1.
RAF Cosford
–
Royal Air Force Cosford or RAF Cosford is a Royal Air Force station in Cosford, Shropshire, just to the northwest of Wolverhampton and next to Albrighton. RAF Cosford opened in 1938 as a joint aircraft maintenance, storage and it has remained mainly a training unit to this day. The Fulton Mess barrack block was constructed just before the Second World War as the largest single building barrack block in the UK and it is now used for technical training. No 2 School of Technical Training was formed in 1938 and during the Second World War it trained 70,000 airmen in engine, airframe and armament trades. No 2 School of Technical Training was subsumed into the No 1 School of Technical Training when it moved to Cosford from RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire and these ferrying flights were often crewed by women pilots and Amy Johnson came to Cosford on more than one occasion. The airfield was originally a grassed strip, a substantial Princess Marys Royal Air Force Nursing Service hospital was established at RAF Cosford, the most westerly such RAF hospital in the UK. Constructed of wooden spurred hutting the hospital was the centre for repatriated Prisoners of War with over 13,000 processed by 1948. Many of those from the Far East had to remain for long term treatment, the hospital was also open to the general public as well as servicemen and women, but it was closed on 31 December 1977 and demolished in 1980. Schools currently stationed there include, No.1 School of Technical Training, No.1 Radio School RAF, the Defence School of Photography, Flying units include the University of Birmingham Air Squadron, No 8 Air Experience Flight and No 633 Volunteer Gliding Squadron. The Wales and West regional headquarters and West Mercian Wing headquarters of the Air Training Corps are situated there, Cosford became part of the Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering, which was formed on 1 April 2004. Other units located at Cosford include elements of the Defence College of Communications and Information Systems, the Defence School of Photography and the RAF School of Physical Training. In early 2009 there was a chance that the DCAE would relocate to RAF St Athan. The Defence College at RAF Cosford came under the Defence Technical Training Change Programme and as such, Defence College of Aeronautical Engineering Cosford HQ DCAE Aerosystems Training Wing Military Training Wing Lodger Units RAF Museum Cosford. No 1 Radio School (Part of the Defence College of Communication and Information Systems, Defence School of Photography RAF School of Physical Training. No 605 County of Warwick Squadron University of Birmingham Air Squadron No 8 Air Experience Flight HQ Wales, headquarters West Mercia West Wing Air Training Corps. There are also collections of missiles and airliners, the Cold War Exhibition opened on 7 February 2007 by former prime minister Baroness Thatcher and HRH Princess Anne. Exhibits include the collection of three V bombers in the same place in the world. As a consequence, it was anticipated that all training would move from Cosford to Metrixs main campus to be built on the RAF St Athan site over a 5-year period from 2008
2.
Aviation museum
–
An aviation museum, air museum, or aerospace museum is a museum exhibiting the history and artifacts of aviation. In addition to actual or replica aircraft, exhibits can include photographs, maps, models, dioramas, clothing, aviation museums vary in size from housing just one or two aircraft to hundreds. They may be owned by national, regional or local governments or be privately owned, some museums address the history and artifacts of space exploration as well, illustrating the close association between aeronautics and astronautics. Aviation museums may display their aircraft only on the ground or fly some of them, museums that do not fly their aircraft may have decided not to do so either because the aircraft are not in condition to fly or because they are considered too rare or valuable. Museums may fly their aircraft in air shows or other related events. Some museums have sets of periodicals, technical manuals, photographs and these are often made available to aviation researchers for use in writing articles or books or to aircraft restoration specialists working on restoring an aircraft
3.
Shropshire
–
Shropshire Council was created in 2009, a unitary authority taking over from the previous county council and five district councils. The borough of Telford and Wrekin has been a unitary authority since 1998. The county has many towns, including Whitchurch in the north, Newport north-east of Telford. The Ironbridge Gorge area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, covering Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale, there are other historic industrial sites in the county, such as at Shrewsbury, Broseley, Snailbeach and Highley, as well as the Shropshire Union Canal. The Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers about a quarter of the county, Shropshire is one of Englands most rural and sparsely populated counties, with a population density of 136/km2. The Wrekin is one of the most famous landmarks in the county, though the highest hills are the Clee Hills, Stiperstones. Wenlock Edge is another significant geographical and geological landmark, the River Severn, Great Britains longest river, runs through the county, exiting into Worcestershire via the Severn Valley. Shropshire is landlocked and with an area of 3,487 square kilometres is Englands largest inland county, the county flower is the round-leaved sundew. The area was part of the lands of the Cornovii. This was a tribal Celtic iron age kingdom and their capital in pre-Roman times was probably a hill fort on the Wrekin. Ptolemys 2nd century Geography names one of their towns as being Viroconium Cornoviorum, after the Roman occupation of Britain ended in the 5th century, the Shropshire area was in the eastern part of the Welsh Kingdom of Powys, known in Welsh poetry as the Paradise of Powys. It was annexed to the Angle kingdom of Mercia by King Offa in the 8th century, in subsequent centuries, the area suffered repeated Danish invasion, and fortresses were built at Bridgnorth and Chirbury. Many defensive castles were built at this time across the county to defend against the Welsh and enable effective control of the region, including Ludlow Castle, the western frontier with Wales was not finally determined until the 14th century. Also in this period, a number of foundations were formed, the county largely falling at this time under the Diocese of Hereford. The county contains a number of historically significant towns, including Shrewsbury, Bridgnorth, additionally, the area around Coalbrookdale in the county is seen as highly significant, as it is regarded as one of the birthplaces of the Industrial Revolution. The village of Edgmond, near Newport, is the location of the lowest recorded temperature in England, the origin of the name Shropshire is the Old English Scrobbesbyrigscīr, which means Shrewsburyshire. The name may, therefore, be derived indirectly from a name such as Scrope. Salop is an old name for Shropshire, historically used as a form for post or telegrams
4.
