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Aviation History
2001
2001 - 3714.PDF
Straight & Level roger.bacon@flightinternational.com Rocket Scientists Dick Rutan, the test pilot made famous by his epic 1986 around the world flight in Voyager is flight testing in Mojave, California, a heavily modified version of the Long EZ, another of his brother Burt's designs. Remarkably, the EZ-Rocket (as it is called) is powered by two liquid-fuelled rockets and is a testbed for a possi ble low-cost space launcher. Despite the sophisticated-looking rocketry strapped to the aft end, the cockpit looks childishly uncluttered. Budgie News: So how are the rockets fired? Rocketman: With these switches here. Budgie: What, the ones saying "Quiet" and "Loud"? Rocketman: Yeah. We were also going to put "Houses get Bigger" and "Houses get Smaller" by the joystick but we figured Dick probably had that bit worked out. GKN/Westland Apache, RNAS Yeovilton. Aaaaah...Rolls-Royce Your Uncle notes with sadness the disappearance of the wonderful Rolls- Royce Tyne turboprop from the Flight International civil engines directory. Unfortunately, if you wish to hear the lovely deep drone of the Tyne these days you have to stand within earshot of your nearest Alenia G.222, Dassault Atlantique or Transall C-160 base. However, I am pleased to note that should you be within acoustic range of Weybridge, UK, at 11am on 29 November, keep your ears open. Assuming reasonable weather, Brooklands Museum plans to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first flight of the Vickers Merchantman (nee Vanguard), by running up the engines of G-APEP - the only beast of its sort in captivity. Don't forget to forget your ear plugs... Light Trainer The phrase 'light trainer' may have just taken on a whole new meaning. Those clever people in South Korea have apparently achieved a hitherto unthinkable breakthrough in propulsion physics. According to Agence France Presse the newly rolled-out Korea Aerospace T-50 trainer "can fly at a top speed of Mach 1.5, or 1.5 times the speed of light." I wonder if this is with, or without after burner? Yuckspeak (series of 1,000,000) (European Commission approval of UK Government development loan to Rolls-Royce). "The aid intensity was compatible with the threshold applicable to reimbursable advances in relation to pre-competitive development activity, and that the aid had a clear incentive effect" = won't upset GE. Forecast Chaos Speaker at conference: "My numbers are different from anyone else's but I was heartened to see everyone else's numbers are different from each other's = WIHIH? AIRCRAFT, SPACECRAFT, MISSILES FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL 15.11.1961 Indian Avro 748 flies "WATCHED by thousands," said a cable from Kanpur, India, to Hawker Siddeley on November 1, "the 748 made first flight today. Everything per fect." Pilot on this first flight of the Indian-built Avro 748 was Sqn Ldr Kapil Bhargava of the Indian Air Force, which is constructing these aircraft at Kanpur for service as general-purpose trans- Jk^\ ports. The licence agreement was signed in ^\J Delhi in July 1959 by Mr Krishna Menon, Minister of Defence, and Sir Roy Dobson, HSG managing director. The first aircraft has been assembled in lAF-built jigs from components sent from Britain, but the Kanpur plant is now busy installing all the machine tools and other equip ment required for complete manufacture. Joint VTOL proposal It is reported - unofficially at the time of going to press -that British Aircraft Corporation are sub mitting a joint proposal with the Italian company Finmeccanica for a heavy VTOL transport aircraft for NATO. Dornier Werke are also reported to have been approached with a view to taking part in the project. The aircraft is apparently based on the Bristol 208. The latter aircraft was discussed in Flight for June 1; the NATO NMBR-4 transport con tenders were contrasted on October 12. This would represent the first BAC venture into the European field. Finmeccanica incorporate Aerfer, which proposed a transport similar to the Transail at the Paris Salon two years ago. Supersonic support A call for Government support for a British super sonic airliner was made last week by the Association of Supervisory Staffs, Executives and Technicians, which has 7,000 members in the British aircraft manufacturing and operating indus try. The union called for a Government plan for the industry, sections of which were, they claimed, working overtime while factories such as those at Portsmouth, Christchurch and Chester were threat ened with closure. Burning airships - romar tic? BBC Time Life Vide seems to think so And Finally... What's the average passenger load on a business jet? Chairman, CEO and all his closest friends - so that's usually one! 50 20-26 NOVEMBER 2001 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.fliqhtinternational.con
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