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Aviation History
1985
1985 - 0050.PDF
LETTERS Jetstream: a "perfect riposte" SIR—Your report of 16 new Jetstream 31s (Flight Inter national, December 8, "Jetstream 31 scores in USA") is a perfect riposte for the "leading aircraft broker [sic] Jack Cunningham" who was predicting two weeks earlier, in Flight for November 24, that "the Jetstream 31 will not penetrate the most important market, the USA". I hope you will give equal prominence to a demonstra tion that the "already dead 146-100" and "dying 146-200" are both alive and kicking. The moral is, perhaps, that secondhand salesmen might save themselves from embar rassment if they stuck to fore casting secondhand markets. SIR RAYMOND LYGO British Aerospace 100 Pall Mall London SW1Y 5HR A bright future for Blackbushe SIR—Congratulations must be due to British Car Auctions following a successful conclu sion to its lengthy efforts to acquire Blackbushe Airport. It now owns the airfield that lends itself better than any other to the exact require ments of general aviation south of London. I am heartened to learn that, apart from turning the airport into Europe's premier vehicle auction site, British Car Auctions plans to invest in a restoration programme that will result in Blackbushe once again achieving the status of a first-class airport. Reflecting on the impetus towards growing regional/ commuter air services on UK and European routes, it is clear that these services would afford their users additional benefits if arrivals and departures in the London area did not always demand an encounter with the complex es ities and congestion found at Heathrow or Gatwick. On the basis that commuter air services will continue to grow as the variety of new aircraft in this category also grows, catchment facilities freeing some of these operations from the constrictions imposed by London's two major airports would surely be of consider able advantage to passengers and operators alike. Blackbushe is unique in being located in the heart of a very considerable catchment area, the rich commercial growth area to the south west of London. Its position would multiply the convenience factor that commuter carriers offer as their major selling point. Why should these operators and their passen gers suffer the expense and inconvenience associated with an intercontinental airport when simpler, more con venient, and less expensive alternatives could be made available? Blackbushe also offers an enviable record for good weather, having served as Heathrow's prime fog diversion until 1960, when it was closed down by question able Government policy. Noise disturbance is kept to a minimum owing to the airport's surroundings of common land and Forestry Commission acreage, aided by a sparse population beneath the runway approaches and the advent of new, quieter aircraft. Essential access to the M3/M25 motorway struc ture is easily afforded, and permits rapid transit to London and quick inter- lineability with Heathrow— and Gatwick, when the M25 missing link is completed next summer. British Car Auctions has the opportunity to create an asset of countless value to general avaiation, to the general public, to the local ratepayers, and to the unemployed. I am convinced that once the modernisation programme is under way, and with an attitude of positive encouragement towards avi ation from its new manage ment, Blackbushe will soon become the general aviation Mecca that London sorely needs. PETER M. BROWN 50 Harvey Road Cove Famborough Hants GUM 9TW Containing tail-rotor control failure SIR—I read with interest the short article about the Bell 222 crash in which all five on board escaped with minor injuries, (Flight, December 8). Of course, we all realise it could have been a lot worse. This incident prompted me to write to you with reference to tail-rotor control failures on twin-engined helicopters. Being an ex-Army Lynx pilot who served during the time of the Lynx tail rotor problem, I am well aware of the fear of any malfunction of the back end. Many dis cussions took place during this time, and various ideas were put forward as the best solution if such a failure was to occur in flight. Unfor tunately, none were found that satisfied all. However, I came up with one idea that was no good for tail rotor power failures but was ideal for a control failure. This I tried out on the simulator at Middle Wallop, and I was able to prove to the satisfaction of the simulator instructor that it does work. Assume an aircraft fitted with a speed select lever or similar torque matching device that also has a small amount of adjustment on rotor speed (10 per cent). After a failure has happened the problem is to maintain heading while trying to land safely. If one engine is retarded to ground idle and the aircraft allowed to fly on the remaining engine, the speed of the engine and rotors can be controlled by the speed select lever. It is not neces sary to have to control the yaw with the lever until the speed reduces to around 70kt. There is sufficient control with the lever (on the Lynx) to control the heading and allow the aircraft to carry out a run-on landing at a speed of just above 30kt, and all the time the aircraft can be kept straight. This obviously cannot be carried out if it is a single-pilot operation, but with two crew the copilot can operate the speed select lever. I realise that this is only my idea tried out on a simulator. I would appreciate criticisms, constructive or otherwise, which might enable helicopter pilots to make this rather awkward and dangerous emergency safer to handle. J. M. MASTERS 7 Hei Lin Way Ludgershall Andover Hants SP11 9QH Turbine truths Dear Uncle Roger—In Flight for December 8, you stated "Only one aeroengine company in the world has succeeded in making a Vtol engine and an SST engine". You ought to award six old pence to the person who can in fact name that company (not Rolls-Royce). To help, here are a few more clues:- 1 Turbine engines for all UK hovercraft, large and small (Proteus and Gnome) 2 The first turbine aero engines used for industrial power generation (Proteus and Olympus) 3 The first turbine aero engines used in naval frigates and destroyers (Proteus and Olympus) 4 The first supersonic Vtol engine (BS.100). And Rolls-Royce's current chairman used to run "the company". ALEXANDER JOHNSTON British Aerospace Warton Aerodrome Preston Lancashire PR4 1AX IN BRIEF • S. E. Daniels (1 Hill Cottages, Sandy Lane, Belton, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk NR31 9LY) is gather ing material for a book on airborne lifeboats as used during and after the Second World War. He would like to contact anyone who serviced, flew with, or was saved by these boats. WHAT'S ON January 10 RAeS Aviation Medicine Group: "Life-size experiments jn Space- lab 1", by Dr A. Benson, RAF Institute of Aviation Medicine; 6 p.m.; 4 Hamilton Place, London W1; tel 01-499 3515. FLIGHT International, 5 January 1985
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