I . l I BOEING B-52 d L ' I ~J·· I k ~ ~ "·\ ~ ~ ~ The USAF's successor to the 8-36 is the new Boeing B-.'52 Stratofortress. This huge aircraft has a span of 185 ft. an,IJ\.J )IA'\ AERONAUllCAL J'.;SllTUTE. Limit of Liability Sir: In reph· tr, your ed itorial "\\'di , \\'hy '\ ot.' • ,\ lastair I .Pa lersun] h:is don e hi, usual cxcc..:lknr loh of tcaring J\\'ay th<.: (liil\\'ch .... that ~, often surround this particular prohlt:111 and lead tu a tota ll J· wrong understanding of it. Althou)!h I would not be in f:irnr of am· allcmpt being made to in trod uce such a limitation into Canadian domestic aircraft r,pcrations (because I think it wou ld be an utte r waste of tin1c ) there might he some mtrit in iust such an attempt in c,rdc.:r to get on rcc"rd :t con:-.idt:rnl upin iun hy !-,O ffl C rc :-.j>(J n:-.il>k i1wc!->t igat in.!.! ht1dy to ~ho\\' juq wh~- thi:-. i:-. IHJl :! praLtical thi ng. l ~a\· it \\'ould be an utter w aste of time h:.:caw,~ there i~ a rc;1dih· ~n-ailabh.: and t.:Lo- 11omical altcrn:it iH.: t<1 it· - ad equate in~ur :rncc:. :\n y argument in L1 \·our of a lim irat ion i:-. going to 1imil d11wn to t'Conomic necess ity from tht OJH.:ra tnr·:-. :-,tandpoint - in other word:-. , he.: can't afT()rd enough insur:mcc. That i:-. quite.: \\'rong. :1 ~ many op1.:rator~ wh,1 do carry ack-qu:1·c.: in:-.urancc w ell know. Whal d r, I mean b,· "adeq uate in surance .. , Well, you pick it - S I IJIJ,IJ(J(J per person - S250,(J(HJ per pe rson; - It oni,· requi re, looking at Court jud)!mcnts to sc·c wh:11 amoun ts ha\'c been awarded individual pe r sons within the last liulc while. Very, very few exceed SI0(J ,000. l tcrc', the point : ff an operator pays $100 for hi, in, urance with a S2U,IJOO limit , he would pa,· Si I -l .50 for insurance wi th a SIO(J,0(J(J lillli t or he would pay $ 144.5() for insurance wi1h a $2'i0,IJ(J(J limit. c:111 ·, •,tT w!lt'rt tlwt 1~ an in~urrn"unt • .·/ll:U /.IF T .... . .. r ' ->~ Siemon went to Color:1do Springs as NORAD's s~cond in command. Pre Yi.ously, A/ M Siemon had been C/\S. Ottawa speculation has it that Air J\farshal (Acting) C. R. Dunlap, now with NATO as Deputy Chid of Staff Operations at SHAPE headquarters in P:!ris, may be appointed to either the CAS's job or that of NORAD Deputy Commander. :\nother name mentioned in connection with the CAS post is that of Air Vice Marshal John A. Easton, the RCAF's :\ir Member for Technical Servi::es since 1958. In earlier sess ions of name guessing. the speculators have had A/ M Sle- ·• mon retiring from the service, with A / M Campbell succeeding him at NORAD. LATEST IN BOEING B-52 SERIES is B-52H, shown in drawing above. Powered by eight P & W TF33 turbofans, the "H" will have a rang~ i~ exce_ss of the "more than 9000 miles" of the B-52G. Two Hound Dog missiles will be carried. Pods between engines hold rockets for use as penetration aids. Defence Budget Cut The Government has slashed the 1960-61 defence budget by six per cent or nearly $ I 00 million. It presented to Parliament Feb. 4 a defence estimate of $1,596,272,266, a decrease of $98,92 1,740 from the current fiscal year which ends March 31. Is is the smallest defence budget since 1951-52. For the armed forces, the real bad news was the 13 percent chop in estimated expenditures on weapons and equipment. This was a cut of $44 million to $280 million. Cost of maintaining the forces and their present weapons was estimated at $1 ,118,353,453, a slight decrease of $ I O million effected through lower ex penditures on repair and upkeep of equipment. Clean up cost of the Arrow now is estimated at less than $45 million with $1.5 million going toward this cost in the 1960-61 budget. Other amounts contained in the esti mates: $i5 million for the CF- 104 pro gram; $37 million for the CL-44; $22 million for Bomarc-SAGE-radars; $7 million for the Argus; $i million for the Albatross; $28 million for RCAF electronics, mainly T ACAN and UHF; $12 million for Navy Electronics, main ly sonar; $1.7 million for naval air craft. There is no prov1s1on in the esti mates for a new RCAF manned inter ceptor, Army helicopters or the La crosse ground-to-ground missile. 'ii The total for RCAF aircraft and en gines is slashed to $131 ,698,000 from $164,817,000. The amount for Defence Research Board development is cut to $14,216,000 from $21 ,565,000. The total for construction is down to $102 million from $124 million. Totals by services with 1959-60 fig ures in brackets: Navy, $271,300,557 ($287,492,000); Army, $421,297,000 $( 448,853,000); RCAF, $767,929,000 $811,304,000). F - 106 Darts in Service By autumn 1960, some 13 USAF squadrons in the North American ai r defence system (NORAD) will be op erating the supersonic F-106 Delta Dart. Six tactical squadrons are now equipped with the long-range all-wea ther Dart, and seven more will be fl y ing the Convair-built fighter by Sep tember. Next squadron in line for the new equipment is the 5th Fighter Intercep tor Squadron at Minot AFR, Minot. North Dakota. The 5th will rece ive its Darts in March. Guessing Game Speculation has started on possible successors to the RCAF's two top posts those of Chief of the Air Staff and Deputy Commander of North Ameri can Air Defence Command, both of '-h'hich may become vacant this year. The current CAS is Air Marshal Hugh Campbell, who was appointed to the rost in September of 1957, the same month in which Air Marshal C. R. Air Cadet Ceiling Although most Air Cadet squadrons in Canada have long lists of boys waiting to join up, the Government has so far refused to increase the ceil ing figure of 25,500 cadets. One pos sible reason that competition is keen is the flying scholarship plan by which cadets are given flying training to pri vate pilot level. Last year, this plan graduated a total of 387 pilots. Of these, the RCAF sponsored 250 while the remainder were sponsored privately by funds from the Air Cadet League itself. Some $59,000 of squad ron funds was spent in this way, all of it raised by local campaigning. Postings & Careers •Group Captain Leonard A. Cos tello has heen appointed Chaplain Gen eral of the Armed Forces (Roman Catholic) in the rank of Air Commo dore. He succeeds the Right Reverend Ronald Maclean who retired at the end of last month. For the past 14 years, A/ C Costell o has been the RCAF's Director of Religious Admin istration (RC). •Lt.-Cdr. K. S. N i·:olson has been ~ppointed to take command of 870 Squadron of the RCN. Composed of Hanshee all-weather fighters, the squad ron normally operates from either HM CS Shearwater, or the aircraft car rier · HMCS Bonaventure. •Lt.-Cdr. W . J. Walton has been promoted to the rank of Commander and appointed in command of the RCN's VS 880 Squadron. The squad ron is composed of Tracker ASW air craft and normally operates from HMCS Shearwater or the aircraft car n~r HMCS Bonaventure. FA TE OF SUPERSONIC B-70 strategic bomber is in jeopardy as a result of drastic cuts in U.S. Government funding for the project. USAF states t?at there is a positive requirement for the :2000 mph weapon system. bemg developed by North American. Program has been cut back to one prototype. Accident Research Lab The . -ation:d Rese:1rch Counc il is planning a special research clri,·e to re duce aircraft accidents. A proposal being \' t :,8 air traffic control and airport lighting. Rese:irch has also started on :iircraft anti-collision techniques . It is attempt ing to de\'elop impro\'ed aircraft sk is and is investigating the use of plastics to make temporary repairs to damaged ai rcraft A.oats. Snow Goose Flight in '61 Defence Research Bo:ird scientists :ire hoping to fire :1 new high :iltitude rese:irch rocket known ;is Snow Goose from the rocket range :it Fort Church ill, Man., in 1961. . .\ccording to news reports, the Snow Goose is planned by the DRB :is a successor to the Black Brant rocket. four of which \,·ere fired last Septem ber from the northern Manitoba b:ise. The t\\'O rockets "'ill he the same ~ize hut "·hereas the Black Brant was fired to test sol id propellants de,·elop ed hy the DRB·s establishment :it Val c:i rti~r. Quebec. the Snnw Goose will h(: used to lift some 150 lbs. of re search equipment and instruments into the upper :itmosphere. New Win:iipeg Terminal D etaib for the construction of ;i new £ 10 million air terminal building for W'innipeg International Airport, ha,·t been announced by Transport Min ister George Hees. The building is sched uled for cr,mpletion by 1964. Tl 1c structure \\'ill consist of two integrated units: a11 administration building for the Do Ts operational sen·ices such as met·. telecom' and :iir traffic control; and the termin al build ing proper. Both units will he two storeys high, the control tower rising several storeys abo,·e the administr:1- tion block. Tenders for the first st:iges of con struction including w:iter. sewerage. e:-. ca ,·ation and found:ition have hee n invited and exca\'ation will begin as soon as weather permits. Tenders for the structural steel "·ill be called in late winter or spring :ind the balance of the work should go out to tender before the end of the coming summer. Douglas Sells Caravelles The prospect of Douglas Aircraft Co. building the short-haul DC-9 pure jet :iirliner has been scuttled by the :rnnouncement that Douglas and France's Sud Aviation have reached an agreement covering the U.S. sales and sen·ice and possible production of the Caravelle. Under the agreement. Douglas will pro"ide sales support. customer ser Yice and parts support, and customer ground and Right training. In turn, Sud A ,·iation will ha,·e sales rights for the DC-8. News of the agreement preceded by only days the ;innounce ment that United Air Lines have or dered 20 AYon-powered Cara,·elles with :in option ,on 10 more. VR Airport Authority Vancom-er's new airport :iuthority will be a five-man body if proposed legislation is :ippro\'ed hy the British Columbi :1 legislature now in session. City council is seeking legislati\'e ap pro,·:il of the :iuthority in c:isc alder men decide to finance new terminal construction. It is proposed the au thority issue its own bonds to ra ise money for the project. Vancom-cr is far behind schedule now with plans for a S13,500,000 jet :ige passenger terminal at the airport. The present temporary terminal buildings we re designed to serve n,o longer than 1961, when jet travel will he in full swing on the west coast. Rut it will be at least four years he fore the new terminal is completed. and only then , if an immediate start is m:ide on engineering plans. :\bout $100,000 is needed immediately. Though taxp:iyers are not required to approve the city forming an author- AIRCRAFT In a record flight on April 26, 1971 L. Cols. Thomas B. Estes, pllot, and Dewain C. Vick, RSO, flew their SR-71 15,000 miles at speeds of more than Mach 3 and at altitudes above 80,000 feet. Fqr the flight the Air Force Association presented the 1st Strategic Reconnaissance uadron the David Schilling ward for Flight In 1972. The recdrd flight-also earned Estes and Vick the MacKay Trophy and the Harmon International Aviator's Trophy. On September 1, 1974 Majs. James V. Sullivan and Noel F. Wlddlfielct broke the existing record of four hours, 46 minutes for a transatlantic crossing between New York and London. Their time was an amazing one hour, 55 minutes. After remaining in England for eight days and exhibiting the SR-71 during the first international air show at Farnborough, the SR-71 returned to its home base. On its return, another crew-Capt. Harold B. (Buck) Adams and Maj. William C. Machorek-establish.ed a speed record where none had existed before: three hours, 47 minutes between London and Los Angeles, a trip that takes the average commercial flyer more than 11 h rs to complete on an airliner. The SR-71 made headlines again on July 27 and 28, 1976 by shattering six world absolute and class speed and altitude records previously held by Soviet MiG-25 and U.S. Air Force YF-12 aircraft. The first record-setting flight came early in the morning of July 27 when Majs. Adolphus H. Bledsoe, Jr. and John T. Fuller flew e Blackbird at 2,092 miles an our. The flight set new marks for the world absolute and class records for speed over a closed circuit course. The previous record was 1,853 mph held by a MiG-25 Foxbat. Flying 2,193 mph on July 28, Capt. Eldon W. Joersz and Maj. George T. Morgan set world absolute and class speed records over a 15-25-kllometer straight course. The previous record was held by the YF-12A, prototype of the SR-71. Capt. Robert C. Helt and Maj. Larry A. Elliott flew to 85,069 feet on July 28 to set world absolute and class altitude records for horizontal flight. That record was also previously held by the YF-12A. LEFT: P yslologlcal Support Division technician Sgt. Lorell Maslen tests a helffi,t during prel(entlve maintenance checks. ABOVE: PSD technician Sr. Amn. Douglas Snavely checu operation of the high altitude pressure suit worn by Maj. Warren Pierce. Nlu/tirole F-16 Uniquely suited to Canada's defence needs. AND . .. its significantly lower cost -- to acquire and to operate -- means more aircraft and more effectiveness for the Canadian defence dollar. TOP PHOTO: YF-16 launches AIM-7F Sparrow air-to-air missile during recent tests at China Lake, CA. (Current USAF requirements for the F-16 do not include radar missile capability, unlike Canada and other nations now considering the F-16 as a replacement fighter.) BOTTOM PHOTO: F-16 takes off at Edwards Air Force Base, CA., demonstrating its load capability for 18 MK-82 bombs, missiles and other ordnance. GENERAL DYNAMICS Fort Worth, TX 76101 The U-2, for example, is the only aircraft in the free world that uses fallaway, " pogo stick" wheels to help it taxi and take off. It is also the only aircraft in the Air Force that is "chased " by high-speed pickup trucks during its landing phase. Every landing is video-taped for later review by its pilots. The SR-71, on the other hand, is the only Air Force aircraft that "grows" during its climb to the thin atmosphere above 80,000 feet. Its skin expands to its seals during flight-from six inches to a foot. Strange as it may seem, both of these high flyers were designed by the same man, Clarence L. (Kelly) Johnson, and built by the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation . Pilots for the two completely dissimilar aircraft are hand-picked , experienced volunteers who have undergone intensive preselection screening and flight tests . Capt. Boyer is typical of the U-2 pilots, who often spend long hours completely alone at altitudes that place them physically and emotionally out of touch with their normal ground environment for long hours. For an hour and a half , he had sat in a reclining chair tn the PSD dressing room adjacent to the Beale AFB flight line. But he wasn 't just resting; he was prebreathing 100 percent oxygen inside his sealed helmet. The U-2 cockpit is only pressurized to 28,000 feet. Capt. Boyer had reported to the PSD building much earlier and had received a preflight physical checkup by experienced PSD technicians. Then, after being fed a high-protein, no-fat steak breakfast prepared by a cook assigned to the unit, he had reported to the dressing room . There, a pair of physiological support technicians and a supervisor had helped him get into his high-altitude pressure suit. He had greeted them in his two-piece long johns, the latest thing in comfort wear for those who live inside pressure suits while prowling the high skies. The PSD technicians had already inflated Capt. Boyer's suit on a tester and had checked it carefully for possible leaks, tears, or malfunctions. The U-2 pilot sat down on a bench and began the dressing sequence followed meticulously by the technicians. " Every U-2 and SR-71 aircrew member has two of these suits, " explained SMSgt. Manuel H. . . . .. ·... . . ·• . . . ,• . . ·• . . . . ,•,•,•. \/ ' _. ? } ', -: , • . - :•. : . ·. -· · . • Gomez, Superintendent of the PSD. " Each suit is fitted exactly for the individual. " Gomez, a veteran of the physiological support and life support systems career fields, spent two years with the U-2 unit at Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz., before the squadron was moved to Beale AFB and renamed the 99th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron . " Our technicians are from two career fields, " he explained , " but except for minor variations, both the 911 XO (physiological support) and 922XO (life support systems) technicians perform our primary PSD function-getting the high-altitude pilots ready for launch and recovering them when they return ." Lt. Col. Lester E. Hatcher, Chief of the PSD, explained that the 911 XO specialists also operate the unit's altitude chambers, while the 922XO technicians specialize in suit equipment maintenance and repair. " But here, " he added, " everyone trains in all phases of both career specialties. " It takes about a year for the technicians to complete all phases of PSD training, although most are ready for launch and recovery operations within two months. "That 's our primary mission, " Manny Gomez said . " They learn that phase of the training as soon as they report to us." Each pilot is dressed and readied for a flying mission by two technicians and a supervisor, he explained. " In the case of the SR-71 , that means two technicians for the p ilot ancj two for the RSO, RIGHT: Capt. Richard Boyer receives final instructions from Maj. WIiiiam Evans in the PSD van prior to the U-2 mission. BELOW: A crew chief directs an SR-71 out of the hangar after engine start-up. with a supervisor closely observing both teams. " Like the wing 's high-flying pilots and RSOs, the PSD technicians are hand-picked for their jobs. When Capt. Boyer was ready to leave the gleaming, white stucco building that houses the altitude chambers, flight suit storage section, and suit maintenance and repair branches, he was accompanied by his trio of haberdashers to a waiting PSD van. One of the technicians slid behind the wheel and the four men moved out to the U-2 parking ramp. There was little talk on the way, each