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Aviation History
1967
1967 - 1336.PDF
PLIGHT International, 21 December 1967 1019 Injurious Injun Lockheed's AH-56A Cheyenne attack helicopter has been designed to pack a bigger punch than any rotary-wing aircraft so far. Seen on its first public demonstration at Van Nuys, Calif, where it is developed, the Cheyenne is the outcome of the US Army's "advanced aerial fire-suppression system" com- petition. Its future is clouded, however, by a tussle over role responsibility between the US Army and the USAF, and the Army's present option to order further progress is not being exercised operation and Whirlwind personnel are carried aboard the Wessex to assist with rescue operations in unfamiliar circum- stances. The Wessex is equipped with a winch hoist, so no improvisation is necessary. New Shorts' Director Mr J. S. Mallabar, chairman of Harland and Wolff, has been nominated by that company as one of their repre- sentatives on the board of Short Brothers and Harland. Concrete Fact Irving Air Chute of Letchworth asked us to point out, with reference to our article on the Israeli concrete dibber bomb in last week's issue, page 1013, that they have not copied the Aerazur cruciform drogue. Sir George's Honour One of the photographs of recipients of Royal Aeronautical Society honorary fellowships in Flight for December 14 (page 978) was captioned as that of Sir George Dowty but was in fact of Air Chief Marshal the Hon Sir Ralph Cochrane, who was near him in the audience at the Wright Memorial Lecture. I We regret this confusion, and hope that Sir George, at least, will find some consolation in the portraits of him reproduced by Roger Bacon on pages 'W9 and 1050 of this issue. Westland Board Changes Major board changes, to take effect February 8 next year, have been Mnounced by Westland Aircraft. Mr • C. Wheeldon, chief executive and deputy chairman, is to become chairman succession to Sir Eric Mensforth, who l be vice-chairman. Mr D. C. CollinsB to become chief executive of the group "id chairman of Westland Helicopters, British Hovercraft Corporation and Normalair-Garrett. Sir Reginald Verdon- ith has decided to retire from the ward in view of his other commitments. Changes in the boards of Westland's operating companies have also been announced. Dr G. S. Hislop, deputy managing director of Westland Heli- copters, is to be managing director; Mr R. Stanton Jones, deputy managing director of BHC, becomes managing director; and Mr W. T. C. Miller, deputy managing direotor of Normalair-Garrett, becomes managing director. The McKenna Dinner The last two courses at the Empire Test Pilots' School to carry out their year's training at Farnborough were dined-out at the McKenna Dinner on December 12. The ETPS will move in January to Boscombe Down, completing a cycle, for it was there that the school was first formed during the war. The two courses were No 26 fixed- wing and No 5 rotary wing. Winner of the McKenna Trophy, awarded to the top student of the fixed-wing course, was Lt Cdr V. W. Klein, USN, a former Grumman Tracker pilot who took a jet conversion course only months before he joined ETPS. The runner-up, who was awarded the Patuxent Shield, was Sqn Ldr Brian Graf, RAAF. Winner of the Westland Trophy, the top rotary wing student, was Fit Lt Leo Galvin, RCAF. Guest of honour at the dinner was Marshal of the RAF Sir Dermot Boyle, vice-chairman of BAC, whose first-class after-dinner speech, liberally sprinkled with good humour, stressed the inter- national aspect of the ETPS. He re- called that over 700 test pilots from 18 different countries had been trained there. Some 35 per cent of all the students had been from abroad. "The accountants," said Sir Dermot, "must not be led astray by cost-effec- tiveness nonsense which does not really consider effectiveness." He wondered how many "financiers" had considered the enormous value of having overseas participation in ETPS courses. "Finan- cial examinations," he said, "are an essential preliminary, but are not the final answer." The value of well trained test pilots to industry was enormous, Sir Dermot SENSOR By the time this issue appears it is likely that Rolls-Royce will have announced that its Bristol Siddeley subsidiary is to be known as the Bristol Engines division of Rolls-Royce. The name Siddeley is to be dropped altogether. There will now be three Rolls-Royce divisions concerned with aircraft engines: Aero Engines at Derby; Bristol Engines at Bristol; and Small Engines at Leavesden. RB.2I3 is the designation of a new "super Spey" being developed by Rolls-Royce primarily for development of the BAC One-Eleven 500. The engine is based on the Trent and the RB.I93, and would make possible 1971-72 deliveries of a 130-seat One- Eleven 600 or a One-Eleven 500 with improved field performance. Transglobe will withdraw their appli- cations for new North Atlantic route licences, following the Government directives to the ATLB. Public hearings, postponed a week, will start on January 16 and will last at least three weeks. BEA's attitude towards the Airbus will be less co-operative as a result of the Government's decision to veto the airline's choice of the Two-Eleven. Lufthansa expect delivery of their first Boeing 737 this week. At least the first four aircraft are on schedule, and the airline plans to inaugurate scheduled services in March. The airline will probably put the 737 on to the London service in April or May. Boeing are making good progress recovering the 747's overweight prob- lem. At one time basic weight was 14,0001b above original estimates. BAC (Preston) is discreetly offering its first hovercraft project, BAC.I, among potential commercial operators this month. Conceived under a Min- tech contract for the MoD and still classified, the BAC. I is a radical departure from current ACV practice. More in next week's Air-Cushion Vehicles supplement. Handiey Page also are making good progress in restoring an overweight problem on the Jetstream. Basic weight of the prototype aircraft is about 4001b above estimates. Half of this has already been recovered and all production aircraft will be to the improved-weight standard. Certifi- cation will be at 12,5001b with up to 14,0001b as an option. At one stage it was planned that the first pro- duction deliveries would be at the higher weight, but this policy has been changed at the expense of slightly later deliveries. The original certifica- tion date of June 1968 is still within reach. The third Jetstream will join the other two at Pau in the South of France in the middle of January. Although there is considerable activity on the "UKVG" at industrial and Mintech official levels, a decision on the project is not regarded by the Government as being urgent.
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