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Aviation History
1959
1959 - 1788.PDF
FLIGHT, 14 August 1959 R.A.F. Britannia DESIGN FEATURES OF THE TRANSPORT COMMAND MAIN-LINER ONLY rarely can the Royal Air Force acquire new aircraftin a completely developed form. In fact, the only Com-mand to have achieved this happy situation in recent years is Transport Command, who in the de Havilland Comet 2and Bristol Britannia have acquired equipment which has been virtually fully developed for them by the manufacturers andcommercial operators. As is now well known, the latter aircraft was purchased by the R.A.F. in lieu of the Vickers-ArmstrongsV.1000. Essentially the R.A.F. Britannias are similar to the 310/320series of airliners now in use in many parts of the world. They do, however, incorporate certain major modifications which greatlyenhance their versatility and value to a military force engaged in the transport of men and materials to "brush-fire" disturbancesin out-of-the-way places. Responsibility for design and manufacture of the Britannia 253—this is the manufacturer's type number—was subcontracted by Bristol to Short Bros. & Harland Ltd., at their main works atQueen's Island, Belfast. Already in production with civil Britannias, Short & Harland found no great difficulty in phasingthe military aircraft into the assembly line. Major portions of the 253 airframe are constructed in the same jigs as those employedfor the airliner version, and the wings and tail of the two types are practically identical. One of the most unusual features of the R.A.F. aeroplane is the"floating" floor, in which mechanical linkages are incorporated to accommodate relative movements. Bearing in mind the fact thatthe single-level floor measures some 80ft X lift 6in, it will be appreciated that during cruising flight, with the floor warm andthe skin subject to below-freezing ambient conditions, a consider- able amount of differential expansion might be expected whichcould lead to severe structural stress. Suspension of a floor beam is depicted in a sketch, and further details of the floor were con-tained in our issue of August 9,1957. FLIGHT ENGINEER NAVIGATOR Crew stations (left) show marked changes from the commercial transport. On the right is a detail of one of the links which hinge the floor beams to the bulkheads 7
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