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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 1394.PDF
204 FLIGHT International, 9 August 1962 REQUIEM FOR THE ROTODYNE... The Achievement Numerous demonstrations were made in both military and civil roles, and these were used to work up operat ing flight techniques and to settle operators' design requirements. In particular, instrument flying without autostabilization, was most satisfactory, and often we demonstrated transitions from heli copter to autogiro and back again in cloud, at less than 500ft above the ground. Over 800 passengers, including a fair proportion of the world's airline chiefs, Service chiefs, and British MPs, were flown, as a demonstration of the inherent safety of this prototype vehicle of radical design, and to emphasise our (and others') faith in the configuration. The Rotodyne Y demonstrated conclusively that a large economic SPORT AND BUSINESS National Air Races The King's Cup Air Race will be held at Baginton Aerodrome, Coventry, as part of this year's Coventry Air Pageant on Saturday, August 18. This will be the final day of a three-day race and competition meeting, with Lockheed aero- batic preliminaries and class 1 of the national air races on Thursday, August 16; and finals of the aerobatic contest and classes 2 and 3 of the races on Friday, August 17. The flying programmes begin at 10 a.m. on the Thursday and Friday, and 11 a.m. on the Saturday. Autocrat Record? Illustrated in the picture below is the hard working Auster Autocrat of the Light Aeroplane Club of Trinidad and Tobago, which has logged 8,369 flying hours with the club up to July 25, including 6,276 hours of instructional flying. First flight with the Trinidad club was made on June 10, 1947, since when over 50,200 landings have been made without any major damage. The Autocrat is still in daily use with the club, together with an Aiglet, a Cessna 170A and a Cessna 170B. The club's chief flying instructor, Mr C. W. Boardman, wonders whether any club in the British Isles can match the service record of VP-TAS (known, inevitably, as True Air Speed to some of the Trinidad pilots). This veteran Auster Autocrat of the Light Aeroplane Club of Trinidad and Tobago has logged over 8,000 hours and 50,000 landings and take- offs (see news-item above) since (947 transport VTOL is a practical proposition today—not in 15 years' time—and that the unloaded rotor and tip drive made a tremendous breakthrough in performance and handling, in com parison to pure helicopters and other forms of convertiplane. It is true that some pure helicopters, under carefully controlled conditions of weight and in very steady flight states, with very restricted component lives and with virtually no manauvre margin, have for short periods attained speeds equivalent to the Rotodyne; but no other VTOL has yet flown to compare with the public demonstrations made year after year where, with up to 35 souls aboard, this experimental aircraft was flown-by at 175kt and pulled into a steep climbing "g" turn with no adverse handling effects This is only one of many measures of the achievement of the Roto dyne, and one reason why we could immediately and confidently face a larger and faster design for an operational aircraft. This Canadian home-built was among those present at the recent break fast fly-in at Oshawa, Ontario, at which no fewer than 1,250 free break fasts were served. Powered by a 65 h.p. Continental, it is a Smith Miniplane built by Donald Woolley Irish Occasion The third Irish Parachuting Rally was held on Sunday, July 22 at Farmers Cross Airfield, close to Cork Airport. Competitors came from England, Scotland, Austria and all over Ireland, but two US Army teams were unable to appear as per mission was not granted for their military aircraft to land in Ireland. Unfortunately the weather was quite unsuitable for competition parachuting, with low cloud and strong gusty winds making pre cision landings impossible. Nevertheless an enormous crowd came out from Cork to watch. Eight or nine thousand people swarmed into the small grass airfield, breaking down hedges and gates and pressing round aircraft and parachutists until neither could move. At least another 12,000 blocked the main road nearby, waiting for the fun to begin. The parachutists agreed to put on a display for the benefit of this enormous audience, and after much hard work a narrow path was cleared through the crowd for the aircraft to take off. As each parachutist landed he was mobbed by the crowd who were utterly ignorant of the danger they were running. Men, women and children raced towards each descending chute and stood in a dense mass waiting for it to drop on them. For the parachutists (a participant comments) it was most worrying. The pilots cleared a landing strip for themselves by making a low run- over the crowd and then quickly flopping down into the resulting gap. Despite the complete lack of control, everyone was exceptionally good-humoured and appreciative. In default of the competition, last year's champion remains undefeated; he is Sgt Norman Hoffman of Howth and RAF Abingdon. Marquis Certificated The SFERMA Marquis, powered by two Turbomeca Astazou turboprops, was recently granted its French certificate of airworthiness following the full range of vibration, static and flight tests normally carried out for a brand-new design. Three Marquis, the first prototype and the third and fourth machines completed, were used in certification trials; and the C of A is for a gross weight of 6,0001b, which is 2201b greater than originally foreseen. The aircraft thus becomes a genuine five-seater with baggage allowance, offering ranges of between 810 and 1,180 miles, according to cruising altitude. Cruising speed is 280 m.p.h.
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