Royal Air Force
–
The Royal Air Force is the United Kingdoms aerial warfare force. Formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, following victory over the Central Powers in 1918 the RAF emerged as, at the time, the largest air force in the world. The RAF describe its mission statement as, an agile, adaptable and capable Air Force that, person for person, is second to none, and that makes a decisive air power contribution in support of the UK Defence Mission. The mission statement is supported by the RAFs definition of air power, Air power is defined as the ability to project power from the air and space to influence the behaviour of people or the course of events. Today the Royal Air Force maintains a fleet of various types of aircraft. The majority of the RAFs rotary-wing aircraft form part of the tri-service Joint Helicopter Command in support of ground forces, most of the RAFs aircraft and personnel are based in the UK, with many others serving on operations or at long-established overseas bases. It was founded on 1 April 1918, with headquarters located in the former Hotel Cecil, during the First World War, by the amalgamation of the Royal Flying Corps, at that time it was the largest air force in the world. The RAFs naval aviation branch, the Fleet Air Arm, was founded in 1924, the RAF developed the doctrine of strategic bombing which led to the construction of long-range bombers and became its main bombing strategy in the Second World War. The RAF underwent rapid expansion prior to and during the Second World War, under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan of December 1939, the air forces of British Commonwealth countries trained and formed Article XV squadrons for service with RAF formations. Many individual personnel from countries, and exiles from occupied Europe. By the end of the war the Royal Canadian Air Force had contributed more than 30 squadrons to serve in RAF formations, additionally, the Royal Australian Air Force represented around nine percent of all RAF personnel who served in the European and Mediterranean theatres. In the Battle of Britain in 1940, the RAF defended the skies over Britain against the numerically superior German Luftwaffe, the largest RAF effort during the war was the strategic bombing campaign against Germany by Bomber Command. Following victory in the Second World War, the RAF underwent significant re-organisation, during the early stages of the Cold War, one of the first major operations undertaken by the Royal Air Force was in 1948 and the Berlin Airlift, codenamed Operation Plainfire. Before Britain developed its own nuclear weapons the RAF was provided with American nuclear weapons under Project E and these were initially armed with nuclear gravity bombs, later being equipped with the Blue Steel missile. Following the development of the Royal Navys Polaris submarines, the nuclear deterrent passed to the navys submarines on 30 June 1969. With the introduction of Polaris, the RAFs strategic nuclear role was reduced to a tactical one and this tactical role was continued by the V bombers into the 1980s and until 1998 by Tornado GR1s. For much of the Cold War the primary role of the RAF was the defence of Western Europe against potential attack by the Soviet Union, with many squadrons based in West Germany. With the decline of the British Empire, global operations were scaled back, despite this, the RAF fought in many battles in the Cold War period
5.
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
–
The Ministry of Defence is the British government department responsible for implementing the defence policy set by Her Majestys Government and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. The MoD states that its objectives are to defend the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and its interests and to strengthen international peace. The MoD also manages day-to-day running of the forces, contingency planning. As rearmament became a concern during the 1930s, Stanley Baldwin created the position of Minister for Coordination of Defence. Winston Churchill, on forming his government in 1940, created the office of Minister of Defence to exercise control over the Chiefs of Staff Committee. The post was held by the Prime Minister of the day until Clement Attlees government introduced the Ministry of Defence Act of 1946, the new ministry was headed by a Minister of Defence who possessed a seat in the Cabinet. These departments merged in 1964, the functions of the Ministry of Aviation Supply merged into the Ministry of Defence in 1971. The Ministers in the Ministry of Defence are as follows, The Ministers and Chiefs of the Defence Staff are supported by a number of civilian, scientific, the Permanent Under-Secretary of State for Defence is the senior civil servant at the MoD. His or her role is to ensure the MoD operates effectively as a department of the government, Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Stephen Lovegrove—commencing April 2016 Defence Equipment & Support CEO - Tony Douglas — commencing 2016 Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Vernon C. He is supported by the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff, vice-Chief of the Defence Staff, General Sir Gordon Messenger, Royal Marines. First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Sir Philip Jones, Royal Navy Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Nick Carter, the Surgeon General, represents the Defence Medical Services on the Defence Staff, and is the clinical head of that service. These forces must be capable of representing Britain as lead nation in any coalition operations, the ability, at longer notice, to deploy forces in a large-scale operation while running a concurrent small-scale operation. The MoD has since been regarded as a leader in elaborating the post-Cold War organising concept of defence diplomacy, the UK is establishing air and naval bases in the Persian Gulf, located in the UAE and Bahrain. A presence in Oman is also being considered, the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015 included £178 billion investment in new equipment and capabilities. The review set a policy with four primary missions for the Armed Forces, Defend and contribute to the security and resilience of the UK. Contribute to improved understanding of the world through strategic intelligence and the defence network. Reinforce international security and the capacity of our allies, partners. Conduct operations to restore peace and stability, conduct major combat operations if required, including under NATO Article 5
6.
Charitable organization
–
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization. It differs from types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals as well as social well-being. The legal definition of charitable organization varies according to the country, the regulation, tax treatment, and the way in which charity law affects charitable organizations also varies. Financial figures are important indicators to assess the sustainability of a charity. This information can impact a charitys reputation with donors and societies, and thus, Charitable organizations often depend partly on donations from for-profit-organizations. Such donations to charitable organizations represent a form of corporate philanthropy. Until the mid-18th century, charity was mainly distributed through parish relief, churches, almshouses, Charities were also responsible for education, health, housing and even prisons. It was in the Enlightenment era that charitable and philanthropic activity among voluntary associations, societies, gentlemans clubs, and mutual associations began to flourish in England and the upper-classes increasingly adopted a philanthropic attitude toward the disadvantaged. This new social activism was channeled into the establishment of charitable organizations and this emerging upper-class fashion for benevolence resulted in the incorporation of the first charitable organizations. This was the first such charity in the world and served as the precedent for incorporated associational charities everywhere. Jonas Hanway, another notable philanthropist of the era established The Marine Society in 1756 as the first seafarers charity, by 1763, the Society had recruited over 10,000 men and it was incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1772. Hanway was also instrumental in establishing the Magdalen Hospital to rehabilitate prostitutes and these organizations were funded by subscription and run as voluntary associations. Charities also began to adopt campaigning roles, where they would champion a cause, the process was however a lengthy one being finally concluded when Saudi Arabia abolished slavery in 1962. This period also saw growing philosophical debate between those who championed state intervention and those who believed that private charities should provide welfare, thomas Malthus, the political economist, criticized poor relief for paupers on economic and moral grounds and proposed leaving charity entirely to the private sector. His views were influential and informed the Victorian laissez-faire attitude toward state intervention for the poor. During the 19th century, a profusion of charitable organizations were set up to alleviate the conditions of the working class in the slums. The Labourers Friend Society, chaired by Lord Shaftesbury in the United Kingdom in 1830, was set up to working class conditions. This included the promotion of allotment of land to labourers for cottage husbandry that later became the allotment movement and this was one of the first housing associations, a philanthropic endeavour that flourished in the second half of the nineteenth century brought about by the growth of the middle class
7.
