Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Six Fruitful Years

Six Fruitful Years Aircraft Engineering TH E MONTHLY ORGAN OF THE AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING PROFESSION VOL XXIV No 283 SEPTEMBER 1952 Six Fruitful Years war successes by continuing to provide the leading aeroplanes, each in its own type, of today. T has always been a little difficult in a monthly periodical such as AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING to know how best to deal with the annual The Evolutionary Method S.B.A.C. Display. We inevitably have to go so press so far in Studying the extremely interesting comparisons MR . NEWELL gives advance of the Event—these lines are, for example, being penned of the present-day product of each designer with those that have nearly four weeks before its opening—that an adequate pre-view of gone before one sees how each follows a logical line of thought, and the exhibits is virtually impossible if it is to approach being com­ progresses not so much by a sudden leap forward, but by a steady plete. On the other hand, a critical survey of the aeroplanes demon­ step-by-step development from one design to the next. Each of these strated cannot appear until a whole month after the Display is over, men possesses genius—there in no question of that—and it is not the by which time it has to a considerable extent lost its force, and, even result of sudden inspiration, but more truly the genius defined by the so, has to be prepared and rushed through so hurriedly that the poet as arising from an infinite capacity for taking pains. As a result unfortunate author has little time to sort out his impressions. This of this, each new machine bears the familiar hall mark of its designer, year, it was actually made more difficult by the fact that in the desire and it is almost always possible to identify the brain from which it to continue the precedents we had set ourselves recently of having emanates from its outward appearance. Not only is this so in general the account written by someone from outside Great Britain we con­ outline but it is equally true of the hidden details. MR. NEWELL ceived the idea of going to the United States for an author, but gives, for instance, an example of this in the main spar booms of unfortunately failed to find anyone from that country with the Mr. PETTER'S Canberra which he traces back to the same designer's required knowledge and expression—and the freedom from official war-time Lysander and Welkin. ties enabling him to write—who was coming over for the Display. An Example The Genesis of the Idea MR . CAMM'S series from the P.1040 up to the P.1081 show how In the light of the above considerations we gave considerable essentially the same aeroplane can be used to try out and develop thought to the question of how to deal with the occasion most improvements, a swept wing being added to the P.1040 fuselage, tail informatively for our readers. Reflection showed that the time had and undercarriage to transform it into the 1052, the forward end of arrived when it might be appropriate to take stock of the progress the fuselage and undercarriage again being retained for the experi­ that had been made since the first post-war Display was held in 1946, mental 1081. This, of course, makes for economy and also for rapid­ using the aeroplanes demonstrated each year to illustrate the story. ity of development while it avoids the introduction of several new We therefore put the suggestion to MR. NEWELL of the COLLEGE OF features at the same time—a procedure which always had the danger AERONAUTICS—than whom it will be agreed no one is better qualified of clouding a single issue. Sooner or later, of course, the time arrives to write such a survey as we had in mind—and were gratified to find for a major re-design—the recognition of which is one of the marks that he agreed with our view that in some sense this year's Display of greatness in a designer. With MR. CAMM this point was reached might be said to mark the culmination of an era. with the P. 1067—coming forward as a remount for the Royal Air Force as the Hunter—in regard to which we fully endorse MR . A Vintage Year NEWELL'S encomium that it is probably the most beautiful aeroplane The justification for this opinion is to be found in the fact that of any country flying today, thus carrying on the tradition of the 1952 sees the entry into service of the Comet, the going into pro­ Sea Hawk about which the same was said on its first appearance. duction of the Viscount and the official adoption of the Hunter and The above remarks apply, of course, more to fighters than to the Javelin, as the G.A.5 has been christened; as well as the adoption bombers, which from their nature are not so suited to the evolu­ by the Navy of the Gannet and the approaching production of the tionary process we have mentioned but have as a rule to be designed Canberra in the United States. de novo. Famous Names A Suggestion The chief point that strikes us is the way in which a first-class designer continues over years to produce the outstanding aeroplane The ways in which the same problems are met by different designers in the class which in his earlier years he made his own. It is most is a fascinating study in itself. Such matters as the arrangements made interesting to find that the names of BISHOP, CAMM, CLIFTON (worthy for the removal of jet engines for servicing and the location and successor of the ever-to-be-lamented MITCHELL), EDWARDS, PETTER shapes of air intakes are, with many others, subjects for a whole and WALKER (with the first Delta to receive official adoption)—to series of detailed studies which we hope will one day be made. We to name but a few—have followed up their war and immediate post­ are more than ready to sponsor them. S.B.A.C. DISPLAY • FARNBOROUGH • SEPTEMBER 1—7 * STAND NO. 30 http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology Emerald Publishing

Six Fruitful Years

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology , Volume 24 (9): 1 – Sep 1, 1952
Download PDF
1 page

Loading next page...
 
