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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 2585.PDF
FLIGHT, 5 September 1^52 307 the airfield, wherein none may enter except through a security screen of the finest mesh. Disappointment occasioned by an announcement that supersonic flying would not take place, in deference to local residents, heightened to chagrin when uninvited Sabres made several fast and smoky runs across the airfield. There was good news on Tuesday morning, however, when it was learned that the M.o.S. had lifted the ban. Farnborough Urban Council, it seems, had urged that the aircraft should be allowed "to go all out before the world audience." The flying display on Monday was carried through with that precision and swing for which the organizers and con trollers have won international acclaim. First came the four circuses (or groups, as they are circumspectly designated) composed as follows:—Group 1: S.A.4, Wyvern, Shackleton, Marathon Trainer, Prince and Heron; Group 2 : S.51, Skeeter 3B, Type 171 and Type 173 helicopters; Group 3 : Provost, Aiglet Trainer, Pioneer; and Group 4 : Sea Hawk, Meteor 7, Sapphire-Canberra, and Viscount. Following these corporate demonstrations came the individual stars. On Tuesday the Duke of Edinburgh flew in a Viking of the Queen's Flight to Blackbushe, whence he travelled by car to the Show, where he was received by Mr. E. C. Bowyer and Mr. H. E. Burroughes, the Director and the President of the S.B.A.C. He was escorted round the Static Exhibition by Sir William Farren (technical director A. V. Roe) and Mr. W. H. Goodinge (S.B.A.C. technical and exhibitions secre tary). Afterwards he inspected the interiors of the Britannia and the Sprite-Comet, and went on to view the Valiant, D.H.i 10, Javelin and other aircraft before watching the fly ing display. Viscount Alexander, Minister of Defence, was due to visit the Show on Wednesday, flying there by helicopter. It seems fitting to accord all the aircraft individual consider ation, irrespective of status. Unless otherwise specified, demonstrations described are those witnessed on Monday. THE AIRCRAFT Armstrong Siddeley Sapphire-Canberra.—A pair of Sap phires in such a setting as a Canberra—actually WD933, as previously seen—could not fail to dazzle, and dazzle they did as R. B. Prickett matched the climb of the Meteor 7 which had preceded him in his demonstration group. Meteor N.F.11.—"Use destructor here" invites an in scription on WM166, a standard A.W.-produced Meteor N.F.i 1, selected to represent its type this year. But a crew would have to find themselves in a tough spot indeed before making an end to one of these sleek two-seaters. It appears that last year's specimen, with its auxiliary tanks mounted on redesigned wing tips, was purely experimental; and, though the tanks gave excellent results, it has been con sidered politic to retain the common under-wing variety. Easily overlooked are the suppressed strip aerials in the The tiny Saunders-Roe Skeeter 3b, powered with a Blackburn Cirrus Bombardier, gives an altogether exhilarating performance. Uppermost are take-off studies of two big Vickers-Armstrongs types— top, the Viscount 701 (four Darts) and. below it,[the Valiant (four Avons). The helicopter is the very] impressive Bristol 173_ (two Leonides).
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