Royal Air Force Museum London
–
It is part of the Royal Air Force Museum, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Ministry of Defence and a registered charity. A second collection of exhibits, plus aircraft restoration facilities, is housed at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford at RAF Cosford in Shropshire, the museum was officially opened at the Colindale London site on 15 November 1972 by Queen Elizabeth II. The hangars housed 36 aircraft at opening, over the years, the collection increased, and aircraft not on display at Hendon were stored or displayed at smaller local RAF station museums. The first Director of the Museum was Dr John Tanner, who retired in 1987, in 1988, Dr Michael A. Fopp was appointed Director General of all three sites operated by the Museum. Retired Air Vice-Marshal Peter Dye replaced Fopp as Director General on 9 June 2010, in October 2014, it was announced that Maggie Appleton was to be appointed as CEO of the museum. Appleton took up the new role in January 2015, a departure from the role of Director General which was held by Peter Dye until his retirement in late 2014. It also includes the only complete Hawker Typhoon and the only Boulton Paul Defiant in the world, recently added to the museum is a Consolidated B-24 Liberator, which was moved to Hendon from Cosford. It was presented to the museum by the Indian Air Force, in exchange, a Vickers Valiant was sent to Cosford to become part of the new Cold War exhibition. In 2009 the museum took delivery of a FE2b World War I bomber, there is a large car park at the site, and reasonable public transport links, with Colindale tube station around a 10-minute walk away. The Battle of Britain Museum was opened by HM The Queen Mother in November 1978, the building itself must be distinguished enough to be worthy of commemorating such a feat of arms and large enough to accommodate the necessary collections and displays. The government has provided the Hendon site but, in the economic circumstances, has declined to meet any part of the capital cost. Since the Museum must be self-supporting, a Fund of £2 millions is necessary, the whole will be designed to constitute a permanent memorial to the men, women and machines involved in the great battle of 1940. Signed, Douglas Bader £1. 7m was raised to pay for the new museum within a year and this created a dedicated museum hall in which a unique collection of aircraft were displayed, along with other objects and artefacts. In April 2009, work began on The Battle of Britain Hall to improve lighting conditions and this new form of energy-saving lighting can change colour and light intensity while still being cheaper to run. It is kinder to the exhibits because it does not emanate UV light, works were completed in August 2009. Unable to secure funding for the ambitious Beacon project, the proposal lapsed, six years later, on 3 October 2016 the Battle of Britain Hall at Hendon was permanently closed after being in existence for some 38 years. The collection has been dispersed and the Battle of Britain will be presented across both the London and Cosford sites as part of other themed exhibitions within the RAF Centenarys celebrations
8.
Colindale
–
Colindale is an area which lies mainly within the London Borough of Barnet, although the western side of Colindales main shopping street is within the London Borough of Brent. Colindale is an area of suburban character and it is situated about eight miles north west of Charing Cross. Formerly in the borough and ancient parish of Hendon, the area was essentially the dale between Mill Hill and The Burroughs, by the middle of the 20th century, it had come to include that part of the Edgware Road between The Hyde and Burnt Oak. The area is named after a 16th-century family of the same name, until the 20th century, Colindale was without any buildings save for a large house called Colindale Lodge, Colindale Farm and a few cottages. All of these properties were on Colindeep Lane which had in the period been an alternative route out of London to the Edgware Road. By the end of the 16th century it was not often used as a main road, by the end of the 19th century, cheap land prices made Colindale attractive to developers. Colindale Hospital was opened in 1898 as an asylum for the sick of central London. By 1996 the majority of the hospital was closed, and in 2009 lies mostly derelict, in 1902, the British Library built a new depository and kept the newspaper library there in 1934. Garston’s Ltd established a factory in 1901, as well as a row of cottages called Leatherville. As such it is the first manufacturer in the Colindale, by 1914 there was already housing between Colindale Avenue and Annesley Avenue, mostly to house the workers of such endeavours. Immediately after the First World War a number of manufacturing companies came to Colindale. Franco Illuminated Signs opened on Aerodrome Road in 1922, having made the lights for the Franco British Exhibition of 1908 and it was best known for the neon signs found in Piccadilly from the 1920s to the 1970s. Frigidaire started in a shack in Aerodrome Road, employing 11 people in 1923. The reason why many of these and other companies chose Colindale was that there was available for expansion. However, by 1923, when the railway reached Colindale, land prices had increased and factory expansion was not so easy. In 1931, Frigidaire, for example, decided to build a new manufacturing plant to the west, on the A5 Edgware Road, after the tube station opened, development as a London suburb was rapid, and by 1939 much of the western side was semi-detached housing. Typical was the Colin Park Estate, built by F. H. Stucke & Co. around Colindeep Lane in 1927, some of the houses on this estate are by the architect E. G. Trobridge. St Matthias started as a church in 1905
9.
Hendon
–
Hendon is a London suburb in the Borough of Barnet,7 miles northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient parish in the county of Middlesex and has part of Greater London since 1965. Hendon had a population of 52,972 in 2011 and includes the Hendon, Hendon West, Hendon was historically a civil parish in the county of Middlesex. The manor is described in Domesday, but the name Hendun – meaning at the highest hill – is of earlier origin. Evidence of Roman settlement was discovered by members of the Hendon and District Archaeological Society and others, the Midland Railway and the Great Northern Railways were built through Hendon in the 1860s. The underground arrived at Golders Green to the south in 1907, much of the area developed into a suburb of London and now the area is mostly built-up with some countryside in the Mill Hill area, such as the Copthall Playing fields. Hendons industry was centred on manufacturing, and included motor and aviation works. In 1931 the civil parish of Edgware was abolished and its area was added to the civil parish of Hendon. Hendon became an district in 1894. In 1932 the urban district became the Municipal Borough of Hendon, the municipal borough was abolished in 1965 and the area became part of the London Borough of Barnet. Hendon’s main claim to fame is in the days of flying. The area is associated with pioneer aviator Claude Grahame-White. Another part of the Aerodrome site is the Hendon Police College, the Metropolitan Police Book of Remembrance is displayed in the entrance of Simpson Hall at the centre. There is also a memorial garden and it is a former borough and ancient parish. The name means the place or down, and Hendons motto is Endeavour. The Burroughs is a centre for the London Borough of Barnet. The River Brent runs through Hendon, on 30 Nov 2009 the Environment Agency warned residents of flooding along River Brent from Hendon to Brentford, after a day of notably heavy rain. Several premises were flooded in Brentford and Perivale
10.
Elizabeth II
–
Elizabeth II has been Queen of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand since 6 February 1952. Elizabeth was born in London as the eldest child of the Duke and Duchess of York, later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth and her father acceded to the throne on the abdication of his brother Edward VIII in 1936, from which time she was the heir presumptive. She began to undertake duties during the Second World War. Elizabeths many historic visits and meetings include a visit to the Republic of Ireland. She has seen major changes, such as devolution in the United Kingdom, Canadian patriation. She has reigned through various wars and conflicts involving many of her realms and she is the worlds oldest reigning monarch as well as Britains longest-lived. In October 2016, she became the longest currently reigning monarch, in 2017 she became the first British monarch to commemorate a Sapphire Jubilee. Elizabeth has occasionally faced republican sentiments and press criticism of the family, however, support for the monarchy remains high. Elizabeth was born at 02,40 on 21 April 1926, during the reign of her paternal grandfather and her father, Prince Albert, Duke of York, was the second son of the King. Her mother, Elizabeth, Duchess of York, was the youngest daughter of Scottish aristocrat Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and she was delivered by Caesarean section at her maternal grandfathers London house,17 Bruton Street, Mayfair. Elizabeths only sibling, Princess Margaret, was born in 1930, the two princesses were educated at home under the supervision of their mother and their governess, Marion Crawford, who was casually known as Crawfie. Lessons concentrated on history, language, literature and music, Crawford published a biography of Elizabeth and Margarets childhood years entitled The Little Princesses in 1950, much to the dismay of the royal family. The book describes Elizabeths love of horses and dogs, her orderliness, others echoed such observations, Winston Churchill described Elizabeth when she was two as a character. She has an air of authority and reflectiveness astonishing in an infant and her cousin Margaret Rhodes described her as a jolly little girl, but fundamentally sensible and well-behaved. During her grandfathers reign, Elizabeth was third in the line of succession to the throne, behind her uncle Edward, Prince of Wales, and her father, the Duke of York. Although her birth generated public interest, she was not expected to become queen, many people believed that he would marry and have children of his own. When her grandfather died in 1936 and her uncle succeeded as Edward VIII, she became second-in-line to the throne, later that year, Edward abdicated, after his proposed marriage to divorced socialite Wallis Simpson provoked a constitutional crisis. Consequently, Elizabeths father became king, and she became heir presumptive, if her parents had had a later son, she would have lost her position as first-in-line, as her brother would have been heir apparent and above her in the line of succession
11.
