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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0873.PDF
BULLDOG BARKS ACAIN: Installing the 1931 Jupiter engine in the Bristol Bulldog G-A666 rebuilt for the Shuttleworth Trust and, at right, the completed aircraft at Filton with a test-bed Vulcan in the background. (See news-item below) USAF UK Closures FOUR United States Air Force bases in Great Britain are beingclosed. They are all operational stations for B-66s and RB-66s: Sculthorpe in Norfolk, where B-66s are based; and the threeairfields which form the headquarters of the 10th Tactical Recon- naissance Wing (RB-66s)—Alconbury in Huntingdonshire, Brunt-ingthorpe in Leicestershire and Chelveston in Northamptonshire. These closures stem from the withdrawal of B-66s and RB-66s fromoperational service in Europe. Bruntingthorpe will be the first station to close, and USAF interest in it is to end completely.Alconbury, and later Chelveston and Sculthorpe, are to be reduced to "weather, communications and support services." Caribou On Tour A DEMONSTRATION tour covering portions of Europe, theMiddle East and Africa is being made by the DHC Caribou. It follows a week spent in the United Kingdom, and will end when theaircraft returns to Hatfield about mid-July. During the UK visit the Caribou showed off its STOL abilitywith loads ranging from 32 fully equipped troops to two Army jeeps or 14 stretcher cases. One of its appearances was at the JointServices' demonstration on Salisbury Plain on June 7 (reported in Flight for June 15). The visit followed the Caribou's appearance atthe Paris Salon, to which it had been ferried across the North Atlantic via Greenland and Iceland. On this flight, only the air-craft's standard fuel tanks were used, giving it a cruising range of 1,210 n.m. At Le Bourget, with the light (7/10kt) winds prevailing,take-off and landing runs averaged less than 300ft. Official take-off distance claimed by de Havilland Canada (at a STOL gross weightof 26,0001b, zero wind) is 540ft. Bristol Air Race A THICK sea fog covered Lulsgate aerodrome early in the morninglast Saturday, depressing the spirits of competitors in the Bristol Air Race; but as the morning wore on it lifted and cleared and therest of the day was unashamedly hot and sunny. The occasion was very much a civic one: Bristol is proud of itsairport. The arrival of the Lord Mayor and Sheriff (in full morning dress) and their ladies in a Belvedere opened the proceedings, andtheir eventual departure in a Sycamore closed them. The Bristol Air Race was the main event on the programme. Itwas last held ten years ago when it was won by Ron Paine. On June 24 there were 19 starters, and the course was of three laps overabout 16 miles: entries included HRH the Duke of Edinburgh's Turbulent, flown by Wg Cdr John Severne, the Beagle Terrier, anda Cessna 175 and a 210. The handicappers were very successful, and the finish in consequence spectacular. A. J. Spinner's Proctor wasthe winner, with Ron Paine close behind, almost repeating his victory of ten years ago. Third was S. M. Aron's very fast MilesHawk Trainer. The flying programme was an excellently balanced blend of oldand new, fast and slow. Three famous biplanes largely stole the show—the Bristol Fighter, Gloster Gladiator and recently rebuiltBristol Bulldog (see news-item and pictures above). The last- named was out of step from the others in that it was in civilianlivery—one feels it would look much better in original military colours. Very spectacular was a demonstration of an Auster and a Skeeterfrom 651 Light Aircraft Sqn, Army Air Corps. Other items included the Blue Diamonds, four Jet Provosts of the Central Flying School,and a Javelin, Gnat and Jet Provost from Bristol Siddeley. Bulldog Flies Again AFTER 25 years on the ground, many of them spent in the ScienceMuseum in London, a Jupiter-powered Bulldog fighter of 1930 vintage has been restored by Bristol Aircraft. Its "first" flight was made by Godfrey Auty, the company's chief test pilot at Filton, latelast week and the machine will probably be handed over to the Shuttleworth Trust later this year. Bristol Siddeley engines pro-duced a Jupiter to Mk VII FP standard from a number of engines collected from cadet units and elsewhere. Many were sectioned andall were incomplete, but apprentices made the missing parts and the engine gave powers on the bench comparing favourably with thoseof the rating tests carried out in 1932. The steel airframe was found to be in good condition, butaluminium and fabric skinning was replaced. For both engine and airframe restoration, long-service employees who had worked onthe original production components gave assistance and advice. The aircraft's laminated-wood propeller was restored and the wholerebuilding operation took several years. The aircraft was built in 1930 and shown at the Paris Salon inNovember that year. Until 1935 it was a sales demonstrator, powered by a Gnome-Rhone Jupiter IV. It last flew in 1936 as atest-bed for the Bristol Aquila sleeve-valve engine. Canadian Aurair Surveys HELICOPTERS operated by Autair Helicopter Services Ltd ofMontreal are currently engaged in high-altitude work for the Canadian Department of Mines and Technical Surveys. ThreeSikorsky S-55s and a Bell 47-G2A are flying out of Isachsen in the third year of a 10/15-year programme of survey and research on thepolar continental shelf; three S-55s are working on a topographical survey in the northern part of Baffin Island; and two Bell 47JRangers are engaged in a gravity survey of the southern half of Baffin Island. The aircraft are equipped with Gyrosyn compasses,special ADF equipment, Decca Navigator units and "complete blind-flying equipment." IN BRIEF The last Lincoln in RAAF service made its final flight on June 14,from Townsville to Darwin. The Hindustan HF-24, first Indian-produced jet fighter, made itsmaiden flight last Saturday. The aircraft is powered by two Bristol Siddeley Orpheus turbojets. A1CMA have changed their name following a decision to extend theiractivities to include space matters, and will henceforward be known as L'Association Internationale des Constructeurs de Materiel Aerospatial. Another 90 Sikorsky S-58s have been ordered by West Germany.The order is worth nearly £10m and the aircraft supplement 50 already in service. Four new radar bases are to be opened in Greenland by the USAFon July 1, replacing nine others in the Canadian Arctic and Labrador- Newfoundland region. The DEWline now stretches from westernAlaska across Canada to Greenland. In the report of Frank Beswick's interview with M. Hereil and GenZiegler in our issue of June 8 it was stated (page 816) that "Dassault has more experience with missiles." The word "missiles" should in facthave read "fighters." Air Marshal Sir John Whitley, at present Inspector-General of theRoyal Air Force, is to be Controller of the RAF Benevolent Fund in succession to AVM Sir John W. Cordingley on the latter's retirement atthe end of May next year. Fairey Air Surveys Ltd have been awarded a £250,000 air survey con-tract by the East Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority. It provides for the aerial photography and mapping of the western areaof East Pakistan where agricultural production is regularly imperilled by flooding (during the monsoon season) and by drought. It was announced in Bonn recently that the West German Com-mission responsible for advising the Federal Government on whether to accept or reject the Anglo-French satellite proposal has now sub-mitted its report. It is unlikely that their findings will be published in detail, but their basic yes/no decision may well have been disclosed bythe time this issue appears. Several other national decisions are thought likely to hinge upon what the Germans do.
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