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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0784.PDF
794 FLIGHT, 8 June 1961 SEEN IN THE STATIC SHOW... point, such as the point from which a final approach will be made.The pilot is provided with a continuous command-type display. The Propulsion Instrumentation System by Bendix is a prototypedevelopment for the USAF in which the best performance manual operation of an aircraft's engine or engines is continuouslycompared with the actual performance. Typical parameters which are compared are oil quantity and pressure, engine temperaturesand engine pressure ratios. The pilot's display panel is designed in such a way that it is not necessary for him to scan the engineinstruments continuously. Provided the engines are performing within their tolerances for each parameter, then the vertical-tape-type instruments will be in the "green" sections. There is only one display for each parameter irrespective of the number of engines.If, for example, the oil pressure of one engine goes outside the safe limits the appropriate instrument will signal the fact and awarning indicator will flash. Only then does the pilot select each engine in turn to determine which one is at fault. For some years now a number of push-button navigation instru-ments have been under development, notably that produced by Computing Devices of Canada, which was being displayed as theBendix Position and Homing Indicator. This has an inertial nav- igation system and relieves the pilot of any calculations or settingsin flight other than selecting a pre-set track and target. The out- put of the computer gives the pilot the information necessaryfor directing his aircraft to a selected destination, "'alternate" or target. Primarily intended for military use, it can be adaptedfor civil operations. In the military application we find the some- what sinister situation whereby an aircraft, or squadron, cantake-off unaware of its destination or target other than as a number which must be set on the selector control box. After theappropriate number has been selected, the command signal is fed to a heading indicator. Basically, it is a DR computer which is up-dated by air data information integrated with Doppler, TACAN ADF and an inertial platform. Napier Servo Mechanisms exhibited their ice detector TypeIDT5O3. As Napier point out, engineers have spent many years trying to develop the ideal detector. The IDT5O3 is intended togive the best possible combination of reliability, simplicity and sensitivity. It consists of a cylindrical rotor at right angles to thelocal airstream, with a fixed cutter mounted within 0.0005in of the rotor. Any ice forming on the rotor is scraped off as soon as itsthickness exceeds the clearance between rotor and cutter. The scraping action applies an increased torque to the motor housing,which can turn a few degrees inside the instrument casing and there- by operate a microswitch in the ice warning and de-icing systems. Amongst the DR navigation computors on display was thatintended for the Breguet Alize patrol and anti-submarine aircraft in use with the French Navy. This is the Crouzet Type 301, whichis capable of combining DR. information, fixes and Doppler with indicated air/speed and temperature. The main instrument panelpresents air position, ground position, true air/speed and the N-S and E-W co-ordinates of position and the wind point. Associatedwith the 301 set is a plotting display which can be used either for patrolling (when it is set to a scale of 1/500,000), or attacking(when it is set for 1/100,000). The face of the plotting board is covered with a graticule in which, dependent on the role selected—patrol or attack—the squares represent 66.6 n.m. or 13.3 n.m. The centre of the graticule can be related to the computor of the DRsystem so as to represent any selected zero position. The aircraft's position derived by the computer is then indicated on the undersideof the translucent plotting chart. The static display was notable for the number of powered wind-tunnel models of new aircraft designs. Hurel-Bertin showed for the first time a model of the HB-11 convertiplane, briefly referredto in our report last week. The model, which has been used for large-scale tunnel tests, shows a low-aspect-ratio aircraft havinglarge lift fans set in louvred ducts and with long-chord flaps. It will have a Bristol Siddeley Orpheus to provide both propulsivethrust and air bleed, via ducts, to drive vertical-thrust multi- bladed fans set within each wing. The air from the Orpheus enginesacts on turbine blades set on the periphery of the fans. The HB12 will be a larger version powered by three General Electric J85s. Wind-tunnel model of the Benin VTO project Much of France's development and production effort for largertypes of aircraft concerns the Breguet Atlantic for NATO (also briefly noted last week), few constructional features of which havebeen made public. However, an indication of some of its intern,! 