Royal Air Force station
–
A Royal Air Force station is a permanent Royal Air Force operations location. Most RAF stations are aerodromes, or airfields, being the home to one or more flying squadrons, other RAF stations are training units, administrative units, headquarters, or carry out ground-based operational tasks. Although many RAF units are called stations, they can only be properly classified as an RAF station if they are self-accounting with their own station commander. Units without a commander or headquarters staff will ordinarily be a satellite of an RAF station proper. In the early years of the RAF, very few of its bases were classified as stations, some bases which were locally known as RAF location name were officially listed under the units title. For example, No.1 Stores Depot was at RAF Kidbrooke which was described as No.1 Stores Depot in the official lists, in the years before World War II the RAF went through a period of rapid expansion. One means of achieving this expansion was to several units together at one location. This resulted in a growth in the number of stations. The commanding officer in charge of an RAF station is titled as the station commander, on flying units the station commander normally holds the rank of group captain. Most RAF stations are administratively sub-divided into wings, and are controlled by a station headquarters, on a flying station the subordinate wings have usually been called Operations Wing, Engineering Wing, and Administration Wing. Engineering wings are being split into Forward Support Wing and Depth Support Wings, while many Administration, flying stations are typically in remote or rural areas, and are geographically quite large in area. Non-flying RAF stations are much smaller in area than flying stations. They may be close to urban conurbations, and may sometimes be situated in historic mansions, manor houses, or other notable buildings of fine architectural quality. Current RAF stations are mainly in the United Kingdom, overseas RAF stations include RAF Akrotiri in Akrotiri and Dhekelia, RAF Gibraltar in Gibraltar, naval air station Royal Air Force official site
12.
British Airways
–
British Airways, often shortened to BA, is the flag carrier and the largest airline in the United Kingdom based on fleet size. When measured by passengers carried, it is second-largest in the United Kingdom behind easyJet, the airline is based in Waterside near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. On 31 March 1974, all four companies were merged to form British Airways, after almost 13 years as a state company, British Airways was privatised in February 1987 as part of a wider privatisation plan by the Conservative government. The carrier soon expanded with the acquisition of British Caledonian in 1987, followed by Dan-Air in 1992, British Airways is a founding member of the Oneworld airline alliance, along with American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and the now defunct Canadian Airlines. The alliance has since grown to become the third-largest, after SkyTeam, IAG is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the FTSE100 Index. A long-time Boeing customer, British Airways ordered 59 Airbus A320 family aircraft in August 1998, in 2007 it purchased 12 Airbus A380s and 24 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, marking the start of its long-haul fleet replacement. The centrepiece of the airlines fleet is the Boeing 777. British Airways is the largest operator of the Boeing 747-400, with 51 registered to the airline, on 1 September 1972 the management service functions of both BOAC and BEA were combined under the newly formed British Airways Group. British Airways was established as an airline on 31 March 1974 by the dissolution of BOAC, British Airways and Air France operated the supersonic airliner Aerospatiale-BAC Concorde, and the worlds first supersonic passenger service flew in January 1976 from London Heathrow to Bahrain. Services to the US began on 24 May 1976 with a flight to Washington Dulles airport, service to Singapore was established in co-operation with Singapore Airlines as a continuation of the flight to Bahrain. The final commercial Concorde flight was BA002 from New York JFK to London Heathrow on 24 October 2003, in 1981 the airline was instructed to prepare for privatisation by the Conservative Thatcher government. Sir John King, later Lord King, was appointed chairman, while many other large airlines struggled, King was credited with transforming British Airways into one of the most profitable air carriers in the world. The flag carrier was privatised and was floated on the London Stock Exchange in February 1987, British Airways effected the takeover of the UKs second airline, British Caledonian, in July of that same year. The formation of Richard Bransons Virgin Atlantic Airways in 1984 created a competitor for BA and this campaign included allegations of poaching Virgin Atlantic customers, tampering with private files belonging to Virgin and undermining Virgins reputation in the City. As a result of the case BA management apologised unreservedly, Lord King stepped down as chairman in 1993 and was replaced by his deputy, Colin Marshall, while Bob Ayling took over as CEO. Virgin filed an action in the US that same year regarding BAs domination of the trans-Atlantic routes. In 1992 British Airways expanded through the acquisition of the financially troubled Dan-Air, British Asia Airways, a subsidiary based in Taiwan, was formed in March 1993 to operate between London and Taipei. That same month BA purchased a 25% stake in the Australian airline Qantas and, with the acquisition of Brymon Airways in May, in September 1998, British Airways, along with American Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and Canadian Airlines, formed the Oneworld airline alliance
13.
Cardington, Bedfordshire
–
Cardington is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Bedford in Bedfordshire, England. However most of the former RAF station is actually in the parish of Eastcotts, as is the settlement of Shortstown, Cardington is the location of the two largest and most successful football clubs in Bedford Borough. Bedford Town F. C. compete at The New Eyrie stadium, Bedford F. C. use the McMullen Park stadium, and play in the Spartan South Midlands Football League Division One. Both of the stadiums are located next to each other on Meadow Lane in Cardington. Cardington Artificial Slalom Course is a whitewater canoe slalom course located on the edge of Cardington next to Priory Country Park. The course was the first if its kind to be built in the UK and it is also used as a main training area for the Viking Kayak Club. The church of St. Mary the Virgin has pieces dating from the 12th century and it is a Grade II listed building. Cardington became one of the major British sites involved in the development of airships when Short Brothers bought land there to build airships for the Admiralty and they constructed a 700-foot-long airship hangar in 1915 to enable them to build two rigid airships, the R-31 and the R-32. Some 800 people worked there in 1917, most of them travelled daily from Bedford, shorts also built a housing estate, opposite the site, which they named Shortstown. The airships site was nationalised in April 1919, becoming known as the Royal Airship Works, in preparation for the R101 project the No 1 shed was extended between October 1924 and March 1926, its roof was raised by 35 feet and its length increased to 812 feet. The No.2 shed, which had originally been located at RNAS Pulham, Norfolk, was dismantled in 1928, after the crash of the R101, in October 1930, all work stopped in Britain on airships. Cardington then became a storage station, in 1936/1937 Cardington started building barrage balloons, and it became the No 1 RAF Balloon Training Unit. For both airships and barrage balloons, Cardington manufactured its own hydrogen, in the Gas Factory, the two airship sheds ceased being part of the RAF Cardington site in the late 1940s and they were put to other uses. The fence was moved, so they were outside the main RAF Cardington site, from 1970, No.2 shed was used by the Fire Research Station for large-scale fire tests in sheltered conditions which could not be carried out at their site in Borehamwood, Herts. This shed was completely reclad for BRE in the 1990s by the Property Services Agency and its contractors, the site is currently being used for the development of a new design of airship, the Skycat, by the company Hybrid Air Vehicles. The camp was used to hold prisoners of war in transit. In early 2011 two Goodyear Blimps were refurbished in Shed 1, prior to their deployment on a European tour promoting road safety, Mary the Virgin Church in the Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland The Airship Heritage Trust – Cardington Sheds Many photos of Cardington Airship Hangars
14.
