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Aviation History
1974
1974 - 0012.PDF
12 Letters FLIGHT International, 3 January 1974 performance. When the engine fails on the take-off climb there is in effect a double loss of performance. The magni tude of the wind gradient effect may be old hat to albatrosses, but it is not generally appreciated by powered pilots. 33 Clifton Place, JACK KARRAN London W2 2SW Concorde Noise SIR,—According to Biblical sources, it used to be difficult to make bricks without straw. Flight, as befits its place in modern times, far surpasses such a feat: when it comes to making straws, for clutching at, and when it comes to Concorde, Flight can make them out of anti-matter. On November 15 you claimed (World News) that a state ment on some noise readings of Concorde 02, taken by the US Environmental Protection Agency at Washington, "tends to offset an internal memo resulting from the August 30 monthly meeting held at BAC and extracted in The Observer for November 11. This records statements such as. 'very disappointing' in relation to noise reduction work with the 'buckets and spades' silencers. The [BAC] report says that the production aircraft would be 2dB over the flyover target of H4EPNdB and l-5dB over the UlEPNdB sideline target. . . . The fact that the attenuators are still being tuned is apparent from 02's take-off over flying noise recorded at Dulles." Perhaps you can explain, please: Why you suggest that the EPA's reading for flyover noise of 125EPNdB—lldB above the target—"tends to offset" the admission on August 30 that the flyover noise would be 2dB above the target. Why you suggest that the series of noise measurements of Concorde 02 made by the French (and reported to the BAC committee on August 30) is superseded by "spot" measurements made by the EPA during one landing and one take-off. (Are the French so incompetent at measuring the noise of their own aircraft?) Why you repeat yet again the story that "the attenuators are still being tuned," six weeks after the disclosure of another BAC secret report, "Acoustics Memo 121" ("extracted" in Le Canard Enchaine for October 3 and quoted in British newspapers the following day), which concluded that "the spade silencers do not have any useful potential for in-flight silencing, and that they should there fore be dispensed with". Presumably you know that the spades were the most important part of the attenuators. At a presentation at the National Gas Turbine Establish ment on August 31, 1972, which I attended, it was stated that the spades were expected to produce 6dB reduction, and the buckets ldB. 70 Lytton Avenue, RICHARD WIGGS, Letchworth, Herts Anti-Concorde Project Light Aviation: Government Policy . . . SIR,—First, thanking Lord Boyd-Carpenter for his timely QDM, his excellent statement has established exactly what I set out to find, the policies of the CAA and the BAA and the fact that they differ. We now have two Government departments with opposing policies, which leads inevitably to the question: what is the overall Government policy on light aviation using UK airports? Minister Mr Michael Heseltine, your turn next. . . . Stapleford Aerodrome, M. J. STAPP, Romford, Essex . . . and Better Aerodynamics SIR,—'From the encircling gloom of the fuel crisis, one chink of light is the resultant spur to produce aero- dynamically more efficient light aircraft. The gliding world has shown what can be done. The aerodynamic state of the art of light powered aircraft has been practically static for far too long. A final postcript on the "impossible turn": wind gradient boosts climb and reduces the (into-wind) glide El Al at War SIR,—'Reference is made to the article "El Al at war" published in your issue of November 15. There are some errors of a minor nature which bear amendments: El Al has only 4,600 employees, it has three Boeing 747Bs and its fleet of Boeing 707s of all models totals ten, not twelve. However, a most serious mis-statement has been made in paragraph five. At no time did any EI Al flight carry munitions or arms, as stated in the article. Furthermore, while not actually quoting the undersigned, the impression is given that I actually made this statement, which of course is not the case. I would ask you, please, to make the necessary correction statement. PO Box 41, Lod Airport, M. EILAT, Israel Acting Company Spokesman, ElAl Fuel Savings SIR,—'It is very disappointing to have a 50 per cent fuel cut imposed on light aviation largely by a voluntary ban on Sunday flying. This is unfair to many holders of PPLs as it is often the only day of the week that they can fly. This is dangerous because of the incentive it gives to flying in marginal weather on Saturdays. This is a severe blow to clubs and groups as it cuts their utilisation in some cases by a great deal more than 50 per cent. If 50 per cent is the size of the cut that it is necessary to impose on sport and recreational flying surely the answer is to cut flying hours for these purposes by half and to keep a check on individuals by their logbooks and flying club records, or alternatively ration flying hours to say 4hr per month and leave the option open to pilots to save hours in some months to be used for trips, displays or competitions at a later date. The 4hr ration would mean that training could still continue although on a lower key than before. So far as gliders are concerned, perhaps the ration could take the form of so many launches per month rather than the present ban on Sunday aero-towing. Gliding is a very heavily hit sport, perhaps the worst hit, and some relief would be very welcome. Benington Lordship, c. H. A. BOTT, Stevenage, Herts Chairman, Hertfordshire Flying Association DIARY Jan 22 RAeS: half-day symposium; 2.15 p.m., followed by AGM at 6 p.m.; "It's our Industry: Don't leave its Future to Others. How can we Make it More Competitive?"; Lecture Theatre, 4 Hamilton Place, London W1. Jan 23 RAeS Southampton Branch: "Why Should we Put up with Aircraft Noise?", by Dr P. J. Dickinson; 8 p.m., Southampton University, Engineering Theatre A. Jan 30 RAeS Boscombe Down Branch: "The Evolution of Army Aviation", by Maj Gen T. A. Richardson; A&.AEE Boscombe Down, Wilts. Jan 30 RAeS Rotorcraft Section: symposium, "The Use of Heli copters in the Field of Public Service"; 2.15 p.m., further details from Secretary of the section. (Preceded by AGM at 12 noon.) Feb 13 Joint RAeS/Slaet symposium, "Training Engineers for Operational Safety"; 2.15 p.m., further details from Secretary of the Society. Feb 20 RAeS: "Technical and Operational Aspects of Concorde", by R. Chevalier; 7 p.m., College of Air Training, Hamble. Feb 20-21 Joint RAeS/IEE symposium: "The Application of Electrical Control to Aircraft Propulsion Systems"; further details from the Secretary of the Society.
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