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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 2056.PDF
FLIGHT International, 9 July 1964 77 INDUSTRY International Products Company News Great Britain Turbine-powered Fire Fighting The DSIR's Fire Research Station demonstrated a revo- lutionary gas turbine-powered foam genera- tor at Stansted Airport, Essex, last week, which has been developed specifically for fighting aircraft crash fires. While research continues on various combinations of foam properties, being proved against a "stan- dard test fire" representing an airliner fuse- lage surrounded by a considerable area of fuel spillage, the experimental foam genera- tor is designed to permit the foam proper- ties to be varied independently. Premixed in a 650gal tank, the foam solution of a protein foaming agent in water is discharged through monitors by compressed air from a turbo-compressor. The foam is aerated by the same source and by adjusting the air and liquid flow rates through valves its expansion—the volume of aerated foam per volume of liquid used —can be controlled. Its fluid qualities— the foam's ability to flow and cover the fire —can be varied by an arrangement of gauze screens and orifice plates in an im- prover through which the foam passes prior to discharge. The rate of application of foaming solution is variable over the range 50 to 250gal/min and the concentra- tion of foaming liquid is from 3-10 per cent of the volume of water. A gas-turbine air producer is not only convenient experimentally; its use is en- visaged for future crash tenders due to its high power:weight and power:volume ratios. It could thus be used in an airborne crash tender and the principle could be applied in an aircraft-crash helicopter, the main power unit of which could provide the air supply necessary to aerate the foam solution after arrival of the helicopter at the crash scene. GEC's Airfield Lighting Contracts The Aviation Division of GEC Overseas Ser- vices Ltd won airfield contracts, to the value of £77,000, last month for airfields on the islands of Mauritius and Zanzibar. The first airfield is being developed for big jet aircraft and the existing GEC lighting installation will be extended to include additional runway and approach lights and VASIs. Zanzibar will receive additional runway lighting, taxiway lights and VASIs and is one of EAA's six inter- territorial airports, all of which have GEC lighting. "Instant Pictures" for Sales Presentation Ten-second-developing Polaroid Land transparencies came to the aid of Hawker Siddeley's de Havilland division recently when line drawings required for screening to a group of visiting airline executives did not leave the draughtsman's desk until 15min before the visitors' arrival. The airline men visited Hatfield to discuss the merits of present and projected Tridents over their own routes. DH have built up a file of 35mm transparency slides for present- ing data to visitors, but frequently extra slides, tailored to the specific requirements of the visiting group, are also prepared. With only 24 hours' notice of the im- pending visit, DH sales staff found that a high-priority photographic programme was fully occupying the company photo- graphers. It seemed as though special slides would not be forthcoming—until a designer thought of Polaroid Land "instant pictures." A quick check with Polaroid (UK) Ltd assured him that with a Model 120 Land Camera loaded with Type 146-L Polaline film DH would get their transparencies in time. The Polaroid Type 146-L Land Picture Roll is an eight-exposure high contrast 120 ASA film which produces an acetate-based monochrome transparency developed inside the camera in only ten seconds. It requires only a quick dip in chemical hardener before mounting and screening. As drawings for the special slides were approved they were mounted on the art stand of the huge Littlejohn camera which is usually used for this kind of work. Diminutive on its tripod, when set between the 30ft bed rails of the Littlejohn, was the Polaroid Model 120 Land Camera. As the film frame size was 3Jin x 4iin, the camera focus and position were set to record four drawings simultaneously, each frame thus producing four 35mm slides at once, a considerable economy in time and film. The film tab projecting from the camera was pulled to start the lOsec development process, after which the camera back was opened and the transparency peeled away. After air-drying by waving it vigorously for a few seconds, the transparency was put into the Polaroid "Dippit," the chemical hardener tank, for another few seconds. It emerged almost dry from the tank, through An old Meteor night fighter met a shrouded end at Stansted last week when it was fired and then blanketed with foam from DSIR's new turbine-powered foam generator, the subject of an item on this page ,
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