caught up in his own thoughts. No one in the bustling U-2 parking ramp area spoke of the mission ahead , either. Few except Capt. Boyer and his mobile control officer would have had any inkling of what that mission would be. The comings and goings of the wing 's surveillance aircraft are usually like that. Lt. Col. Jerry Sinclair, Commander of the 99th SAS, was on hand to observe preparations. Capt. Boyer was prepared , having been briefed the night before. His U-2 was being readied for the vitally important mission. Crew chiefs and maintenance specialists swarmed over nearly every inch of the plane to assure its peak condition for the flight. Capt. Boyer, a veteran U-2 pilot, rested in the van and reviewed his mission charts while Maj . William Evans climbed into the cockpit and performed the final portions of the preflight inspection for him . " As the mobile control officer and mission monitor, " Capt. George M. Crawford , a T-38 pilot assigned to the 9th SAW, explained , " Maj . Evans performs the complete preflight. " The mission pilot, he said, remains in the van until the aircraft is ready and it's time to launch the Dragon Lady. " It 's all but impossible to preflight when you 're in that pressure suit," Capt. Crawford added, tapping his pipe bowl against a boot heel for emphasis. "Maj. Evans just signaled ready, " a PSD technician told Capt. Boyer, and the pilot nodded and moved out of the van with his trio of PSD supporters. He climbed the metal ramp up to the cockpit and lowered himself into position. There, the PSD team hooked him into his aircraft oxygen system, the ejection seat apparatus, parachute harness, and other vital systems that would sustain him during his nine-hour flight. Not until all systems were " go " did they pat him on the shoulder, give him a thumbs-up, and return to the van. They would follow the U-2 as it taxied to the end of the runway, and they would remain nearby until the aircraft climbed out of sight. They would also be on hand when Boyer returned . At the end of the runway, the long , sleek U-2 paused as the ground crew pulled the pins on the pogo stick w ing wheels that had been used to taxi the aircraft. " The wing starts 'flying ' as soon as the aircraft rolls," Maj. Evans explained . "The pogos keep the w ings horizontal and as soon as the U-2 's main bicycle gear rotates [leaves the ground], the 100-pound pogos fall away." "It's a similar operation when the SA-71 returns from a fl ight and lands," Capt. Crawford interjected. " The pilot pops a landing chute after touchdown and when it 's released , a crew follows behind to pick up the chute, its harness package, and the heavy rubber bands that keep the chute properly folded during storage. " Even on the ground , the stove-dark SA-71 presents an awesome picture of pure power. As four physiological support technicians and a PSD supervisor integrated Maj. Peters and his ASO into the Blackbird's life support systems, maintenance specialists inspected its fuel cells, seals , nacelles, rudders, and other vital parts. " It carries a wide variety of observation equipment," Capt. Crawford explained. Under normal conditions the SA-71 can fly from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C. , a distance of more than 2,000 miles, in just over an hour. " It can also survey 100,000 square miles of the earth 's surface during that hour, " Capt. Crawford added. Constructed largely of titanium , which withstands the extreme tern peratures and forces of high-Mach flight, the Blackbird is 107.4 feet long, 55.6 feet wide, and stands 18.5 feet from the ground to the tips of its slanted , twin vertical stabilizers. " She 's a beauty, " said TSgt. Alan Anderson, on hand to provide additional maintenance help if required. He explained that each of the SA-71 's two J-58 power plants is started by a pair of start carts powered by Buick engines that turn the turbines in the J-58s. "But actual ignition is by a chemical process, " TSgt. Anderson said. " When the pilot advances the throttles, engine rpm soon exceeds a certain point igniting the fuel system by chemicals." As if on signal , one engine blasted to life with an ear-hammering roar that sent those without ear plugs or ear . protectors scurrying for shelter. Moments later the second engine screamed into readiness . Mounted away from the fuselage on either side of the delta wings, each J-58 engine generates more than 30,000 pounds of thrust. Much of the sleek speedboat-shaped fuselage is occupied by fuel ce lls, and by space for a variety of photographic and electronic sensors. With both engines running in the open hangar and the hydraulics systems functioning, the busy crew chief and maintenance assistants quickly began to " clean up" the SR-71 for Maj . Peters' solo flight. They methodically checked circuit breakers, inspected and closed panel access doors, and removed engine start cables and external power equipment. On the cockpit ladders, PSD technicians pulled the safety pins on the ejection seat systems. Then the crew chief visually checked the drag chute door, closed the canopy, and climbed down to disconnect all remaining forms of power and communication cables. Within moments the Blackbird moved out of the hangar under the crew chief's guidance. " It's almost a parade ," PSD supervisor TSgt. David S. Weir remarked . The SR-71 was preceded by one pickup truck with flashing lights, and followed by another carrying the cockpit access ladder. The PSD van and other vehicles fell into place as the Blackbird moved toward its starting gate like an anxious thoroughbred . "I can never look at that airplane without being impressed all over again, " Capt. Mike Crawford said of the futuristic design of the power-rich SR-71 . The faces of every other pilot and 9th SRW maintenance man in the immediate area mirrored his words of praise. Col. John W. Fenimore, the wing 's Deputy Commander for Operations, expressed a glowing pride in the unit's aircraft, its highly skilled maintenance specialists, the aircrew member~. physiological support technicians, and everyone else involved in the operation and support of the wing's unique mission . " We're constantly sitting on 'go,' " he said . " We may be tasked with high-altitude photographic or air-sampling missions, with either of our two special birds, and on short notice. And our people get little public recognition," he added , " yet this is probably the most fantastic flying organization in the world ." Nobody who comes in close contact with those who fly and support the high flyers would doubt the colonel 's comments. eQ3 AWACS ON NORAD ALERT Adding a new dimension to North American Air defence in 1979 are E-3A Sentry AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aircraft. Canadian Forces Lieutenant General Kenneth E. Lewis, right, deputy commander in chief of NORAD, is briefed on the capabilities of the new airborne system by U.S. Air FIRST DASH 7 FOR CANADIAN FORCES The Honorable Barney Danson, Minister of National Defence, today accepted delivery of the first of two de Havilland DASH 7 aircraft for the Canadian Armed Forces. The second aircraft will be delivered in July. The two aircraft will be flown by the Canadian Forces in West Germany, replacing the CC-109 "Cosmopolitan", a twin-engined turboprop used by Canadian Forces since 1960. The DASH 7 has been sold to 17 customers in nine countries. Orders and options total 46 aircraft, of which six are already in service. ---- Force Major General John L. Piotrowski , ~ left, commander of the 552nd AWAC - Wing, and Colonel James W. West, commander of the NORAD detachment at Tinker AFB, Okla. With its high-flying and far-ranging " look down" radar and sophisticated on-board electronic systems, the AWACS aircraft greatly enhances NORAD's air space surveillance and control capabilities. (NORAD photo) 14 VENEZUELAN CORPORATION BUYS CL-215 AIRCRAFT C.V.G. Ferrominera Orinoco C.A. , of Puerto Ordaz, Venezuela has purchased two CL-215 multi-purpose aircraft from Canadair Limited of Montreal. C.V.G. Ferrominera Orinoco is a sub sidiary of the C.V.G. Group (Corporation Venezolana de Guyana) . The C.V.G. Group is responsible for the management of the Ouverito pine plantation north of the Orinoco River in south-eastern Venezuela. It intends to use the CL-215s for forest fire protection and the transpor tation of· workers . The Canadair CL-215 is the only aircraft in the world to be designed specifically for firefighting . Its major technological advantage over other firefighting aircraft is that it does not have to return to an airfield to reload after each attack on the fire. Instead , it picks up its six-ton load of water in less than ten seconds as it skims at 80 mph (130 km/ h) over the surface of any suitable body of water in the vicinity of the fire. The CL-215 is also widely used for aerial spraying, maritime surveillance, search and rescue, and transportation . It is in service in a number of countries including Canada, France, Spain , Greece and Thailand. Canadair has built 65 of the aircraft of which 47 have been exported. Canadair flight crews will ferry the aircraft to Puerto Ordaz later this month . C. V.G . maintenance personnel are presently undergoing training at the Canadair plant in Montreal. Flight crews will receive their training in Venezuela. March 1979 XB-70 GREATEST OF THEM ALL? By almost any measure, this hideously beautifui Mach 3 fantasy machine was the most superlative aircraft ever to fly. The on ly North American ·xB-70 now in existence sits in front of a large brick building six miles down Route 444 from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. It is a souve nir from history, on display as part of the co llection of the Air Force Museum. Wide-eyed little boys c lamber enthusiastica lly over its landing gear, camera-tot ing tourists gawk in amaze ment at it, and pilots from World War II remark that things have sure changed since the old days. Indeed they have. For despite the fact that the XB-70 is an obsolete mu seum piece, it is st ill the most ad vanced airplane ever built. Nothing today, in 1972, can match ·it in terms of size and performance. It has flown at Mach 3.08 (2,033 mph), a speed un matched by any aircraft in the world except for Kelly Johnson' s superspy SR-71 and the Russian MiG-23-both less than a quarter of the size of the XB-70. It has taken off at a gross weig ht of 538,000 pounds, a figure matched only by the lumbering subsonic 747 and C-5A. And the final superlative, of course, is money. This single 200-ton museum piece, representing an investment of two billion dollars, is worth 10 times its weight in go ld . The XB-70 began in 1955 as an idea in the mind of General Curtis LeMay, then head of the Strategic Air Com mand and Air Force Chief of Staff. He foresaw a need in the middle 1960s and beyond for a manned, superson ic, long-range bomber to replace the aging B-52 and supplement the pro posed ballistic missile force. The Air Force envisaged a fleet of 150 of the superplanes by 1970, at a total cost .of 6 WORLD'S GREAT AIRCRAFT• 1972 By Dave Noland 10 billion dollars. Congress authorized funds for the preliminary design and development of the project. LeMay set down a li st of req uire ments for his proposal. He wanted an ·unrefueled range of 6,000 miles and the ability to reach 1,100 mph in short bursts. North American and Boeing sweated long hours over this almost impossible combination of range and performance. LeMay apparently want ed to have his cake and eat it, too. LeMay's piece of cake appeared on the drawing board as an ungainly mil lion-pound monster three times larger than any ai rpl ane built up to that time. The general took one ·Iook at the proposal and rejected it flatly. The engin eers slunk back to their drawing boards. L11ckily, at this time, NASA researchers discovered a happy fact of supersonic life-the "compression lift" principle. If the fuselage were proper ly designed, an aircraft could ride its own shock wave the way a three point hydroplane rises on its step and skims over the water instead of through it. The engineers calculated a lift bonus of 30 percent. LeMay sudden ly had his cake, and with ic in g. An aircraft was possible that cou ld not only exceed his speed requirement by 1,000 mph, but cou ld cruise the entire mission at that speed instead of merely dashing over the target in a limited burst. The new XB-70 was given the go-ahead, and • North American 's design was selected. The technological problems of turn ing this beautiful aerodynamic dream into reality were staggering. No plane then in Air Force service cou ld fly at Mach 2, mu ch less Mach 3. North American came • up with some revolutionary solutions. They decided the 150,000 pounds of JP-5 fuel could serve double duty as a heat sink to coo l the XB-70' s skin. (Despite the fact that the air temperature at crui s ing altitude of 70,000 feet is 60 de grees below zero, friction against that same air heated the skin to over 600 degrees). Calculations showed that the fuel cou ld abso rb all frictional heat generated by up to five hours of Mach 3 flight. Another major technical advance was the three-layer stain less stee l hon eycomb construction, which made up 70 percent of the aircraft weight. The XB-70 also incorporated movable wing tips that folded down 65 degrees during Mach 3 cruise. Besides adding lat eral stabi lit y , the folding tips neatly counteracted the delta wing's rearward shift of center of lift with higher speed . These two innovations, never before tried on any airc raft, created weight and drag reductions of nearly ten percent. By 1959, North American was ready to begin construction of 13 produc tion aircraft . (To save time, the Air Force decided not to build a proto type). They conf id_ent ly asked for 160 million dollars, and the outcry of rage was deafening when the Defense Department granted on ly $75 million. Just no more money ava il ab le, sa id the budget people. The feud between the manned bomber and the missile had flared anew. The old-line Air Force generals adamantly supported the B-70. " You can call back a B-70, but a missile either stays or goes," they said. Bombers had a 40-year tradition of combat effectiveness, but no one had Before we start, . there's somebody ltj like you to meet. Jimmy Doolittle The history of aviation is a strange mixture of madcap feats and cool technology. They blend in a curious chemistry that makes for great yarns, odd contradictions and epic legends that grow with the telling. Also, since the entire span of aviation stretches less than three-quarters of a century, the nice thing is that lots of closets, with and without skeletons, are still there for the opening. And both the magnificent men and their flying machines sometimes can still be ferreted out of odd .corners of the world for reminiscence, corroboration or a sharp reprimand to the story tellers of aviation. Were the terrible Gee Bee racers really terrible? New Englander Ed Granville thinks gross distortions of history have been perpetrated on the barrel-bellied airplanes he and his brothers built. But two of the original pilots, Californians Jimmy Doolittle and Jimmy Haizlip, can reply from personal experience. From opposite ends of the continent, we obtained the blunt comments of all three to throw a little light on one of the intriguing epochs of aviation. To cast light on this and other great moments in aviation history, and elevate them above the usual dry dossiers of second-hand chronicles, is the idea behind this issue of the World's Great Aircraft. In a sense, we've attempted to apply an editorial brand of X-ray vision into the happenings of flight, to peer past the banal and the obvious. We've done the same with the physiology of two of the most interesting sport aircraft of any period, the Pitts two-holer and the " monstrous" Gee Bee, and provided detail cutaway illustrations of both. In most cases, it's the human element that adds the color and the drama to our stories about inanimate collections of metal and wood and fabric that fly. For example, imagine chatting with Igor Sikorsky about what it was like to design and then fly the world's first four-engine airplane, way back in 1913. Or dropping in on Curtis Pitts and Jack Conroy to get a slant on the inspiration for the tiny aerobatic marvels, on the one hand, or the unbelievable Super Guppy, on the other. What was going on in Frank Tallman's mind as he led an armada of rebuilt B-25s through the surrealistic episodes of the Catch-22 filming in Mexico? What motivated three California men to design a trio of the most original racers in years? We've stirred the cauldron of history and come up with the aircraft heroes and deadbeats that caught our fancy. We've told what it's like to pilot one of the niftiest homebuilts, the Thorp T-18, and the biggest jetlrr)ers, the Boeing 747. We've captured the rare Fleetwings amphibian and the suddenly extinct Grumman F3F-2 in flight. And we've explored Mach 3 in the B-70 and Mach nothing in the rickety old Caudron G.3. For those who like to fly, or just to sigh, we dedicate this volume of th e World's Great Aircraft. Richard B. Weeghman, Editor WORLD'S GREAT AIRCRAFT • 1972 5 ever fired a st rateg ic missile in anger. The Dep·artment of Defense, however, still in the shadow of Sput nik, diverted $85 million to the development of the Minuteman mis sile. The new plan ca lled for one pro totype XB-70 and 20 prod uction mod els. The first flight target date was set back a year to 1963 and the service date two years to 1967. Then Robert McNamara and hi s effi ciency experts entered the picture. McNama ra took a co ld , hard, businesslike look at the B-70 project and decided it would be obso lete be fore it ever left the ground. It would be vulnerabl e to missiles, and techni cal advisors decided that the B-70 simply f lew too high and too fast to drop a bomb accurately. McNamara calculated that the cost of developing an ope rationa l wing would pay for 2000 Minuteman ICBM s. The B-70 cou ld not deliver enough megatons per dollar, and McNamara ordered the project cance