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Aviation History
1971
1971 - 0003.PDF
FLIGHT international, / junuu,f ,r, i irai F-14 A prototype lost Grumman's F-14 programme to pro vide the. United Slates Navy with a new air-superiority lighter from 1973 onwards (see pages 29-30) suffered a setback on December 30 when the prototype was lost on its second flight. The aircraft had been scheduled to continue the initial handling trials, begun on December 21, with a 50min flight, possibly including supersonic entry. At 15,000ft over the Atlantic the crew indicated that a problem had developed with the aircraft, and that they were heading back to Calverton, the Grumman flight-test airfield on Long Island. The F-14 began a long approach but pitched down out of control about a mile from the airfield to crash in a wood, 33min after take off. The crew, company chief test pilot Robert Smyth and project test pilot William Miller, used their Martin-Baker ejection seats at about 200ft and were saved. Commenting on the crash in a tele gram to Sir .fames Martin, the crew said: "Your GRU-7A scats functioned flawlessly, despatching Bill Miller ahead of the crash site and allowing Bob Smyth, with the help of a thermal lift, to land well aft of the inferno." Early reports indicate that a total hydraulic failure occurred. The dupli cated main hydraulic system drives, among other services, the flying- control system (tailplane, ailerons and rudders). While such failures are ex tremely uncommon, they do occur; the Bell Aerosystems experimental tilt- wing ducted-propeller X-22A, for Close Support This artist's impression depicts the design submitted to the US Air Force by Northrop for the AX attack, experi mental) ground-attack aeroplane. Northrop was recently selected, along with Fairchild Hiller, to proceed with prototype construction for a competitive fly-off, each firm building two aircraft. It appears that, contrary to earlier reports, pure jet propulsion is employed in both designs in preference to propeller turbines Ups and Downs Above, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat gets oirborne from Calverton on its second flight. Below, the aircraft 33min later, caught at the instant of descent into the Long Island trees. The lowest of the three black objects is the first pilot, Robert Smyth, still in his seat, while above him is the second pilot, William Miller, who has already separated from his seat example, was lost in September 1966 when excessive vibration fractured both main hydraulic, feed lines. An inquiry is under way to establish the circumstances of the accident and enable remedial action, if necessary, to be taken on the second of the 12 prototypes, which is due to fly in about three months' time. It is felt unlikely that the loss of the aircraft (described by Mr Smyth after the first flight as a "lovely plane"), will have a significant effect on the programme as a whole, despite its occurrence so early on. According to the US Navy, the aircraft had been running about 40 days ahead of schedule, met weight and performance specifications, and was within the budj. u cost. TriStar Price Rise A four per cent (£'/,50,000) increase in the original $15 million (£6.25 mil lion) basic price of tl Lockheed Tri Star was announced < \ December 29. The increased price ill be effective from February 1; 1 e recent PSA order was astutely ned from this standpoint. The price increase includes a recent rise, in the RB.211 selling price. No figures are available from Rolls-Royce, though 15 per cent price increases have been made on some other Rolls- Royce engines, but an R-R spokesman indicated that the RB.211 escalation may be less than that. A TriStar ship- set of RB.211s originally cost about £1 million. Air Holdings, with 38 of their 50 TriStars for sale outside the US un sold, will obtain the aircraft at the old contract price if, as Lockheed claims, all TriStar orders are firm, with cash down and with progress pay ments being made. The impending price increase of the TriStar could induce some of the smaller carriers, such as Court Line, I to consolidate their undoubted interest | in the aircraft. USMC Harrier Handover The first Hawker Siddeley AV-8A1 Harrier for the US Marine Corps was! to be handed over at Dunsfold yester-f day (Wednesday) by the Minister ofl Aviation Supply, Mr Frederick Cor-I field, to Maj Gen Homer S. HillJ Deputy Chief of Staff (Air), USMC. Fixed Loss for Lockheed? A recommendation that a fixed losJ of more than $200 million (about £8:| million) should be imposed on Locl< heed Aircraft Corp in respect o| losses on the C-5A and Cheyenne pre grammes has been made by the U| Deputy Secretary of Defence, Ml David Packard. This follows aJ examination he has made of the coi( poration's financial and contractus situation. His proposals have been oui
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