Marshal of the Royal Air Force
–
Marshal of the Royal Air Force is the highest rank in the British Royal Air Force. In peacetime it was granted to RAF officers in the appointment of Chief of the Defence Staff, and to retired Chiefs of the Air Staff, who were promoted to it on their last day of service. While surviving marshals of the RAF retain the rank for life, the highest rank to which officers on active service are promoted is now air chief marshal. In 2012, Charles, Prince of Wales was promoted to the rank while in 2014 Lord Stirrup, marshal of the Royal Air Force is a five-star rank and unlike the air marshal ranks, can properly be considered a marshal rank. MRAF has a NATO ranking code of OF-10, equivalent to an admiral of the fleet in the Royal Navy or a marshal in the British Army. The rank was instituted in 1919 and the first officer to be promoted to MRAF was Sir Hugh Trenchard in 1927, since that time, including Trenchard, there have been 27 men who have held the rank. Of those,22 have been professional RAF officers and five have been members of the British Royal Family. King George V did not formally hold the rank of marshal of the RAF, in this capacity from time to time he wore RAF uniform with the rank insignia of a marshal of the RAF. He first publicly wore such uniform in 1935, the year before his death, both held high command during World War II. Harris was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Bomber Command and Douglas was Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief Fighter Command, Middle East Command, prior to the creation of the RAFs officer rank titles in 1919, it was proposed that by analogy with field marshal, the highest rank title should be air marshal. It was later decided to use the rank of air marshal as an equivalent rank to lieutenant general and marshal of the air was put forward as the highest RAF rank. This new rank title was opposed by the then Chief of the Imperial General Staff, Sir Henry Wilson, however, the Chief of the Air Staff, Sir Hugh Trenchard was unmoved and the title was adopted. Though never held by a Royal Air Force officer, the title of marshal of the air lasted until April 1925. It has also reported that King George V was not happy with the title of marshal of the air. The rank insignia consists of four light blue bands above a light blue band on a broad black band. Marshals of the Royal Air Force wear shoulder boards with their service dress at ceremonial events, prior to 1953, the Tudor Crown was used. The command flag of a marshal of the Royal Air Force has a red horizontal band in the centre with a thinner red band on each side of it. The vehicle star plate for a marshal of the Royal Air Force depicts five white stars on an air force blue background, the rank insignia and flag exists in some other air forces for equivalent ranks
15.
Michael Beetham
–
Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Michael James Beetham, GCB, CBE, DFC, AFC, DL was a Second World War bomber pilot and a high-ranking commander in the Royal Air Force from the 1960s to the 1980s. As Chief of the Air Staff during the Falklands War he was involved in the decision to send the Task Force to the South Atlantic, Beetham MC, Beetham was born in London on 17 May 1923. He was educated at St Marylebone Grammar School, as a young man he witnessed the Battle of Britain from the ground which prompted him to join the RAF in May 1941. Promoted to leading aircraftman on 19 June 1942, Beetham was granted a commission as a pilot officer on probation in the RAFVR on 13 December 1942. He was promoted to flying officer in the RAFVR on 13 June 1943, following flying training in the United States under the Arnold Scheme and in Great Britain, he was assigned flying duties with 50 Squadron just prior to the Battle of Berlin. During the Battle, Beetham flew his Lancaster on bombing missions over Berlin 10 times, in a raid over Augsburg he lost an engine and he survived the Nuremberg Raid in which many Bomber Command aircraft were destroyed. In February 1944, whilst Beetham was on a training flight, Beetham and his crew bailed out, landing by parachute near East Kirkby, Beetham then joined the Caterpillar Club. During his time on 50 Squadron, Beetham carried out 30 operations over enemy territory, in May 1944 Beetham was posted to a flying instruction role, Beetham returned to operation duties with 57 Squadron just as the war in Europe was coming to an end. He was involved in dropping supplies to the Dutch and in the repatriation of prisoners-of-war, as an acting flight lieutenant in the RAFVR, Beetham was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross on 6 June 1944, and was promoted to flight lieutenant on 13 December 1944. He was granted a permanent commission in the RAF on 1 September 1945 in the rank of flying officer, and was promoted to flight lieutenant on 1 July 1946 with seniority from 13 June 1945. He was posted to No.82 Squadron in East Africa in 1949, promoted to squadron leader on 1 January 1952 and attended the RAF Staff College, Beetham was also awarded a Kings Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air in the 1952 New Year Honours. In 1953, Beetham was posted to the Air Ministrys Operational Requirements Branch, much of his time was taken up with the problems of bringing the V-bombers into service. Notably, Beetham also drafted the first specification for the TSR2, Beethams next appointment was as the Personal Staff Officer to Task Force Commander of Operation Buffalo in 1956. The open-air nuclear test explosions witnessed by Beetham led him to the view that it would never be possible to limit the extent of a nuclear war. Beetham was promoted to wing commander on 1 January 1958 and he took up the post of Officer Commanding No.214 Squadron. In July 1959 Wing Commander Beetham captained the first aircraft, a Valiant bomber and he was awarded the Air Force Cross in the 1960 New Year Honours. After several staff tours, during which time he was promoted to captain on 1 January 1962. At the time of his arrival, Khormaksar was the RAFs largest overseas base and that December saw the start of a major attacks against British forces in Aden and over the next two years Beetham spent considerable time dealing with the security of his overcrowded station
16.
