Manchester Guardian

3, Cross Street, Manchester.

Cutting from issue dated....................15. DEC. 1955

FIRST BASE READY
FOR VULCANS

Waddington Aerodrome

Waddington Aerodrome, near Lincoln, a war-time operational station, has been prepared as the first base for delta-winged Vulcan bombers. An R.A.F. operational and handling section is waiting for instructions to take delivery of the aircraft from Avro's Woodford airfield in Cheshire. Mr G. R. Ward, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Air, said at a dinner on Monday night that the Vulcan would be coming into the R.A.F. "in a matter of weeks," and that the Victor was not far behind.

A Student of the Air writes: There is now justification for the belief that the delta configuration for medium and large size bombing aircraft gives them a basic advantage in production and maintenance. There is a likelihood that the Avro Vulcan four-jet medium bomber may be in the R.A.F. service before the Gloster Javelin two-jet fighter.

The Vulcan is the world's largest delta-winged aircraft and its engines are Bristol Olympus turbo-jets. The Javelin is the first twin-engined delta aircraft in Britain designed for a specific operational role. Both aircraft have undergone minor modifications to their wing plan forms. The Vulcan differs from the Javelin in that it has no horizontal tail surfaces, which, it is claimed, is of advantage in reducing drag and improving control.

At the Farnborough show in September, Wing-Commander R. Falk, the superintendent of flying of the Avro Company, performed the unprecedented feat of rolling this large delta-winged machine. Falk has frequently performed the manoeuvre and obtained automatic recordings during it. It has since been claimed that the American B-47 bomber has also been rolled, but in this instance it seems that the aircraft was "barrelled" on a big radius. The Vulcan does a true roll similar to that done by a fighter—an indication of high power of manoeuvre.

[LC]

212

Tucking its wheels up smartly, the Valiant gets airborne for its record flight to Baghdad, first of six legs to Woomera.

# THE WOOMERA VALIANT

## Features and Procedures Observed at Departure

FIRST of the V-bombers to go overseas is a M.o.S. Valiant (Serial WP 209), which is spending six months on the Woomera bomb-ballistic range gathering information on the trajectory and behaviour of bombs of various weights and shapes dropped at the speeds and heights now to be expected from these bombers.

As we briefly reported last week, the Valiant left Farnborough on July 31st to fly to Woomera via Habbaniyah, Karachi, Negombo, Singapore and Darwin, the crew taking their time over most of the distance, but attempting to set up point-to-point records between London and Baghdad and Singapore and Darwin. A record attempt over the whole distance was not feasible because the refuelling and starting facilities available to the Canberras in the England to New Zealand race were no longer there.

The total distance was 9,829 nautical miles, and the first 2,411-mile leg to Habbaniyah was flown in 4 hr 51 min 28.8 sec, at a speed of 523.482 m.p.h., which is being submitted as a record. Lack of a spare part held up WP 209 for a week at Negombo,

Ceylon, but it reached Singapore on Monday.

The aircraft was captained by W/C. J. Finch, O.B.E., D.F.C., A.F.C., who will return to the United Kingdom after about three weeks, having handed over the aircraft to the co-pilot, S/L. J. R. Tanner. Later in the programme Australian crews will probably fly the Valiant as well.

The departure from Farnborough afforded a first view of the procedures in getting these large aircraft off the ground and of some of the equipment fitted. Both pilots have the Martin Baker Mk 3 ejector seat and wear the leg-restraint garters associated with this equipment. None of the crew appeared to wear pressure-breathing waistcoats, but the new British pressure-demand mask was in evidence. The other crew members (four on this occasion, though there are normally three) wore the new ankle-length boots, Mae Wests and a new type of back-type parachute with quick-adjusting harness straps and barometric release capsule in addition to the normal rip-cord. They sit side-by-side in rearward-facing seats low down at the back of the crew compartment and have only two small oval windows, one on each side of the fuselage, each of which is inset in an oval door. That to starboard is a crash-escape exit and the other is the main access door and parachute exit. It hinges upwards and can be jettisoned. A large blast-shield is swung out into the slipstream from inside the doorway to allow the crew to fall clear of the aircraft when baling out. Both pilots eject after jettisoning a roof panel.

Valiant WP 209 showed some signs of a night out in dew-laden air and looked a little sad in its drab silver Bomber Command finish; but it is aerodynamically a very clean design. A slight anomaly was the fitting of an external windshield-wiper, presum-

(Lower left) The crew before departure: (l. to r.) W/C. J. Finch, S/L. J. R. Tanner, F/L. A. Sacks, F/L. D. Fish, navigators, F/L. C. R. La Belle, signaller, and Mr. B. A. Maries, M.o.S. engineer.