ll ed . In traditional Defense Department jargon, he ex plained, " We calculate that the strate gic retaliatory forces programmed through 1967 cou ld achieve practically complete destruction of the enemy target system. The addition of a force of 200 B-70s would not appreciab ly change that result. " Venerable Congressman Carl Vin son, cha irman of the House A rmed Services Committee, led the oppos i tion to what he no doubt cons idered the eggheads and their fancy comput er studies. Vinson began what Newsweek called " an unprecedented forcing action by Congress." Vinson wrote into the Weapons Appropria tion Bill for fiscal 1963 $500 million for the B-70, three times the amount requested by the Defense Depart ment. And he added a clause to the bill stat ing that the A ir Force was " ... directed, ordered, mandated, and required to utilize the full amount" fo r the B-70. To avert a head-on Congressional clash, McNamara an·nounced a restudy of the B-70 program just hours before the showdown vote was scheduled. The move apparently was a smokescreen to placate the pro-bomber camp, and also an honorable way out for Vin son, who d idn ' t appear to have rustled up enough votes. McNamara comprom ised , and 8 WORLD'S GREAT AIRCRAFT • 1972 agreed to the construction of two pro totypes, with further production hing ing on the outcome of the restudy and performance of the prototypes. Vinson agreed, and the House passed the watered-down B-70 bill 403-0. Both sides claimed victory, but it soon became clear that no production would ever take place. The eggheads and their computers had won. The B-70 was dead as a bomber, but still alive as an experimental plane. Meanwhile, North American engi neers were painfully discovering that not all of their problems were politi cal. Persistent microscopic leaks in the welds around the fuel tanks re quired an entire year of concentrated effort to find a sealant . (The B-70's fuel was impregnated with nitrogen g'ls to reduce the danger of explo sion, and the nitrogen seeped through the welds). Even after a year's work on the problem, the inner main tank was irrepairable, and engi neers finally gave up, deciding not to use that particular tank. In May, 1964, nine years after the beginning of design work and more than two years behind schedule, the first prototype XB-70 was rolled out of its hangar into the Los Angeles -;unshine. The glistening white beast was an awesome sight. Its snout hung 25 feet above the ground, almost as high as the tail of a 707. The air in takes for the six jet engines were big enough for a man to walk around in . The nose and cockpit drooped for ward of the delta wing, and the ca nard wings just aft of the cockpit gave the craft the sinister appearance of a hooded cobra. The XB-70 was called by many engi neers and laymen the most esthetical ly beautiful aircraft ever, but others insisted she was the downright ugli est. One engineer dubbed the XB-70 " Cecil the Seasick Serpent." Another described her as "a banana towing an orange crate. " Apparently every as pect of the XB-70 was doomed to controversey. After five months of careful ground and taxi testing, on September 21 , 1964, the XB-70 flew for the first time. But trouble struck almost immediately after takeoff. A hydraulic failure locked the landing gear in the down position. As Chief Test Pilot Al White -struggled to keep the plane flying slowly enough so that the wheels would not be ripped off by air resist ance , his number-six engine overspeeded and had to be shut down. Finally, 25 minutes later, White brought the XB-70 in for a gentle 200- mph touchdown. But again, unexpect ed trouble hit. The automatic braking system failed, the brakes locked up and two tires blew. Still, White ma naged to guide her to a safe, skidding stop . The B-70 had flown, but just barely. After repairs , she resumed flight testing and surpassed every flight goal set for her. On October 12, the B-70 became the largest plane to fly supersonically. (At that time, she was still the largest plane to fly, period). On March 25, 1965, she passed Mach 2 (1,350 mph) for the first time, and a few months later reached the design maximum speed of Mach 3. Test Pilot White reported that she handled like a dream. In mid-1965, a second, more ad vanced prototype joined the first , and the pair made several flights a week. The flights were not without incident, however. On one hop, the number two aircraft developed a short-circuit in the computer that controlled the hydraulic system. Consequently, the landing gear was stuck in the up position. A belly landing was out of the question because of the B-70's high approach speed and the place ment of its engines-all six were underneath the fuselage and would explode on contact with che ground. Co-pilot· Joseph Cotton, displaying good old-fashioned seat-of-the-pants ingenuity, crawled 100 feet on his belly into the bowels of the aircraft, and located the short. He then re paired it with a paperclip, saving the American taxpayers a billion dollars in the process. What was it like to fly the B-70 under more normal conditions? Sheer size created some problems. During WORLD"S GREAT AIRCRAFT • 1972 11 Death of the second XB-70. During a formation flight to get publicity pictures, Joe Walker's F-104 bumped the right wingtip of the XB-70 and exploded in a ball of flame. The crippled XB-70 kept flying for 16 seconds, then tumbled out of control. 12 WORLD'S GREAT AIRCRAFT• 1972 landing, the pilot sat 110 feet forward of the main gear and 40 feet above it. Pi lot Cotton commented, " You're sit ting way out in front, and at times it seems like you're not reall y sure what 's going on back there." And of course maneuvering at Mach 2 will be something for prospective Concorde captains to think about. To turn around at that speed requires more than 200 miles. And what happens when an SST approaches a crowded airport? Says Cotton, "You don't stand by at Mach 2 very long. No, sir, you don' t stand by." On June 8, 1966, the B-70 program su ffered a stunning, tragi c se tback. The more advanced number-two ai_r craft crashed after a midair co ll ision. But the B-70, born amid conflict and controversey, cou ld not even die gracefu ll y. The circumstances surrounding the crash spurred more protests and investigations from the Pentagon. It seems that General Electric, manufacturer of the XB-70's J-93 en gines, had requested a format ion flight involving the XB-70, an F-4B, an F-5, an F-104, and a T-38. All of these craft used GE engines, and the company's public relation s peop le wanted some publ icity shots of them in formation. The Air Force agreed. Major Joseph Walker piloted the F-104, nestled in tight below the right wingtip of the XB-70 for the Learjet camera p lan e. Wa lker's speed and altitude records in the X-15 qua lified him as perh aps the most experienced and capab le test pilot in the world. But somehow, Joe Wa lker made a mistake. His F-104 apparently slipped into the wake vortex swirling off the XB-70's wing tip. The 104 bumped the tip with its tail , then fl ipped over on its back and veered into the XB-70's twin tails, shearing one off at the root and damaging the other. "Midair! Mi dair!" crackled the radios. "Walker ran into him and I think he's done for!" Walker's 104 cartwheeled behind and burst into flames. Tailless, the massive XB-70 flew straight and level for 16 seconds. As the pi lots of the other planes looked on helplessly, the XB-70 pitched abruptly, yawed to the ri ght and flipped over on its back. One para- chute appeared as the billion-dollar craft tumbled completely out of con trol. White, after struggl ing with the clamshell doors of his escape capsule, had finally gotten out. The XB-70 smashed into the desert, leaving only charred metal to disturb the Mojave landscape. Walker and Major Ca rl Cross, White's copilot , were dead . It had been Cross's first ride in the XB-70. The number-one XB-70 was used for further test flying, providing data on sonic booms, engine and airframe performance, turbulence, and other aspects of SST research. On Febru ary 4, 1969, the orig inal "Cecil " made its last flight, a cross-country hop from Edwards Air Force Base in California to Wright-Patte rson in Oh io. Ironical ly, the flight was ent irely subsonic, to avoid sonic booms over populated areas. The XB-70 made one farewell pass over Wrig ht -Pat, and then , at 2:15 p.m., the most advanced aircraft in the world touched down for the last time. Today, 17 years after its inception, there's stil l no aircraft any where that can approach its size and performance. □ height overall, 70 in.; max. diameter, at int ake, 33.5 in. ; 111:ix. r:iting, 5 mins, 1.260 shp. ( res idu:il thrust 260 lb.) :it 20.-100 compressor rpm., 3.000 output shaft rpm.: one hour r:iting 1.100 shp. at !0 .800 rpm ., continuous 920 shp. at 19.000 rpm. A Vickers Valiant is shown taking off with the assistance of ·two de Havilland Super Sprite rocket motors, which are contained in jettisonahle cannisters. All New: The on!Y completely ne\Y tu rbojet was de 1-fayi]bncl Gyron Jun ior which, as its name suggests, is scaled down from the Gy ron. I t em bodies the simple low-pressure ratio plus afterburner conception of a super sonic engine post ulated by Dr. E. S. Bault. The aim is to get :is much air as possible through the engine at high altitude and to make maximum use of the high ram compression at }-1:ich 2 and above. ~ Then this is being done turbine temperature limits the com pressor ratio and it pavs to burn fuel in the jet pipe, where. without rotating parts, much higher temperatures can be wi thstood-and, of course, the pro pulsive efficiency of afterburning in creases greatly :it :ind abo \·e Mach 2. The Gyron is about th e sa me size :is th e Orpheus and is reputed to g iYe the thrust of a Sapphire-the price of this probably lies in a poor specific fuel consumpti on in subso nic flight. In use , therefo re. th e Gyron Junior must reach supersonic speed and maintain it for as much of the flight as possible. one engme is not "better" than the other, the airplane designer rather chooses the one which suits him best. ( See chart at 110,ver right.) The Napier Gazelle is the engine developed under MoS contract for the Royal Navy's ViTestland ·wessex (Si k orsky S-58 license) and the twin engined Bristol 192. Essentially, it is a characteristically Napier axial-flow turbine of low weight and diameter, designed by A. J. Penn to run in any att itude between the vertical and the horizontal. Since frontal area is of little consequence in a helicopter a wide flared air intake casting with a peripheral entry h as been used and upon it are mounted all the engine accessones. This is the first Napier engine to have a st ressed combustion air casing instead of a load-carrying tubular struc ture between compressor and turbine. It is also the first Napier engine to have a common air casing, although six individual flame tubes are still used. Power is extracted from the "boiler" by a free turbine bolted to th e top ( rear ) of the main engine. The efflux is du ctcJ ;i w;i y at n ine ty degrees h\· fou r r lhr,\,·-sha pccl p ipe ~. The shaft of -the free tuirbine drives a ,planetary reduction gear lying between the ex haust ducts . The free turbine drive is particularly useful in a helicopter be cause it dispenses with the need for a clutch, since, in the event of engine fa ilure, there is no resistance to auto rotation of the rotor. Likewise, when the engine is sta rted , the rotor-drive turbine only revolves when there is surplus efflux energy to drive it. Furthermore, a practi cal balance will occur automatically in flight between the optimum rpm. of both turbines. Four versions of the Gazelle have so far been an nounced , the 1,260 shp. . 'Ga I , th e 1,650 NGa2, the 1,800 sh p. NGa3 and the 2,000 shp. NGa4. The fo llowing data are for the NGal: Orion Length ----------·····------- - - 112 .3 in . Diameter ____ __ __ ___ ___ ___ __ 41.75 in. Weight --- --- - ----- - - ---- - - 3,1 50 lb. Pressure ratio ___ ____ ________ 10.1 Airscrcw gea r ra ti o ____ __ ____ I 1.1 :I It is a single-shaft engine with what appears to be J six-st:ige compressor ,,· ith Yari able-incidence inlet guide \·anes and a two -or three-stage turbine. The engine is alm ost parallel. with th e jet pipe diameter only a little small er than the :iir in take. Like the "Sen ior", the combustion chamber is truly annular an d, in thi s case. it has th ir tee n spill-flow fu el burners . The air intake casing form s an integral oil tank and th ere is a de-icin g bleed from th e rear of the com presso r. The tur bine cas ing has t\\'o curious external hr:ic ing fl anges. Although at fi. rst sig n it might seem that th e Ju ni or is " \\·here we ca me in", T yne 100.4 in. 4fl.5 in . 2,023 lb. 13 .1 15.6:1 T / 0 Power -- - - - - - ------ - - - - 4,400 shp+l.950 lb. (5,150 chp) 4.220 sh 11 + 1.235 lh . (4,695 chp' ) Cruise Power - - ---- -- - ------- 3,500 chp @ 3fl,00 (J ft. ~ 3 50 , hr+ 152 lb. (25 53 dip@ 25 .000 ft. ) /I /RC/(1FT wi th th.: K .-\F , a11d ·hae wcr1.: s1.:veral all-Canadian Spi tfi ,:: , q uad.on~ . The fam om fighter h:i~ oi tc·11 k en uc:dited with winning the Batt!~ of Britain anJ thus making possible victory in the Sernn mpl etcd a big nucl ea r air~raft propu ls ion tcst facility, including a ru11w:1y as \\'c l! .1, static test equipment, in Idaho. 57 ~NEWS HOUNDlJP Cleveland, t s~rv icing of needs thro ughout the Scuth~rn Ontario area. Technical assistance will be available to the Canadian d istributor by the Parker Co. Canadian Air History Aeronautical items of historical sign ificance to aviation in Canada are being sought for possible use in con nection with the Jocumentary film which the National Film Board is planning to produce to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Canadian Flight. The Film Board would like to locate film clips depicting aviation events which took place in Canada in the early .lllltl lo t r:1i 11 ;1 pilot qu:il ilinl lo ~h- ict :1i rn:1ft in th e l{C:.'\r. the House o f Co111mo m \\":IS i11 fo r111cd rc r c11th· i11 ;1I1 S\H·r lo ;1 qucst io11 fru111 ;i 111c111hn. Increased Strength Tht· authorizeJ ma111>ower ,cili ngs for two of the three .·\ n n ed Se n ·ices h:11·e recent!\' been al. ered hY hoostin u . - ... the li111it for the RC.-\F. \\·h il e scaling do\\"n the .-\rnw. The ~:t YY 1s not :1ffected, nor is the :tuthorized combined strength of the three sen·ices. whi ch is peg ged :it 120.000. The old ceili ngs were '50.UOO for the .\r111y. -18.000 for the RC.-\F. :1nd 20. lllJ LI for the ]{Cl\. It is conside red per miss ihle to exceed these indi\· idual ser- sli ghtly i, hl'lirH"d to he a rdh·ti1111 111 the inne;1sing m;111po\HT rcq11irt·1 11 e11h of the e:1rh· \\·:1rnt11)! syste111. Moving Pians . \ t least three 111aior i{ C .-\F cst:1l>lish me11ts arc· ill\uln:d i11 11 10\ ing 11l:t 11 , th at arc either now und er \\".I \" or pro jected for the ne:1r future . 1\o. 3 ,-\JJ . \\" eather OTL·. based ,It ~orth B:11·. Ont.. since it s for111:1tion :1 fe \\" years :tgo. i, soon to 1110\·e to a ne\\· loc:1tion in \\ 'c:Siern Ca11:1da . RC.-\F Sutio11 Cold La ke. .-\lhena. ,Tntre of oper:ttions for the· J{C.-\F· , h ig Ill'\ \ . firing range whi ch str:1ddks th e in ter prO\·i nc i:d border be t \\·een ~ orthern .-\lhert:1 :111d ~ orthern S:1sk:1tchew :u1. .·\ rnmple te shift of all tr:rnsport MASSIVE RETALI ATION: Shown in flight below is the first production model of the Boeing Strotofortress, the B-52A , while above is shown Strotofortress final assembl y li ne a t Se attle, Washington. Completed machine at end of line hos vertical toil folded in ord er to clear foctory door top when o irplone is rolled out . Powe red by eig ht P & W J-57's of over 10,000 lbs ., th. e a ch, th is bomber hos a spon of 185 ft., length of 156 ft., toi l hei ght of 48 ft. , ond a gross weight of more than 350,000 lbs. Spee d is over 600 mph .; range, more than 6,000 miles. \·ice ceiling figun:, u p tu three pe r ce nt. though a close r check i, kept on th e combined ,t n :ngth. The new authorized ,trengt hs art: -J(J,OlHJ for the :\r111 y. '> I .f)()() for th t i{C:A F. a11J 2(J,l)(HJ fc,r the .--.: :11·\' . The actual strength, a, of lkce1nlx:r 1 1. 19'>4, wert: .j(J. -l-1 7 for the Army, -1H, 7'>0 for tht :\ir Force. ancl 18.80(, fc,r the 1'::1\·y. T he ,I ,,;._: "" I " J,.,.,,1 111(· \ir 1-"c,r ,T ,, ' 1,1_ Aying operati c,m from RC::\ r Station l{ockcliffe to l{ C.'\ F St:1tion Cpl:in\\" :-:rou nded) . hut w ill no t :1ffect -1118 i'hoto Squadron . l~C:\1-' St:1tion l{o,k,li iTc will rn11 1i 1111L' lo he th e h:1sc of th·i ng oper:1t iom i"or ( :('l llr:d F\Jlt' ri111rn t:d &. Prm·i11g Est:1hl ishment. and the hc:tdquancr, :light of :1ircr:1lt that is 111:iintained to :dlo \,· .·\FI-I(_> olliccrs tP 111:1imain their th·ing skills . Rockclifk i, :dsc, the lo,·:1- tio n of .-\ir .\l:tteri:tl Co111 111:ind H<_l . : \ t Ed111u11ton . all l{C .-\1-' tlying opera tions :ire gr:1 dually heing ,hifted front Edmonton i\luni cip:il .-\ irpo rt to ]{C:.-\1-' St:ttion ~:im:1 0. So fa r. the colJ weath er detachment of Centr:11 Experime ntal ~ Pro\·in,l! Estahlishmem h:i, made the 111m·e :1, has the co111munic:1 tion s & res.:uc squadron. Stil l to go :i re -135 Transport Squadron :111 J -l IX .-\ uxili:ir\' Squadron . These c:tnnot he m o1·ed until the nn\· c:1mik\-er h:111g:1r :1t ~:1m:1 c, i, rnmpleteJ. Thi, h:1' hem del :1ved ,ornnd1:11 In · such ditlicultics :ts a strikr :ll th e pl:im oi the stru,tural steel , up plie r in \\' innipcg. RCN T-33 's L:1rh· thi, year. fc,ur T-3 3:\'( Sih-cr St:1r., \\·ere ddin-rcd to H.\I C S Shc:1r \\·:1tcr. thL· l{ CI\'·, '\":1\·:il .-\ ir St :1tion near lh n 111ou th. l\ .S. This 111:1rb the t-irst ti111t the HC:i\.. h,1, oper:ited jct :1ircraft. The T-3.r, arc being used to tr:1in pilots in ict :1ircraft opcr:1 tion prep:1r:1 - tory lo dcliH-rics k ing 111:1dc of the .\k l)c,nncll 1-': J 1-3 H:i mhtcs whi ch the i{C:'< h:1, 011 order fro111 the CS~. I k li\·crics of the lat ter art· hcing d cl:1ynl until such time a, thc .\l:1)!nifin:11 t·, rt pl:iccmrnt. tlw H.