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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 2018.PDF
THE SBAC DINNER Trojan Horse, 1962-style One of the highlights of the public days at the SBAC Show was the free-fall parachute display by the RAF team from Abingdon. They are here seen leaving their Argosy C.I at 12,000ft H FLIGHT International, 429 13 September 1962 Inc. "for technical and industrial leadership in producing excellent aircraft, and space equipment, from early fighters to the X-l 5." Mr Kindelberger died suddenly on July 27 and the medal is to be received by Mr J. L. Atwood, president of North American Aviation, in Los Angeles on October 10. Vertical Autoland Companies participating with RAE in research and development on an automatic landing system for VTOL aircraft are Short and Sperry. One of the two Short SC.ls is at RAE Bedford, but the other is at Short's factory at Belfast being fitted with an improved autostabilization system. Pitch damping is being replaced by full three-axis stabilization. The refitted SCI will fly 'towards the end of November, at about the same time as the Skyvan. With the Belfast following in the middle of next year, the Short flight test department will have a busy time. Speaking at the annual dinner of the Society of British Aircraft Constructors in London on September 5, the president. Sir Roy Dobson, said: "You know, our friends from overseas, you can travel a lot further and fare worse, than buying right here in England. You won't buy better or cheaper anywhere, unless someone gives the goods away. "Dr Lighthill, the Director of the Royal Aircraft Establishment, and his staff," said Sir Roy, "put at our disposal the airfield and all their facilities and I would like them to know how much we appreciate their help and encouragement." One point he added in clarification of future shows. The Council decided not to run one in 1963, but that they would hold one in 1964. Whether the Society reverted to annual shows or not was still to be decided; but one thing was clear—they were not going to drop the world's greatest air show. Another point mentioned by Sir Roy was the greatly improved delivery of spares and after-sales service. The SBAC was deter mined that its members should give service second to none. "] do not believe," the president went on, "that VTOL should be pushed too rapidly on civil transports, but there is no doubt that STOL is coming upon us quickly. We should be prepared to accept it and make proper use of the capabilities it provides. There are many towns and cities without large airfields or facilities to take large, heavily loaded conventional trans- Ports, but if STOL aircraft are fully developed all such places will automatically come into the aviation orbit. "1 am convinced," said Sir Roy, "that communication satellites are a 'must' for this country and the Commonwealth. We should be spending money to achieve something which I believe we cannot afford to do without." Turning to finance. Sir Roy declared: What worries manufacturers is that as the costs and selling prices go up, so aircraft go uirther out of reach of the smaller Govern ments and civil operators. They have not the ready cash to put down for their pur chase. Therefore, in order to continue trading, manufacturers are forced to give long-term credits, when they themselves are borrowing money. This means that we are borrowing short and lending long—the classical way to bankruptcy. It needs considerable financial strength to take this sort of strain." Referring to the rationalization of the aircraft industry which took place some two years ago, Sir Roy said: "I believe this is beginning to result in greater efficiency and the better utilization of manpower. The operations have not been without compli cation and in such circumstances it lakes time to settle down; but I think it is fair to say that we are now seeing some dividends from the re-grouping. I would like to stress the fact that we are able to tackle any large project, the larger the better, which might be given to us. We are in a far stronger position to compete with any manufacturer in the world than we were before." Replying, Mr Julian Amery, Minister of Aviation, said, after his introductory remarks: "In the last few months the comments of aviation correspondents and even of some in the industry might have- given the impression that we were heading for a slump. First impressions are often right, and I have been too short a time in the job to arrive at a balanced judgment. But, then, yesterday 1 went to Farnborough! And 1 came back convinced that there are more grounds for confidence than for discouragement. We are still spending, on civil and military projects, about £300m a year—which is not exactly peanuts. Add to this some £160m from home and overseas customers; this gives a total of about £460m coming into the industry. "In praising the 1127 and 1154," the Minister went on, "I am by no means ignoring the achievement of their chief competitor, the Mirage HIV. How could I, seeing the contribution which Rolls-Royce and the Short SCI have made to this project? Both the Mirage 111V and the P. 1154 are very fine aircraft. But, having developed both systems in this country, we have come to the firm conclusion that the P. 1154 represents the better solution to the NATO NBMR-3 requirement. Whether separate lift engines or vector thrust represents the best solution for heavier aircraft, such as transports, is another question not yet resolved. "This brings me," Mr Amery went on, "to the question of OR.351. I know how important this is to the industry. But you will appreciate that this is a very expensive project and a decision to spend public money on this scale cannot be taken lightly. The question, however, is urgent not only for you but for your customers—the Ser vices—as well. The Beverley and Hastings aircraft have done great service, but the time to design a replacement for them can not now be long delayed. "The other great question before us is the decision over the supersonic civil airliner. The implications of this project are very complicated, but our work here continues to show great promise, and the technical judgments which led us to carry on with the design of a slender-wing Mach 2 aircraft seem fully justified. 1 look forward to meeting my French colleague, M Dusseaulx in the next few weeks and hope that we shall then arrive at a firm decision. "The opportunities of space" the Minister said, towards the end of his speech, "beckon with a golden finger. How far can we afford to pursue them? How far can we afford to neglect them ? What path should we follow? But I think it would also be a mistake to think of space only in terms of satellites and boosters. When I was at the Air Ministry I expressed the belief that the future was more likely to lie. in the longer run, with some kind of manned craft which could take-off from the ground, pass through the atmos phere into space, manoeuvre, return, and be used again. The Ministry of Aviation are already studying the feasibility and implications of such a vehicle or craft."
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