(Left) Preparations for take-off. Baggage is ready for loading and the ground crew stands by.

(Below) The five brake cylinders and Maxaret unit on a starboard main wheel. The chock is marked "V-bomber flight."

"Flight" photographs

12 August 1955 211

TAKING SHAPE at Rad-
lett, whence it had been
transported from Read-
ing, is seen the first pro-
totype Handley Page
Herald transport, with
four Alvis Leonides Major
engines. It wears the
livery of Queensland Air-
lines and thus adorned
should fly in the S.B.A.C.
display next month.

to explore the 60-70 mile belt with manned delta-wing
"satelloids."

Incidentally, it may be put on record that much of the original
design-thinking behind the American satellite project was con-
tained in a paper presented by K. W. Gatland, A. M. Kunesch
and A. E. Dixon at the Astronautics Congress in 1950. Dr. Fred
Singer, the American authority, has acknowledged that their work
laid the foundation for the project which he later named "Mouse"
(Minimum Orbital Unmanned Satellite, Earth). The subject is
discussed and illustrated in some detail (pages 205-212) in Mr.
Gatland's book, *Development of the Guided Missile*, published
for Flight by Iliffe and Sons, Ltd.

Dowty Directorships

TWO directorships in companies of Dowty Group, Ltd., are announced. Mr. E. H. Bowers joins the Board of Dowty Hydraulic Units, Ltd., as director and chief designer. With Parnall Aircraft from 1939, as development engineer on hydraulic gun turrets, Mr. Bowers joined the Dowty organization in 1944 to take charge of hydraulic development, and from 1949 was additionally responsible for hydraulic-pump design, including that

Mr. E. H. Bowers

Mr. D. E. Wiseman

of the Vardel pump. In 1953 he was appointed chief engineer of
Dowty Hydraulic Units, responsible for design and development
of all industrial hydraulic equipment.

Mr. D. E. Wiseman is appointed to the Board of Dowty Hy-
draulic Units as director and general manager. His early training
was with the B.S.A. and Daimler companies. He became general
manager of the aircraft division of the Pressed Steel Co., Oxford,
and subsequently managing director of Short and Harland, Ltd.

Mr. Wiseman has also had experience in Canada, as assistant
general manager, production, at A. V. Roe, Ltd., Malton. He has
latterly been general manager for United States Time Corporation,
until he left to take up his appointment with the Dowty Group.

Orpheus Power for NATO

SUBJECT of agreements signed between the U.S. Government and France under the Mutual Weapons Development Programs are two light fighter/attack aircraft powered with the Bristol Orpheus lightweight turbojet. They are the Bréguet 1001 Taon and Marcel Dassault Mystère XXVI. The Orpheus has already been selected for the Fiat G.91, subject of another M.W.D.P. agreement signed some weeks ago by the U.S.A. and Italy, and is, of course, the power unit of the Folland Gnat, which flew for the first time on July 18th.

Three prototypes each of the Taon and of the Mystère XXVI
are to be built, and three G.91s have already been ordered. Addi-
tionally there will be twenty-seven G.91s for tactical trials under
the direction of SHAPE. The Orpheus itself is being developed
by the Bristol Aeroplane Company under a joint M.W.D.P.

agreement recently signed by the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom.

A statement by the American Department of Defence runs: "These joint agreements will assure a full and logical development programme designed to fulfil the NATO requirement. The selection of the Fiat, Bréguet and Dassault airframes and the Bristol engine was based upon a detailed technical study of various proposals conducted under the sponsorship of NATO's Advisory Group for Aeronautical Research and Development. When the prototypes of all three designs have been technically evaluated, a final decision will be made on production."

Turboprop Fighter

THE Republic XF-84H experimental turboprop fighter,
powered with an Allison XT-40, made its first flight at the
U.S.A.F. Flight Test Centre, Edwards Air Force Base, Cali-
fornia, on July 27th. The machine has been built "to test
the feasibility of supersonic propellers of turboprop-type fighters
for operational service with America's armed forces." It was
airborne on its first flight for 35 minutes, mostly at a height of
20,000ft. Test pilot Henry G. Baird, Jr., described it as "a real
honey." Certainly it should prove very fast, especially when an
afterburner is fitted, as is contemplated. A maker's announce-
ment runs: "Because of its speed, long range and ability to carry
extremely heavy armament loads and still take off from very
short runways, the 'H' meets requirements for a U.S.A.F. low-
level fighter/bomber or Navy carrier-based dive bomber."

