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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 0091.PDF
74 FLIGHT International, 9 January 1964 INDUSTRY International . . . Airport Building: Professional Advice On the opening page of our review of airport ground equipment (December 12) reference was made to airport building and runway construction, and to availability of con- sultant services, the Association of Consulting Engineers being mentioned. In this connection the names of two other professional associations should also be recorded: the Royal Institute of British Architects, 66 Portland Place, London Wl (Langham 5533) and the Royal Institu- tion of Chartered Surveyors, 12 Great George Street, Parliament Square, London SW1 (Whitehall 5322). These two chartered societies, the oldest and largest in the fields of architecture and surveying, both offer advice on professional services available. USA Rocketdyne AAM Contract A $3.6m contract for development of a solid- propellant rocket motor for the US Navy's AIM-54A Phoenix air-to-air missile has been awarded to Rocketdyne, a division of North American Aviation, by Hughes Aircraft Co. The Phoenix motor will utilize Flexadyne, an improved solid pro- pellant developed by Rocketdyne to provide tactical missiles with performance increases throughout a wider operating temperature- range. The new propellant is based on an advanced polybutadiene fuel-binder, and has physical properties which give it resistance to cracking or tearing at extremely low temperatures. Design, development, and static firing of the system will be done at Rocketdyne's Solid Rocket Division, Mc- Gregor, Texas. Hughes is prime systems contractor on the Phoenix for the US Bureau of Naval Weapons. The missile is being designed primarily for use with the GD/Grumman F-111B fighter aircraft ("TFX"). Sub- stantial increases in payload, range, and speed over current air-to-air missiles will be incorporated into the new weapon. UTC Rocket Propellant Development of an extremely fast burning solid propellant— capable of accelerating a rocket to more than Mach 8 in less than lsec—is disclosed by United Technology Center. The new propellant can provide "the most power in the least time and from the smallest package of any composite rocket propellant yet developed," according to Dr David Altman, vice-president of this United Aircraft Corp division. Dr Altman states the propellant shows promise for such high acceleration roles as anti-missile missile propulsion. According to Mr D. D. Ordahl, manager of UTC's propulsion research branch, the ingredients are "basically the same as those used in conventional solid propel- lants." He notes that the new propellant has a Class 2 (non-explosive) rating and is actually safer than some formulations now used in operational missiles. Order for the Hansa's Engines General Electric has been awarded a $ lm contract by Hamburger Flugzeugbau to supply CJ-610 engines, developing 2,8501b thrust, for the HFB-320 Hansa light twin-jet executive aircraft on which work now proceeds. Deliveries to Hamburger will begin in May and be spread over two years. To Brake the DC-9 The Douglas DC-9 twin jet airliner will be equipped with a Hytrol Mk 2 automatic, anti-skid braking system following the award of a $1.4m con- tract by Douglas to the Hydro-Aire Division of the Crane Corp at Burbank, Calif. The Hytrol Mk 2, in service already on the Douglas DC-8F, is claimed to be the first operational, fully modulated and auto- matic brake system in service anywhere. The system includes kinetic actuators, hy- draulic components and a solid-state electronic control centre. It is fully adap- tive to changing runway conditions and modulates brake pressure rather than turning it full on and full off. New Tactical Radar The armament control product division of Autonetics has a nine-month study contract from the US AF to investigate and recommend optimum radar parameters for a new airborne tactical radar. The new radar must provide horizontal and vertical guidance through hilly terrain, improved ground mapping and performance under a wide variety of weather conditions. Data processing must also be improved. Directing Fundamental Research Dr Howard S. Seifert, Stanford University professor and an authority on rocket propulsion, has been appointed manager of United Technology Center's Physical Sciences Laboratory at Sunnyvale, Calif. He will direct basic long-range research into the fundamentals and advanced con- cepts of the sciences related to propulsion. Dr Seifert is a former president of the American Rocket Society and was recently director of advanced planning for United Aircraft Corporation. Canada Liferaft Beacon Garrett Manufacturing Ltd of Toronto, a subsidiary of the Garrett Corp, has established production facilities for a new FAA-approved rescue beacon intended initially for use with commercial aircraft liferafts. Weighing 4|lb, the beacon is automatically thrown into the sea when the raft inflates, remains tethered to the raft and supported by a flotation bag, and trans- mits a distress signal on 121.5Mc/s for more than 42hr using the power of a water- activated battery. At jet aircraft operating altitudes, the beacon signal can be received at ranges up to 200 miles. Garrett are considering additional marine and aero- nautical applications. France Nord Open London Office Nord-Aviation, now doing considerable business in Britain with the adoption of its SS-11 teleguided air-to-ground missile for RN commando helicopters, opened a London office on January 1 under the title Nord-Aviation (Agency) Ltd, at 23 Albemarle St, London Wl. The agency is being run by Lt Cdr Frank Clark, who recently retired from the Navy after some years at the Admiralty. Lt Cdr Clark's appointment means that Mr James Hay Stevens, aviation consultant and journalist, will cease deputising for Nord- Aviation sales staff and return to his original relationship with the company—that of British adviser, with a leaning to technical matters. A "ground-proximity delivery system," enabling military transports to deliver loads without either landing or para-dropping has been developed by the All-American Engineering Co at Georgetown, Delaware, using a Steward-Davis Jet-Packet (Fairchild C.82 conversion). The sequence seen here shows extraction by a trailing bridle hook catching a ground arresting wire of a Ford 15 cwt pick-up truck, which, although it looks rather sick in the star- board springs in the right hand picture, is probably only vibrating on them. The cine film has been used by the Ford Motor Co as a television com- mercial to demonstrate the sturdiness of the truck!
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