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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 0878.PDF
876 FLIGHT International, 31 May 1%? Jimmy Dell and the writer in the cockpit before take-off. The look of apprehension on Lambert's face was at least partly caused by the 30kt wind blowing into the cockpit 1,000 m.p.h. in a Lightning: T4 Adjustment of seat height and rudder pedal reach was easy and allowed a wide range of positions. The seat itself was also excep tionally comfortable, being provided with ample cushioning and an adjustable "kidney pad" for the small of the back. There seemed to be a great deal of equipment on the panels and consoles, but it sorted itself out into pretty standard dials and switches, not too many of which were of miniature proportions. The single blind- flying panel was dominated by roller-blind horizon and standard compass dial, with a two-needle a.s.i. on the left. Below were a servo altimeter with a needle for hundreds of feet and counters for every other value—very pleasant and quick to read, as it turned out. The ILS cross-pointer was in the centre of lower row and a v.s.i.. reading ± 4,000ft/min on the right. The Machmeter, reading to well beyond Ml.8, was on the left. Ferranti miniature stand-by horizon and a miniature cabin altimeter, which would be switched to read atmospheric pressure for stand-by use, were nearby. Compass and main horizon were operated by remote master reference gyro. Miniature dials showed per cent engine r.p.m., j.p.t. and after burner nozzle positions—four of the latter, the first one allowing thrust variation with the throttle levers, the others fixed thrust positions. The throttles themselves were paired and shaped so that the left lever fitted the heel of the hand and the right lever formed a switch pedestal for the thumb and forefinger. There was a press- to-transmit button, airbrake switch and two triggers. One trigger allowed the throttles back into the h.p. cock-off position and the other allowed No 2 engine to come off a fast idling stop. It normally is run at a minimum 70 per cent to keep the a.c. electrical system going. Aileron, tailplane and rudder trim positions and airbrake position were shown together on a single dial. Aileron and tail- plane trim were controlled by paired switches rocking on the top of the pistol-grip stick. Also on the grip were a second press-to- transmit switch, armament switches, autopilot/flight director selector and the brake lever, which was used in conjunction with the rudder pedals for braking and steering. The nosewheel was not steerable. All fuel contents were indicated on just two gauges right up under coaming where they were immediately in view. Further up and outboard were the duplicated pilot attack sights and radar scopes, for the T.4 is fully operational. Undercarriage buttons and flap lever, parachute extension handle and jettison switch, cabin heat control, volt-meter and slipper tank low-flow doll's eye were distributed around me, together with the starting panel of four switches and two buttons (i.p.n. starting). The RAFs favourite coal-hole black background makes a mess of any cock pit, but I did manage to find what I felt I needed without any trouble. To the left on the blind-flying group was the autopilot selector panel with switches for yaw and roll/pitch autostabiliza- tion (turned on before take-off) attitude hold and ILS coupling. Autothrottle is provided to hold an exact approach speed, but i- certainly not a necessity. There was no central air data computer' although autopilot gearings were changed according to speeds and height. Controls are, of course, fully powered and each engine drives two pumps, one for flying controls and the other for utilities. Either engine can stop without affecting control. Feel is entirely arti ficial, being of the q type, with trimming by feel datum-adjustment" Stick-to-tailplane relationship remains constant, without any datum or ratio changes. Control feel and forces are very good, having now been developed to a stage where Lightning pilots flying a Hunter again snag the controls for back-lash and excessive break-out force The central warning system included two attention-getter lights and a horrifying horn, drawing attention to a drastic warning panel on the left and a secondary warning panel on the right. A verv effective air blast keeps rain off the left windscreen when required Intake ring and engines are de-iced, also by hot air. Having completed strapping-in, Dell asked me to press the two starter buttons, which may be done simultaneously, and the 200- series Avons wound up quietly behind us. Low noise level was soon apparent, as was the deep nodding of the nose when brake was applied. Wheel braking is very powerful and needs a little practice to use smoothly for steering on the ground. We taxied with No 2 engine on the fast idle stop and No 1 at about 80 per cent. The same take-off mnemonic as for the Meteor took care of the few pre-flight settings required and we wound up to 100 per cent against the brakes, the cockpit still remaining surprisingly quiet. All had been straightforward till now, just another aeroplane ride; but when we released the brakes it seemed as if someone had given the time machine a quick twirl. Acceleration in 100 per cent cold thrust looked initially like that in a Hunter 6, but our cockpit was twice as high off the ground. I could not watch the a.s.i., over on my left, but at "a certain" speed we began a progressive rotation which finally got us airborne at a very considerable angle of attack. Holding a sloping flight path we accelerated visibly with out the slightest change in noise or sensation, but the a.s.i. needle just marched round the dial. Before we had left the airfield it showed well over 200kt. As we crossed the coast it passed 400kt and by the time we reached about 2,000ft and levelled off it was passing 600kt and still rising inexorably. I just sat and gasped. There is no question of waiting for climbing speed: you race UD and on, faster and faster and the land falls away like a photograpn dropped on the floor—but no change of sound or sensation accom panies it. Up to M1.6 The Lightning will exceed M1.0 at any height in cold thrust, making afterburner an unnecessary extra at this stage. Normal cold-thrust climb angle at near-sonic speed is something like 40°. Radar told us to make a 30° course alteration, but no amount of rolling and pulling makes very much difference to heading under these conditions. Non-toppling, fully free gyro systems are indis pensable, because this sort of thing has to be done largely on instruments. The earth behind one's left ear is not much help. Somewhere early in the climb we levelled off and checked the afterburners. We were already flying at around 600kt when Dell pushed the throttles through a detent and up to No 4 afterburner nozzle position. There was a gentle thud from behind and the Machmeter needle strolled past 1.0. The altimeter hesitated, spun up 2,000ft suddenly, and that was it. Dell pointed out a brief rough ness from under the tail of the slipper tank which pilots learn to use as a warning of sonic speed, but the flick of the altimeter was about all I really noticed. I had a slight pain in my right ear and hoped it would not increase when we got to 30,000ft, but I discovered we were already there. We were now over Great Orme, in North Wales, and radar told us to turn onto 355° for the sonic run at 30,000ft. Dell applied full afterburner and the thud behind us once again introduced the accel eration. As we passed M1.0 the altimeter again spun up 2,000ft and a very gentle nose-up trim change seemed to appear. The Mach needle went on creeping up steadily until we were indicating MI 5 and about 600kt. We could not change heading because of the narrowness of the supersonic area, but aileron control appeared virtually unaffected at this speed. The tailplane responded a good deal more slowly and deep movements were needed to make sizeable attitude changes. Normal small corrections required to keep height accurate still called for only small stick movements. At
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