FLIGHT, 13 May 1955
607
First Dutch Hunter
production is now going forward in three countries:
HUNTER
Great Britain, Holland and Belgium. While large-scale
deliveries of Hawker-built machines are being made to the R.A.F.,
the first aircraft of a sizeable combined NATO and Dutch Government order has now made its first flight from Schiphol. Altogether,
NATO orders call for 112 Hunters to be built by Fokker in Holland
and S.A.B.C.A. and Avions Fairey in Belgium, and the Dutch
Government has ordered a further 156 Hunters from Fokker.
The initial machines are being assembled from parts flown over
to the Fokker factory from Britain; later aircraft will be entirely
Dutch and Belgian-built.
Fokker's chief test pilot, Gerben Sonderman, made the first
flight, and "Jas" Moll, another Fokker test pilot, has now also
flown the aircraft. Reports from Holland indicate that Hunters
—they will be Mk 4s and 6s—are eagerly awaited by the Dutch
Air Force. Some new details are given by Avia-Vliegwereld.
The push-button undercarriage control, for instance, is so positioned that the wheels can be raised after take-off by "pointing" the
left forefinger with the hand still on the throttle. The flap control
is a short lever (a completely different shape from that of the
undercarriage control) which permits fine adjustment of flap
setting. A number of hydraulic and fuel pressure warning indicators are of the "doll's-eye" type. Two V.H.F. sets are fitted.
Three cartridges are provided for engine starting and can
rapidly be replaced. Take-off is reported to require between 10
Test pilot Sonderman. A photograph of the Hunter is on p. 605.
and 15 sec and undercarriage retraction 6 sec. Climbing speed is
quoted as 0.87 Mach, with a cruising speed in the region of 0.92
Mach. Fully powered aileron control allows a rate of roll in the
region of 300 deg/sec, which is close to the human tolerance for
such a manoeuvre. The elevators are servo-assisted and there is,
therefore, a feedback of aerodynamic loads, but the effect can be
alleviated by making use of an electric stick-top trimmer. Maximum speed for undercarriage extension is 230 kt and approach
speed is quoted as 20 per cent higher that that of the Meteor.
The Wilbur Wright Lecture—and R.Ae.S. Awards
" P L I G H T CONTROL" in theory and practice will form the
*- subject of the Royal Aeronautical Society's 43rd Wilbur
Wright Memorial Lecture, to be given on May 19th by Dr. C. S.
Draper, F.I.A.S., head of the Department of Aeronautical
Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Draper has written extensively in the fields of instrumentation and control, and is a well-known consulting engineer.
Since 1922 Dr. Draper has been continuously at M.I.T.,
becoming Professor of Aeronautical Engineering in 1939 and
head of the department in 1951. In 1946 he received the Medal
for Merit and the Naval Ordnance Development Award for his
war-time work in anti-aircraft fire control, and among his other
distinguished awards are the Sylvanus Albert Reed Award of
the Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences and the Exceptional
Civilian Service Award made by the Department of the Air Force.
As is customary on the occasion of the Wilbur Wright Lecture,
the Royal Aeronautical Society's awards will be presented. The
R.Ae.S. Gold Medal—the highest honour which the Society can
confer in recognition of scientific achievement in aeronautics—
is being awarded to Lord Hives (chairman and joint managing
director of Rolls-Royce, Ltd.) "for his outstanding work in the
field of aircraft propulsion."
Recipients of other medals awarded will be as follows: —
The Society's Silver Medal (for work of an outstanding nature in
aeronautics).—Dr. R. A. Frazer, for his outstanding work in aerodynamics over a period of many years; and Dr. A. A. Griffith, for his
outstanding research contributions on aircraft engine design. The
Society's Bronze Medal (for work leading to an advance in aeronautics).
—Professor M. J. Lighthill, for his contributions to aeronautical knowledge. The Wakefield Gold Medal (for the designer or inventor of any
apparatus tending towards safety in flying).—Mr. J. Taylor, for the
design and development of the counting accelerometer. British Gold
Medal (for outstanding practical achievement leading to advancement
in aeronautics).—Mr. G. H. Dowty, for his outstanding practical
achievement in the design and development of aircraft accessory
systems. British Silver Medal (for practical achievement leading to
advancement in aeronautics).—Dr. S. G. Hooker, for his practical
achievement in the design and development on aero engines. George
Taylor (of Australia) Gold Medal (for the most valuable R.Ae.S. paper
on aircraft design, manufacture or operation).—Mr. R. C. Morgan,
for his paper on Practical Experience of Airline Engineering. Simms
Gold Medal (for the most valuable R.Ae.S. paper on any subject allied
to aeronautics).—Dr. D. Williams, for his paper on Recent Developments in the Structural Approach to Aeroelastic Problems.
As recorded in Flight last week, Honorary Fellowships have
been awarded to Mr. Igor Sikorsky and Mr. H. Grinsted. On
the occasion of the presentation, at the Society's annual general
meeting on May 5th, the following awards were also made:—
R. P. Alston Memorial Prize (for practical achievement associated
with the flight-testing of aircraft).—G. A. V. Tyson, for his contributions to the flight testing of marine aircraft. Edward Busk Memorial
Prize (for the most valuable R.Ae.S. paper on applied aerodynamics).—
J. C. Wimpenny, for his paper on Stability and Control in Aircraft
Design. Herbert Akroyd Stuart Memorial Prize (for the most valuable
contribution on applied thermodynamics).—E. E. Chatterton, for his
paper on Compound Diesel Engines for Aircraft. Usborne Memorial
Prize (for the best contribution by a graduate or student on some subject
of a technical nature in connection with aeronautics).—L. F. Crabtree, for
his paper on The Compressible Laminar Boundary Layer on a Yawed
Infinite Wing. Orville Wright Prize (for the best contributions to the
Aeronautical Quarterly of the Society).—D. B. Spalding and B. S. Tall,
for their paper on Flame Stabilization in High Velocity Gas Streams
and the Effect of Heat Losses at Low Pressures. J. E. Hodgson Prize
(for the best paper of a general nature, with emphasis on historical work).
—Maj. G. P. Bulman, for the First Barawell Memorial Lecture; and
J. Smith, for the First Mitchell Memorial Lecture.
Royal Aeronautical Society Navigation Prize (for the best paper on
navigation, including meteorological instruments and test equipment).
—J. F. W. Mercer, for his paper on A Quantitative Study of Instrument
Approach. R.38 Memorial Fund. Two awards from the R.38 Memorial
Fund were made, to Lord Ventry (to assist him in his experiments
and to help in the development of the airship Bournemouth), and to
Mr. W. N. Alcock (to assist him in further investigations in connection
with airships).
Finally, the Society has announced the election of twenty-two
Fellows, whose names we hope to list in a forthcoming issue.
Below (left to right), Sir Sydney
Camm, the retiring president,
presents Honorary Fellowships to
Mr. Sikorsky and Mr. Grinsted, the
R. P. Alston Memorial Prize to Mr.
Tyson, and R.38 Memorial Fund
awards to Lord Ventry and Mr.
Alcock. On the right, Mr. E. J.
Mann (right), secretary of the
Hatfield Branch, presents a silver
salver to Mr. N. E. Rowe, the new
president, as a token of appreciation of his previous work, as chairman of the branches committee,
for the 25 R.Ae.S. branches.
"Flight" photographs