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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 2412.PDF
658 FLIGHT, 28 October HASP—high-altitude sampling programme—is the task of the USAF's 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing operating specially instrumented Lockheed U-2s. Here the pins have just been removed from the "pogo-stick" undercarriage outriggers, allowing them to fall clear after take-off FROM ALL QUARTERS Hawker Make New History THE Hawker P.1127 VTOL/STOL strike aircraft, powered witha Bristol Siddeley BS.53 lift/thrust turbojet, began preliminary hovering trials at Dunsfold on October 21. The national Pressdid not fail to mark the significance of the event. "The Jumping Jet," ran a Daily Express front-page headline, followed by the sub-title "Up-along on same engine." The Daily Mail carried portraits of Sir Sydney Camm, under whose leadership this truly revolu-tionary aircraft was designed, and of Hawker chief test pilot Bill Bedford, who first took the P.1127 into the air. Pictures of someof the illustrious predecessors of the new aircraft were also printed. Nor did the vital contribution of the Bristol Siddeley team, underDr Stanley Hooker, go unrecognized. The leader-writer of the Sunday Express was moved to convey his sentiments in theseterms: "Once again the men of genius on this tiny island have shown that when they are allowed to they can still beat the rest ofmankind put together." In comparison the official announcement seemed a little stark.It ran: "Hawker Siddeley Group's P.1127, the world's first opera- tional vertical take-off strike aircraft, today began preliminaryhovering trials at Hawker's airfield at Dunsfold, Surrey. It was piloted by Mr A. W. (Bill) Bedford, the Hawker chief test pilot.The P.1127 is specifically designed for tactical strike reconnais- sance duties and can also be used as a fighter. A number ofdevelopment aircraft have been ordered by the Ministry of Avia- tion. Because of its vertical take-off and landing characteristicsthe P.1127 is independent of prepared airfields; it can also operate as a short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft. This combinationgives it a flexibility not possessed by any other high performance aircraft. The P.1127 has been designed around a single engine, theBristol Siddeley BS.53, which provides both lift for vertical flight and thrust for wing-borne (forward) flight. A second HawkerP.1127 is scheduled for completion in a few months' time. No performance details can yet be issued." The P.1127 was tethered, and hovered at a height of about 2ft.Further hovering trials will be followed by short t?ke-offs, using partly deflected thrust, and then horizontal flight, before the gapbetween hovering and forward flight is progressively narrowed to complete the transition. The characteristics of the P.1127 were outlined in our "Britain'sAircraft Industry" number of September 2, and the first detailed description of die BS.53 engine was printed in our issue forAugust 12. Blackburn Chairmanship AS we go to press it is learned that Sir Roy Dobson, managingdirector of the Hawker Siddeley Group, has been appointed a director and chairman of Blackburn Aircraft Ltd, which is amember of the group. Mr A. F. Jopling becomes deputy chairman. Miles and BEAGLE FOLLOWING the announcement that Mr George H. Miles wasbeing appointed technical director to the co-ordinating board of the BEAGLE Group, under the chairmanship of Mr Peter Masefield,F. G. Miles Ltd have stated that planning is now going forward on the basis of a technical partnership between the company and (hegroup and future activities are being worked out in detail. Mr George Miles has commented that "any project that involvesthe design or construction of aircraft is essentially a continuing process—especially when it also involves the development of newbusiness partnerships within a group with such objectives as this. The technical relationship between ourselves and BEAGLE,for instance, must necessarily be different from that between BEAGLE and Auster, the whole of whose share capital wasacquired by the group. Obviously, the close working relationships which are envisaged in future will be to the benefit both ofF. G. Miles as a company, and of its employees." I FROM RAE BEDFORD the Short SB.5 swept- wing research aircraft is seen taking off on October 18 with Hi wings swept back at an angle of 69°. This is the sharpest continuous sweepback on any air- craft in the world. Pilot on the 20min flight was Denis Tayler of RAE Farnborough
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