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Aviation History
1962
1962 - 2286.PDF
FLIGHT International, 4 October 1962 577 could very well, in its variant versions, more than fill the bill of requirements of the present range of light aircraft now being produced in this country. It is a crying shame to think that the proud position we once held in this field of endeavour we have allowed to slip to such an extent that it is now patent that with all the effort and goodwill we can muster we shall never be able now to catch up and overtake our rivals, who had the good sense to make hay whilst the sun shone, which was immediately after the Second World War when the world was crying out for business and executive planes, and which America had the enterprise to seize and exploit. Although it is no good crying over spilt milk, and although we can never catch up and beat our rivals at this late stage, nevertheless we can still make a contribution to the needs of the present and potential market by reviving the Monaco engine, which in spite of the lost years is still up to date, and in some respects even ahead, of the imported US engines to which we have already referred, and which are now made by Rolls-Royce. Hove. Sussex H. R. MAYES Late Chief Engineer, Monaco Engines Ltd) The propeller outside The Propeller Hotel on Purley Way, Croydon, referred to by Mr Leslie Hunt Purley Way's Propeller SIR,—Ever since I briefly referred to " The Propeller" at Purley Way, Croydon, in the first of my "Aviation Inns"' articles (Flight for August 10, 1961) I have been trying to trace the origin of the striking sign at this popular house, situated as it is on the London - Brighton road, just before one passes that historic airfield where so much of our civil flying began and ended. The answer is now to hand, for Mr H. Whitwell, ever- helpful PRO of Courage, Barclay & Simonds, has learned that Sqn Ldr F. H. Bowyer, a director of the company, approached Mr A. C. Clinton of Bristol Aircraft to see whether a genuine "prop" could be provided. It was from Rotol that the inn got this propeller—a gift from Bristol's and Rolls-Royce, the joint manufacturers. Long may it surmount its undercarriage! Leigh on Sea, Essex LESLIE HUNT Employing Airline Pilots SIR,—Once more, as autumn approaches, several of the smaller independent airlines have dismissed a large number of their pilots. The ATLB announced recently that operating licences would not be issued to companies unable to prove their financial stability. Surely, any company that habitually dismisses its pilots as the summer season declines is not financially stable. A man is surely entitled to twelve months' work after working night and day all summer. It is reputed that the ministry frown upon freelance pilots, but that at least allowed a man to get something approach ing twelve months' money. The present system of sacking a full-time pilot just makes a mockery of the system, and pilots who are only allowed six months' work a year cannot be professionally efficient. Companies working under this system cannot be operating in the best interests of British aviation, and it becomes difficult to see how the ATLB can continue to licence these companies. One wonders what would happen if these unfor tunate pilots protested at the hearings. Stability is important to British aviation and to a man personally. It must be up to the new minister to see that both are achieved. Westcliff-cn-Sea, Essex JOHN JONES Tidying up the Record SIR,—No, sir, that sure ain't no woodchuck (Straight and Level, September 6) an' it ain't 73 Squadron RAF either— it's 74! Farnborough, Kent DOUGLAS TIDY (ex-74 Sqn) Spacecraft Landing SIR,—Titov, Nikolayev and Popovich all descended to the ground by parachute, and they claimed they had the choice of so doing or riding down inside the Vostoks. In your news item (April 20, 1961) about Gagarin's orbit you quote Sovietskaya Russiya as saying that "The major baled out of his capsule and landed on both feet." The question is, have the Russians the choice of remaining inside their capsules or not? The Mercury capsule which lands on the sea has a less severe landing than the Vostoks which land on the ground. Perhaps the Vostoks, two or three times heavier than the Mercury capsules, are quite severely damaged by the impact—too severely damaged to ensure the life of the cosmonaut ? Models of the first three Sputniks were used to full pro paganda advantage. Why not Gagarin's or Nikolayev's space ships as the Americans did with Glenn's? Perhaps the truth is that all four Vostoks are too badly damaged to be exhibited, or even photographed, and that the Russians realize that faked re-entry markings would be extremely difficult to accomplish. Solihull, Warwicks ROBERT W. DIXON [Authoritative Soviet sources, which we consider to be more reliable than the initial "Sovietskaya Russiya" report, have stated repeatedly that Maj Gagarin remained in his spacecraft until after it had touched down.—Ed.] FORTHCOMING EVENT8 Oct 4 London Society of Air-Britain: Test Pilots' Forum. Oct 5 Kronfeld Club: Annual Dinner and Opening of Photographic Exhibition by Kenneth Owen. Oct5 RAeS Rotorcraft Section: "Low-Cost Autogyro" by Wg Cdr K. H. Wallis. Oct 6 Blackbushe Aero Club: Air Display. Oct 7-13 International Rally, Genoa. Oct 8 British Interplanetary Society (Midlands): "Some Possible and Impossible Alternatives to the Chemical Rocket," by D. S. Carton. Oct 9-11 Guild of Air Traffic Control Officers: Convention, Bournemouth. Oct 9 RAeS Astronautics and Guided Flight Section: "Development of Thunderbird" by R. G. Jefferson. Oct 9 RAeS Luton: Film evening, "Powered Flight." Oct 10 Kronfeld Club: Photographic Exhibition and talk on "Photography" by John Yoxall. Oct 11 RAeS: "Internal Air Transport in Australia," by J. L. Watkins. Oct 12 The British Interplanetary Society: a.g.m. and Presidential Address, "The Origin and Early Develop ment of Astronautics" Oct 12 RAeS Cambridge: Film evening. Oct 13 British Interplanetary Society (Midlands): Film evening.
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