an inexpensive personal autogyro. The ownerof the Gyro-glider, which was imported from the U.S.A., is Mr. H. J. Barnes of Tividale, Staffs, whose daughter Diane spentsome months at the Bensen plant at Raleigh, North Carolina, learning to fly machines of this type. Following towed flightswith the machine, Mr. Barnes plans to fit a British motorcycle engine to it, and to follow powered flight-tests with the develop-ment of a more advanced autogyro which could carry two or three people. SPORTING AVIATION in Poland during 1958 produced totalsof 43,996 hours' powered flying and 40,944 hours' gliding and soaring. Parachute jumps numbered 80,617 from towers and12,305 from aircraft, and international gliding badges gained in- cluded 196 Silver Cs, 23 Gold Cs and one Diamond badge (inaddition to 55 Diamond legs for goal flights, three for distance, and nine for height). PRELIMINARY TESTS leading towards Federal AviationAgency certification of the Lockheed Jetstar executive and military 10-seater will begin this year. This was announced by Mr. C. L.Johnson, a Lockheed vice-president, at an I.A.S. meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, recently. Certification tests, he said, will becomplctf d in 1960. Other news of Jetstar progress was given by chief engineeringtest pilot Leo J. Sullivan of Lockheed's Georgia Division to the Society of Automotive Engineers in New York. One prototypehad flown into 49 airports in the U.S.A. and Canada during engineering evaluation flights, he said; the second prototype hadbeen tested by Air Force and company pilots; and the two machines had logged a total of over 728 flying hours. Four-engined Goose: the McKinnon conversion of the Grumman Goose, powered by 340 h.p. Lycomings, is pictured here with Mount Hood, Oregon, as a background. The restyled cabin incorporates picture windows, and the price of the,machine is $295,000 LATEST ITALIAN SPORTS AIRCRAFT to be announced isthe Procaer F.15 Picchio, which should make its first flight this month or next. It follows the classic tradition established byStelio Frati, who was responsible for the Falco and Nibbio and is now designing the jet-powered Cobra. The Procaer companyis based at Milan. The Picchio is to be a three-seater with dual controls. Powerwill be provided by a Lycoming O-320-B giving 160 h.p. and 37 gal of fuel will allow an endurance of five hours. Maximumand cruising speeds will be respectively 187 and 168 m.p.h. Starter and generator will be fitted so that radio and other equip-ment may be carried. The nosewheel undercarriage is electrically retracted and the nosewheel, when extended, is connected to therudder pedals for control on the ground. Hydraulic brakes on the main wheels will be operated together by a single pedal. Wingloading and power loading are respectively 16 lb/sq ft and 13.8 lb/h.p. Empty and gross weights are respectively 1,350 lband 2,200 lb, and minimum speed with flaps down is 53 m.p.h. The general layout is that of a conventional low-wing, stressedskin airframe with a sharply swept fin, the basic material being wood suitably treated to resist damp and heat. The skinning isunconventional in that a plywood skin is covered with aluminium sheet glued with Aerolite. This produces a rigid, smooth, durableand easily repaired surface which is stated to offer strong resistance to adverse climatic conditions. Rigidity and clean finish areimportant because a NACA 640 series laminar-flow aerofoil is used. The metal skin need not be periodically repainted. Procaer F. 15 Picchio (Lycoming 0-320-B) a KENT GLIDING CLUB members made their final flights fromDetling Aerodrome on Sunday, March 15. A spokesman for the club said that the Air Ministry recently re-sold the land to thepre-war tenants and that the new owners had told the club that they did not wish any more flying to be undertaken from theairfield. The temporary use of Lympne has been offered until the club finds a new permanent site. THE ANNUAL RALLY of the Aero Club of East Africa, held onMarch 1 at Wilson Airport, Nairobi, attracted more than 2,000 spectators. Among the events was the East African Aerial Derbyfor the East African Standard Challenge Cup, won by J. B. Wood, chief pilot of Airspray (E.A.) Ltd., in a Boeing Stearman; anda road-landing contest for the Grafton Rose Bowl, won by Keith Campling. RETROSPECT From "Flight" of April 3, 1909 M. Faure is Unfortunate: Upon his first attempt at flight at Monacowith his rebuilt Malecot dirigible balloon, M. Jacques Faure had a somewhat unpleasant experience. After making three circuits of thebay, M. Faure endeavoured to pass over the Oceanographical Museum, which stands on the rocks, without loss of ballast, simply bymanipulating the planes and accelerating the engine. The propeller, however, struck the roof of the Museum and the machine was renderedunmanageable. The mechanicien, Andre, stopped the engine and then, on the advice of M. Faure, jumped into the sea, where he was pickedup by a motor boat. M. Faure remained on his airship, and was afterwards towed ashore, little the worse for the contre-temps, andthroughout the incident he displayed the utmost presence of mind. ...r
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