\I CS Dona\-c nture. i, ncarh· n ::1dy fo r commissio ning. It i, understood th:tl the lk111shee, \\'ill he m:Khine, th:1t ha\-e seen sen-irc w ith tht L"S'-:. hu t \\·ill h:1\·c hcc11 L1nor \' rehuilt JllSl prior lo ddi\·cn· to th, i{ C~. RCAF Neptunes The t-ir,i ol the Ill'.\\ •. '\eptum· ,11r craft hci11g olllai n<:d fu r l{C.-\F 111:m timt ,quad ron, :ire expected le, ;1rr11·t: in Cana<.-c 11 11ndngo ing i11tensi\·e ground tr:1i11i11.~ ~< ii \ 11111L· 1i111c :,; the L~1c khccd .11/N'/_'_ ii r J ( C Th do Su Mc pr, IS al Go Co pa ~ The Airborne Services ,. Muscle Building Not since the heyday of the BCA TP has the RCAF had it so goo8.492,837. • The RCAF's establishment has been increased from 18,278 by 40% to a total oi 24,950. The pbnned intake for ai rcre1\" is 150 every six weeks and it is also hoped to get 450 groundcrew per month. Respective figures under the old program were 40 and 100. • The number of planned interceptor squadrons is to be increased threefol d ( to 15 ). It is also proposed to build the squadrons up to full fighting strength of aircraft and personnel, rather than at half or ma-thirds fight ing strength. • Squadrons of Lancasters are being or have been converted to maritime operations and will be built up to full fighting strength. • No. 426 Squadron has had its establi shment increased from eight to twelve ?\"orth Stars. The medium range transport squadrons are each receiYing an additional six Dakotas. • A further transport squadron is. i\1r. Claxton hopes, to be equipped with American aircraft. (See below). • The possibility of building a new type of transport aircraft in Canada is being explored . . . Mr. Claxton thought something like the Fairchild C-l I 9 would he the t icket. Building of such a transport in Canada depends on 1vhether or not l\"orth Atlantic Treaty nations cou ld use some (gra ti s, if need be) ... otherwise there woui 7! WINGS IN SPACE/OCTOBER, 1964 j LING-TEMCO-VOUGHJ. CORP. A-lA L TV's light attack bomber (formerly known as VAL) will fly in the fall of 1965 and is being produced for the US Navy. It is designed to carry a heavy load of armament with emphasis on close air support and ;1 limited war operations. Powered by a Pratt & Whitney l . TF-3 0 engine similar to that being used in the F-l l IA, the A-7 A incorporates many features of the F-8 cru sader series. It is subsonic, with fixed wings, shorter j fuselage and less sweep-back to i will be outboard of the wing foil. the wings. Ailerons 17 STRATOFORTRESS : Th~ new Boei ng X~-52 is t he USAF's ne west heo vy bomber a nd th e fir st lo be all-1et- powe red. It " fi tted wit h e ight Pra tt & Whitney J-57 t ur bo-jets, thought t o develo p about 10,000 lbs. st. th . eac h. Fe w d etail s hove been relea sed but the ai rc ra ft obviously hos sharply swept wings , dual tand em und e r carri a ge wi t h out rig g e r wheels nea r fhe wing lips. In the some class as the Strato fo rtress is t he C onvoi r XB-60 a je t- powere d, swept • .,i ng deve lopment of the B-36. sumably the Vampire woulJ be e\·en less successful. since one of the prime attributes that have been necessa ry to outfight the \[iC l '5 to date is that of speed. Both British types are soml'. what slower than either the Russia11 aircraft or the l.:S.-\F's F-~(>. It is possible that the RC-\F squa,1- rons based in the C.K. may co ntinue'. to form the \·a ngua rd of British air defe nces fo r some time. \Vhile the British have at least two fighter types that woulJ be the match of any com pa rable a ircraft at a comparable stage of development (the Supermarine Swift :t11d the Hawker Hunter) . both are far frolll mass production. E\·en if production were properly organized within the nc:-.t few m o n t h s. it would be :It least two years before R,\ F lighter squadro ns were complete ly re-eq ui ppeJ. Actu all y, the R--\.F will b: mak ing use of Ca naJair-built F -86 ain:ralt before it gets :111v number of Rritish !llade aircraft. Stocking the Larder Last month saw the begi nnin)!" of the annual air re-supply ope rations to the joint Canada / U.S. weather stations m the Arctic . T hese stations are operated on a year-rou nd basis by the DoT anJ the L'.S. Weather Bureau. and are manneJ by equal numbers of personnel from each country . . . these personnel being changed once a Year. Flights are being made to \\·eather stations at Mould Bay. on Prince Pat rick Island. fsachsen on Ell ef Ringnes Island. :1nJ to .\ lert a nd Eureka . hoth 0 11 Ellesmere f sla nJ. RCAF co!ll mitme n ts are bei ng ha nd led by mo l -orth Sta rs o f -+26 .\.fay, 1952 ThunderbirJ Sq uaJron, Dorva l, P.Q., operation under A ir Transport Com mand. These RCAF airc raft, working out of Resolute Bay on Cornwall is lsl:inJ. are engageJ in Hying hun dreds of tons of mail, food, equipment, e1nd personnel to the stations. L"S. \F commnments are being hanJled by four C-'5-+s from No rth east .-\ir Command, with headquarters at Pepperrell AFB . Sai nt Johns, New foundland. :--JE.-\C is respons ible fo r the resuppl y of two weather stations -.-\lert and Eureka. Using six crews of se\·en men each. the C-5-+s wi ll By more than ~30.000 pounds of ca rgo to t hl~ n'-·o stations. The weather repo rting program t"ro 111 these .-\retie stations includes surface obsen·ations seYeral times daily as well as upper ai r cond itions to heights ot 60.000 to 70 .000 fee t. Basic meteo rological Jata obta ined from th e stations is of fundamental importa nce in the Je,·eloplllent of the science of meteo rology and is of assistance to ~i, e:1rcn meteorologists in their at tempts to solve the innumerable prob lems of weather moYements. Expansion at Centralia The current expansio n a nd mod ern izatio n program u nder way at RC.-\ F Statio n Centralia, O n tario 1\·ill cost an add it ional $2.000,000 a~ .1 result of furthe r new construction ,, i:in ned . This br ings the cost of the i,rog-ram to an estimated $6,000,000. The Stat ion is one of the largest oper ate GLOBE GIRDLER: This is how Northrop thinks its flying wing would look if it were completely fitted with boundary layer contro l slots. Northrop claims that so equipped a flying wing such as the YB-49 cou ld fl y around th e world non-stop. More about Nort hrop's theories on boundary layer control may be found i n News Roundup. rem unres,ricteJ proJucrion engines ,1 11J is consequently now a1·ailable for comme rcic.d use. • The Grobet File Company of America, Inc.. has appointed the [11- dustrial Steel Sc Su pply Company, -~,'\ '\"otre Dame \Vest, .\,[ontreal, as C111adian representati 1·e. • The Smithsonian Institution of \\',1sh ington. D.C., has installed a 11enna11ent display featuring Goodyear's crosswind landing gear. •The C. \.-\ has issued a µroposed regulation wh ich would standardize the cockpit arrangements of all U.S . transpo rt category aircraft on the d raw ing bo:i rds at the time the regulation is adopted . •Magnesium alloy canopy frames fo r prototype models of the Temco TE-IA military type trainer are now bei ng experimentally stretch fo rmed on a Hufford sln:tc h-pn.:ss at Texas Engim:crin g and :Vlfg., Co., Inc., in D:-t!la s, Texas. • A Stratocoach version of the Boe ing Stratocruiser, offe ring coach class accommodations for 99 to 103 air trav elers, has been announced. • British aircraft exports fo r the first tou r months of 1949 had a value of approximately $45,058,000. Goal of British aircraft constructors fo r all nf 1949 is expons valued at %14 1,400,00() . [ 11 Ju ne it appea red that Brita in had orders co vering the purchase of over l .000 ai rcraft of all types . •.-\ six-jet :-(orth rop Flying Wing is to be buil t to serve as a flying test bed for the XT-37-1 Turbodyne engine, developed by the Turbodyne Corpor- ation at H awthorne, California. The Turbodyne wi ll be mounted slightiy to the left of the centre of the airplane ,rnd will drive a large contra-rotating propeller. The ai rplane will be desig nated the EB-35-B. • Pretoria Light Aircraft Company has completed plans to build under I icense two types of Pi per personal planes in South Africa . r-·· ···--------,1 !;: :· t:::·::ii~:.·.:,~iTH·~,~ ~i ~-~'sT.JiHIG : ,N ~1.· ~OOR ~ SA~ING_ ~:. ·<·< ·. ' '. J' 11 ~;;;~: :;::::=;:: ~::;::: • • '" ., • ~I £ ~ ,~ ~ I "'4A.>OW. ~N(.INf: ov E P.MA.Ul f. ,_ August, 1949 3 1 in that the A1nhulancc (a t'iurscman) had to pick up a yo uth w ho had been accidcntly shot a nd who had to be rushed to hosp ital. T he lighting of tht.: lick! by the ca rs was pre-arra nged by the doctor whu had requested the plane. There was no moon and the cars were so located to shine their head lights down the fiel50,- 631 in the corresponding month of 19-17. Operating expenses fo r the month totalled $2 .629.626, giv mg an operating loss of $78,995. The • I ' •• < .. • .•• W-"'..,. : • ~ftl . . .. ~ -- ·· · ~ 2~.~ FROM SCREW TO SQUIRT: N ine Northrop Flying Wings are shown lined up before be i ng converted to jet propell ed RB-49's. Those in picture are driven by pusher propellers. Only four conventional aircraft could be stored in same space . February, 1949 D1MCN>IONAL SPCCIFICAT/01/J f~ -- ' . f ~ i . i >t! / :~1s_ \ -.~{t.·· .._ __ ~"'-" ,,r:=.:,":,;;~::::-:."'-,.,, ... , ~"-' ; ~~ . ' 't~>- r -·~ / r \ l ,,~;::~_;·.:;,:·sJ;·,,~-2 Vl-,d , ·1:\' -:-:<; ~•: ~ -~ --• - -;;_~ Tt9 · '· .. ,. .... . ,, r~ :::Z:-f'· -:-d"1 ~ i • - ------~--~~- ~J,- -:- ~~---=i-,// , ·- - -- • -~~= I ,m --~- 1r-~~t~--==-?1 ----- ~ I I ' • ·- ' AIRBORNE HOT ROD: The ru les for the 1949, 190 cubic inch class of racing air plcnes are now available. This is a race t hat is rapidly growing in popu larity and calls for t he use of engines which ha ve a cubic displacement of not more than 190 cubic inches ... Minimum allowable wing area is 66 sq. ft . Full rules are obtainable from the Contest Board , National Aeronautic Association, 1025 Con necticut A ve., N.W., Washington 6, D.C . Canadian entries are permitted but must hcve U.S. built engine. loss in October of 19-+7 was $150,582, when ope rating expenses were $2 .1 62,- 107. :--:on scheduled ca rriers had revenues of S'i 13 .9 18, compared with $539,376 the previous October. Operati ng costs rose from $-175, 126 to $535,-176. AITA Membership Air Industries and T ransport As sociation membership totalled 122 on January 1-1. This was made up of 62 operato r members, -13 associate mem bers 7 associate manufacturers, and 10 man ufactu rers. Customer Service . ..\. tour of eight South American - co untries by Cheston :\'ewhall , vice president and ge neral manager of The Babb Company (Canada ) Ltd., Mont rea l. was started on Feruarv 1. vVhile on hi s trip \,fr. Newhall will visit 15 ai r lines to \\'hich Babb sold airc raft du ring 1948. He \\'ill sen·e as a technical consult ant on the trip ad vising Ribb custom ers on main:enance. procureme nt. and operating problems. to help them use their eq uipment at top efficiency. A statement from Mr. J\."ewhall says that it is the policy of his company to fo llow through on sales in this man ner. TCA Pilot Pay Up Increases in pay will be coming to 300 captains and fi rst officers of TCA with the conclusion of an agreement between the air line and the Canadia n . ..\.ir Line Pilots Association, bargaining agents. Major bone of co ntention was the salary of about 170 first officers, and the d iscussions resulted in pay raises fo r these amounting to about 530 per month. Herea fte r. pay fo r hrst officers will range from $200 to $-100 a month. as against a former starting wage of $300 a month. The lower minimum w:-is agreed upon because ir is expected that future first officers will be comparati ve ly inexperienced. The present batch af starboard siders is composed mainl y of erstwhile RCAF pilots. Captains' pay will run from $-150 to :3750 a month on domestic service. A new class ificatio n. that of reserve captain, w ill be made up of captains \\·ho sometimes fill in as first officers and are fi rst in line fo r capta ins· posi tion in the eYe nt of a vacancy . The perso nnel in this group will receive captains ' pay when act ing in that c:itegory. The new agreement ends an Ul months dispute. The raises are retroacti \·e, Briefly • Britain is said to be trying to buy ! 'iO to 180 Boeing B-29 Superforts . :-( egotiatio ns were thought to be under way last month and ::it the same time R.-\F personnel were tr::ii ning on USAF R-29's based in England. • The :vfach number officially reco rd ed during the deHav illand 108 so nic di\·e was i .0-1 , representing a speed of 688.-18 m ph at 3'>.332 fee t. • A Gloster Beryl-Meteor rece ntl y climbed to -10.000 feet in 7 minutes 3 1 seco nds. It had reached 30.000 fee t in 3 minutes -13 seconds. The sta nd ard Meteor takes 8 minutes to do 30,- 000 and 17 minutes to do -1 0,000. t News Roundup ICAO Story The l11r crnatio 11 :1l ( :ivil .\ viati1111 ( Jrg:111i z:1ti1111. which ha, it, head quarters i11 \ lontreal, h:1~ i,sucd .1 , mall , two-u ,lo r booklct which t:xp lai m in clear an d brief stylc what IC ,\ U i,, how it began, an so on. It is wo rth while read ing bccause it contains worthwhile informat ion 011 a woril 1- whi le o rganization. look Out The widelv public ized accident in which a Cess na 1-10 collided with a l' :111 ,\mer ic:1 11 .\ir wa ys C:011,tellatio11 m-er Lon g Is land . \:.Y .. i11 la11 u:1ry of thi, yea r. is the ,ubject of a11 accidc11l i1l\·es1ig:llio11 report rele:tsed l:1st month hv the C. \ .\ . . \ ~ is ,n:11 k11mn1. thc pilot :ind passe nger of the Cessna were hoth killed . and "·hile the re ,,·ere no injuries to the passengers o r crew ot the Con stellation. the ai rcra ft itselt was exten -; in:ly damaged. though it w:1s able to land ~:ifelv . .\ t the time of the accident there were no clouds below l 'i.OOIJ feet and visib ility ,1t 3,51)1) leer. at whi ch alti tude th e collision occured. was li.,·e miles or hettcr. The Constellation was ,limhing LO its approH:d i:ruising al t itude of 17.UIJO feet at an ind icated air speed ot 175 mph ::ind o n a head ing ot 95 ° , during which time the Cessna was Hying :.1 heading ot approximate ly -Hl 0 at an :1ir speed ot I 08 mph and at an :.iltitude ot 3.500 feet. T he l\~' O :1irpl:tnes com·erged at :111 .1ngle of 5,•·' .111d collided at an altitude ol 3,501) i'eet o,·er Long lsl:tnd. 0 11 a !led .\ irn·ay. During the period of 1ime that the .1irpla11es wcre , 011,·erg in g at a n an gle of 58'' , the Cessna 111:1i11 - tai11ed :1 i:onsta nr rel a ti ,·e hear in ,r from the Co nste!Lttion of 38'' an d the Con stel l:1tio 11 maintained a ,011sta11t bea r ing from the Cessna of 8-l ' . '-:either the pilots in the Constell:.ition . nor the pilot in the Cessna obsen·ed the other until immediately before impact. though each :1ircraft i:ould h:1H: been seen from the other. \Vhen the pilots ot the Constell:.tti on did see the Cessna . it was withi n the wing sp:.111 ol the transport to the rig ht and sli g htl y :1hm·e the coc kpit. Thc Co 11 stell:it io n·s con t rol ro lu11111 was pushed ,h:irplv forward. hut iL was too Lile. The Report says: "The Ci\·il .\ ir Regulations :tppl ic:1hlc :lt the ti 111c of this accident required :111 :tircr:ift which was overtaki ng ,1110ther. or conve rgin,_! on anothe r fro m the lcft. to !.!;i\·e w:\V. The s::ime regulatio ns also r~quire :.;11 :iirc raft in level Hight when 3.(HJO feet or more above the sur face in :t co nLrnl :irea to fl y :tt :rn eve n or od d rhousand December, 19 -19 foot altitude.: as spccilicd by the , \.J mi ni st rator. In this particular case the ,\dmini strator h:td specified an odd thousand foot alt iLu de. 111 additi o n to thcsc spec ilio.: regulations. the pilots in the safe ope rat ion of ho th airi:r:tft were reyu ired to remain \·igilam fo r the pres en,e of othe r airi:raft in their im media te ,·icinitv . " It appears clear that the pilots in the Constella tio n we re required not onl v to see the Cess na . hut to a \·o id it. It also appea rs clear that the p ilot in the Cessna was required to rcma in :ilert fo r the presen,e o f other a i rcra h in hi s ,·ic inity. especially in ,·iew of the fact th:it he w:t s cross111g an :iir- Commenting on IC .\ ()\ future. the booklet condudes by l[Uoting Dr. Ed ward Werner. prcsident of 1he IC. \ () council: "IC. \ 0 is an associ:1t ion o f national governments which havc rcc ogni zeJ the neeJ Lo r working togethn fo r the good ot civil a,·iation a nd tor the healthy Jevelopment ot inte:· national relationshi ps . "i\:o one n:nion, acti ng within it.s ow n territory and with its own re sources. cou ld make its civil avi:ition RAZOR'S EDGE : Stre aking across the sky, the USAF's Northrop Flying Wing YB-49 bomber shows its stuff for the spectators who attended the recent ten th ann iversary cel e brations of Northrop Aircraft, lnc . Sli g htly to t he leH of the YB-49 is a Lockh eed F-80 . The trail of black smoke evide nt seems lo be typ ical of most American turbo-jet e ng ines. The Flying W ing has a speed in excess of 500 miles per hour and grosses over 100 Ions . Northrop is also produc ing the C-125 Raid er for the USAF. This is the aircraft that Canadair is licensed lo bu ild for world markets. w:1v 111 an :1rca whnl' he:t\·y tr:11tic coL;ld be expe, ted . Furthnmnre, since rhe :1ct·ide11t occurred :1t , ,"iO() feet in :1 control :tre:1 :It a 1i111e whcn 1he Cessn:t was obser ved in level Hight. it :1ppc:1rs th:t t the Ccss na w:1s not heing t-lown :it pr<,pn :1ltitud e. .. Thndore. it must he concl uded th:t t thc f:til urc of the pilots in both aircr:1ft to rem:tin i11 :111 :irea w here heavy co nce ntr:tti o ns ot trattic co uld he e xpec ted. recl to four employed .arge axial-Row units are partiall v buried : lose to the ·fuselacre . . 