In its present form the machine has been built to "split" just
forward of the cockpit in order to take several different forward
sections, one of which mounts a three-blade supersonic airscrew
built by the Aeroproducts Division of General Motors. Other
supersonic airscrews by Curtiss and Hamilton Standard will be
tested eventually. A remarkable aerodynamic feature is the so-
called "vortex gate," a triangular dorsal fin just behind the
cockpit, intended partially to neutralize airscrew torque.

Capt. Lamplugh's Retirement

AS recorded in our issue of June 24th, Capt. A. G. Lamplugh, C.B.E., F.R.Ae.S., M.I.Ae.S., M.C.A.I., F.R.G.S., has been compelled by ill-health to retire from his post of underwriter and principal surveyor to the British Aviation Insurance Co., Ltd. His retirement takes effect on September 30th, but he has accepted an invitation to join the company's Board.

The directors announce the following appointments, with
effect from September 30th: Mr. R. H. Jennens, deputy under-
writer, to be underwriter to the company; Mr. J. H. Hine to be
deputy underwriter; Mr. C. R. Jeffs to be underwriter's assistant.

PANTOBASED is this YC-123E designed and built for the U.S.A.F. by the Stroukoff Aircraft Corporation. It is intended to operate from water, ordinary runways, snow, ice, or unprepared strips.

FLIGHT, 12 August 1955

213

ably for use at low speeds. Also in evidence were Maxaret braking on all four main wheels, panels indicating an air-conditioning ground connection, and air- and nitrogen-bottle charging points. Just ahead of the twin nosewheels, and aft of the two-coloured radome nose, is the small visual bombing window. A slot and aerofoil slat are fitted outboard of the leading edge of the intake separator on each side, to balance the engine-air intake in certain conditions. Turbulators, now familiar at the fin/tail-plane junction, appear to be of slightly greater cord, but less deep than those seen earlier.

Preparations for take-off were not too lengthy, but involved the topping-up of fuel tanks from a pressure refueller, while some fuel drained into drums set under the wing-tip vent pipes. A large generator trolley was connected up for various ground tests, until the crew actually climbed in and their luggage was stowed on board. The bomb-bay, containing various equipment and spares, was already shut.

After preliminary internal checks the ground generator was again started and a full check of flying controls, flaps and airbrakes carried out, watched by an engineer outside the aircraft, who kept in contact with the crew through a wandering intercom lead. All flying surfaces were moved through several complete cycles and the tailplane incidence-change exercised.

Following this, the Avons were started from port to starboard

and gradually the crew were cut off from the outside world as the various leads were detached. It appears impossible to see very much of the airframe from the cockpit. Finally, when all was clear, the aircraft taxied out to the end of the runway and, after further exercising of controls, full power was applied against brakes. The take-off run was long in the still morning air, but the wheels were retracted immediately the aircraft left the ground. A long starboard orbit brought the Valiant back over the control tower at an impressive speed for the timing check; then it climbed away very fast, already on course for Baghdad West, where the second time-check was to be made before back-tracking to Habbaniyah for the first landing. Unfortunately a detour of some 300 miles from the Great Circle course has to be made to avoid penetration of the Iron Curtain in the Balkans. Although a computation was made to correct the flight time so that London was the actual starting point of the record flight, none was made for the Iron Curtain detour. The record flight from Singapore to Darwin involves no such detour and the speed was consequently expected to be somewhat higher.

The aircraft was to fly at heights stated to be "between eight and nine miles" and at unspecified speeds; but the record figures give some indication of its capabilities. A spotlight has been mounted to shine downwards from the tail-cone, presumably to give a visual indication for optical instruments on the ground. Otherwise this Valiant appeared to be an entirely standard B.1.

214

FLIGHT

# HERE AND THERE

## Valiant Record

THE Valiant which is to carry out bomb-ballistic trials at Woomera, referred to on page 212 of this issue, established—subject to F.A.I. confirmation—a new point-to-point record between Singapore and Darwin last Monday. It covered the 2,080.644 statute miles in 4 hr 50.1 sec, at an average speed of 518.36 m.p.h. This betters the record of 4 hr 24.43 min set up two years ago by a Canberra. At Darwin, damage to the tail fin was expected to cause a 24-hour delay.

## Gyron-Sperrin at Hatfield

THE Short Sperrin with a de Havilland Gyron turbojet in the lower port nacelle, flew from Aldergrove, Co. Antrim, to Hatfield on August 4th. A programme of intensive flying by Mr. C. D. Beaumont,

**RUSSIAN REVELATIONS:** These "Flight" copyright sketches have been prepared —from photographic evidence—to show characteristic features of Russia's turboprop bomber and the large military assault helicopter, both of which made their first public appearance over Tushino on July 3rd. Significant features are the heavy sweep on the bomber's wing (suggesting high performance and development potential), and the workmanlike design of the helicopter, a feature of which is high capacity.