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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 0797.PDF
766 FLIGHT International, 30 May 1963 WORLD NEWS Mission to Moscow By the time this issue appears a BOAC Comet 4 should be touring the Soviet Union carrying a mission representing the British Government, Services and industry. It is too early to give a detailed itinerary, or to predict what the outcome of this mission may be; but the consequences are likely to be of far-reaching importance. Sugges tions that the purpose of the visit is to "look at the U-62," or conclude "a Russian deal for the Harco system," or "prepare the way for a nuclear-test ban agreement" or summit conference, are putting too narrow a view on it. No holds are barred; anything could come up in discussion, apart from such dominant subjects as Mach 2.2 transports; and the one thing that can be predicted with certainty is that this mission should have tangible results which will benefit everyone. The official announcement read as follows: "The Minister of Aviation and Mrs Amery have accepted an invitation from the Soviet Government to visit the Soviet Union. The Minister will be accom panied by a small party of distinguished industrialists and senior officials. The party will leave the United Kingdom on May 29 and stay in the Soviet Union for about a fortnight. In addition to Mr and Mrs Amery and the officials, the party will include: Sir Arnold Hall, managing direc tor of the Hawker Siddeley Group; Sir Denning Pearson, chief executive of Rolls- Royce; Dr A. E. Russell, technical director of the Bristol Aeroplane Company; Air Marshal C. H. Hartley, DCAS (designate); and Mr Anthony Royle, MP, the Minister's PPS, and Mrs Royle." Among the officials will be Sir Robert Cockburn, MoA Chief Scientist; Mr Dennis Havilland, Deputy Secretary (C) and Dr M. J. Lighthill, Director of the RAE. The composition of the party is significant, and indicates a strong bias towards discussion of the whole spectrum of modern aviation from a technical, as distinct from political or operational, viewpoint. The BOAC Comet 4 was chosen because it was the most convenient vehicle; if BOAC routes across the Soviet Union were to be discussed in any detail then Sir Matthew Slattery or Mr Basil Smallpeice would be in the party. Two Aeroflot navigators are assisting the BOAC crew on their extensive flying within the Soviet Union. Among the many places to be visited are Moscow (including the Central Aero-Hydrodynamics Institute), Kharkov and Zaporozhe. Hardware named as due for inspection and discussion by the British party includes the An-24 twin- A Study Project Studied During- his visit to the College of Aeronautics, Cranfield, on May 21 (news item on this page). Prince Philip saw this vibration test model of the Mach 3 airliner which forms the study project for 1962-63 of the Department of Aircraft Design. The department is comparing the design with that of a Mach 2.2 airliner studied previously turboprop airliner; the 11-18 four-turboprop airliner; the U-62 four-turbofan airliner; the Mi-6 twin-turbine helicopter; the Tu-114 four-turboprop airliner; the Tu-124 twin- turbofan airliner; the V-8 twin-turbine helicopter; the D-20P engine of the Tu-124; and the AI-20 engine of the 11-18. Host of the mission is Mr P. V. Dementiev, chair man of the USSR Committee for Civil Aviation Industries. Education for Technology " Technical education both below and beyond university has grown up to meet various needs as they arose. It gives the impression that it is a patchwork without form, under a variety of directing agencies and badly in need of a governing philosophy." This was the challenging indictment of Britain today made by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh when giving the first annual Handley Page Memorial Lecture at the College of Aeronautics, on May 21, organized jointly by the Cranfield Society and the Royal Aeronautical Society. The Duke introduced his theme by referring to Sir Frederick's own early history and to his considerable contribution to the cause of technical education—both in his own firm and for the nation, through the City & Guilds, the technical colleges, Imperial College and Cranfield. Divisions between vocational and general education "are entirely irrelevant," declared Prince Philip: "No matter what job a man does for his living it will always be important that all men should be educated to act nobly," and he quoted admirable dicta in support from Plato to Adam Smith— including "H.P." on one occasion: "In a healthy society . . . daily vocations are part of the very fabric of the culture of the society and one wonders whether the aristocratic classical curriculum once so relevant to the society for which it was developed is not now so irrelevant as to be a source of danger to a coherent society."" At the same time the Duke noted the efforts which are being made by the creation of Colleges of Advanced Technology and the plans outlined in the White Papers on "Better Opportunities in Technical Educa tion" and "Industrial Training." "In our system at the moment it looks as if the technical training and employ ment of operatives, craftsmen and techni cians is too limited and is based too exclusively on the immediate and narrow demands of jobs to be filled at any given moment. At the other end of the scale there is a much wider freedom of choice in the general sense of the term but the freedom is limited by such imponderable factors as plain ignorance, the assumed respectability of certain jobs and profes sions and what seems to be fashionable amongst sixth form students. . . . Every day there is fresh evidence that there is an unbalance in the numbers and quality entering the scientific and engineering professions. ... "One is left with the distinct impression that scientific discoveries, new ideas and inventions, new techniques and materials are not finding their way into commercial production. How often does one hear someone say 'Have you seen the latest from Manchester?' It's more likely to be the latest from America or Italy." Smoothest Ship Northrop announced on May 20 that the US Air Force X-21 research aircraft has achieved laminar flow over sections of its wings during flights from Edwards AFB, Calif. Noror chief engineering test pilot jack Wells claims that when colleagues Ray White and Bob Thomos turned on the suction he could feel the reduction in drag, and had to reduce power
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