0 1matmg any power- the event of a fail ~ines in one of the : Bison's appearance . Square, its power my operational tur r forces, as evinced ur of these by-pass J provide the Soviet :e figures matching tra to fortress of the ommancl. Jets and Missiles The airframe of the Ilyushin-38 is a basi cally conventional subsonic structure, fea turing high-aspect ratio wings swept back at an angle of approxima tely 40 degrees at the inboard sections, this being reduced to some 34 degrees at mid-span. Takeoffs and landin~s are accomplished by means of bi cycle landing gear, the members of which retract into the fuselage just under the air intakes of the inboard engines and mid-way between the exhaust pipes and the empen nage. Outriggers in small, streamlined wing tip fairings act as stabilizers. A triple cluster of braking parachutes is used to slow the bomber down during landings. • In the best Soviet Air Force tradition, the Bison is heavily armed for defense against interceptors . Reports suggest that 10 rapid fire cannon are installed, two in a manned but radar-equipped tail turret, plus eight mounted in pairs on dorsal and ventral fuse- Trend Book 155 !age surfaces, in front and rear sections. Sighting blisters and radar bulges, which can be discerned on the available photo graphs, indicate that armament positions are remotely controlled. Representing what is probably the final product of th e Soviet Union's piloted bomber design, one of the las t stages prior to the advent of the Intercontinental Ballis tic ~-fissile, this aircraft is currently in full production and in squadron service in num bers estimated by various experts at Bying 175 machines. TECH,',iICAL DATA- Maximum speed: App. 630 mph. Range : Maximum 7000 miles. Ceiling: App. 57,000 ft. Weight: Load~d 352,750 lbs. Engines: Four 20,500- lb. thrust turbojets. Armament: App. ten 23-mm. automatic cannon plus bombload of app. 20,000 lbs. Wingspan: App. 170 ft. Length: App. 150 ft. ■ 105 - - -::-r USSR ll YUSHIN IL-28 (BEAGLE) Noteworthy because it was the first Soviet bomber with jet powerplants to enter production and service, the 11-.28 is today the most numerous jet bombing aircraft on an operational level with the forces of the \Varsaw Pact nations. In terms of perform ance, it is somewhere in between the Ameri can B-45 T ornado and the B-54. Designed soon after the close of World War II by the famous Russian bomber constructor, Sergei Il yushin, and intended to replace the piston engined Petl yakov PE-2 and Tupolev Tu-2 light bombers, the 11-28 effected its maiden flight sometime late in 1948, with first serv ice machines being delivered to the Soviet Air Force in 1949-50. Presently the 11-28, with its several derivatives, forms the main stay of the light bomber and ground-attack squadrons of the Soviet, Czechoslovak, Po lish and Red Chinese a ir forces, as 'vvell as that of E gypt. There has been some speculation as to the turbojets employed in the 11-28. It has now been established on good authority that they are \'K-1 centrifugal modifications of the Rolls-Royce Nene. A number of versions of the basic 11-28 design are currently in service with several air forces, and despite the plane's age, their designations are still largely a controversial subject. The code name "Beagle" (previously "Butcher") is used for this bomber in the \Vest, with a swept-wing progressive development, re portedly with a top speed of 621 mph, known as "Blowlamp." The latter machine was initially demonstrated at the Kubinko airfield in June, 1956. It is known that the standard bomber version has been modified to serve as a heavy ground-attack aircraft ("shturmovik") with the addition of heavier fixed nose armament. An all-weather fighter with radar in the nose has also been re ported, while a conversion trainer, desig nated 11-28U ("U'' for "uchebniy" or "in struction") has a second cockpit ahead and below the normal pilot's cockpit and ex cludes the underfuselage radar system. A slightly modified conversion of the ll-28 is known under tht' designation Il-20. Used by the U.S .S.R.'s government airline, Aeroflot, for deli vering high-priority cargoes and for gaining je t operating know-how, this development is externall v similar to the bomber version, even the 1iose gun ports not being faired in. The ll-28's design is a composite of straight wings with no taper on the leading edge and all-swept fixed tail surfaces. Its shoulder-positioned wing of moderate aspect ratio, with mass balances, inset hinges, and de-icing air outlets at the tips, is mounted far back on the circular-section fuselage, with two square-section engine nacelles in stalled far forward under the wing and hous ing hinged landing lights. Defensive arma ment consists of two tail-mounted cannon in a pressurized turret controlled by the tail gunner, who, contrary to the accepted \Vest ern practice, has no ranging radar at his dis posal. Entry is effected through a ven tral hatchwav covered bv a door which is also used as a blast shield for bail-outs and as a tail bumper. Another pair of fixed offensive cannon is installed in the nose. The crew members are equipped with emergency oxy gen i11 their personal parachute packs, with emergency ejection seats for the pilot and the navigator only. In wide service with many air forces and in production, under license, in Czechoslo vakia, approximately 45 of these light attack bombers were sent to Egypt prior to the Middle East military collision in the fall of 1956. Training was effected at the Egyptian Air Academy at Bilbeis, but the aircraft were not used effectively in the Suez opera tion. Some were destroyed by Anglo-French bombing raids, while others took refuge in Syria and Saudi Arabia. TECHNICAL DATA - Maximum speed : 600 mph. Range: 2000 miles . Ceiling: App. 45,000 ft. Weight: Loaded app. 45,000 lbs. Engines: Two 6000-lb. thrust Klimov \'K-1 turbojets. Armament: Four 23-mm auto matic cannon plus bombload. , v ingspan : 68 ft. Length : 62 ft. ■ Three-seat light bomber MIKOYAN & G T he original " ·cs tern COJ lc"('J 19 d iffered extens1veh· I ro1 which bears that Soviet Air F tion . Formulated from confl and ques tionable photograp nantlv of German origin , it dep engin'ed fighter " ·ith horizontr mounted in a "T" position abc tionallv large-area vertical f extending far behind the st fuselage . This misconception , general scarcity of data in an ated with the equipment of . forces , dissolved in 1955 wit ance of approximately 50 adva tors, dubbed Farmers in the 1' enclature code, and the subse identification of that aircraft r Reports in the spring of 1957 : numbers of Mig-19s were deli, to replace the serious aircraft bY that countrv during the St , Designed b~, a team head t-.Iikovan and :\Jikhail Gurevi< Unio11's first operational supe bears a strong famil y resembla known predecessors , the Migs \\"hich it is a direct progressiv Similarly to its subsonic pre is destined to form the mai dav fi crhter squadrons having ice st;tus earl v in 1955 and , in the proces; of replacing t 11 ig-17 in the first-lin e squa logicall y, as well as performa1 external appearance, the Far counterpart of the U. S. Air American F-100 Super Sabre compared to the F-86 Sabre. In appearance the Farm blend of the Super Sabre, Chance Vought FSU Crus French Super Mystere. The 6 \\"ings, however, have a high and the supersonic intercepto the accepted standards of fighter design in utilizing t one, slim axial-flo\\· turhoiets 1 USSR TUPOLEV TU-16 (BADGER) l ong-rang e me dium bomber D uring the 1954 annual May Day parade in Moscow, a formation of nine of the new t\\·in-jet medium bombers streaked over the Red Square, revealing an advanced sub sonic design, previouslv unknown outside the Soviet Union. It can be assumed that the type made its initial flight not much earlier than late 1951 or early 1952, and it is known that the high-speed bomber is cur rently in wide service with the Soviet Air Force squadrons, although not in quantities as large as its American counterpart, the Boeing B-47 Stratojet. It has attainc:d a more advanced production status than its larger stablemate, the Type 37, having reached a comparable stage to that of the British \ -al iant four-jet bombing aircraft. The designation of this bomber was for a long time after its JJWeiling a subject for speculation, but it has now been definitely established that its mil itary designation is Tu-16, with the letters standing for A. N. Tupolev, the best-known Russian aircraft designer specializing in bombing machines . The design is also known as Type 228 by the TsAGI (Tsentralniy Aero-Gidrodinarni cheskiy lnstitut ) or Central Aero-Hydrody namic Institute, which is the Soviet Union's equivalent of the l\'.A .C.A. In the \i\1est, it is referred to bY its N.A.T.O. code-n,1rne of Badger, or Type 39. It falls roughly in the same categor~· ( performance-wise) as the six-jet American B-47, and Great Britain 's four-engined bombers , i.e. the Valiant, the Vulcan , and the \' ictor. In view of the fact that this T upolev design utilizes only two turbojets, as compared to six and four for its \Vestern contemporaries, it can be concluded that the Soviet aircraft industry is well ad vanced in the field of turbine powerplants. The two engines, designed by \1 ikulin, are of the very large axial-How type, approxi mately 40 fee t long and 6 feel in diameter. Attached to the fuselage sides, these turbo- 112 jets have air intakes and jet exhaust pipes canted out\\·ards. Its long sleek fuselage, similar in concept to that of the Type 37 "Bison," has glazed visua l-bombing position. }-fanually-con troll ed twin rapid-fire cannon are installed in a manned turret at the tail end, accom modating the last of three crew members. Addition-;11 guns, primarily of the radar-con trolled variety, are placed in front dorsal and rear ventral positions. A large radome under the forward fuselage houses radar bombing and navigation systems, and a "stepped" cabin features excellent visibility for the pilots. The wing leading edge has compound sweepback angle, being some 42 degrees on the inboard sections, decreasing to about 35 degrees on the outboard panels, mean sweep being approximately 37 degrees. This sys tem prevents the thicker ,Ying roots from reducing the aircraft's critical Mach number. Main members of the Badger's tricycle land ing gear retract into large streamlined fair ings extending from the wing trailing edge, which may also act as housings for A TO rocket units to boost take-off and climb power. The tail surfaces are also swept, and the modern bomber is known to be capable of aerial refu eling, a property which gives it an almost infinite range. \i\1ithout aerial re fueling, it can strike with nuclear weapons at all important targets in Europe and Asia. A commercial airl ine development of the Tu-16, known as the Tu-104, is referred to under separate heading. TECH!\'ICAL DATA - f\faximum speed: 620 mph. Range: Normal app. 4500 miles. Cei ling: App. 50 ,000 ft. W eight: App. loaded 160,000 lbs. Engines : Two 17,000 thrust Mikulin turbojets. Armament: App. six 23-mrn. automatic cannon plus a 10,000 lb. bomb load . Wingspan: App. 110 ft. Length: App. 115 ft. ■ Jets and Missiles r YAKO' P opularly kno\\'n under th, c;Jature code designation t\\·in-engin e design is curr spread service " ·ith all-wea interceptor squadrons of thE fense system, the PVO (Prot, Oborona ) . Reports by autho ants have indicated that in 19.S7 numbers of these fi g ceived bv the Ecrvptian Air reality by Alexa~·der Yakov: most celebrated Russian air this aircraft is thought to hav 1953, and to have attained s, in 1955. Its mission, that high-Hying bombers at consi is comparable to those of Scorpion. Canada's CF-100, Gloster f avelin. But most of its French counterpart, the I Vautour, " ·ith which it shar, gree of design flexibility, bot rations having been adapte pie military req~1irements. The original Yak-25 , of t observed by \Vestern repre Tushino air display near M an exceptionally large roun accordance with its 24-h duties. Known provisionally A this machine employs a f~selacre with tandem dua "' l "b· l gear, known as t ie . 1cyc crew, consisting of a pilot ai ator, is seated in tandem tional bubble-type cock]Jit back horizontal tail surfac known Sovie t jet fight er mounted rather high on th fin. Forward-firing armame co!1sist of a pair of 37-mm non, which are very heavy use in a fighter. An altern svstem may comprise a lat u'nguided fin-stabilized ro cruicled missiles not as yet b ~1 the Soviet aerial arsenal. Two-seat all-weather fi g • Trend Book 155 md je t exhaust pipes ge. similar in concept 7 "Bison," has glazed :ion. Manually-con cannon are installed the tail end, accom- :hree crew members. rily of the radar-con aced in fron t dorsal ons. A large radome selage houses rada r ion systems, and a es excellent visibility ~dge has compound : some 42 degrees on !Creasing to about 35 I panels, mean sweep 7 degrees. This sys :er wing roots from ritica l ~fach number. adger's tricycle land- 1·ge streamlined fair- ! wing trailing edge, • housings for A TO take-off and climb : are also swept, and :nown to be capable •perty which gives it . \Nithout aerial re th nuclear weapons in Europe and .-\sia. development of the 1-104, is referred to - Maximum speed: 11 app . 4500 miles. ft. vVeight : App. ~ines: Two 17,000 . Armament: App. nnon plus a 10,000 ,an: App. 110 ft. ■ Jets and Missiles USSR YAKOVLEV YAK-25 (FLASHLIGHT) P opularl y known under the Allied nomen c:lature code designation Flashlight, this twin-engine design is currently in wide spread service with all-weather and night interceptor squadrons of the Soviet air de fense system, the PYO (Protivovozdushnaya Oborona ). Reports by authoritative in form ants have indicated that in the Spring of 19.'57 n11mbers of these figh ters were re ceived by the Egyptian Air Force. ~lade a rea litv bv Alexander Yakovlev, one of the most. celebrated Russian aircraft designers, this aircraft is thought to have flown early in 19.3:3. and to have attained squad ron service in 19.'5.5. Its mission, that of intercepting high-Hying bombers at considerable ranges, is comparable to those of the American Scorpion, Canada's CF-100, and the British Gloster Javelin. But most of all it resembles its French counterpart, the-Ouest S.O.4050 \',111tour. with which it shares a similar de gree of design flexibility, both basic configu rations having been adapted to fulfill multi- ple military requirements. _ The original Yak-25, of the type initially observed by \•Vestern represen tatives at the Tushino air display near i\foscow, employs an exceptionall y large rounded radome, in accordance with its 24-hour interceptor duties. Known provisionally as the Flashlight A, this machine employs a circular-section fuselage wi th tandem dual-wheel landing gear, known as the "bicycle" varif'ty. The crew, consisting of a pilot and a radar oper ator, is sea ted in tandem under a conven tional bubble- type cockpit canopy. Swept back horizontal tail surfaces, in the well known Soviet jet fight e r tradition, are mounted rather high on the swept vertical fin. Forward-firing armament is believed to co!1sist of a pair of 37-mm. rapid-fire can non, ,vhich are very heavy-calibre guns for use in a fighter. An alternative armament system may comprise a launching tra y for unguided fin-s tabilized rocke ts, air-. to-air guided missiles not as ye t being in evidence in the Soviet aerial arsenal. The wings, con- Two-seat all-weather fighter Trend Book 1 55 stant in chord except for the leading-edge extensions on the inboard panels, are swept back at an angle on the order of 37 degrees and are used to mount the two underslung axial-flow turboje t powerplants, reportedl y of the afterburning PA-10 type. Retractable outrigger stabilizers, forming a part of the landing gear, are installed in wing-tips. T wo progress ive developmen ts of the ini tial "A" model of the Yakovlev-25 are re ferred to collectively as the Super Fla~h light. They are a light attack fighte r-bomber, ("Shturmovik") and a modified all-wea ther fighter version of the basic Yak-25 with a pointed radome, designated by the Allies, respectively, Flashlight B and C. The B close-support and tactical reconnaissance variant is characterized by transparent pan els in a pointed nose section, with the navi gator_/ bom bard ier accommoda ted in the glazed compartment ahead of the single-seat cockpit occupied by the pilot. An additional function of the pilot is thought to be that of the gunner, aiming remotely controlled tail cannon armament bv means of a radar or periscopic sight. Both the Flashlight B and C utilize longer, more powerful axial-flow turbojets, estimated at 10,000 lbs. of thrust. Both forms of the Super Flashlight were publicly revealed on June 24, 1956, at the Tushino military arifield during the annual airpower dispby. It is unlikely that any of the Yak-25 series are supersonic, except in a dive, but the later B and C developments are likely to have maximum speeds in close proximity to \[ach 1. Characteristics described in the Technical Data table refer to the Flashligbt A all weather and night fighter. TECHN ICAL DAT.-\. - ~faximum speed : App. 700 mph. Range: App. 1700 miles. Ceiling: App. 60,000 ft. Weight: Loaded app. 35,000 lbs . Engines: Two app. 9000-lb. thrust turbojets. Armament: Two 37-mm. automatic cannon and/ or unguided air-to air missiles . vVingspan: App. 47 ft. Length : App. 52 fee t. ■ - - -!~ rnn?erflash , and in June of venes ·of these fighters had gian, French and Nether 'his fighter-bomber and its to-reconnaissance counter in operational service with r.o. air forces. rnnderflash is a reconnais nt of the Thunderstreak 1ter. To permit the instal and electronic gear in the hened and the air intakes 1e wing roots. Armament 1m six to four .50-cal. M3 modified RF-84F, known 1tion RF-84K, is intended :ite" reconnaissance firrhter 1b-bay of a CRB-36 ;nder ~- This scheme offers con- 11 advantages from the ~- Launching the fighter in e target greatly increases , without endangering the :nber. The first RF-84F 1te under the Flghter re ·oject was activated in is presently based at the rce Base, .\Iontana. Tech- to the standard F-84F )ATA - Maximum speed: .rnge: Combat radius 850 iiling: Service 48,000 ft. Jaded 26,030 lbs. Engine: right ]65 turbojet. Arma machine guns plus under pan: 33 ft. 7¼ in . Length: • Jets and Missiles P reviously designated F-99, the Boeing In terceptor Missile 99 made its first Hight in 1952, two years after the development program was initiated, and is currently being readied for service with the U. S. Air Force as a target-defense pilotless interceptor. Nearly as large and with more resemblance to a piloted fighter than any other ground-to air missile, Bomarc employs a circular-sec tion fuselage conforming to the principles of the Area Rule and was developed jointly by Boeing and the .