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Aviation History
1966
1966 - 0006.PDF
FLIGHT International, 6 January WO R L D E W 8 UK Interest in Bo31 Ends It is now highly unlikely that the study contract whereby Hawker Siddeley and Dornier were investigating the Do31 V/STOL transport programme will be renewed. The contract terminated last November. No UK military requirement for the Do31 or its immediate derivative now exists, but the Government is con- sidering the next step by which collabor- ation to build a V/STOL tactical trans- port (such as an Andover replacement) may be obtained. Interest is expected to centre on the Do-HSl and Do-HS2 pro- jects, which will use Rolls-Royce Spey and Rolls-Royce RB.162 and RB.189 engines. The project has so far been marked by very close co-operation between HSA and Dornier project engineers; and a description of the Do31 programme by Mr D. G. Brown, Hatfkld's chief project engineer, appeared in Flight for Novem- ber 11, 1965. It is not expected that the new plans will have any immediate effect on the two flying and one test air- frames which have been built by Dor- nier and financed by the German Government; but the British Govern- ment's apathy towards the follow-on aircraft will be almost as much a dis- appointment in Dornier as it is at Hat- field. The Germans will now almost certainly consider American offers of collaboration, which they have thus far declined. The New Minister The appointment of Mr Frederick Mulley MP as Minister of Aviation in succession to Mr Roy Jenkins, promoted Mr Mulley to Home Secretary, was one of a number of ministerial changes announced by the Prime Minister on December 22. Mr Mulley was previously Deputy Secretary BOEING 747 REVEALED (Air Transport, page 8) TWO UK RIVALS FOR BE A (Air Transport, page 5) THE ZAMBIA OIL LIFT (Defence, page 41) ELDO BUDGET APPROVED(Spaceflight, page 37 of State for Defence and Minister of Defence for the Army. Born in July 1918, Mr Mulley was educated at Warwick School; Christ Church, Oxford; and St Catherine's College, Cambridge. At Oxford he graduated with first-class honours in philosophy, politics and economics; at Cambridge he held a fellowship in economics. He is the son of a general labourer, and obtained his BSc (Econ) degree and became a chartered secretary while a prisoner of war during 1940-45. He is a barrister, called to the Bar by the Inner Temple in 1954, and an economist. Since 1950 he has been Member of Parliament for the Park Division of Sheffield. (See also Parliament column, page 4) In the New Year Honours Mr D. T. Jack, chairman of the Air Transport Licensing Board, who receives a knighthood, is among those named in the New Year Honours announced last Saturday. Mr W. Tye, the ARB's chief technical officer, is appointed CBE, and among those made OBE are Mr J. W. Allam, recently appointed Handley Page's chief test pilot, and Mr A. E. Bristow of Bristow helicopters. For many years secretary of the Aerodrome Owners' Association, Sqn Ldr A. W. Day is appointed MBE. Among mem- bers of the industry named in the list are Mr R. F. Brown of Racal Electronics (OBE), Mr C. W. Earp of Standard Telephones (OBE) and Mr F. H. Thomas of Flight Refuelling (MBE). We intend to give a detailed list next week. FB-111 as B-52 Replacement First details released of the SAC ver- sion of the GD F-lll swing-wing strike aircraft, the FB-111, show it to be a relatively small-budget development of the F-lll A. The fuselage structure re- mains unchanged but is mated with the extended-span wings (3ft 6in more on each tip) of the F-111B naval version. Thus the FB-111 has a close predecessor in the F-111A prototype fitted with F-111B wings and already flying at Edwards AFB on development of high- lift devices. A strengthened undercar- riage for greater gross weights is also involved. It is understood that the underwing load-attachment points remain the same as those in the F-lll A. In the "conven- tional bomb" configuration illustrated opposite the FB-111 would be a sub- sonic aircraft until bomb release, for use of the fixed outboard attachment points would make it impossible to sweep the wings beyond 26°. For the strategic role, however, the FB-111 could carry two nuclear short-range attack missiles (SRAM) on the swivel- ling inboard pylons, with a third in the bomb bay, and extra fuel on further swivelling and fixed pylons outboard. Choice of the low-cost FB-111 for SAC, rather than a stretched, pure "B" 111 with a much modified fuselage, is taken to indicate that the USAF is still pressing hard for a totally new AMSA (advanced manned strategic aircraft) programme and does not intend risking the diversion of funds by asking for the B-lll. The FB-111 is thus seen as purely an interim SAC aircraft, replacing B-52C, D, E and F models as they are retired in the late sixties. Dr Lachmann Retires Dr G. V. Lachmann, FRAes, retired as director of research at Handley Page on December 31. Dr Lachmann became associated with aviation during the 1914-18 war, when he joined the German Air Force as a pilot. He fought and was injured both in an aircraft crash and subsequently in combat. After the war he studied mechanical engineering and aeronautics at Darm- stadt Technical University, where he gained his Diplom-Ingenieur in 1921. He studied aerodynamics at Gdttingen University, and carried out research work at the Aeronautical Research Insti- tute there. A thesis which he wrote on the slotted wing gained him the degree of Doctor of Engineering from Aachen Technical University in 1923. Dr Lachmann He became chief designer at the Albatros Aircraft Works in 1925 and a year later was technical adviser for design at a Japanese aircraft factory. In 1929 he began his 36-year association with Handley Page Ltd. His researches into the slotted wing attracted the attention of the late Sir Frederick Handley Page—who was also keenly interested in the subject—and in 1921 they agreed to co-operate on slotted-wing development. As chief
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