The Gisborne Herald. IN WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE TIMES." GISBORNE, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1949 BRITISH BID FOR AVIATION SUPREMACY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23043, 6 September 1949, Page 4

The Gisborne Herald. IN WHICH IS INCORPORATED "THE TIMES." GISBORNE, TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 1949 BRITISH BID FOR AVIATION SUPREMACY

TT lias hoon said that on the outcome of trials o.t the world s largest lam!]')] a no. flic 194-ton Bristol Brabazon I, may hang the entire fate of British civil aviation tor the next 10 years. At long last this giant aircraft lias been test flown and safely landed. Preliminary reports state that the pilot is satisfied with handling charnel eristics, and while this is a good augury it will be some time before the tell-tale story of over 1000 instruments which recorded stresses is pieced togelher and analysed. The Urabazon project goes back to 194! before the Battle of Britain. Demonstrating Britain’s confidence in the future, despite the then grim tidings of war, a committee was set up under Lord Urabazon to work on specifications of five civil airliners embodying wartime const ruction experience. At that time Britain was specialising in lighters, although she was also building large numbers of. bombers and reconnaissance aircraft. The Bristol Aeroplane Uompauy was asked lo design an airliner for a non-stop Atlantic service. Aircraft had been designed before Iho war to carry a considerable payload across the Atlantic, but only by the geographically inconvenient stepping stones of (hinder. Greenland. Iceland and Prestwiclc, The objective in future was to capture the cream of the air traffic from London to New \ ork direct. Three Times Size of Constellation

The. Bristol company had decided by the end of 1943 that an airliner of at, least .130 tons carrying up lo 100 passengers was necessary for economical operation. It was to be three times larger than the present American Constellation. To serve the giant Urabazon, work upon which was begun in 1940. a huge new hangar had to be built and a speeiaUrunway 4000yds. long constructed lo allow the machine under tost to become airborne and alight again without leaving its safety. On its test flight on Sunday it took off in loOOvds., a surprisingly short distance. Greater interest than usual was attached to the handling of this aircraft. Because of its size it had to have a complete system of power-operated controls the characteristics of which could not be fully ascertained until the Brabazon was airborne. The undercarriage also entailed long research for this vital component, together with the expense of extra heavy runways, has for long been held to lie the limiting factor in the size of land aircraft and has strengthened arguments in favour of flying-boats in the mammoth class. It, has already been decided to give the second Brabazon a 10-wheel undercarriage to distribute the weight over a wide area and to permit, the use of most airfields with normal surfaces which take the (50-ton American Stratocruiser now in use. Whereas the first Brabazon is fitted with eight, piston engines driving four pairs of counter-rotating propellers, the second is to have gas turbines, and it is tentatively proposed to equip the third with jet engines. Total Cost About £12,000,000

There has been a good deal of criticism of the Brabazon venture, much of it on the grounds of cost. This, including hangar and runway, already amounts to about, £12,000.000. For this reason alone it, is no wonder that the first test flight was watched breathlessly. While it may be two or three years before the Brabazon can be pronounced a commercial success or otherwise, there is_ more hope for the future of British civil aviation than ever previously. An even larger aircraft, the 140-ton 105-passenger Princess class flying-boat, has been launched and is expected to fly_ within 18 months. It will have gas turbine engines. The four jet-engined Comet, another Atlantic airliner, has made several test flights. The Americans admit that British jet and turbine engine developments are about two years ahead of their own. Great technical and financial courage lias been shown throughout the British experiments, and if the bid for supremacy succeeds it will be fully deserved and will be accompanied by untold commercial advantages.