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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 1940.PDF
422 FLIGHT International, 6 September 1962 Letters The Editor of "Flight International" is not necessarily in agreement with the views expressed by correspondents in these columns. Names and addresses of writers, not for publication in detail, must in all cases accompany letters. ASW Britannias? SIR,—On page 219 of your August 16 issue you mention Coastal Command's requirement for a long-range ASW aircraft. Such an aeroplane would require speed (to the search area), a good payload, large fuselage space and, particularly, great endurance. Surely a conversion of BOAC's surplus Britannias would fit the requirements admirably? A further advantage would be that the conversion could easily be carried out by Shorts in Belfast, who are well acquainted with this aircraft and whose current lack of orders is a serious problem. This solution should please the people of Northern Ireland, BOAC, the RAF and even the economical Minister of De fence. There must be a flaw; where is it? London SW3 w. ALEXANDER [The standard ASW ocean-patrol aircraft of the RCAF, the CL-28 Argus, is based on the Britannia; but the RAF today want a much faster aeroplane—Ed.] An Autoglro Restored SIR,—I wonder if the C-30 recently restored (Service Avia tion, August 16) was the one flown by "Jeep" Cable on radar calibrations at the start of the last war. "Jeep" did a won derful piece of work then and it would be nice if someone wrote about it one day. He was at one time my instructor on R-4s. A more cheer ful and knowledgeable instructor would have been difficult to find and it was a sad day when he went down in the Air Horse accident. Will someone write the story of the C-30s and the work they did so gallantly on radar calibration duties—when they were "sitting ducks" for German fighters? I hope so. Farnham Common, Bucks L. s. ARMANDIAS Airline Safety SIR,—The recent Boeing 707 disaster at Orly springs at once to mind when the topic of airline accident ratings is con sidered. It seems clear that had the runway been longer, the aircraft would have been able to come to a halt without a crash. It may be unusual for a mechanical failure to occur at a late stage in the take-off run. Nevertheless, it would appear that some tragedies could be averted by longer runways; and this would apply to the hazards of landing as well as those of take-off. As an alternative, why not equip large and fast- moving vehicles with braking parachutes for use in emergency? Apart from the vexed question of backward-facing seats, the most unpleasant feature of air travel is the proximity to the passengers and crew of some thousands of gallons of highly explosive fuel. This represents a qualitative difference between aircraft and all other forms of transport. Even if the worst happens to a ship, a car, or a train, one has some chance of survival; whereas any serious malfunction in an aircraft means almost certain death to the entire passenger list, largely because of the fire hazard. Having flown frequently on Viscounts and Vanguards in complete safety and comfort, 1 still feel, on taking my seat in an aircraft, that it would be reassuring to have a parachute. This is clearly not a practical proposition in civil flying. But is it impossible to provide jettisonable fuel tanks, or a means of ejecting passenger cabins from an airliner? Apart from the dangers of collision, or freak weather conditions, most accidents seem to occur on the ground, at take-off or landing, and only the swift removal of the occupants of an aircraft in these circumstances could prevent fatalities. Finally, one would like to assume that if a given fuel is safer than its competitors, reputable airlines will decide to use it as a matter of course. Glasgow, W2 JOHN INGLIS Naming the ACV SIR,—I have not followed all the correspondence on the subject of a generic term for air-cushion vehicles, but offer these terms for what they are worth: (1) SKIM CRAFT, sub-divided into (a) sea skimmers * (b) water „ (c) land „ (d) earth „ (2) AIR LIFT VEHICLES As a mere helicopter pilot who may be condemned to the HOVER ?-craft (SKIM ?-craft) division in his old age, I had better be careful about suggested nomenclature. Abadan, South Iran SPENCER G. ALLEN whichever is more appropriate; Agricultural Warren-Young? SIR,—With reference to my letter which you published on August 9, describing the characteristics of the Warren- Young aeroplane, I have received several replies drawing attention to its suitability for agricultural use. A farmer's aeroplane, designed to carry a hopper for crop- spraying, with alternative accommodation for farm material or livestock, needs to have the following characteristics:— (1) Compactness, but with load-carrying ability at low speed; (2) Manoeuvrability at low speed; (3) Ability to fly at the lowest possible minimum speed, but with maintenance of stability and full control; (4) An innocuous stall (or to be unstallable); (5) Short take-off run and steep path-angle of climb; (6) A wide e.g. range, as a proportion of the variable useful load cannot be coincident with the design e.g.; (7) Robustness, and requiring minimum maintenance (i.e., the structure must be inherently strong and rigid). These are just the qualities claimed for the Warren-Young and I can think of no other type of aeroplane which possesses them in a comparable degree. Kingsbridge, South Devon NORMAN HALL-WARREN FORTHCOMING EVENTS Kronfeld Club: "Championship Flying" by Capt Nicholas Goodhart. Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators: Presentation of Trophies, Innholders' Hall, London EC4. RAF "At Home" Day Cranfield Society: Symposium. Tiger Club: Display, Fair Oaks. Wiltshire School of Flying: Thruxton Air Races. Grand Prix International de Bourges. RAeS Coventry: "Development of Seaslug" by C. Bayly and A. Lightbody. Kronfeld Club: "More Diving in the Mediter ranean,'" by Frank Irving and Denis Tomkins. Second International Agricultural Aviation Con gress, Crignon, Fmnce. Air Display and Races, Shoreham. Etstree Flying Club: Flying display. Kronfeld Club: Film Evening: " Victory at Sea." RAeS Halton: "Operations of Special Duties Squadrons" by A. Firth, Aerodrome Owners Association: Annual Conference, Blackpool. RAeS Graduates' and Students' Section with WingfieldLighter-than-Air Society): Film Evening. Sept 12 Sept 13 Sept 15 Sept 15-16 Sept 16 Sept 16 Sept 17-23 Sept 19 Sept 19 Sept 19-22 Sept 22 Sept 22 Sept 26 Sept 27 Sept 27-28 Sept 28
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