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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1844.PDF
FLIGHT International, 17 October 1963 651 British Eiectronics for Civil Aviation THE RAE, RRE, EEA SYMPOSIUM AT FARNBOROUGH AND MALVERN LAST month the Ministry of Aviation and the Electronic Engineering Association combined to stage a symposium lasting several days both at the Royal Radar Establishment at Malvern and at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough to show to invited representatives of foreign governments and administrations current British civil aviation electronics develop ments of international significance. Both the Establishments and the electronics industry arranged displays and demonstrations, the symposium taking the form of practical review and discussion, rather than of a series of formal papers. These formed the subject, some 60 altogether, in a conference held after the symposium at the Institution of Electrical Engineers headquarters in London. Introducing the symposium, Mr J. H. Briggs, Director of Elec tronics Research and Development (Civil Aviation), MoA, noted that the Ministry controlled probably the largest research and devel opment organization in the country. It financed directly or indirectly approximately 90 per cent of the research and development in the British aircraft industry and more than half of that in the British electronics industry. Both RRE and RAE devoted a large propor tion of their effort to basic and applied research and therefore relied heavily upon industry to develop individual components and systems. Some of the work was applied to satisfying specific inter national or national requirements, but much of it was also intended to provide basic information and experience for policy makers and representatives at international meetings. Contracts for complete design and installations were occasion ally placed in industry following competitive tender, but civil development was increasingly being undertaken on a joint basis by Radar receiver developments over the years have led to the improvement in definition illustrated by these four sample traces industry and Ministry together—a system previously more common in military projects—providing a firm basis for technical and finan cial control required for government-sponsored ventures into the relatively unknown. Nevertheless, a very substantial amount of private-venture development was undertaken, and financed, in industry, which in no way duplicated government projects. This has been Farnborough display season, when we are accus tomed to comprehensive, perhaps overwhelming exhibitions of equipment. The RAE/EEA Symposium was evidently considered ilv the manufacturers as a suitable replacement for this year's hissing SBAC show, and one in which they could gain a good deal by having a more closely selected audience in less distracting sur roundings. They cannot have been disappointed, and one can only hope that similar specialized symposiums are arranged at regular intervals in future. Even though the members of the electronics -ommunity are even more closely acquainted than those in aircraft iesign and operation, the "live" demonstration of new electronic equipment must be as additionally stimulating and informative as hat of aircraft. Its effectiveness in stimulating potential sales can oe no less great. The Ministry of Aviation and the manufacturers, partly by virtue of innate British modesty, and partly because there has always been a tradition of reticence in military electronics research—where most important innovations begin—have tended to publicize British developments too little. To open the gates of the two main British research "sancta" is therefore the more welcome because, in electronics as in other fields, the customer will look for the equip ment he wants in those places where he knows the development work is in progress—where he can see the properly co-ordinated practical work and appreciate its motives. Visible government support lends honesty and credibility to a sales approach more effectively than any amount of company literature. This, the elec tronics symposium was able to do very effectively. It was not the first British effort of its kind—a similar symposium was held last year—but it cannot fail to establish a new trend and one which will do more than anything to establish the British electronics industry as an international force. The demonstrations at Malvern and Farnborough showed that, in several fields, British electronics equipment and research is second to none, one important instance being micro-electronics. Unfortunately the EEA lecture session in London occurred too late to receive detailed coverage in this issue, but the succeeding pages give a summary of the important new developments shown at Malvern and Farnborough. Radar and Air Traffic Control Now that the principle of joint control of civil and military traffic has been accepted and a national ATC authority formed, the question of the development of equipment suitable for this complex task has taken on a more urgent importance. Ferranti, with their Apollo computer at the Prestwick centre, have already begun to obtain practical information on semi-automatic control over the Atlantic: Elliott Brothers (London) are well into the development of their Euclid system to provide a similar experimental environ ment for the UK airways system. As more and more co-ordinated radar coverage and ad hoc control cf traffic becomes operationally available, the emphasis is shifting increasingly towards preponder ant use of radar in the overall system. So much so, that it is expected that by 1968 something like a fully flexible system, not necessarily based on fixed airways routes, is to come into force. Several companies in Britain—Marconi, Decca Radar and The A.E.I. type 4502 stacked-beam surveillance radar proposed for air traffic control and shown at RRE Malvern. The secondary radar aerial is below the main feed-horn assembly
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