\,[ichigan Aeronautical Re search Center, from the initial letters of which the name "Bomarc" was derived. It was preceded by a number of pilotless re search vehicles in the Ground-to-Air Pilotless Ai rcraft program which flew shortly after World War II and attained speeds in excess of 1500 mph. It may therefore be assumed that the IM-99 has a speed in the Mach 2.5 range. Bomarc utilizes the same "reverse raked delta" wing shape as the late r G.A.P.A. missiles and is powered by two 28-in. ramjets, mounted on pylons attached to the fuselage. It takes off vertically and is accelerated to the operational speed of its ramjets with the assistance of a solid-fuel Aerojet-General booster rocket. The Mar quardt ramjet, a pair of which have been destined for the IM-99, passed a series of extensive flight trials while mounted on a supersonic Lockheed piloted test vehicle which was designated X-7 and became air borne through the use of a Boeing B-29 "mother" aircraft which launched it at a hirrh altitude. The machine was then accelerat;d to supersonic speed by a rocket booster, to attain velocity sufficient for · the operation of its ramjet powerplant. An appreciable amount of component testing for the Bomarc has been accomplished by means of a modi fied Martin B-57 ( Canberrra) bomber. The system has been experimented with in a 17- foot nose addition to the B-57's fuselage. Additional guidance development has been conducted with an F-94B Starfire Hying test bed. No specific data or photographs of this advanced interceptor are available, and the illustration here is therefore an artist's con ception of the highlv secret missile. The guidance system employed by the IM-99 is reportedly of the "command" vari ety. This system belongs to the ca tegorv of the "beam-riding" type, and consists of 'two radar transmitters. one fo r the target aircraft Si:rface-to-air interceptor missile Trend Book 155 and one for the missile. Both feed data to a co~puter which in turn transmits steering radio commands to the missiles. After being guided to the general target area by the command beam-riding guidance technique a homing system probably takes over t~ guide the missile directly onto the target air c:aft. There are indications that the excep tionally large warhead of the Bomarc is of the nuclear type. The value of this fantastic weapon is evident from the fact that it could destroy whole Beets of bombers without physically hitting any of them, and possesses development potential for anti-ballistic-mis sile applications. Due to the high cost of the L\,[-99, there also evolved a plan to arm the s1;1perso_nic 1:1issile with 6½-ft. long GAR-1 air-to-air guided rockets, and equip the Bo ma:c w!th a parachute through the use of which 1t may be recovered after being gu_ide~ within the range of the target and finng its load of CAR-ls. Having a much greater range than its U. S. Army Nike coun terpart, the Bomarc will be able to intercept an enemy bomber up to 300 miles from its intended target. Intensified. devel?pment of an improved model of this maior USAF surface-to-air weapon is well under way for the air de fense of ~he :United States. Its importance to aeronautics 1s marked by the fact that it is one of the first aircraft that points to the end of the epoch of piloted interceptors. TECHNICAL DATA- Maximum speed: App_. 1900 mph. Ra~ge: App. 300 miles. Ceilmg: App. 60,000 ft. Weight: Launching 8500 lbs. Engines: Two app. 10,000-lb. thrust Marquardt MA-20C ramjets. Arma ment: High-explosive warhead. Wingspan : 19 ft. Length: 39 ft. ■ 45 I effectiveness of that threat. Military planners on both sides have long held that the air-based element of the strategic triad, while the most flexible of the three, might also be the least reli able if it actually came down to delivering the goods. Pro ponents of manned bombers cite a few strategic factors working in their favor, how ever. Although bombers are potentially vulnerable to So viet defenses, they can be recalled; they offer target ing flexibility; and they take a relatively long time to de liver their weapons-a re spite between launch and delivery that would enable options to be weighed more thoroughly. Once aloft and en route toward their tar get, strategic bombers would also be a more imme diate (although not yet final) threat-an advantage not shared by sea- or land-based missiles. A belief in a weakening of the airborne element has di minished the U.S.'s nuclear deterrent. This black art of deterrence is based entirely on perception-what they believe, not necessarily what is true. As such, the perceived ability of our stra tegic forces is critical to U.S. defense and foreign policy and, presumably, to the goal of avoiding war. The airborne element of the strategic triad (and, one assumes, the perception of same) is about to be strengthened. The mainstay of the strategic bomber force, Boeing's B-52 series, is about to be replaced by Rockwell International's B lB. First delivery took place in early July when the first A yellow shroud shields one of the B-l's four radomes during avionics testing (above). The cockpit provides everything needed to fly; there are no flight engineers. Both pilots' stations are nearly identical to ease crew interchangeability. Two air-to-air views, courtesy of the U.S. Air Force, show the B-l's 80 wings swept forward for low-speed flight, and swept back for high-speed flying. - , _- / ~ _,.r; • ..- • -. --- .. ft~ nter 1:Three steps to better aviation service. Step 1: Toll-free trip planning ■ LUK Ohio Aviation, Inc. ■ OMA Elliott Beechcraft of Omaha Call1-800-AIRCEN 1 to arrange Cincinnati, OH Omaha, NE D Overnight accommodations ■ CGF Ohio Aviation, Inc. ■ FCM Elliott Flying Service, Inc. Cleveland, OH (eff. 12/1/85) Minneaeolis, MN D Caering Southeast ■ MKC Executive Beechcraft, Inc. D Conference rooms ■ LOU Stevens Aviation, Inc. Kansas City, MO D Ground transportation Louisville, KY ■ ICT United Beechcraft, Inc. ■ TPA Hangar One, Inc. Wichita, KS D Q1ick-turn fueling Tamea, FL ■ sus Executive Beechcraft, Inc. D Hmgar/ tie-down space ■ GSP Stevens Aviation, Inc. St. Louis, MO Greer, SC ■ IXD Executive Beechcraft, Inc. Step 2: ■ GSO Air Service, Inc. Olathe, KS Nationwide ARINC frequencies Greensboro, NC South Central 0 130.6 MHz (North) ■ BHM Hangar One, Inc. ■ MLU Fleeman Aviation, Inc. 0 130.57 MHz (South) Birrmngham, AL Monroe, LA ■ ATL Hangar One, Inc. ■ HOU Houston Beechcraft, Inc. Step 3: Captain's Service Atlanta, GA Houston, TX ■ FTY Hangar One, Inc. ■ TUL Tulsair, Inc. D Routine refill of coffee, water and ice Atlanta, GA Tulsa, OK D Emptied trash bins and ashtrays ■ POK Hangar One, Inc. West D Yacuumed cabin Atlanta, GA ■ APA Rocky Mountain Beechcraft, ■ BNA Stevens Aviation, Inc. Inc., Denver, CO Northeast Nashville, TN ■ ONT Beechcraft West-Ontario ■ FRG Beechcraft East, Inc. North Central Ontario, CA Farmingdale, NY ■ MU Elliott Fliing Service, Inc. ■ DAY Ohio Aviation Company Moline, L Davton, OH ■ DSM Elliott Flying Service, Inc. Des Moines, IA 'i?eechcraft A Raytheon Company 0 I 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600 1,800 2,000 2,200 2,400 I I I I I I I I I I I I I ' I I I , ' I I I I ' I I I I I I i I ' I I , I NAUTICAL MILES operational B-1 arrived at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas to begin crew initia tion. Over the next two-and a-half years, 98 B-ls will en ter service at four bases across the midsection of the United States: 29 at Dyess, 17 at McConnell in Kansas, 35 at Ellsworth in South Da kota and 17 at Grand Forks in North Dakota. Strategic concerns deter mined the mid-continent sta tioning of the aircraft. In the event of a submarine missile attack against the B-ls, the six or so minutes required for the missiles to reach the B-ls' bases ·would be suffi cient, in theory, for the bomber crews to scramble and depart before the mis siles arrived. The range of the B-1, even if missiles took out the Air Force's tankers, would be sufficient for the bombers to deliver their payload without refueling, after which they would land at airfields in Europe or the Middle East. The mission of the strate gic bomber has evolved over the last three decades into what it is today-to fly high and efficiently until the tar get landmass is near, then drop down and run across the surface. The B-l 's de sign had been largely deter mined by 1970 when Rock well was given the nod as prime contractor. A proto type first flew in 1974, and the Air Force planned to put the first production B-1 into service in 1979. President Carter pulled the plug in 1977, however, scuttling production. In 1981, Presi dent Reagan-with the help of the cards and letters of 5,200 subcontractors, an av- The complex fuel sy stem (above) helps to keep tabs on the fuel in the B-1 and maintain its CG within limits. The open hatch on the roof ( right ) is actually one of two ejection ports· that can be used by the offensfre and defensive systems operators. The faint outline of the other hatch, just above one of the small windows installed for the sy stems opera(ors, is visible at far right. 82 erageof about a dozen vested interests in every congressional district plugged it back in, the results of which we are now beginning to see. During its long ride on the procurement roller coaster back in the 1970s, the airplane acquired the nickname of "Be-One Maybe." All the while, the venerable B-52 re mained in loyal service. The B-52's greatest and incontrovertible draw back, however, remains its physical de sign. Large, lumbering and in many ways crude by today's standards, the B-52 was conceived when electronic warfare was in its infancy, and its configuration-particularly its eight pod-mounted, smoke-belching, infra red-hot engines-while ripe for its time, is extremely difficult to disguise electronically. The B-l's radar signature alone, at one one-hundredth that of the B-52, has rendered the older Boeings ripe for re tirement. The B-l's designed mission profile also calls for a Mach .85 dash speed at very, very low altitudes (more than 200 knots faster at about half the altitude of the B-52), all the while car rying one-third more nuclear or one half more conventional stores than its predecessor. Up close, the B-1 redefines the term "awesome." At 147 feet, the finished airplane is as long as the MD-80, the stretched DC-9, yet three times heavi er. With a maximum gross weight of 477,000 pounds, the B-1 is still only two thirds the size of the B-52, yet weighs about the same. The B-1 looks taut, low, mean and sinister, though not nearly as brutal as the airplane it re places. The wingtips droop but not as low as the B-52's, and there are no wingtip "training wheels" as on the-52. The airplane is heavy because of the mission it has to endure. Single-or two man fighters also weigh quite a bit for their size and, like a fighter, the B-1 has few hollow regions within its air frame. Nearly all interior space has been consumed by fuel (the B-1 is about half fuel by weight), structure, electronics and engines; the remainder is reserved for more fuel or a payload. It is an incredibly dense, solid machine: almost every surface I tapped respond ed with a solid thud instead of the clink you often hear from civilian airplanes. Just under half of the airframe is aluminum, which is used as primary structure throughout most of the fuse lage, including the two-spar wing and the aircraft's skin. Fiberglass is said to make up 30.6 percent, but I never saw anything that looked remotely like fi berglass; maybe it's well camouflaged. Nearly 20 percent of the airframe is ti tanium, including the tail spars (struc- 84 tural stresses on the empennage at well over 500 knots indicated must be extraordinary), the center section of the fuselage between the two wing-fu selage hinges, and other hot or highly stressed components. The wings swing for:,vard to only 15 degrees of sweep for slow flight and rearward to 67 de grees of sweep for high-speed flying; they turn on huge Teflon washers that buffer the four-piece titanium hinges on each wing. Those two hinges, look ing like parts of a bridge trestle, are magnificent pieces of engineering and machining. Massive, and peppered with dozens of huge bolts and rivets, they appear to have been carved from a single block of titanium and are the crux of the largest actuation system yet installed in an aircraft. Seven percent of the B-1, including the landing gear and much of the en gines, is steel. The axle on which the "THE B-1 LOOKS TAUT, LOW, MEAN AND SINISTER, THOUGH NOT NEARLY AS BRU TAL AS THE AIRPLANE IT REPLACES." two stabilators pivot (independently, to aid roll control) is also steel. High strength plastics are used sparingly, slightly more than two percent, and make up the flaps and the bo,nb-bay doors. The balance is taken up by polymide quartz, the material of choice for the four radomes. The configuration of the airframe was determined by two parameters: the mission profile and the desire to minimize radar visibility. The mission stipulates that the B-1 operate off run ways significantly shorter than those required by the B-52; the B-1 must also fly at a low-supersonic, high-altitude cruise to the target's landmass and then drop down and fly just above the ground at subsonic speeds until target acquisition. The swing-wing was a complex compromise that yielded high speed efficiency as well as improved runway performance. Leading-edge slats stretch across the entire span out board of the pivot point, and flaps occu py nearly all of the trailing edge. There are no ailerons; spoilers and the stabilators are used for roll control. All control surfaces are actuated by a hy-. brid hydraulic fly-by-wire system, with different arrangements operating dif ferent components. In some cases one to all of the four hydraulic systems back up a fly-by-wire system; in other cases it is the reverse. Fully loaded B-52s use almost 10,000 feet of concrete when departing. For one takeoff I witnessed in the warm desert at Edwards, the first B-1, laden with full fuel, a load of unarmed gravi ty bombs and heavily instrumented, got off the ground in about 6,500 feet. Afterburners, a feature the B-52 lacks, are used during takeoff, and a depart ing B-1 makes a fair racket. Much has been done to hide the B-1 from radar. If radar strikes a B-52 from the front, the metal discs (eight of them) that are created by the spinning first-stage compressor blades reflect the wave directly back to the source. Aside from curving or sweeping nearly all surfaces and careful material selec tion, some ingenious design tricks have been used to hide the B-l's airframe. Radar waves striking the front of the engine nacelles of the B-1 enter an S shaped baffle that also serves as the in take duct. By the time they bounce into, around and out of that duct, they have been nearly smothered. Addition ally, the fuselage is painted in a radar absorbing coating that makes it appear almost black from certain angles. In bright sunlight, however, there is a definite pattern to the dark green and brown tactical camouflage that•is sup posed to hide the airframe from eyes and radars looking down from above. The identifier painted in a subtle silver on the tail of the number-one airplane reads "USAF 20001." The B-1 is essentially a bomb truck. Cavernous bomb bays, two forward of the main gear and one aft, can be filled with 65,000 pounds of various combina tions of conventional or nuclear gravi ty bombs, cruise missiles, short-range nuclear attack missiles or auxiliary fuel tanks. If the weapon of choice is cruise missiles, the B-1 could carry eight in the forward bomb bay in a kind of Gatling-gun arrangement, and 14 more externally. The SALT II treaty, however, will limit the total to 20. Below each side cockpit window on the lower half of the fuselage are small, swept-back rectangular ca nards. Operating independently and controlled entirely by computer, these small composite fins serve two pur poses: at high speeds they damp yaw and pitch oscillations, smoothing the ride for the crew and lengthening the life of the airframe. Two Garrett auxiliary power units provide electricity to start the engines. MbO RM - THE PRICE BARRIER Wl1MANEW201 ' ~ '. = \ 'HINE Act now to obtain a position in the first production run of this exciting new lean machine. You get that well-known 201mph 4place full/FR (WITH AUTOPILOT} Mooney speed and efficiency, PLUS s Mooney doubles the airframe warranty 98 90 0 to a full 7HO YEARS. 