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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0293.PDF
PLIGHT, 10 March 1961 299 IN ERNATIONAL HOOK-UP by a g.£6 of the USAF to a Valiant of the RAF in Operation Flood Tide, the RA-USAF in-flight refuelling tests fceM recently at Sculthorpe (this page, last week) and ADF." The greatest hazard was (he told Flight) the paper-work that is seemingly inseparable from flying internationally, even after all the preparation that goes with a record attempt. Flockhart's intended route was Sydney - Alice Springs -Darwin - Surabaya - Singapore - Rangoon - Calcutta - Karachi - Bahrein - Beirut - Brindisi - Nice - London. He diverted to Bacau,Timor, to take on extra fuel, but met no trouble except an oleo snag until he reached the Lebanon. Maximum endurance of theMustang was seven hours, for six of which the pilot might be on oxygen, and a typical cruising speed was 225kt at 12,000ft, althoughon occasion the aircraft cruised at up to 280kt IAS. Confusion on the ground at Beirut, when the attempt was goingwell, brought engine temperatures dangerously high, and the coolant boiled while the Mustang was held waiting for otheraircraft to land. The aircraft was still in good shape on the way to Brindisi, but poor weather decided Flockhart to divert to Athens,the nominated alternate. Here he refuelled rapidly, asked the tower for radio clearance, was refused, asked again for permissionto file an airborne flight plan, and again was refused. It was also demanded that he should personally pay landing fees for whichprior-payment arrangements had already been made by the ever- helpful Esso. Temperatures rose—in the tower, in the cockpit andin die cylinder heads. Tired and dispirited, Flockhart climbed out and went to bed for a short sleep. When he returned to start theaircraft early in the morning, steam issued from the cowlings. He refilled the coolant system, but water ran out between the distortedhead joints of Nos 3 and 4 cylinders on the starboard bank. His race was run. HP's Slewed Wing NOW added to the list of Handley Page projects for giant transportaircraft of unorthodox conception is a Mach 2 all-wing machine on the "slewed wing" principle. Sweep angle for cruise is 72°. Thefour podded underslung engines are pivoted, as are the fin and rudder. The design recalls a Blohm & Voss project of the last war whichhad a pivoted wing on a conventional fuselage. Since then several agencies, especially in the USA, have investigated the slewedwing, both for laminarized high-subsonic transports and for non-laminarized supersonic applications. The BLC Hercules AS noted in Flight of February 17, a proposal has been advancedfor production in this country of the Lockheed C-130C (BLC-130), which is a forthcoming variant with boundary-layer control. Arecent announcement by Lockheed runs : — "There is a requirement in UK and Europe for a STOL (short take-off and landing) transport to supplement the AW.650 and the Short & Harland Belfast. Lockheed Aircraft Corporation suggests that theBritish aircraft industry might build the BLC-130 under licence to meet this tactical need. BLC-130 development up to date has been paid forby the USAF to meet the existing requirements of the US Army. The recent decision of President Kennedy to double the production of thebasic Hercules postpones the BLC-130 production programme for the USAF. The continuing need for the BLC-130 means that the UnitedStates would welcome a British programme to carry BLC development further. This implies an American contribution towards that develop-ment . . . "The BLC-130, if selected by the RAF, would, of course, have Rolls-Royce engines for both propulsion and BLC. The cost of this pro- gramme is about £3,500,000, part of which might be met with USAFfunds. From go-ahead to first flight would take approximately 36-40 months. The British aircraft industry has recognized the possibilities ofthis scheme and is already working on it. If carried out, it will be a British project." IN BRIEF Representatives of the West German Ministry of Defence and Luft- waffe have been visiting Britain this week to examine the Hawker P.I 127. A British Association of Helicopter Operators has been formed andregistered as a company limited by guarantee, without share capital. The initial number of members is 50. The Royal Automobile Club have awarded the Segrave Trophy for1960 to Tom Brooke-Smith "for his outstanding flight test work during the development of the Short SCI, culminating in its demonstration... of transition from vertical to horizontal flight." "FLIGHT": PUBLISHER'S ANNOUNCEMENT BEGINNING with next week'i itiue, dated March 16, "Flight" will bepublished on Thursday of each week—one day earlier than at present. Representatives of Stanley Aviation Corp, Denver, Colorado, aretouring England to inform interested engineers about employment possibilities in the US with this aerospace research and developmentcompany, currently engaged in high-speed emergency aircraft and space vehicle system programmes, in addition to other related projects. About30 per cent of the company's design team are British. Last Sunday, March 5, was the 25th anniversary of the first flightof the prototype Spitfire, K5054. The story of the Spitfire's develop- ment and employment is told in unprecedented detail in a recentlyissued book Spitfire—The Story of a Famous Fighter, published by Harleyford Publications Ltd, Letchworth, Herts, at 45s. A Westland Widgeon of British United Airways was used last Sundayto deliver equipment to the top of the new Shell building on the south bank of the Thames, at a height of 350ft. The operation was successfulapart from one misadventure, when a 6601b piece of air-conditioning equipment fell into the river. Four loads, lifted from the Westland heli-port at Battersea, were deposited on the 25-storey building. TIGERJAGER: Three Tiger Moths have been rebuilt by Film Aviation Services Ltd to resemble as closely as possible a Fokker D.VII and two Rumpler CSs (the "D.VII" is seen here). They will be used in the production "Seven Pillars of Wisdom." Flying trials of the aircraft will be completed before location work on the film begins in Jordan RED MUSTANG was the callsign used by Ron Flockhart in his attempt on the Sydney - London piston-engined record (see news story in these pagss). The aircraft was given a temporary British registration for the flight, and it is hoped that it will race in England this summer. Failure to complete the distance was no reflection on the Metlin engine
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