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Aviation History
2001
2001 - 1824.PDF
STRAIGHT A LEVEL 40YEARSAGO Extracts from Flight, 25May, 1961 ••• Jet Dragon Revealed One of the best-kept aviation secrets of recent months has been the date on which de Havilland would make available detailed information on its DH 125 executive jet, the existence of which has for many months past been known to those closely connected with the manufacturing industry or to business flying. When it came, the first official release of news was scant indeed - an after-lunch reference to die project in February by Mr H G Sturgeon, de Havilland's managing director. He said that the DH 125 was occupying the thoughts of the company's project engineers and that a Dove customer was anxious to place an order. No decision on production had then been taken, but the rumour persisted that metal had been cut and that production was soon to get under way. In April, the basis of these rumours was con firmed. An illustration was revealed showing a neat little jet of 18,0001b maximum weight, with a wing of moderate sweep and with pods enclosing two Viper 20s nestling against the fuselage just forward of a high-set tail. Accompanying the drawing was infor mation that an initial batch of 3 0 aircraft was to be laid down, that the Hawker Siddeley investment was of several million pounds, and that DH considered that the type might well remain current for 2 0 years. This week, in the fullest release of information to date, the name of the new aircraft is announced as the Jet Dragon, a deliberate association with the first twin-engine de Havilland transport, the DH 84 Dragon of 1932. In years to come the name may be abbreviated simply to Dragon, the association becoming needless once the aircraft and its capabili ties become well known. The day is passing when the executive jet is a prerequisite of the millionaire few. In the USA, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel and Italy, and now in Great Britain, is rising a generation of new business transports with operating economics realistic enough to be compared with those of other tools of industry. On the basis of aircraft miles flown, de Havilland say, Jet Dragon costs will be almost the same as those for the Dove - about 2s 5d per aircraft mile. As projected, the Jet Dragon, carries six passengers and baggage, in addition to the crew of two, over a range of about 1,500 miles. • Budgie News: "So what about the plans to develop the more advanced Block III rocket engine?" SR Booster: "They've been delayed." Budgie: "You mean..." Booster: "Yes, they've been put on the back burner." Bismark Anniversary Sunday, 2 7 May is the 60th anniversary of the sinking of the German battleship, the Bismark. To commem orate the event, Jock Moffat, the Fleet Air arm Fairey Swordfish pilot officially credited for dis abling the ship with a torpe do, will be speaking by telephone from his Scottish home to an audience at Santa Monica's Museum of Flying in California. The museum possesses a rare preserved Swordfish, complete with a slightly dented fin courtesy of the last major earthquake. The relevant excerpt from Moffat's unassuming log book is reproduced here. Others expected to take part in the event include Peter Twiss, who flew a Swordfish for the making of the film Sink The Jock Moffat's Swordfish goes to war 1W«- Mux .»i 'ftijpmiUK' fijs.. P*rx<h W--.«£-w«*>- mi UnLM.J.ftWIM otfc:..:^.^' « Signature „19Jt! . ..Aircra.'t Tjpee 1 ->>»8fl«fi. 2 3. 4 Bismark; Peter King, a telegraphist air gunner with 818 Squadron, and John Fairey, son of Sir Richard Fairey. Megaplanes reveals blended wing body concept The unexpected first glimpse of the new Megaplanes blended wing body airliner (above) has caught experts off guard. "We really expected something a bit more pointy, and sonic-like," says industry analyst Pierre Stockpusher of investment bank Smashe and Grabbe. "However, you will note that the launch customer for the advanced design is none other than Cactus Airlines and that the blended wing shape provides ample space for the on-board storage of peanuts and other bulky in-flight snack items." FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 22 - 28 May 2001
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