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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 2112.PDF
At Innholders' Hall in London last Thursday, the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators' annual awards were presented by the Master, Captain J. T. Percy. In this series of pictures he is seen handing the Johnston Memorial Trophy to Mr Geoffrey Beck (left) and Mr Mervyn Morgan, of Marconi, for their work on airborne Doppler navigation: the Cumberbatch Trophy (best reliability record in airline operation) to Mr J. W. Booth, representing Aden Airways; the Brackley Memorial Trophy (outstanding contribution to air transport operational development) to Wg Cdr N. E. Hoad, representing No 216 Sqn, RAF Transport Command; the Derry and Richards Memorial Medal, for achievement in experimental flying, to Mr Brian Trubshaw of Vickers-Armstrongs (looking on, Sir George Edwards); and the Guild's Award of Merit to Mr Cecil Pashley, who has just completed 50 years of active flying (I8,900hr, I3,000hr of which has been devoted to teaching 1,600 students to fly). Details of the 1962 awards were given in Flight International for July 5 submission for NATO requirement NBMR 4 for a V-STOL transport aircraft, and in assembly work at Belfast in the event of orders. Work on our Turbo-Skyvan light freighter and our interest in the American Beechcraft range of light aircraft are both being actively pursued. Our Seacat guided missile is attract ing yet further enquiries and we are able now to offer, as a military version, Tigercat. . . ." After speaking of the interest which Mr Thorneycroft, Minister of Defence, had shown in the company's problems, Mr Wrangham concluded by saying that in spite of the improved prospects Short's "long-term future as a balanced unit in the aircraft industry" still seemed far from certain. He added:— "We are told that the British Aircraft Industry must and will reduce employment, and in particular that the number of design teams must decrease. But in the community of Northern Ireland, beset by its own peculiar problem of location and employment, there is only one such technical team. This team, to gether with our corps of skilled and experienced artisans, operate one of the finest aircraft factories in Europe. Her Majesty's Govern ment are the major proprietors of this great asset. It is to my mind unthinkable that they will not continue to develop it to the advantage of the whole nation." Symposium at Cranfield "The British aviation industry urgently needs the leadership of a small independent committee to produce working plans for the future pattern of partnership between in dustry and the Government, if the industry is to avoid a further dilution of existing resources or eventual extinction." This was one of the conclusions reached at a sym posium held at the College of Aeronautics last weekend under the auspices of the Cran- field Society, the association of former students of the College. The problems of industry survival in a highly competitive world were discussed at one of the main sessions of the meeting. It was suggested that, although the practices of management were capable of funda mental improvement, an adequate return on capital could be achieved in Britain by using existing talent, provided a realistic partnership were established between Government and industry for the long-term financing of research, development and production. If the world situation improved, the meeting agreed, it would be unsound to continue to place financial reliance so largely on defence projects, which in the western world cost approximately £100m per day at present. The suggested Government/indus try partnership could lead directly to a full exploitation of the role that aerospace industries could play in developing com munications—interpreted in the widest sense to include the widespread transport of people, material and ideas. A separate session at the symposium was devoted to a frank exploration of the prob lem of reliability of aircraft in military and civil operation. It was suggested that approximately £125m per year could be saved in Air Force estimates alone if RAF defect rates could be halved. Speakers emphasized that unreliability was an expense bom of ignorance which could not be afforded either in airline or air force operations. Techniques for meeting the situation were already known, but their implementation depended upon an inten sive effort of education at all levels in design, quality control, and feed-back of user experience. During the meeting the Society an nounced that, with the consent of the family of the late Sir Frederick Handley Page, an annual lecture would be inaugur ated next year at the College of Aeronautics to commemorate his outstanding aero nautical achievements. Sir Frederick was chairman of the Board of Governors. First Flight of the NAMC YS-II (two Rolls-Royce Dart 10s) as Nagoya on August 30. Taking off in 1,600ft at 39,7001b, the YS-I I was airborne for 56min
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