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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1638.PDF
448 FLIGHT International, 12 September 1%$ WORLD NEWS Minister Visits Handley Page The Minister of Aviation, Mr Julian Amery, visited Handley Page Ltd last Friday, September 6, at the company's in vitation. It was the first ministerial visit to the firm for six years. Despite their refusal to be dragooned into joining either of the two big fixed-wing airframe groups—the late Sir Frederick always insisted that he would be willing to do so "at the right price"—Handley Page now appear to be in line for continued work for the British Government. In particular, they are a leader in the field of the development of laminar-flow aircraft, and Mr Amery announced during his visit that it had "definitely been decided to go ahead" with the firm's proposal to convert a Hawker Siddeley DH.125 for laminar-flow research—"but the details have still to be worked out between the two companies." Mr Amery inspected the Lancaster converted by Handley Page to carry a swept laminarized surface for research flying at Cranfield, in the course of which the boundary layer has been kept laminar back to 95 per cent chord over the middle part of the span. Another useful source of business is the manufacture of a new type of swivelling seat for the three rear crewmembers (navi gator, radar operator and air electronics officer) in all three types of V-bomber, first reported in our August 8 issue. Hand- ley Page showed the Minister three of the seats arranged to simulate a typical instal- ation (see photograph), and Mr Amery tried one for himself. An air cushion fed from a l,2001b/sq in bottle may be inflated to push the occupant clear of the seat against high g loads, and reduce the time taken to leave the aircraft by 75 per cent. This cushion has been designed by M.L. Aviation. A static line from the seat arms the baro metric parachute-release device and starts the emergency oxygen supply. The modified parachute is by Irving. On the previous day (September 5) Handley Page stated that they had "entered into an agreement with the Frazer-Walker Aircraft Corporation of New York to collaborate in, and assist with, the develop ment and construction of VTOL autogiros." The two American principals of the US firm have their offices at 10 E 52 St, New York City, and since last year have been flying a research prototype incorporating critical features peculiar to their design. They approached Handley Page with a view to accelerating the manufacture of the four- seat autogiro envisaged as the first produc tion model. Air Minister Down Under Mr Hugh Fraser, the Secretary of State for Air, announced in Perth, Western Australia, oa September 7 that he had not Safer Seats To render things more visible to a large audience, Handley Page Ltd arranged this out-in-the-open demonstration of their new V-bomber crew seats for tte Minister of Aviation during the tatter's visit to the company's factories at Cricklewooi and Radlett on September 6 (see accompanying news-item) come "to try to pressurize Australia" into buying the TSR.2 as a replacement for the Canberra. Nevertheless, the aircraft had been offered from a Government level so that it could be introduced to service with the RAF and RAAF at the same time. It was being offered "without nuclear weapons." In Melbourne on September 4 it was stated that the British aircraft was likely to be chosen because it alone met the Australian requirement for a 1,500-mile radius of action. In Canberra on September 8 "authoritative sources" said that the Australian Government would reject the TSR.2 because "it could not be delivered until 1968": these sources said that the choice of the RAAF evaluation team was the North American A-5C Vigilante. Beagle 206 Certificated It was announced last Thursday—over the RT to Flight International's Airedale as it departed from Shoreham—that the Beagle 206Y had been granted a full public transport C of A with "intercontinental" temperature capability. FAA validation is expected to follow. Tooling for production of the RAF Feminine Touch applied by WRNS aircraft mechanics to a Hiller I2E at RNAS Culdrose. The Admiralty has announced that seven more of these helicopters, which are powered by Lycoming VQ-540 engines, have been ordered to augment the present fleet of 14 aircraft is virtually complete, and the first of the two 206Z prototypes is to be rolled out in November. Main assembly centre will be Rearsby, though forward fuselages and wings are being made respectively at Shoreham and by Boulton Paul. The civil 206, a full seven-seater with exceptionaUy pleasant handling characteristics, to « described in a forthcoming "In the Air article, will sell for £35,000.
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