100% financing available. All for only... I Call 512/896-6000, Ext. s1, for Suggested Retail List l?rice further information and the name of your nearest Mooney dealer. __J Aircraft Corporation/KerNille, TX 78029 (512) 896-6000/TWX 910 877 1960 WRITE IN NO. 43 ON READER SERVICE CARD In the unlikely event of a quadruple en gine failure, they can also be used to power primary instruments and con trols. One way to start the APUs is with the "go" switch mounted on the forward landing gear. If ordered to scramble, the crew could run to the air plane and swat the go switch; by the time the four were aboard the APUs and the appropriate systems would be on line, allowing the crew to fire up the engines and go. Four General Electric Fl0l turbo fans with afterburners power the B-1. They are said to provide 30,780 pounds of thrust but, as is the custom, that rat ing includes the boost the engines get from the afterburners, even though it is likely to be conservative. The B-1 carries only two tactical de fenses. Flares can be launched to serve as white-hot decoys for heat-seeking missiles. Also for diversion, small, ra dar-reflective aluminum slivers called chaff can be launched to fool radar guided missiles. Flares and chaff are the only visible defensive weapons on the aircraft. All the others come in black boxes contain ing some of the military's most sophis ticated electronics and are commonly labeled "ECM," for electronic counter measures. To weave through the laby- rinth of electronic defenses the Soviets have developed, the B-1 has become a flying computer center, carrying sys tems, countersystems and counter countersystems. Eaton's AIL Division has come up with a series of digital computers that command transmitters and phased-array antennas to make mince meat of radar signals hitting the B-1 from any direction, first sensing them, then identifying them, then jam ming them, all in a fraction of a second. The system will also keep track of its injuries when it is damaged and will re route data around failed components to keep the system up. The black boxes of the defensive system alone weigh over 5,000 pounds and consume enough electricity when operating at full tilt to power about 115 microwave ovens. The offensive avionics were orga nized by Boeing and enable the B-1 to navigate and launch its weapons. To fly low enough to avoid ground-based radar, the B-1 uses forward-looking and terrain-following radar, inertial navs and Doppler radar- altimeters (good from zero to 5,000 feet) as well as a link to the Air Force's satellite sys tem. As outgoing radar signals can also announce to the world your where abouts, they, too, have been whittled •• down. The navigation system operates through six central IBM computers: · two microcomputers and additional • processors within individual compo nents. Success hinges on the theory that he who has the smarter and faster computers wins. To enter the cockpit, the crew climbs a steep ladder and comes up into the cabin between the ejection seats and consoles of the offensive and defensive systems operators. A fairly wide stand-up aisle leads forward to the cockpit and the pilots' ejection seats. Visibility is spectacular: the pilots watch the world from high seats through four massive slabs of polycar bonate-and-glass sandwich, two in the front and one on each side, and two eyebrow windows. Back behind the pilots, in mid-cabin, the offensive and defensive systems operators sit side by side across the aisle, facing forward. Each has a small window, normally kept shuttered so they can more easily read the three CRTs spread before each of them. Computer controls and displays occu py the desk space in front of the seats, spilling into the arch over the aisle. This is also the location of the code box es through which would come the final command to drop The Bomb. DA!M~► ... ~ AIRCRAFT CORPORATION TELEPHONE (817) 752 8381 • TELEX NO.910 894 5248 WRITE OR CALL TO RECEIVE FREE BROCHURE PACKET • WACO MADISON COOPER AIRPORT • P.O. BOX 5219 • WACO, TEXAS 76708 It was an eerie feeling indeed to • stand between these two stations in the near dark, with dozens of air condi tioners and fans humming away, and contemplate just what this machine can do. The Air Force believes that the B-1 will continue as the United States' front-line bomber until the middle of the next decade, at which time the Ad vanced Technology Bomber (ATB), or "Stealth," will assume the role. Gov ernment Plant Number 42 in Palmdale, California, just over the hill from Ed wards where the SR-71, B-1 and space shuttle were built, is expanding with the construction of a huge hangar that the locals say will be occupied by Nor throp, although Northrop will neither confirm nor deny ownership of the building. Northrop has been selected as prime contractor for the ATB. In the meantime, the B-1 is now en tering service and will shortly be a via ble strategic force. This aircraft's exis tence, and its extraordinary capability, is diminished only by the critical impor tance of the policy that will guide its use. It is a comforting irony of that pol icy that this flying machine will be judged most successful if it never has to fly the one mission for which it has been so painstakingly designed. D The Chosen Few Meet one of the elite who flies the B-1. S ix men are currently rated to fly the B-1. Two are test pilots with Rockwell, the remaining four fly for the Air Force: three Air Force test pilots are stationed at Edwards in the B-1 test program and one Strategic Air Command pilot is at Dyess to help with crew training. Of those six, Lt. Colonel Frank Birk is the most experienced B-1 pilot on ac tive duty. As Director of Operations for the B-1 Combined Test Force, Birk is the chief B-1 test pilot and has a little over 400 hours in type, having first flown the B-1 in 1979. Birk likes the B-1, the largest air plane flown by a stick. He says, "It is a very, very complex airplane, systems wise, but a lot of effort went into sim plifying those systems as well as the displays and controls in the cockpit. From a stick-and-rudder standpoint, it's an honest airplane, with good con trol response, tremendous accelera- tion, and very light control forces. It is fun to fly, but it's not a fighter. Most big airplanes are built with high con trol forces and are slow to respond, but the B-1 is quick to respond. The flight controls are well designed; we have spoilers and a rolling tail with stabi- • lators that deflect symmetrically for pitch control and asymmetrically for roll control." Birk estimates that once deployed the airplane will be flown manually only half the time. The autopilot is there, however, to be used at the pilot's discretion, although Birk himself hand-flies the airplane 90 percent of the time, largely due to his work as a test pilot. "The autopilot can be used during all phases of flight including high-altitude cruise and low-altitude terrain-following. "Terrain-following is probably the most exciting part of flying the B-1," Birk continues. "The ground goes by 111e only 1&00 a pilot efll!r wants ta see. 'Ille_,., 1Wi1Y to •lase" tllls radio Is to IBls,rlKe It. When you're up in the air, you need a back-up transceiver as reliable as you can find. Now you've found it. Introducing the AV 7600 transceiver from STS. At the touch of a button, the handheld AV 7600 delivers crisp and clear 720-channel communication. Just slide on the rechargeable power pack and you're ready to transmit or receive. Pre-program and store up to 10 favorite frequencies. Or monitor the entire aviation band with scan and search. The FCC-approved AV 7600 even features a built-in clock, an easy-to-read LCD dis play, and an adapter for recharging from any cigarette lighter receptacle. It's also light weight, compact, and comes with accessories like the charging unit, power pack, flexible twist-off antenna, and carrying case. And in an emergency or electrical failure, the two-watt AV 7600 conserves energy because its power source is self-contained. That's why it's ideal for private planes, custom-builts, hot-air balloons and ultralights. But there's more to this transceiver than great features and dependability. Try an incredible 3-year guarantee on all parts and labor. Fast 24-hour service. Plus a money back guarantee. Test out the AV 7600 for yourself and if you're not absolutely sat isfied, just return it within 90 days for a full refund . To order your AV 7600 transceiver, send a check or money order. Or, for instant service, call our toll-free number and charge it. rnas srs SZflfl.50:~age E ~ Missouri resiaents YJS4" add $16.85 sales tax Dial toll free 1-800-238-2300 In Illinois 1-800-323-0368 WRITE IN NO. 36 ON READER SERVICE CARD Satellite Technology Services, Inc. 2310-12 Millpark Drive St. Loois, MO 63043 For the high-flying businessman ... A FREE Flight Bag and the opportunity to save up to 30%on FLYING No other magazine understands you-and the reasons you fly better than FLYING. We know that the pure joy of flying will never leave you ... but that your business needs make you approach flying more seriously than ever before. That's why FLYING magazine brings you the kind of practical, down-to earth information you need to make your hours in the air safer, more eco nomical and far more satisfying. Each monthly issue contains author itative reporting on the latest in avionics and nav equipment, FAA and ATC regulations, current industry de velopments, flying techniques and ex pert analyses of new aircraft. Much more than a trade publication, FLYING brings you fascinating, in sightful articles that are not only bril liantly written ... they're brilliantly il lustrated as well. Our editorial content and full-color photography are second to none for their accuracy and applica tion to your business-and personal flying needs. Maybe that's why many of America's top pilots and businessmen consider FLYING an indispensable part of their monthly "flight plans." Let us send you this rugged FLYING Flight Bag FREE! Right now, through this special offer, you can save up to 30% on FLYING and get this beautiful, silk-screened flight bag FREE with your paid subscription order. Fashioned of rugged, vinyl-backed canvas, with a rustproof zipper and hefty carrying straps, this colorful 17" x 10" beauty is really built to last. It's perfect for carrying a headset, cal culator, charts- even a change of cloth ing for short trips. It's good-looking, lightweight, waterproof. . . and it will identify you as a FLYING reader who always t ravels in style. To get your FREE flight bag and begin your subscription to FLYING, simply complete and mail the coupon below. But act now; the supply of these sturdy flight bags is limited. Order today! .. -----------iii MAIL YOUR COUPON TODAY! ~'LV'JNG P.O. Box 2772 r i T I Boulder, Colorado 80322 YESI Enter my subscription to FLYING • for the term I have checked below. (Flight bag shipped on receipt of subscription payment . Please a llow 6 weeks for delivery.) Send me FLYING for: D One year (12 issues) for $15.97- 1 save 16%. D Two years (24 issues) for $28.97- 1 save 24%. D Three years (36 issues) for $39.97- 1 save 30%. Savings based on full one-year subscription price of $18.98- CHECK ONE: D Payment enclosed. D Bill me later. Mr./Mrs./Ms. (pleasepr inl full name) Address Apt. Cit State Zip Offer valid in U.S. and possessions only. Please allow 30-60days for deliveryof firsl issue. Vw>uld you like to receive special offers from qualified users of our L:::g:: _ - ~s~ ~ -- - _ filj~ very quickly-three football fields per ,;;econd-and even during automatic terrain-following, you are extremely busy monitoring systems. When you're flying at 200 feet agl, you do get a sensation of speed that you don't get at higher altitudes." The B-1 can be flown with or without the autopilot at high speeds (Mach .85) just above the ground. "In fact, the cockpit display gives me the same indi cations whether the airplane is flying itself or I am flying. So I watch the flight director's display for pitch and bank data and just follow it." The terrain-following system has a selectable ride; soft, medium or hard. "Basically you get a harder pull-up and a harder push-over with the hard-ride setting. With the soft ride, the aircraft doesn't follow the contours of the ter rain as precisely. With the hard-ride setting, you try to maintain exactly the same distance above the ground. Oper ationally, you would get closer terrain following with the hard ride, but it may not always be necessary and it puts a lot more wear and tear on the airplane and the pilots as they pull up, push over, pull up, push over, and so on." During high-speed low-level flight, the two small forward-mounted con trol surfaces help smooth the way. They protrude from either side of the forward fuselage right beneath the windshields. "These canards are very effective; in fact, they reduce the oscil lations· in the cockpit by about 50 per cent. You pick up a little of the canard's vibration and the noise. They don't "IT'S NOT CORRECT TO-SAY THAT THIS IS JUST LIKE A BIG F~ 111" BIRK ' CAUTIONS, "IT'S FAR MORE COMPLICATED." move very far. They're high-frequency [control surfaces] and they use a lot of very small movements, but they're still effective because of [their] long mo ment arm to the center of gravity of the airplane." Refueling is comparatively easy be- cause the refueling port is on the nose, directly in front of the B-l's cockpit. In the B-52, it is above and behind the heads of the pilots. The pilots sit high, and view through only six windows (the B-52 has 16). Says Birk, "Visibility for the pilots in the B-1 is excellent, particularly for refueling. It doesn't have a bubble canopy like an F-16, but forward and side views are good. There is no trouble with forward visi bility on landing." Birk says that the takeoff and land ing speeds of the B-1 are similar to a T- 38's. The F-111, he says, "lands 20 to 30 knots slower, but in terms of angle of attack, or flying an approach, the B-1 flies a constant angle of attack. Flying the final approach is similar to the F- 111. It's not correct to say that this is just like a big F-111, though," Birk cau tions. "It is far more complicated." Birk believes that the B-l's flying qual ities and systems are a combination of the F-1 ll's and those of the latest mod els of the B-52, utilizing the best of both worlds. Ninety percent of the B-l's pilots will be B-52 pilots, and the remainder will come from FB-llls. Birk feels that both groups will have little trouble transitioning into the new aircraft. DAVID ALMY VIDEO GROUND SCHOOL PRIVATE PILOT COURSE ............. . . 139.00 COMMERCIAL COURSE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139.00 INSTRUMENT COURSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149.00 INSTRUMENT /COMMERCIAL .......... 229.00 No-more eight week night courses, no more wasted weekends. 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Box 1064 • Dept. 3 • Greenwood, IN 46142 • 1-800-831-5509 WAITE IN NO. 52 ON READER SERVICE CARD --- / • .. -.:- - _ _::;..,.,._:..-. - - -··. . . - - - Bomber with a Difference THE AERO. ·AUTICAL world stood aghast last month when Handley Page Limited lifted the se curity curtain on its new HP-80 Victor, :1 fo ur-jet bomber with a unique cres cent wing. Handley Page blandly asserts tha t ' ·no other bomber flies as fast, as far and as high with as g reat a bom b load."* Actuall y. the aircraft should not have occasioned as much su rprise as it did, for the existence of the crescent wing was widely publicized abou t a year ago \\·hen photos were publi shed of the H P-88. a nghter-size experimental a ir craft later destroyed in a crash which was being used to rest this unusual wing conngu ration ( see d rawing at ri ght). Basica lly, th e crescent wing does not seem to he as radical an ap proach as the delta wing; it is perhaps 1he overall futuristic appearance of th:: HP-80 which makes it seem so dif fere nt. According to I lanc ll c:y Page C hi,_f • (}t/ur l111ml1tT.( u•hi, /1 art rlt'scri/J('(I iu 11 simiiar nu11111t-r /,y tlu·ir mala-r.c i11cl11df' Jiu: l'icl;l'r.• I 'a/wnt, the Arrr, 1'11/u111, anti J/1r UfJcing U-.52. 28 Designer R. S. Stafford : .. This wing is the complete and only answer to the demands of a most exacting specinca tion. It calls not on ly for operation at high sub-son ic speeds at very g rear heights over long ranges but also good control over th e whole speed ran ge, particularly at approach and landing speeds near the ground. " One of the featu res of the design are the leading edge flaps, clearlv evident in the pictures. The empennage is also rather unusual. The original appear- ance oi the \ ·ictor is fu rther adcied to by the bulbous fo rward fuselage. which giyes it a heavy-jowled look . The bom ber 's weight is borne hv two main underca rriage legs-----each fitted \,·ith ;1 four wheel hogie-and a t\\·i n nose wheel. The Victor, which made its first flight late in December. is powered lv: four Armstrong Siddeley Sapphires buried in the wing. It is now in pro duction fo r the RAF. :\"o other detail s are availabl e at thi s time . .,ll/~CR.1FT THE INDlJSTBY having a remuvahle oh~cr vcr 's seat alongside. Piasecki in Canada Piasecki Helicopter Corporation of Morton, Pennsylvania, plans to estab lish a Canadian subsidiary, Piasecki Helicopter Co. of Canada Limited, in the near future. The new company will provide service facilities for the Pia secki H-25A helicopters on wh ich the • RCAF is to take delivery this year. Initially, only repair & overhaul facili ties will be provided, but Piasecki is not overlooking the possibility of carrying out manufacturing operations in the future. ft is understood that Arnprior, Ontario. is being considered as the location for the Canadian sub sidiary's plant. 500th Beaver Delivery of the 500th Beaver to be built by The de Havilland Aircraft of Canada Limited was made early in \,f:iy to the Go,·ernment of the Falk land Islands. which are located off the southern tip of South America. In a brief ceremo ny ;1t de Havilland's Toronto pl:int, S;1les Director C. H. Dickins turned the BeaYer·s logbooks over to Air Commodore A. P. Reving ton. representing the British High Commissioner. and H. Oldham . united Kingdom Trade Commissioner. .