1 equipment could be had from the model on the stand of STARAC,on which were mounted all the communication and navigation aerials. The 17 external aerials are intended for ILS, VORTACAN, VHF, UHF and HF, but the most important "fighting" electronics remain a secret. Marconi displayed a closed-circuit television system in which thecamera was reduced to a size which will facilitate mounting in con- fined locations such as engine nacelles. There are many uses to whichsuch equipment can be applied, including engine and under- carriage surveillance; overall scanning of an aircraft from a cameramounted at the top of a fin; and crew and passenger viewing when no windows can be provided in supersonic aircraft. Anti-vibration mountings of types which in the past have beenmade of rubber were exhibited by Delaney Gallay in an all-metal configuration. In France they are being manufactured underlicence from Robinson Products of the USA by the Vibrachoc company, whilst Delaney Gallay hold the UK licence. Thesemountings have advantages not possessed by rubber in that they are unaffected by sunlight, oil, water, solvents, dust or ozone. Theprincipal component of each mounting is a core of metal mesh which has been manufactured by a machine similar to that used forknitting socks. The mountings can be made to conform to the same general dimensions of existing rubber-based mountings or, as themanufacturers point out, their principal components—wire-mesh core, coil spring and mesh discs to stop extreme amplitudes—canbe disposed laterally so as to reduce the overall height of the mounting. Le Magnesium Industriel, who specialize in the production ofaircraft light-alloy castings, displayed some excellent examples of the intricate forms available. Although not directly associated withaviation, the 221b monobloc go-kart chassis was an excellent example of the low-weight advantages of this form of fabrication. Decca Navigator displayed a roller map which receives its drivingsignals from Doppler. It gives continuous visual presentation of aircraft position with a minimum of manual operation. Primarilyintended for fighter aircraft systems in conjunction with Doppler, or with manually set ground/speed, the roller map gives presentposition by means of an arrow on a transparent cursor. Movement across track is shown by lateral displacement of the arrow, whilstprogress along track is shown by movement of the map below the arrow. When driven by Doppler, the movement of the cursor isautomatic but, when ground/speed is being fed in manually, lateral displacement of the cursor is by hand. Cotelec-Derveaux displayed an air-to-air guided missile simulatorintended for use with their gyro/computer attack sights Type 100, 102 and 102S. With this system a simulated attack can be made onanother aircraft without the need to indulge in the expensive exercise of firing a real missile. The normal fire-control computerand pilot's missile steering control are used. At the moment when a real missile would be launched during an attack on another aircraftor ground target, the Cotelec simulator projects an image of a missile's tracer flares on the pilot's attack sight so enabling him toacquire the skill necessary in manipulating the guidance system. One feature of the computer's output is that it diminishes the imageas the simulated distance travelled by the missile increases. LE BOURGET MARATHON (continued from page 788) flag-holding Alouettes; the Boeing Vertol 107 made a low-level air-line passage beneath one of the demonstrating Caravelles; and the Agusta Bell 204B made an impressive autorotational descent.After sitting still all week, the Agusta 104 and 115 flew briefly in public. It was sadly noticeable on the Saturday that no Britishhelicopter appeared at all, apart from a modest incursion by the Gnome Whirlwind in the course of some executive duties.As we have more than once remarked, the public demonstration of helicopters becomes year by year more difficult and less rewarding. Be that as it may, with some 90 types of aircraft appearing insix-and-a-half hours' flying the multitude should have been satisfied if not glutted. And all this without the Russians, for by Saturdayat least the An-24 and Tu-124 had not arrived, and the Tu-114 was standing solidly in the static display as the sole Russian representa-tive. But it attracted a continuous stream of visitors. While of tier people's aeroplanes may make more noise it remains, after all. 'hebiggest in the world. But who knows what we shall see at Paris in 1963 ?
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