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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1786.PDF
FLIGHTInternational, 10 October 1963 595 months ago. The company chief test pilot Mr Denis Tayler converted Dick Green on to the aircraft several weeks ago, and the 31-vear-old ex-ETPS, ex-RAE pilot had flown the SC.l on numerous occasions. As we go to press no official explanation of what happened has been offered, but it is significant that the machine came to rest upside-down with its cockpit, tail and port wing-tip crushed, yet with all three units of the landing gear undamaged. The first SC.l remains at RAE Bedford, where for the past 21 months it has been engaged in a programme to determine desirable VTOL stability and control characteristics. Pilatus Porter Progress A new company, Air Porter Ltd of 2 Basil Street, London SW3, has been formed to undertake world-wide distribution of the Pilatus Porter. The distributorship is exclusive in the UK, but will not concern itself primarily with territories where Pilatus agents already exist. A piston- engined Porter demonstrator is already based at Denham and Air Porter are offering to show it at any designated map reference "so long as the local farmer approves." Oversize wheels and ski gear are being obtained in preparation for winter conditions. Price of a piston-engined Porter, complete less radio, is about £15,000, plus 8| per cent EFTA import duty. The Porter has done extremely well dur ing recent exhaustive competitive evalua tion by the US Army, which was looking for a fixed-wing aircraft to take over some ' the missions at present carried out by more expensive helicopters. The Turbo- Porter has consequently *been given a special operating category, midway between existing STOL types and the helicopter; and discussions are under way for licence production of 4,000 machines now re- Wired during the coming five years. An American turboprop will probably have to •* fitted to satisfy normal US policies. Following Italian Army evaluation, the Cantieri Aeronavali of Venice have signed a Production licence agreement with a view to both military and civil sales. Pilatus are in Process of obtaining clearance for an increase i" Payload from the present 1,5701b to 'bout a short ton. Some 45 Porters have so far been sold from Switzerland to oper ators all over the world, including some in ™aska, and a small batch to the Swiss Federal armed forces. Sales director of Air Porter, is E. A. Ted" Tennant, formerly chief test pilot of Folland Aircraft. airey 1962-63 Activities Most of the aviation activities of the . *irey Co Ltd are now carried out overseas, md re fsrence is made to them in the recent «nua! report by the chairman, Mr G. C. J Arcy Biss. Of Fairey SA (Belgium) he *W that the company has been under very **vy pressure but has put up a splendid Romance; in the F-104G programme, avenes are now at peak and will continue J?r another year, while Breguet Atlantic TOIuction has started. The Fairey Aviation ™ °f Canada Ltd had obtained its fair ; of work, despite Canada's political ^onomic difficulties. Fairey Air Compieting the Order for six from the Brazilian Air Force, this Hawker Siddeley 748 Series 2 left Woodford on September 28, in the hands of a Brazilian crew, on the first stage of its 8,000-mile delivery flight Surveys Ltd have had a difficult year, largely due to a fall-off in flying contracts, princip ally in Central Africa. Of Fairey Australasia Pty Ltd, Mr Biss says that through political decisions affecting the type of aircraft to be used by the RAN, the operation at Bankstown has had to be run down. The company's plant at Salisbury has operated profitably. Gallantry at St Mary's Two men who released a pilot trapped in a burning aircraft have been awarded the BEM, it is announced in the London Gazette. They are Paul Bernard Daly, section leader, MoA Fire Service, and Charles Henry Trezise, a BEA aircraft loader. When the aircraft, a Rapide of May flower Air Services, crashed on take-off from St Mary's, Scilly Isles, the seven passengers extricated themselves; but the pilot, Sqn Ldr K. P. H. Cleife, was still trapped in his seat. His clothing was alight and though he was conscious he was suffering with the pain of his injuries and burns. Despite the intense heat and with no assistance of any sort, Mr Trezise courageously attempted to free Sqn Ldr Cleife, but was driven back by the flames. The aerodrome fire service under the leadership of Section Leader Daly arrived and Mr Daly, covered by a foam jet held by Mr Trezise, fought his way to the pilot. He managed to cut the harness and attempted to drag him clear, only to find that the spade-grip control wheel had sheared and was embedded in the pilot's leg. He was joined by Mr Trezise and together they cut through the control column with a hacksaw and carried the pilot to safety. Seageep is the new name of the Piasecki VTOL ducted-fan research machine now concerted for water operation with rubber pontoons. It is powered by a 42S s.h.p. Turbomeca Artouste II
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