English Electric Lightning
–
The English Electric Lightning is a supersonic fighter aircraft of the Cold War era. It was designed, developed, and manufactured by English Electric and it was then marketed as the BAC Lightning. The Lightning was the only all-British Mach 2 fighter aircraft, the Lightning was used by the Royal Air Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force. Although it was the RAFs primary interceptor for more than two decades it was never required to attack another aircraft, the Lightning is powered by two Rolls-Royce Avon turbojet engines in a unique staggered stacked installation in the fuselage. This performance made the Lightning a fuel-critical aircraft, meaning that its missions are dictated to a degree by its limited range. Later developments provided greater range and speed along with aerial reconnaissance, following retirement in the late 1980s, many of the remaining aircraft became museum exhibits and, until 2010, three Lightnings were kept flying at Thunder City in Cape Town, South Africa. In September 2008, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers conferred on the Lightning its Engineering Heritage Award at a ceremony at BAE Systems site at Warton Aerodrome. The specification for the aircraft followed the cancellation of the Air Ministrys 1942 E. 24/43 supersonic research aircraft specification which had resulted in the Miles M.52 programme. Teddy Petter, formerly chief designer at Westland Aircraft, was an early proponent of Britains need to develop a supersonic fighter aircraft. Petter initiated a proposal with F. W. Freddie Page leading the design. By July 1948 their proposal incorporated the engine configuration and a high-mounted tailplane but was designed for Mach 1.5. As a consequence it had a conventional 40° degree swept wing This proposal was submitted in the November, on 29 March 1949 MoS granted approval for English Electric to start the detailed design, develop wind tunnel models and build a full-size mockup. The design that had developed during 1948 evolved further during 1949, to achieve Mach 2 the wing sweep was increased to 60° with the ailerons moved to the wingtips. In late 1949 low-speed wind tunnel showed that a vortex was generated by the wing which caused a large downwash on the tailplane. Following the resignation of Petter, Page took over as team leader for the P.1. In 1949, the Ministry of Supply had issued Specification F23/49, on 1 April 1950, English Electric received a contract for two flying airframes, as well as one static airframe, designated P.1. The Royal Aircraft Establishment was sceptical of Petters swept wing concepts, to test the design of both the wing, the tailplane and to assess handling, Short Brothers were issued a contract to produce the Short SB5 in mid-1950. This was a research aircraft and was designed so that different wing sweep angles could be assumed by the single aircraft
17.
BAC TSR-2
–
The TSR-2 was designed to penetrate a well-defended forward battle area at low altitudes and very high speeds, and then attack high-value targets in the rear with nuclear or conventional weapons. Another intended combat role was to provide high-altitude, high-speed stand-off, side-looking, radar and photographic imagery, some of the most advanced aviation technology of the period was incorporated in order to make it the highest-performing aircraft in the world in its projected missions. Only one airframe flew and test flights and weight rise during design indicated that the aircraft would be unable to meet its original stringent design specifications, the design specifications had been reduced as the results of flight testing. The TSR-2 was the victim of ever-rising costs and inter-service squabbling over Britains future defence needs, the replacements included the Blackburn Buccaneer and McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, both of which had previously been considered and rejected early in the TSR-2 procurement process. Eventually, the smaller swing-wing Panavia Tornado was developed and adopted by a European consortium to fulfil broadly similar requirements to the TSR-2, the introduction of the first practical jet engines in the late-World War II period led to calls for new jet-powered versions of practically every aircraft then flying. Among these was the design of a replacement for the de Havilland Mosquito and this high-speed approach was extremely successful, and a jet-powered version would be even more difficult to intercept. The winning design, the English Electric Canberra, also dispensed with defensive armaments, just as importantly, the designs long, straight wing gave it the lift needed to operate at very high altitudes, placing it above the range where even jet powered fighters were able to operate. This high-speed, high-altitude approach was effective until the late 1950s, sAMs had speed and altitude performance much greater than any contemporary aircraft. The Canberra, and other aircraft like the V bombers or United States B-52 Stratofortress, were extremely vulnerable to these weapons. The first aircraft to fall victim to the Soviet S-75 Dvina SAM was a Taiwanese RB-57, the solution was to fly lower, since radar operates in line-of-sight, detection of an aircraft flying at low altitudes is significantly hindered, thereby reducing time for enemy counter measures. In practice, trees, hills, valleys and any other obstructions reduce this range even more, the Canberra was designed for medium- to high-altitude flight and was not suitable for continuous terrain-hugging flight, this would require a completely different aircraft. Low-level strike aircraft, or interdictors, grew into a new class of their own during the late 1950s, aware of the changing operational environment, the Ministry of Supply started work with English Electric in 1955, attempting to define a new light bomber to replace the Canberra. These early studies eventually settled on an aircraft with a 2,000 nmi ferry range, a crew of two was required, one being the operator of the advanced navigational and attack equipment. The bombload was to be four 1,000 lb bombs, the operational range was to be 1,000 nmi operating off runways of no more than 3,000 ft. The TSR-2 was able to operate at 200 ft above the ground at speeds of Mach 1.1 and this viewpoint was vigorously debated by the aviation industry and within the MOD for years. Senior RAF officers argued against the White Papers premise, stating the importance of mobility, and that the TSR-2 could not only replace the Canberra, in addition to the argument over the need for manned aircraft, additional political machinations had the effect of complicating the project. In September 1957 the Ministry of Supply informed the heads of the companies that the only acceptable proposals would be those issued from teams consisting of more than one company. Another political matter that did not help was the mutual distrust between the various services, at the time that GOR.339 was being defined, the Royal Navy was in the midst of its NA.39 project, which would eventually become the Blackburn Buccaneer
18.
London Transport Museum
–
The London Transport Museum, or LT Museum based in Covent Garden, London, seeks to conserve and explain the transport heritage of Britains capital city. The museum operates from two sites within London, the other site, located in Acton, is known as the London Transport Museum Depot and is principally a storage site that is open on regular visitor days throughout the year. London Transport Museum is a charity under English law. The museums main facility is located in a Victorian iron and glass building that had formed part of the Covent Garden vegetable, fruit and flower market. It was designed as a flower market by William Rogers in 1871 and is located between Russell Street, Tavistock Street, Wellington Street and the east side of the former market square. The market moved out in 1971, and the building was occupied by the London Transport Museum in 1980, the collection had been located at Syon Park since 1973 and before that had formed part of the British Transport Museum at Clapham. Enhanced educational facilities were also required, the museum reopened on 22 November 2007. The entrance to the museum is from the Covent Garden Piazza, the museum is within walking distance from both Covent Garden tube station and Charing Cross railway station. The Museum Depot is located in Acton, west London, and was opened in October 1999, the depot holds the majority of the Museums collections which are not on display in the main museum in Covent Garden. It is the base for the curators and conservators, and is used for the display of items too large to be accommodated in the main facility. The depot is not regularly open to the public, but is equipped to receive visitors, with ticket office, shop, a miniature railway. It opens to the public for pre-booked guided tours on several dates each month and it is within easy walking distance of Acton Town tube station. The first parts of the collection were brought together at the beginning of the 20th century by the London General Omnibus Company when it began to preserve buses being retired from service. After the LGOC was taken over by the London Electric Railway, the collection has had a number of homes. Most of the exhibits moved to York on formation of the National Railway Museum in 1975. The first underground train, from 1890, can be seen here. Larger exhibits held at Acton depot include a complete 1938 stock tube train as well as locomotives from the first sub-surface. The museum shop sells a range of reproduction posters, models, gifts and souvenirs
19.