/lp/emerald-publishing/six-fruitful-years-1wDT3LB2E2

References

References for this paper are not available at this time. We will be adding them shortly, thank you for your patience.

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
0002-2667
DOI
10.1108/eb032199
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Aircraft Engineering TH E MONTHLY ORGAN OF THE AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING PROFESSION VOL XXIV No 283 SEPTEMBER 1952 Six Fruitful Years war successes by continuing to provide the leading aeroplanes, each in its own type, of today. T has always been a little difficult in a monthly periodical such as AIRCRAFT ENGINEERING to know how best to deal with the annual The Evolutionary Method S.B.A.C. Display. We inevitably have to go so press so far in Studying the extremely interesting comparisons MR . NEWELL gives advance of the Event—these lines are, for example, being penned of the present-day product of each designer with those that have nearly four weeks before its opening—that an adequate pre-view of gone before one sees how each follows a logical line of thought, and the exhibits is virtually impossible if it is to approach being com­ progresses not so much by a sudden leap forward, but by a steady plete. On the other hand, a critical survey of the aeroplanes demon­ step-by-step development from one design to the next. Each of these strated cannot appear until a whole month after the Display is over, men possesses genius—there in no question of that—and it is not the by which time it has to a considerable extent lost its force, and, even result of sudden inspiration, but more truly the genius defined by the so, has to be prepared and rushed through so hurriedly that the poet as arising from an infinite capacity for taking pains. As a result unfortunate author has little time to sort out his impressions. This of this, each new machine bears the familiar hall mark of its designer, year, it was actually made more difficult by the fact that in the desire and it is almost always possible to identify the brain from which it to continue the precedents we had set ourselves recently of having emanates from its outward appearance. Not only is this so in general the account written by someone from outside Great Britain we con­ outline but it is equally true of the hidden details. MR. NEWELL ceived the idea of going to the United States for an author, but gives, for instance, an example of this in the main spar booms of unfortunately failed to find anyone from that country with the Mr. PETTER'S Canberra which he traces back to the same designer's required knowledge and expression—and the freedom from official war-time Lysander and Welkin. ties enabling him to write—who was coming over for the Display. An Example The Genesis of the Idea MR . CAMM'S series from the P.1040 up to the P.1081 show how In the light of the above considerations we gave considerable essentially the same aeroplane can be used to try out and develop thought to the question of how to deal with the occasion most improvements, a swept wing being added to the P.1040 fuselage, tail informatively for our readers. Reflection showed that the time had and undercarriage to transform it into the 1052, the forward end of arrived when it might be appropriate to take stock of the progress the fuselage and undercarriage again being retained for the experi­ that had been made since the first post-war Display was held in 1946, mental 1081. This, of course, makes for economy and also for rapid­ using the aeroplanes demonstrated each year to illustrate the story. ity of development while it avoids the introduction of several new We therefore put the suggestion to MR. NEWELL of the COLLEGE OF features at the same time—a procedure which always had the danger AERONAUTICS—than whom it will be agreed no one is better qualified of clouding a single issue. Sooner or later, of course, the time arrives to write such a survey as we had in mind—and were gratified to find for a major re-design—the recognition of which is one of the marks that he agreed with our view that in some sense this year's Display of greatness in a designer. With MR. CAMM this point was reached might be said to mark the culmination of an era. with the P. 1067—coming forward as a remount for the Royal Air Force as the Hunter—in regard to which we fully endorse MR . A Vintage Year NEWELL'S encomium that it is probably the most beautiful aeroplane The justification for this opinion is to be found in the fact that of any country flying today, thus carrying on the tradition of the 1952 sees the entry into service of the Comet, the going into pro­ Sea Hawk about which the same was said on its first appearance. duction of the Viscount and the official adoption of the Hunter and The above remarks apply, of course, more to fighters than to the Javelin, as the G.A.5 has been christened; as well as the adoption bombers, which from their nature are not so suited to the evolu­ by the Navy of the Gannet and the approaching production of the tionary process we have mentioned but have as a rule to be designed Canberra in the United States. de novo. Famous Names A Suggestion The chief point that strikes us is the way in which a first-class designer continues over years to produce the outstanding aeroplane The ways in which the same problems are met by different designers in the class which in his earlier years he made his own. It is most is a fascinating study in itself. Such matters as the arrangements made interesting to find that the names of BISHOP, CAMM, CLIFTON (worthy for the removal of jet engines for servicing and the location and successor of the ever-to-be-lamented MITCHELL), EDWARDS, PETTER shapes of air intakes are, with many others, subjects for a whole and WALKER (with the first Delta to receive official adoption)—to series of detailed studies which we hope will one day be made. We to name but a few—have followed up their war and immediate post­ are more than ready to sponsor them. S.B.A.C. DISPLAY • FARNBOROUGH • SEPTEMBER 1—7 * STAND NO. 30

Journal

Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology – Emerald Publishing

Published: Sep 1, 1952

There are no references for this article.