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Aviation History
1979
1979 - 0070.PDF
68 FLIGHT International, 13 January 1979 UFO sightings: how pilots can help TELEVISION film recorded aboard an aircraft flying south of Welling ton, New Zealand, shows what are claimed to be unidentified flying objects (UFOs). Taken at night on December 30, the film reveals a roughly circular object with dark and light patches. The occupants of the Argosy, including the captain, claim to have seen several similar objects. Unidentified blips observed on air traffic control radars in Wellington appear to corroborate the sighting. Earlier in December television pic tures recorded in Palermo, Sicily, showed a bright white object in the sky. In spite of these UFO sightings and the many hundreds that are reported each year, there is still no real proof Histoire de l'Aeronauttque Francaise: 1940-1960 by . Jacques Noetinger (Editions France-Empire, 68 Rue J-J Rousseau, 75001 Paris. Fr220. This is probably the best book yet about the French aircraft industry. It is certainly the best chronicle of the epic period during which France re built her aerospace industry from wartime servitude to produce some of the world's best fighters, helicopters, missiles, space rockets, light aircraft, light turbines, business jets and big airliners. It is a remarkable story, and Noe tinger tells it through the remarkable people responsible. The index alone is a comprehensive Who's Who of the French pilots and engineers who have demonstrated France at her best. An aviation writer and communica tor since demobilisation from the Free French Air Force in 1945, Noe tinger has been French aviation's Boswell. He has painstakingly kept the most detailed card-reference, and his book—written in French—is basi cally a chronology of France's avia tion milestones, with photographs of the people and machines and eye witness accounts. The tragedies and accidents are all recorded, and obituary-crosses against nearly 100 names in the index ("mort en service aerien") measures the price paid for progress. It is fascinating to follow the genealogy of the products that were to become best-sellers. Within little more than seven years of France's first jet flight (SO-6000 with a Jumo engine) we see the daring little Ger- fault 1 (January 1954) flown by a pilot called Turcat. The delta wing is recognisable on today's Mirage. Dassault's first Mirage (twin-Viper) was flown by Roland Glavany at Melun Villaroche on June 25, 1955; it was followed within 18 months by the first of 1,400 Atar-powered Mirages. One forgets that the Mirage, for all that extra-terrestrial life is involved. Of those reports investigated in the past, well over 90 per cent have been explained in a rational way. Many normal events in the sky can appear strange if not understood. These in clude: aircraft landing lights; meteors (small chunks of rock which burn up in the atmosphere, commonly called shooting stars); weather balloons; satellites or rockets re-entering the atmosphere; the planet Venus, which appears like a bright star; and natural phenomena like the Aurora Borealis (Northern Lights) or ball lightning. There has also been speculation that the UFOs could be man-made plasmas of military origin. The Soviet Union and the USA are known to be carrying out research into high- Marcel Dassault's brilliance, was not always the leading lady. She had to compete with the SE Trident II (two Vipers and an SEPR rocket) as well as with those two Atar-ramjet rivals, the Leduc 022 (going back to 1940) and Nord Griffon II (Turcat again). The latter were great technical coups, but the French did not mistake advanced technology for serviceability and marketability. The year 1955 saw the debut of France's first jet airliner, Georges Hereil and Pierre Satre's SE Cara- velle. It flew on May 27, and there in white overalls is flight-test engineer Roger Beteille, who was to become technical director of the only Euro pean outfit seriously to challenge the big Boeings (Airbus having had the good sense to choose a British wing!). We see, too, how the only European company to challenge Sikorsky, Bell and Hughes civil helicopters got going with its Alouette I in 1951 and the Alouette II of 1955, which was a vintage year—Mirage, Caravelle, Alouette. The Alouette II was the first with a French light turbine—an Artouste by Szydlowski, whose com pany Turbomeca would henceforth never look back. There are stories never before told. When building the de Havilland Vam pire under licence (as the Mistrale) SE decided to fit it with a Rolls-Royce Nene instead of a D.H. Goblin. This was eventually done without the elephant-ear intakes which previous experience suggested were needed by the Nene's double-sided impeller. Because of serious problems, test pilot Jacques Lecarme wanted his old friend John Derry to fly it. "A British test pilot? Out of the question," said the civil servants. But within a few days Derry was flying the Mistrale. Also new are some of the last words spoken by Dassault pilot Con- stantin Rozanoff just before his fatal Mystere IVB crash—thought to have energy lasers and particle beams, which would have to be tested in the atmosphere. Scientists would like to see more comprehensive investigation of UFOs at the time of reported sightings. Ideally, specially equipped aircraft containing instrumentation to investi gate the whole electromagnetic spec trum would be used. However, such an exercise would be expensive and UFO sightings are usually random in nature. One way in which the pilot who observes an apparent UFO can help is by noting any disturbances to in struments. Radio and navigational aids would probably be affected and there might be a difference between gyro and magnetic compasses. been caused by electric-trim failure —while demonstrating to British defence visitors including Duncan Sandys on April 3, 1954. Discussing demonstration plans with Marcel Dasr sault he had said: "It is a great game to show the British what we can do." Despite that tragedy the game has been played by the French to the full. Since it is in French, sales of Noetinger's book in English-speaking countries will inevitably be difficult. As it is, it will be indispensable to libraries, collectors and specialists, but the question for the publisher is whether the expense of an English edition will be economic. A cheaply printed translation without pictures would widen the market. J.M.R. Japan wants Chinooks JAPAN looks set to buy up to 40 Boeing Vertol CH-47 Chinook medium- lift helicopters. The Ground Self- Defence Force has selected the Chinook to replace the Kawasaki KV-107-II twin-rotor helicopters operated by the 1st Helicopter Group. The decision has still to be approved by the government. The JGSDF would like the first two aircraft for operational tests by 1983. If approved, the Chinooks would be delivered at a rate of four to six units annually from 1985. • The fuel systems of all Japanese F-4EJs are being inspected following the loss of two aircraft. On November 17 an F-4EJ crashed on a gunnery range in Hokkaido Island. The student ejected safely but the instructor was killed. On December 7 the rear fuse lage of a Phantom caught fire at high altitude. Both pilots ejected safely and the aircraft fell into the sea 90 miles north-east of Tokyo. How the French aviation phoenix rose again
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