Cosford railway station
–
Cosford railway station is a two platform station on the former Great Western Railways London to Birkenhead via Birmingham line. The station buildings at platform level are a little unusual compared with stations on the line in that they are constructed entirely of timber. Nearby is DCAE Cosford which is home of a branch of the Royal Air Force Museum. The station is served by London Midland, who manage the station, between 2008 and 2011 it was also served by the direct London operator, Wrexham and Shropshire. The line between Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton was opened as a route in November 1849. Cosford station was opened later than other stations on the line when the decision was taken to site an RAF base there just before the start of the Second World War. Originally the station was known as Cosford Aerodrome Halt, but due to security concerns. The station was closed to passengers from 29 October 2011 until 30 April 2012, costing £2.1 million, Network Rail replaced the 1937 station buildings, as well as the platforms and the stairs leading up to them. Its re-opening was delayed by 5 weeks, the redevelopment has been criticised for a lack of disabled access. The most recent Cosford signal box stood a little to the west of the station, as well as forming a block post this signal box controlled entrance and exit to up and down refuge loops and the previous rail connection into the adjacent RAF site from the up refuge loop. It has been abolished as a result of the 2006 resignalling scheme with control passing to Madeley Junction, much of the redundant signalling equipment has been distributed to various heritage railways, the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway is believed to have received the majority. This structure is thought to have been the last signal box constructed by the Great Western Railway in Shropshire, much of the contents and structure of this 1939 constructed signalbox has been salvaged for reuse on another heritage railway. The remaining brickwork was demolished in the hours of Sunday 21 October 2007. Remarkably, the signalmans portacabin style privy remains in-situ as of late August 2008, the advent of longer trains destined for Ironbridge Power Station has resulted in much reduced used of the refuge loops as they are too short to accommodate the length of todays coal trains. There is a basic hourly service in each direction, westbound to Shrewsbury. Additional trains call at peak periods, Arriva Trains Wales run a single late night service each way and also provide a two-hourly Wolverhampton to Shrewsbury service each way on Sundays, as no London Midland services run that day. Train times and station information for Cosford railway station from National Rail
20.
Boeing 707
–
The Boeing 707 is a mid-sized, long-range, narrow-body, four-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes from 1958 to 1979. Its name is pronounced as seven oh seven. Versions of the aircraft have a capacity from 140 to 219 passengers, developed as Boeings first jet airliner, the 707 is a swept-wing design with podded engines. Although it was not the first jetliner in service, the 707 was the first to be commercially successful, dominating passenger air transport in the 1960s and remaining common through the 1970s, the 707 is generally credited with ushering in the Jet Age. It established Boeing as one of the largest manufacturers of passenger aircraft, the later 720,727,737, and 757 share elements of the 707s fuselage design. The 707 was developed from the Boeing 367-80, a prototype jet first flown in 1954, a larger fuselage cross-section and other modifications resulted in the initial-production 707-120, powered by Pratt & Whitney JT3C turbojet engines, which first flew on December 20,1957. Pan American World Airways began regular 707 service on October 26,1958, later derivatives included the shortened long-range 707-138 and the stretched 707-320, both of which entered service in 1959. A smaller short-range variant, the 720, was introduced in 1960, the 707 has been used on domestic, transcontinental, and transatlantic flights, and for cargo and military applications. A convertible passenger-freighter model, the 707-320C, entered service in 1963, military derivatives include the E-3 Sentry airborne reconnaissance aircraft and the C-137 Stratoliner VIP transports. Boeing produced and delivered 1,011 airliners including the smaller 720 series, ten Boeing 707s were in commercial service in July 2013. During and after World War II, Boeing was known for its military aircraft, the company had produced innovative and important bombers, from the B-17 Flying Fortress and B-29 Superfortress, to the jet-powered B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress. The companys civil aviation department lagged far behind Douglas and other competitors, during 1949–1950, Boeing embarked on studies for a new jet transport, realizing that any design must be aimed at both the military and civilian markets. At the time, aerial refueling was becoming a standard technique for military aircraft, with the advent of the Jet Age, a new tanker was required to meet the USAFs fleet of jet-powered bombers, this was where Boeings new design would potentially win military orders. Boeing studied numerous wing and engine layouts for its new transport/tanker, some of which were based on the B-47 and C-97, before settling on 367–80. The Dash 80 took less than two years from launch in 1952 to rollout on May 14,1954, then first flew on July 15,1954. The prototype was an aircraft for both military and civilian use. The United States Air Force was the first customer, using it as the basis for the KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refueling platform, whether the passenger 707 would be profitable was far from certain. In a demonstration flight over Lake Washington outside Seattle, on August 7,1955, the 132-inch wide fuselage of the Dash 80 was large enough for four-abreast seating like the Stratocruiser
21.
Vickers VC10
–
The Vickers VC10 is a long-range British airliner designed and built by Vickers-Armstrongs Ltd and first flown at Brooklands, Surrey, in 1962. The airliner was designed to operate on routes from the shorter runways of the era and commanded excellent hot. Although only a small number of VC10s were built, they provided long service with BOAC. They were also used from 1965 as strategic air transports for the Royal Air Force, the type was retired from RAF service on 20 September 2013. It has been succeeded in the aerial refuelling role by the Airbus Voyager, vC10K3 ZA147 performed the final flight of the type on 25 September 2013. Although privately owned, Britains aviation industry had been government-managed in practice, during the 1950s, the government required the aviation industry to consolidate, in consequence only two engine makers were left by 1959, Rolls-Royce and Bristol Siddeley. In 1951, the Ministry of Supply asked Vickers-Armstrongs to consider a military development of the Valiant V bomber with trans-Atlantic range as a successor to the de Havilland Comet. The concept interested BOAC, who entered into discussion with Vickers, in October 1952, Vickers were contracted to build a prototype which they designated the Type 1000, followed in June 1954 by a production order for six aircraft for the RAF. The planned civil airliner was known as the VC7, development was prolonged by the need to meet the RAFs requirements for short take-off and a self-loading capability. Work started on the prototype but by 1955 the aircrafts increased weight required a powerful engine. In 1955, the government cancelled the RAF order in a round of defence cuts, though BOAC had ordered modified Comet 4s, it viewed the type as an intermediate rather than a long term type. In 1956, BOAC ordered 15 Boeing 707s, several companies proposed a suitable replacement. De Havilland offered the DH.118, a development of the Comet 5 project while Handley Page proposed the HP.97, based on their V bomber, after carefully considering the routes, Vickers offered the VC10. Crucially, Vickers was the only firm willing to launch its design as a private venture, the VC10 was a new design but used some production ideas and techniques, as well as the Conway engines, developed for the V.1000 and VC7. The onboard avionics and flight-deck technology was advanced, a quadruplicated automatic flight control system was intended to enable fully automatic zero-visibility landings. Capacity was up to 135 passengers in a two-class configuration, Vickers calculated that it would need to sell 80 VC10s at about £1.75 million each to break even so, apart from BOACs 25, another 55 remained to be sold. Vickers offered a version, the VC11, to BEA for routes like those to Athens and Beirut. Vickers revamped its plans to try to achieve break-even point with 35 sales at £1.5 million each
22.
