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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1159.PDF
At Harwich, during a period of temporary unserviceability on her trip to the Thames, is seen the Denny D.2-002. Scenes such as this, with air-cushion vehicles operating alongside con ventional craft, may become commonplace in the years immediately ahead INTERNATIONAL NEWS Misapprehension ? It is remarkable and disheartening that, in an issue which records the Denny D.2's journey to London and quotes shipping authorities as stating that she has qualities which displace ment craft do not possess, we also have to record a pronouncement by the LCC General Purposes and Roads Commit tee on the provision of additional transport facilities. It is stated: "Hover craft offer high speed but their lack of manoeuvrability could affect the fre quency of services; their aggregate capacity is small; and their prime advantage, namely, the ability to pass over land as well as water, could not usefully be exploited. Hydrofoils might have a somewhat larger aggregate capacity but their ability to pass under bridges or at near high water is doubtful and the frequent presence of flotsam would be a source of danger. A new type of vessel is shortly to be introduced on the River Thames which will ride on a 'cushion of air' similar to that of the hovercraft, but will be driven by a propeller in the water. This type of vessel would not attain high speeds however, and its effect as an additional means of transport could therefore only be small." It may well be asked, in respect of the sidewall craft to which allusion is made in the last paragraph, what is meant by "high speeds." The Denny D.2 is capable of 25kt, future developments could be faster, and, as we have already mentioned, this type of craft possesses qualities lacking in conventional dis placement vessels. SR.N2 Home Again The Westland SR.N2 arrived at Southampton from Montreal on May 31, aboard the Canadian Pacific cargo liner Beaverfir. Later she was towed back to her base at Cowes, Isle of Wight. Shortly before her return the makers made this announcement:— "SR.N2 recently completed a highly successful two-week demonstration pro gramme in Montreal. Operating from the Royal St Lawrence Yacht Club at Dorval, the craft carried some 1,200 passengers and covered more than 500 miles. The guests included Federal and Provincial Government representatives, senior officers of the United States and Canadian armed Services, and top- ranking representatives of industry from North and South America, as well as from more distant countries such as Japan. A special press day opened the programme, and enthusiastic news paper, radio and television coverage resulted in both Canada and the United States. Great general public interest was also aroused in this new, revolution ary form of transportation. "Guests generally were extremely impressed with the very smooth ride 'on a cushion of air,' and by the craft's ability to operate from the confined, improvised slipway at the Royal St Lawrence Yacht Club. The rapid turn-round achieved under these con ditions was particularly noted. A number of firms showed the keenest interest in possible hovercraft operations in Canada, in both the over-water passenger ferry and 'remote area operation' fields. Air-Cushion Vehicles FLIGHT International supplement, 27 June 1963 "An event which attracted great interest, and was widely publicised, was SR.N2's trip up the Lachine Rapids at over 40kt, on its way from the Port area of Montreal to the Royal St Lawrence Yacht Club to begin its demonstration programme. Everyone was most impres sed by the ease with which the craft negotiated the rapids, which have for 300 years or more been an impassable barrier to regular shipping in that area of the St Lawrence. For SR.N2, the rapids posed no problems whatever; in fact Westland test driver Harry Phillips afterwards commented 'Rapids? We just did not know they were there.' "With SR.N2 now back in the United Kingdom, it is planned to carry out a further programme of demonstrations later this summer. This may well include scheduled passenger services. A number of possibilities are now under active discussion with operators." Bell Carabao First illustrated in our May issue, this new American ACV has been built by Bell Aerosystems Company, a division of Bell Aerospace Corp, itself a Textron company. It is designed to perform "a variety of missions in normally inaccessible areas," and to surmount obstacles up to one foot high. A "tri-cell" concept has been utilized to provide "excellent stability." There are three circular cells, equally spaced around the centre of the vehicle and fed by a single lift fan. An aft-mounted variable-pitch propeller is used for propulsion and braking. Designed and built with company funds, the new vehicle will be taken on an extensive tour of the USA to demon strate its capabilities to potential civil and military users. It will then be offered for sale in the worldwide commercial market. Tests have been under way for several weeks at the Bell Wheatfield plant and at the company's new ACV test base on Lake Erie, Buffalo. These proved the predicted performance. Water trials on Lake Erie were described as "highly successful": the Carabao "sped over the water and skimmed across ice fields in Buffalo harbour." The vehicle has a two-seat cabin, but requires only one operator. The control system is designed to permit operation "with little more training than normally required for an automobile." It is claimed to be extremely manoeuvrable and a high degree of control is provided by twin rudders in the slipstream of the propellers. This is augmented by differ ential braking of two sidewheels when the vehicle is operated over land. Side extensions fold upward and reduce width to 9.7ft, to enable the vehicle to
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