-VC Revingto n and Mr. O ldham ac cepted the Bea,·er on behalf of the Falkland fslands. Following the cere mony. the Bea,·er was disnuntled and crated for shipment on its long jour ney. The BeaYer is now in sen·ice in 26 countries of the world, both as the civilian DHC-2. and as the military L-20. N.W. T-33 Program Northwest fn dust ries Limited 1s now making preparations fo r the T -33 overhaul & repair program that it has contracted to perform for the RCAF, Vice President & Ge neral Manager B. W. Pitfield told Aircraft recently . Northwest will be responsible for the , repair and oYerhaul of all T-33 's based in \.Vestern Canada, and this is expect ed to account for a large percentage of the total which the RCAF wi ll nentu ally have in sen·ice . The Edmonton firm con tinu es to be active in other phases of aircr::ift work. too. It is now ne::iring the end of the f une, 1953 Mitchell program, which, when com pleted, will have seen 133 B-25's of var ious marks pass through the com pany's shops. A current Mitchell pro ject is the prod uction of a prototype armament trainer. This R.'vf-1-19 is also intended to double as a light bomber and is additionally being fitted with photo equ ipment for photograp h ing bombing results. Wo rk which this ,·irile firm will undertake in the ne;ir futu re includes the repair and o,·erhaul of RCAF Fair ch il d C- l 19F Packets, a considerable number of which are based at Ed monton with 435 Squadron. Other work in progress cont inuously at the plant is the production on a limited scale of Harvard and Canso parts. Powerplants are built up on the premises. Employment at Northwest has now reached approximately 850. RAF Sabre Deliveries The delivery of a group of 60 Cana dair-built F-86E Sabres to the U.K. for the RAF was completed over the fi rst May weekend. The delivery opera tio n. known as "Operation Beechers Brook Four· •. was performed by just 30 pilots carrying out what they de sc ribed as a "double sh uttle". They first flew 30 aircraft on a single leg, NEW HEIGHTS: This Bristol Olympus-powered Conberra , a flying test bed for the Olympus, recently set a new official world altitude record of 63 ,668 feet ASL The old record was 59,446 feet, made in a de Havilland Vampire. Pilot of the Canberra was Wing Commander W. F. Gibb. Though the new record has been exceeded unofficially by far by U.S. experimental rocket powered aircraft( launched at altitudes of 30,000 feet from B-29's), this is the greatest height ever attained by a conventional aircraft. Olympus has a twin-spool compressor. In the meantime, the Harvard re pair & overhaul program conti nues. In this co nnection, No rthwest undertakes to rehabilitate machines involved in "B" type crashes, as well as those suffering lesser damage or being time expired. Ove rhaul and modific:1tion work is performed on Dakotas, and an inter esting variation of this type recently tu rned out by Northwest is a sea rch & rescue version. Besides being fitted with long range tanks, this ve rsion has obsen·ers • bubbles on both sides of the rea r fuselage, each of these then were ferried back to pick up the remammg thirty. When all 60 air cra ft had been transferred over :he hrst leg, the process was repeated fo r the second leg, and so on across the Atlantic. The route followed was that established by the RCAF's "Leap Frog" se ries of mass ferry flights. On April 27, RCAF officials in Ger many said that more than 100 Sabres were then waiting at Goose Bav to be ferried over to the U.K. for th~ R.-\F. The 60 machines invoh·ed in Beechers Brook Four were evidently from this group. 31 70 'VALIANTS' REFUEL IN FLIGHT Probe and Drogue adopted for V-bomber force FLIGHT REFUELING gives to our V-bombers advantages which stem from greatly increased range and striking power. This valuable facility of being able to refuel in flight can be applied quite easily to most modern aircraft without structural alteration - a point becoming increasingly appreciated by other coun tries . (Probe and Drogue is standard equipment in fighters of the U.S. Navy and U.S. Tactical Air Force.) Conversion is simple and straightforward and the cost is agreeably low, particularly in terms of time, labour and weight. Equipment for the tanker aircraft, for example, is a self-contained 'package' unit which can be fitted or removed in a few hours. Operation calls for only the briefest instruction. Refuelling the Valiants in flight requires no addition to normal aircrews. From a remote control panel on th e tanker the complete fuel transfer operation is controlled safely and semi-automatically by one man. The probe of the receiver aircraft is flown into the drogue and withdrawn when its tanks are full-the connections be ing made or broken entirely at the discretion of the receiver pilot. FLIGHT REFUELING (CANADA) LIMITED ( An aBBociate compan11 of FliDh-t RcfuellinD Limited of EnDl,a,nd) 44 HAAS ROAD, REXDALE, TORONTO, ONTARIO CANADIAN AVIATION F R 1 1 2 0 0 0 t·FW6 REVUE ~ ..................... ·····<•l: 1111: 1 =t llome I Update I LATEST ISSUE I Gallery I FR Inside I Datalilcs I FR 11/2000 IN-FLIGHT REFUELLING TECHNOLOGY By .\4atthias Griinder In.flight refuelling is very much a necessity during e:-.1ended patrols and long-distance ferry flights or on military missions over hostile tenitory which cannot be approached via a direct route due to the enemy presence. The need to refuel applies not only to strategic bombers and transporters, including tanker aircraft themselves, but also to tactical fighter aircraft and helicopters. . . . . ;:it~k.!,-... ~~,... .. ~·:. --~~~,.t ~--:..~~::.:~: The history of air•to-air refuelling has seen a variety of teclmical solutions, two of which are predominantly used today: the flexible drogue trailed from a tanker into which the receiving aircraft thrusts a probe ("probe and drogue") and the rigid boom. A third variant, a wing-to-wing hose refuelling system, has only been used by Russian strategic bomber forces and will therefore not be discussed further in this article. The probe and drogue system consists essentially of a hose with a metal basket at the end that is connected to the tanker aircraft's transferable fuel tanks. The rim of the basket is made from a strong fabric and is designed to inflate in the air stream. forming a wide cone. At the centre of the drogue is a hose coupling with a quick•acting locking mechanism, into which the approaching pilot of the aircraft to be refuelled thrusts the tip of his probe. Once contact has been made, depending on the particular system, between 700 and 2,600 kg of fuel flow into his tanks per minute. In this way, it normally takes only a few minutes to refuel the aircraft. If any problems occur during refuelling, it is naturally possible to disconnect the system rapidly and without complications. Otherwise, the heavy hose and drogue trail behind the tanker in a relatively stable manner, so that after making visual contact the pilot of the following aircraft can fly up to the tanker, adjust his speed to that of the tanker and lock on to it, all in a matter of seconds. The use of special positioning lights makes the procedure a lot easier. The drogue system is based on an invention by the Englishman Alan Cobham who back in the 1930s had developed a system known as the "cross-over" system whereby the approaching pilot had to catch a trailing fuel hose and draw it towards him using a kind of harpoon. The apparatus. which seems somewhat complicated by today's standards, was viewed with interest by the American forces, but due to the outbreak of war it was not implemented. Only atler the Second W odd War did the US Air Force introduce the system, converting a hundred 8-29 bombers fitted with the system into KB-29M tankers. However. the need for entire crews of tankers and bombers made the cross-over method unsuitable for smaller aircraft. Cobham now went on to develop the probe and drogue system, in which the receiving aircraft locked its probe, which was initially attached either to the nose of the fuselage or on the wingtip, onto the drogue. Around 300 kg of fuel could be transferred per minute at that time, and the introduction of this system extended the range of American tactical fighter aircraft by an order of magnitude overnight. Two different versions of this technique continue to be employed today . Under the first variant, one or more hoses fitted with a drogue are located together with the associated drive, switching mechanisms and pumps in the aft section of the tanker fuselage and are operated and controlled there by an operator. In the early days, the operator lay face down on a kind of stretcher and controlled the system with levers while reading off, for example, the fuel flow rate from indicators within his field of view. With today's more modern systems the operators sit in comfortable seats and can monitor the operation. sometimes even with the aid of a remote-controlled camera. The second variant makes use of special pods which look very similar to auxiliary tanks and are generally suspended beneath the wings of the tanker. The system originally invented by Douglas and known as D-704 was refined by the American Sargent Fletcher company. which today is part of the Flight Refuelling Division of Cobham pie. These pods are available in various designs, but they all work on the same principle. A small propeller at the tip drives the fuel pump, and the fuel is pumped out of fuel lines running from the wings or the fuselage directly into the hose, which in turn is accommodated in the pod along with the drogue and hose reel. Atler refuelling, the hose is wound up again using a motor, and the drogue is drawn back into the pod. These relatively small, light and compact containers even permit smaller aircraft to refuel each other, as, for example, has been practised on German Tornados during prolonged tlights. Whereas it was only a few years ago that fuel-pump nozzles with rapid, automatic cut-off first appeared at tilling stations, this technology has been in use ever since probe and drogue in-flight refuelling was first introduced. This is essential since neither the receiving aircraft nor the tanker can tell on the basis of the instruments available to them exactly when the tank is really full so that refuelling needs to be terminated. Sensors in the system are therefore used to report when the tank is full and automatically shut the valve, following which the operator issues the disconnect command to the receiving pilot. However, due to its relatively low flow rate, the hose system also has a major disadvantage: larger aircraft, such as strategic transporters or bombers, would need to spend too long connected up to the tanker if they were to use this method. For this reason, Boeing developed a special rigid boom. which can be steered via two V-shaped stabilising control surfaces and has a telescopic, spmng pipe fitted \vith a fuel nozzle at the end. With this system, which is only in service with the US Air Force and was used for the first time with KC-97 tankers, up to three and-a-halftonnes of fuel can be transferred per minute, reducing the length of the operation considerably. With this refuelling variant the role of the boom operator becomes quite critical. as the boom moves out of the pilot's field of view during the final stages of aligning his aircraft. From this point onwards all further adjustment of the aircraft's position must be executed relying on commands issued by the boo1\1 operator until the latter can insert the "sting" into the special receptacle on the receiving aircraft, which is normally on the upper side of the fuselage. These manoeuvres are always a little risky and have to be rehearsed by the crew at length and extremely thoroughly on a simulator before performing them for real. There have been incidents in which probes have been damaged due to clumsy manoeuvring on the part of the pilot or under the int1uence of adverse weather conditions. and this of course can be a major problem for other aircratl waiting to be refuelled. There have even been occasional crashes caused by aircrat1 colliding with the boom. Nevertheless, there is no sign of any altemati ve to the svstem currently employed emerging in the foreseeable future. From page 80 of FLUG REVUE 11/2000 Home I Update I LATEST ISSUE I Gallerv I FR Inside I Datafiles I FR 11/2000 Copyright 2000 by Motor-Presse Stuttgart. All rights reserved. Last updated 9 October 2000 FLUG REVUE, Ubierstr. 83 , 53173 Bonn, Germany ALL POWERFUL : Accord ing o the manufacturers , the USN 's Douglas A3D Sky warrior attack bomber is so powerful, that if its two P & W J -57 turboj ets were supplemented by JATO, it could theoretically take off vertically. Designed for carrier-based opera tio ns , the A3D weighs in at 70,000 lbs. mox. gross and con take off from on Essex class carrie r without the a id of a catapult. It con tra ve l at speeds of over 600 mph and operates a t altitu des of over 40,000 feet. d J\'o. I .\ir Di\'ision in respect to both :idministration and operations. .\!though technically the Wing has been a part of the Ai r Di,·ision organ izat ion since the Di"ision was fo rmed. it has actually been under the opera tional con trol of RAF Fighter Com mand. The mo,·ement started wi th the shift of -\ I 0 Squadron aircraft and personnel to Raden-Soellingen. Germany, from where they are operating until the Wing headq uarters has completed its move to Marville. No. 4-\ I Squadron is carrying out a simi lar move to Zwei brucken, Germany, this month . North Stars from 426 Squadron are assisting 111 these moves, extending their scheduled transport fl ights between Canada and the U.K. to the continent for the period of the transfer operation . The Wing's third squadron, 439, wi ll rema111 at North Luffenham until the station closes, probably late in January. and will then Av over direct to its ne\\· base at Iv!anille . It will be joined there later bY the other t\\'<1 squadrons. Aircraft from 43~ and 436 Trans port Squadrons, frorn Ed monton and Dunal. respectively. ,,·ill a id in the move. during January. of 439 Squadron and the Wing headqua rters. Four C l I s: ·s. two from each squadron. will be based in the U.K. for approximately a two-week period to aid in this mo\'e. During this period . it is expected that they will airlift more than 600,000 lbs. of equipment from 1\'orth Luffenham to Man·ille. The withdrawal of ~o. I F ig hter \Ving from l'2, it was recently announceJ bv AFHQ. The new helicopters are to he . Basic :\ C2 - ------------- - ----- 592 :\ C I -------------------- S96 L-\C ____________________ g I 07 Cpl. --------------------S I 27 Sgt. ________________ __ __ $144 F SMt . ________________ __ $ 165 WO2 ____________________ $ 195 \V O I ___ __ ____________ __ '1?74 P O _______________ _____ SIK5 F o _____ _____________ __ s2 ,o Commi.s~iont.:d from F S!! t.. \V02. or \\'Qt_ _____ S28X F L ________________ ____ $790 S / L __________ __________ S370 \V 1 C __ _________________ S460 G / C _______ _____________ S6 I 5 _-\ , C ____________________ 5827 .-\ 1\' /M ______ ___ __ ___ __ _ 5981 fanuary, 195-1 Pay (87) (9 I ) (98) ( I I 2) ( I 21)) ( 150) (Ii 4) ( I •13) ( I ill) t2 I U) (253) (255) (335) (39 5) (555) (737) (881) Subsistence Allowance 56 I ( \lo chanMcJ 561 S 594 5113 512 6 5 139 $153 51 65 Total 5153 ( 148) 515i ( 152 ) SI (,X ( 159) SIKX ( 173) 52 16 (20 1) 5246 (23 1) S276 (255) S3 1/i (285) 5250 (235) 53 JI) (291)) 5377 S3X4 S-HU 5586 5,54 5980 S1.146 (342) (349) (44X) ( 52 1) (694) (890) ( 1.046) Foreign allowances of from $9 to SIG a month are paid to men ser\'lng abroad ($13.50 to $55.50 for officers). and al'orrhern Ireland on January 17. Britannias for A TC The RCAF's _-\ir Transport Com mand is definitely to get a version of the Bristol Britannia to replace the our-Jared :'•Jorth Stars presently in use. Long-stand ing rumors have now lurdened into f,1t:t and Canadair has been given the go-ahead to start pre lim inary work on a transport vers ion of its CL-28 \[R Britannia. This will be known as the CL-44. It wi ll prob ,1bl v be two years befo re the first one is ~eady for ,~cceptance flights. Swedish Dragon T he Saab J-35 do~ble-delta super s::. nic jet figh ter has gone in to quantity prod uction for the Swedish Air Force, with deliveries scheduled with in the next few years . The SAF, which has designated this highly advanced ai rcraft th e J-35 Draken ( Dragon ) . has been working wi th Saab designers for seven years on the project. In the three Saab J-3 '; prototypes, the Swedish Air Force has fo und the answer to its requirements , laid down in 1949, for a fighter which could in tercept enemy bombers in the THE HUSTLER : The USAF Convair B-58 Hustler, the U.S.', first supersonic bomber , is photographed in flight. The Hustler is designed to operate at altitudes above 50,000 feet, is powered by four General El ectric J-79 turbojet engines with after burners. The aircraft is 95 feet long , has o wingspan of 55 feet, and carries a crew of three. It has the ability to carry a wide variety of exte rnal pods filled witn offensive or defensive weapons a t su person ic dash speeds over the target area. It has out-run an F-100 chose oirplane, with less than full power. transonic speed range. The unusual configuration of the Saab-35 came about as an answer to the proble m of reducing air cl.rag and getting sufficient vol ume in the air craft for equipment, fuel and arma ment. Radar Helicopter The USN's new Sikorsky HR2S l W radar helicopter is now under going initial flight tests. The Navy is evaluating it as a new method of ex tend ing a fleet unit's early-warning coverage beyond that of shipboard sea rch racier. In most cases, the helicopter raJar could detect a low-flying enemy air craft more than twice as far away as rn uld a sh ipboard radar set. The heli copter can be carried on an escort car rier or other Navy vessel large enough for a land ing platform, with a flec::t unit at sea beyond the coverage area of land-based Navy radar picket planes or blimps. It can be sent up as neeJeJ. to hover over the sh ips or to fly out beyond them for added radar coYerag:: . The radar , d es igned and bui lt by G<'.neral Electric, is described as th~ most powerful airborne search radar i!1 production today. It is widely used by the U.S. Navy in anti-submarine work, and in airborne early-warning a1rpianes and blimps. It is also b~ing used by the U.S. Air Force in its com parable radar picket airplanes . Atomic Bomber The U .S .. \ ir Force. appar~nt!y con hmblies and reusable hose fittings . Ex tensive stocks will be maintained at thei r Montreal and Toronto offices. Contracts Awarded Contractors awarded business in excess of $10,000 by the Department of Defence Prod uction during die period July I 6, I 958, to August 15, I 958, include the following. The list docs not include orders placed by the Department outside Canada, or with other agencies, or increases in orders placed ea rlier - nor do orders classified as secret appear here. Names appea ring in oold face are current . \11u . R:\I ·1 ad vl'rti !>crs. ,\liercorn :\ero l.td., ~fonl1 cal, $1 5,5(1G A IRCRAFT I • ! I f ! I

Jet Bombers

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AVRO Museum

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