FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0157.PDF
PLIGHT, 3 February 1961 157 SYSTEM SURVEY Rjdar for the RAF THE RAF has ordered from Cossor Radar and Electronics Ltd anundisclosed number of CR.787 surveillance radars with a value "well into the six-figure bracket." The RAF has already takendelivery of a small number of mobile CR.787s, each of which can be transported in a single aircraft, but the present order is forfixed installations with duplicated transmitter/receiver. The CR.787 is an S-band surveillance radar incorporating MTI andswitchable circular polarization (by means of a quarter-wave piate) to cancel terrain and weather returns. Detection range ona 10 sq m target is up to 40,000ft and 75 nautical miles; and gap- free coverage without aerial tilting is claimed. The displaysordered with the radar have not been announced, but the CR.787 can accommodate the Cossor CRD.23 system. Proposed Secondary Radar Standard THE Ministry of Aviation has now issued a document, entitledMinimum Performance Required of Civil Transponder: January 2, 1961, which sets out in detail the operating characteristics oftransponders. It is stated that two pulse side-lobe suppression will be mandatory in Mode B and that the UK considers thisfacility to be essential for any civil transponder operation. Together with the Federal Aviation Agency, MoA have formu-lated a standard for three-pulse side-lobe suppression for Mode A and are proposing this for standardization by ICAO in addition tothe two-pulse system already accepted. An experimental Cossor secondary radar is already operatingat London Heathrow with two-pulse suppression in Mode B; and the carriage of suitable transponders will become mandatory incertain areas, initially above 25,000ft, when this becomes opera- tional. The minimum height will be progressively lowered asre-equipment programmes progress. The new Kelvin Hughes twin-pointer a.s.i., showing the two needles aligned for low-speed indication (left) and the short needle indicating 3IOkt on the inner scale with the long needle trapped so that only its black portions are exposed, and barely visible Twin-needle Airspeed Indicator KELVIN HUGHES have announced a new twin-pointer a.s.i., whichis illustrated here. Applied as a stand-by a.s.i. to supplement the computer-operated instruments in the Trident, the new a.s.i. willbe driven by a conventional capsule mechanism, but the single shaft will carry two needles and cover the speed range from 60ktto 430kt in two revolutions. There are two concentric, linear scales marked in 5kt increments and, at speeds below 250kt, boththe indicator needles overlap to point in an almost solid line to the outer edge of the dial. As the needles reach the beginning ofthe second turn, the white head of the longer needle is trapped underneath a black cover, leaving the shorter needle alone toindicate against the inner scale. The needles are connected by a hair-spring to allow the short needle to move independentlywh,Ie the long needle is trapped. A similar instrument, but with a capsule-operated, striped needle showing VNE and a marker for»R, is to be provided as a main instrument for the VC10. A two- necdle r.p.m. indicator is also being developed. General Electric high-intensity approach, threshold and runway lights 'ecmtly installed at Guernsey Airport (see news-item in column 2) A Cossor CR.787 static surveillance radar installation of the type which has been ordered for the RAF (see first news-item) Computer Century MORE than 100 digital computers have now been ordered fromNational-Elliott. Thirty of them were delivered last year and the present back-log of orders is for 25. Nearly half the orders havebeen for the National-Elliott 803 transistorized machine; and they have come from six foreign countries, including America andRussia. Plans are now in hand to double the output of these computers. Lighting for Guernsey THE new 4,800ft runway and taxiways at Guernsey have beenequipped with General Electric lighting at a cost of £19,500. The installation was completed by the States of Guernsey ElectricityDepartment. The edges of the taxiway and apron are lined with blue, flush-mounted lamps and the apron is floodlit. Along theedges of the runway itself are high-intensity bi-directional lights wired in two series circuits with individual transformers at eachlight, the brightness being adjustable in four steps. The threshold at each end is marked by high-intensity unidirectional lights andwing-bars with green filters. Two sets of approach lighting, 2,000ft long at the western endand 1,400ft long at the eastern, include lOOft-wide cross-bars and centre-lines in white lighting and omni-directional, low-intensityred lights. These are also wired in two separate series circuits so that a circuit failure will only affect alternate lights. Brilliancy ofboth low- and high-intensity lights can be adjusted and the whole system is controlled from a single switch panel in the controltower. Radio for UAA Comets A FURTHER order has been received by Field Aircraft Services Ltd,UK distributors for Bendix Radio, for light-weight radio and radar, to be fitted to the two additional United Arab AirlinesComet 4Cs recently ordered. The new order is worth £25,000. Bendix radio was also fitted to the first three UAA Comets.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
