FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1947
1947 - 1382.PDF
IQO FLIGHT AUGUST 2IST, 1947 ROCKETRY AT WESTCOTT A Visit to the Ministry of Supply Rocket-propulsion Establishment EXCAVATING a site at the Ministry of Supply RocketPropulsion Establishment at Westcott, on the Ayles-bury-Bicester road, workmen have discovered a skeleton of a plesiosaurus, a sea lizard which existed 160 million years ago. Thus the Establishment has another museum piece to supplement the German rocket motors displayed and demonstrated last week. Nothing was made known, when we visited Westcott for the occasion, of original British developments; nothing, even of the vaguest nature, to offset American releases describing post- war rocket progress. The embargo on information was applied at Ministry level but was fully approved by Mr. W. R. Cook, the Chief Superintendent. The present programme of work on rocket propulsion was initiated when the Ministry of Supply undertook the responsibility of investigating German research on uncon- ventional methods of propulsion. Sir Alwyn Crowe was appointed to a post with the somewhat ambiguous title of Director of Guided Projectiles, but when he realized how wide a field had to be covered, a central establish- ment came into being to provide equipment such as test beds and supersonic wind tunnels. Westcott was chosen after a wide search, being fairly central and accessible from other establishments concerned. It is on the site of the R.A.F. camp, and use is made of four large hangars and two other blocks of buildings. Permanent buildings, in- cluding laboratories and test beds, are now being erected. Rocket motors are tested on the airfield, so that draughts- men and technicians are not unduly disturbed in their out lying offices. Responsibilities The establishment was opened in April last year and constructional work was undertaken in May. Early this year the programme of work was reviewed. Until this time Westcott and related establishments served the Army and Navy, and the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farn- borough was responsible for rocket research initiated by the Air Ministry. Under the present scheme the R.A.E. co-ordinates research, and Westcott is the centre for the development of all types of rocket propulsion. Aerody- namic and electrical problems are studied at Farnborough. New fuels are developed bv the Chemical Research Development Establishment, and at Westcott suitable motors are built and tested Flight trials are conducted mainly at Aberporth, in Wales, where the Fairey Stooge was tried out, or at Shoeburyness. Large rocket missiles under development will, of course, be proved on the range now being established in Australia. Working under Dr. Cook are >two superintendents—Mr. F Elstub. an ex R.A.F rocket expert, and Mr. A. D. Baxter, who worked on aircraft propulsion at Farnborough throughout the war years, and who was responsible for the development of the bi-fuel rocket in the Vickers transonic In the centre is Mr. W. R. Cozk, Chief Superintendent at Wencott. On the left is Mr. F. Elstub and on the right Mr. A. D. Baxter, ZfM the two Superintendents. research models. The first of these is due to be air-launched at the end of this month. The number of chemists, engineers, mathematicians, physicists, mechanics and draughtsmen employed may not be stated, but it can be said that there is a team of twelve German scientists headed by Dr. Johannes Schmidt, who was mainly responsible for the development of the Walter rocket which powered the Me 163 intercepter. The German scientists have twelve-month contracts and are housed in Nissen huts off the site. They are given a free hand to work on their own special subjects but are not permitted access to all information on current developments. It is hoped soon to arrange contracts for more Germans. During the morning of our visit, Dr. Diedrichsen, one ol the German team, gave a laboratory demonstration of the properties of typical fuels. He sacrificed a lighted cigarette to show how it disappeared in a beaker of liquid oxygen at a temperature of minus 183 deg C. Hydrogen peroxide from a pipette instantly sent a sheet of newspaper up in flames Another exhibit was a container of catalytic stones from the Me 163 turbine pump system. In a large hangar, now used as a museum, one saw an A-4 (V-2) war rocket: Fi 103 (V-i) flying bomb; Feuerlilie F-55 subsonic missile; Me 163B rocket-propelled intercepter; Rheintochter 1 anti-aircraft missile, powered by a rocket using nitric acid and Visol; X-4 air-to-air wire-controlled missile with B.M.W. rocket; Enzian E-i, a 3,150-lb missile with a speed of 630 m.p.h.; Hs 298 anti-aircraft missile; Hs 293 anti-shipping weapon; and Schmetterling and Wasserfall anti-aircraft missiles. This material, of course, has already been displayed at the Royal Aircraft Establishment. '• A demonstration of a Walter H.W.K. 109-509 bi-fuelf rocket motor from an Me 163B had been arranged for thok afternoon and we observed it from behind an improvised ^ protective wall. The noise from so small and light a unit (it weighs only 365 lb) is incredible and seems compar- able with that experienced when standing in line with the tail pipe of a Derwent delivering a similar thrust (about 4,000 lb). It is particularly interesting to watch the play of the shock waves in the highly concentrated efflux as the control lever is moved. At full thrust the jet velocity is about 6,500 ft/sec. As the unit was washed down after the run Dr. Schmidt told us that it was of the A-2 sub-type and that the combustion chamber pressure was 25 atmo- spheres. Apparently no unit of the 509C type, with auxiliary cruising rocket, has been tried at Westcott, though this was an appreciable advance over the A series. Installed in the Me 163 it gave an endurance of 15 minutes Concluded on page 205.)
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
