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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 1035.PDF
FLIGHT International, 28 June 1962 1033 INDUSTRY International Flight Systems Products Company News Flight Systems ACV Navigation Problems of naviga ting air-cushion vehicles have been under study since 1959 by Decca Radar and the Decca Navigator Co, and equipment has been installed in the Westland SR.N2 (see page 1000). The craft has a slotted waveguide radar aerial just above the cockpit and is equipped with Decca marine radar of advanced design, plus a Mk VIII Decca Navigator system. Among new problems which an ACV study group from both companies has been investigating are accurate high-speed route-keeping in hoverways, application of Doppler techniques to provide precise navigational inputs, selection of the most suitable types of radar equipment aboard or ashore, and provision of the best radar presentation in the anti-collision role. Experience with the true-motion type of radar display in high-speed marine craft such as 55kt patrol boats has, say Decca, illustrated marked advantages to be obtain ed from this form of presentation. "Ground stabilization of the radar picture," they state, "is the most important factor in obtaining ease of interpretation with radar at speed." A suitable picture of the land is provided, true movement of other vessels is apparent at a glance and in poor visibility or darkness the navigator can appreciate what his own craft is doing and orientate it accordingly. Large-scale 16in and 12in true-motion displays, and InterScan range and bearing measurement with special plotting facilities, show great promise in ACV and hydrofoil applications, state Decca, equipment of this type being "already specified for large hovercraft under con struction." Midas Progress Royston Instruments have released further details of the Midas flight recorder installation now being evaluated in a Britannia of Transport Com mand (Flight International, January 4). Initially, this non-ejectable CMM.400/TD version of the equipment is recording 126 parameters over periods of 60 operational hours. The range can quickly be extended to cover 270 parameters and—as essential in an instrument of this nature—protec tion against crash and fire results is of a high order. As already announced, ejector-type Midas systems are being installed in the Installing a Midas flight recorder in a Transport Command Britannia (see "Midas Progress") first three Vickers-Armstrongs VClOs and the first three BAC One-Elevens, and evaluations of non-ejectable types are in progress on a Trans-Canada Airlines DC-8 and a BUA Britannia. USAF Strategic Air Command recently completed trials of similar Midas equipment in a B-52F engaged on training duties. New Cossor Transponder Cossor Radar Electronics Ltd have developed a new trans ponder, Type SSR.1600. Together with its associated control unit, the SSR.1601, it meets the latest requirements and recom mendations of ICAO and ARINC chara- teristic 532D. Additionally, the equipment is designed to accommodate all anticipated expansions of the ATC radar beacon sys tem. Background to the development of the new transponder has been the forthcoming implementation in the UK of the ruling (already mandatory in the US) on the carriage of secondary radar transponders in aircraft flying above 25,000ft. This will no doubt become effective throughout Europe as more ground installations are completed. SSR.1600 provides full 12-bit encoding facilities on modes A, B, C and D with fully automatic reply on modes C and D. Except for the L-band transmitter, all the circuits are fully transistorized. The equip ment is capable of unpressurized operation at altitudes up to 40,000ft. In accordance with modern requirements, Cossor state, the Type 1600 transponder is designed to function with either two- or three-pulse sidelobe suppression systems. In reply to a correct interrogation, the transponder transmits a pulse trend con sisting of (a) two framing pulses spaced at 20.3 microsec, (b) any combination selected from 12 information pulses plus a special identification pulse, to a total of 8,192 codes. The large number of reply codes available from this new equipment—4,096, without including the special identification pulse— will greatly increase the amount of infor mation the system can present to ATC. Previously, only 64 different reply codes were available. Products Normalair VC10 Equipment A total of 4,500 hours' development running time has now been amassed by the turbo-driven centrifugal compressor which forms a major component of the Normalair vapour- cycle cooling system to be installed in all Vickers VClOs. The test programme, spread over a period of 18 months, culminated in a trouble-free run of over 2,000hr by one unit, this final run being interspersed with long static periods under refrigerant pressure, to typify normal aircraft usage. No oil change was necessary. Throughout these tests, state Normalair, the compessor was continually subjected to varied conditions of temperature and pressure which will be encountered in service, and prolonged periods of operation were carried out at rotational speeds of from 24,000 to 57,000 r.p.m. The VC10 is equipped with pressuriza- tion, vapour-cycle cooling and liquid- oxygen storage equipment designed and produced by Normalair. The completely new electro-pneumatic pressurization sys tem, developed specifically for this aircraft, is the only one of its type available in the Western World. The company's vapour- cycle cooling system is the first to be fitted as standard equipment in a British civil aircraft, and the lox system, which incorpor ates a Normalair 35-litre converter with an exclusive crew-reserve circuit, is the first to be fitted in a civil passenger aircraft anywhere in the world.
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