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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1004.PDF
qjGHT <aih>nal, u,e 1963 XR395, the Comet C.4 in which 216 Sqn flew the Chief of the Defence Staff, Earl Mountbatten, on his South American tour, as described on this page Operacion Impecable 216 Sqn Comet in South America THOSE conversant with the operational history of 216 Sqn, RAF Transport Command (writes a correspondent), would take it that a tour of some 27,000 s.m., extending through South America, would probably go to plan, and that would cate gorically be that. But the recent tour by a 216 Sqn Comet C.4 which took Earl Mountbatten through Newfoundland, the Bahamas, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Chile, Brazil and Uruguay, and home to London by Recife, Dakar and Gibraltar could be categorized as "operationally immaculate" from every standpoint. There is substance for using such superlatives. Earl Mountbatten is a stickler for punctuality. The Comet's performance, as monitored by a masterly crew, was indeed "stickler-worthy." In the 27,000-mile journey, the maximum variation from published time to actual time for "doors open" at destinations had no greater variation than 30 seconds. This is good enough by any standards, but add to it that no single instance of unserviceability of any sort occurred (except the replacement of one VOR receiver, substituted on the instant by the spare carried), and this stands out as a creditable example of British machinery and equipment. When one thinks of the frightening complexity of the tens of thousands of bits which go to make a modern 37-ton jet airliner— that is, tons of bits and no fuel weight, of the miles of wire and pipes, dozens of pumps and gyros, amplifiers, transistors, sensing units, kinetic valves, power-packs and actuators, clocks galore, a veritable Battersea of electric currents combined with electric fields in the right place (and those in the wrong place can be a real enigma), sizzling turbines and 18, repeat 18 tyres, not one of which gave a hint of trouble, well—nice work and full marks to the squadron maintenance boys. Now to mention the crew who drove this carriage through the glorious panoramas of the South American skies. In the driving seats, the captain of the aircraft, Sqn Ldr Brian Taylor, supported by Fit Lt Robin Howden. The nose was held on the right bearing at the right time by the navigator, Fit Lt Michael Fleetwood. Master Signaller W. Lowther listened, contributed and replied to 27,000 miles of the usual earphone cacophonies. Master Engineer A. Frazer played his engineer's panel with a skill born of training and experience. AQM Sgts A. Mitchell and R. Shepherd saw to it that the VIPs liked it. Finally, the crew were complemented indeed by the feminine gender, No 216"s squadron adjutant, Fg Off Margaret Degnam, not only adequately adorned by nature but academically adorned with an MA (Edinburgh), assisted by AQM Sgt Celia Watkins in seeing to the general decorum. Comet crewing is taken seriously by 216. Little wonder that the Latin Americans tended to make a happy concentration on this enigma of RAF uniformed ladies, the squad ron adjutant being known as "Ella Senorita Teniente"—and thus the Comet crew is complete. Some practical notes on the operation as a whole might be as useful as they are interesting. Longest sector (distance) was Mexico City-Caracas, 2,520 s.m.; longest sector (time), London - Gander, 5hr 50min. Doppler was used throughout and found very accurate, considering the inherent compass error which can be alleviated by experience, to give less than 1 per cent in distance error. Doppler results were checked against NDBs as they appeared. Strongest headwinds, Gander - Nassau, 150kt on the nose at lat 40°N. This was predicted, and predicted accurately. Average flight level through out, 32,000ft; lowest flight level (cruise), 29,000ft. It is of major interest that, today, 32,000ft is found the optimum Comet operating height for all stage lengths (jet streams excluded), and is to be compared with the early jet transport days when the drivers used to stagger up to 42,000ft. The time will be remembered when the jet transport captains refused even to consider "steps" in the climb, so important was it to conserve fuel by seeking low density air—at all costs, including the biggest cost of all, that of hauling tons of fuel into the stratosphere. Technical cynics would say that they expended more fuel, hauling that fuel up to such giddy heights, in order to save it, than by using it faster (in both ways) lower down. Experience does indeed teach, and the long-distance Comet boys now say that going over 32,000ft is, on the average, a waste of time and certainly a waste of energy. Flight-planning techniques allow of course for all contingencies, and the only anxious moment of this trip was due to incorrect taxying instructions at one South American airport, when the control tower said "turn right" instead of "turn left" and the Comet found itself in a cul-de-sac. Simulated Deck-landing At Buenos Aires the main airport, Ezeiza, was not used, but instead, Aeroparque, which is more or less adjacent to the city centre. This has approaches amongst the immensities of dock structures, high-altitude cranes, store-granaries, gasometers and the like, to a simulated deck-landing on a narrow runway used by private owners and short haul feeder-lines, lt was probably a bit of history that the Comet was the first big four-engined jet airliner to land at Aeroparque—no problem. Take-off weight—131,0001b. On the Buenos Aires - Montevideo sector, fuel was carried for a Rio de Janeiro diversion—quite a diversion for a journey of min utes only, but it isn't always "weather" in South America. Fuel reserves are always interesting and the squadron's fuel reserve procedure is one born of long experience world-wide. A minimum of 13,3001b, overhead destination, is mandatory, made up as follows: half-hour holding at 1,000ft (4,8501b); approach, overshoot and landing 3,2501b (8,1001b); diversion from 1,000ft overhead, 5,2001b/min (totalling 13,3C0lb). The crew confirm that the predicted and realized sector fuel consumptions are amazingly accurate. Jet airliner operation is now a stereotyped technical achievement and in the Transport Command case is supported by an outstand ing training and checking system, probably second to none. Simu lator training is integrated with full-scale, day and night check flights with emergencies to suit. There is no doubt that this forms the basis for an unsurpassed operational background. It is not unknown for foreign airlines" training executives to visit Lyneham to see "how it is done." The Comet fits so well into the squadron's field of operations that, as is now well known, No 216 recently added five Comet C.4s (Flight International, September 20, 1962) to their original ten Comet 2s, for scheduled daily flights to the Mediterranean and bi weekly to the Orient in addition, and "to the uttermost parts of the Earth" at any time. All agree that the aeroplane's power loading (3.851b/lb) is a wonderfully satisfactory card to hold when play ing against height and high temperatures in the tropics. As time goes on this aeroplane shows sterling qualities which were not fully appreciated earlier. How otherwise could a 27,000-mile flight be such an operacion impecable ? I
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