Hawker Siddeley Trident
–
The Hawker Siddeley HS121 Trident was a British short and medium-range airliner. It was the first T-tail rear-engined three-engined jet airliner to be designed and it was also the first airliner to make a blind landing in revenue service in 1965. The Trident emerged in response to a call by the state-owned British European Airways Corporation for a jet airliner for its premier West European routes, BEA had been induced by the government to issue this call despite its unwillingness to buy a large jet fleet. The airlines requirements fluctuated greatly in the 1950s and a decade later evolved radically away from what the Trident could offer, adherence to BEAs changing specification was widely seen as limiting the Tridents appeal to other airlines and delaying its service entry. During its gestation, the Trident was also involved in a government drive to rationalise the British aircraft industry, by the end of the programme in 1978,117 Tridents had been produced. BEAs successor British Airways withdrew its Tridents by the mid-1980s, Trident services ended in China in the early 1990s. Following the entry service of jet airliners in 1952, many airline managers and economists remained sceptical. As a result of BAEs specification, Vickers developed a derivative of the Viscount for BEA, the Vickers Vanguard. In April 1956, Anthony Milward, chief executive of BEA stated that he would rather do without, in July 1956, BEA had announced what it called outline requirements for a short-haul second generation jet airliner, to work alongside its turboprop fleet. According to aviation author Derek Woods, BEA wanted something that was faster than the Caravelle which was threatening to be highly competitive, while not intended as an express requirement, commentators ever since have taken these figures to constitute a definite call to industry. Four companies prepared projects to match the BEA outline, Bristol proposed the initially-four-engined Bristol Type 200. Avro proposed the futuristic Avro 740 trijet before shelving it and joining forces with Bristol, Vickers proposed the VC11 four-engined airliner, derived from its in-development VC10. The D. H.121 was to be the worlds first trijet airliner, each of the three engines would drive its own hydraulic system, offering triple redundancy in case of any of the other systems failing. The engines were to be 13,790 lbf Medway engines. The D. H.121 was to have a weight of 123,000 lb or optionally, up to 150,000 pounds, a range of 2,070 miles. The design initially included a cruciform tail layout similar to that of the Caravelle, from the outset, the D. H.121 was planned to employ avionics which were very advanced for the period. Among other capabilities, they would offer automatic approach and landing within a few years of service entry, the avionics were also to have triplicated components for reliability and to allow majority 2,1 voting for aircraft guidance during automatic approach and landing. H. 121s longitudinal axis. During the time that the D. H. de Havilland was keen to retain their independence, companies vigorously competed to be selected by BEA due to the lure of its £30 million contract, as well as the likelihood of lucrative overseas export sales
23.
V bomber
–
The strategic bombers, whose names all started with the letter V and which were known collectively as the V-class, were the Vickers Valiant, Avro Vulcan and Handley Page Victor. The V-Bomber force reached its peak in June 1964, with 50 Valiants,70 Vulcans and 39 Victors in service, for long-range operations, aerial refueling tanker variants of each were developed. When it became clear that Soviet surface-to-air missiles could successfully bring down high flying aircraft, as a result, the Valiants were removed from service after problems with fatigue in their wings became apparent, a planned low-level variant of the Valiant did not progress beyond the prototype. The Valiants had been used during the Suez Crisis as conventional bombers, Victors had been deployed to the Malay Archipelago as a deterrent during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation but were not used in missions. Usage of all V bombers as weapons platforms, nuclear or conventional, RAF Bomber Command ended the Second World War with a policy of using heavy four-piston-engined bombers for massed raids and remained committed to this policy in the immediate post-war period. The RAF adopted the Avro Lincoln, a version of the Lancaster. In November 1944, the UK Chiefs of Staff had requested a report from Sir Henry Tizard on potential future means of warfare. Reporting without knowledge of the Allied effort to produce an atomic bomb and it foresaw the devastating effects of atomic weapons and envisaged high-flying jet bombers cruising at 500 mph at 40,000 ft. It was thought that potential aggressors may be deterred by the knowledge that Britain would retaliate with atomic weapons if attacked, massed bombers were unnecessary if a single bomber could destroy an entire city or military installation with a nuclear weapon. It would have to be a bomber, since the first generation of nuclear weapons were big. Such a large and advanced bomber would be expensive on a unit basis, the arrival of the Cold War also emphasised to British military planners the need to modernise UK forces. S. The RAFs then-current jet bomber the English Electric Canberra, introduced in May 1951 and designed during the war and this request went to most of the United Kingdoms major aircraft manufacturers. A third design was put forward by Shorts, based on the work of Geoffrey T. R. Hill, work on the Victor began in November 1947 and the Vulcan in January 1948. In August 1947 Short Brothers received a contract for the Short Sperrin SA.4 based on the earlier less-stringent Specification B. 14/46, the Sperrin was cancelled in late 1949, but work on the three V bombers continued. While more expensive than the American approach of building one bomber design per category, the three V-bombers were so called because of being given names starting with the letter V. During World War II, Churchill had popularized the V-sign as a symbol for victory over the axis powers, the Valiant went into production as the first V-bomber in 1955. 83, at RAF Waddington in May 1957, the American weapons supplied under Project E were not available for the RAF to use as part of the UKs national nuclear deterrent, only British-owned weapons could be used for that purpose. Although often referred-to as part of the V-force, the Valiants were actually assigned to SACEUR as part of the TBF, although remaining nominally part of Bomber Command
24.
Cold War
–
The Cold War was a state of geopolitical tension after World War II between powers in the Eastern Bloc and powers in the Western Bloc. Historians do not fully agree on the dates, but a common timeframe is the period between 1947, the year the Truman Doctrine was announced, and 1991, the year the Soviet Union collapsed. The term cold is used there was no large-scale fighting directly between the two sides, although there were major regional wars, known as proxy wars, supported by the two sides. The Cold War split the temporary alliance against Nazi Germany, leaving the Soviet Union. The USSR was a Marxist–Leninist state ruled by its Communist Party and secret police, the Party controlled the press, the military, the economy and all organizations. In opposition stood the West, dominantly democratic and capitalist with a free press, a small neutral bloc arose with the Non-Aligned Movement, it sought good relations with both sides. The two superpowers never engaged directly in full-scale armed combat, but they were armed in preparation for a possible all-out nuclear world war. The first phase of the Cold War began in the first two years after the end of the Second World War in 1945, the Berlin Blockade was the first major crisis of the Cold War. With the victory of the communist side in the Chinese Civil War and the outbreak of the Korean War, the USSR and USA competed for influence in Latin America, and the decolonizing states of Africa and Asia. Meanwhile, the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 was stopped by the Soviets, the expansion and escalation sparked more crises, such as the Suez Crisis, the Berlin Crisis of 1961, and the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. The USSR crushed the 1968 Prague Spring liberalization program in Czechoslovakia, détente collapsed at the end of the decade with the beginning of the Soviet–Afghan War in 1979. The early 1980s were another period of elevated tension, with the Soviet downing of Korean Air Lines Flight 007, the United States increased diplomatic, military, and economic pressures on the Soviet Union, at a time when the communist state was already suffering from economic stagnation. In the mid-1980s, the new Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev introduced the reforms of perestroika and glasnost. Pressures for national independence grew stronger in Eastern Europe, especially Poland, Gorbachev meanwhile refused to use Soviet troops to bolster the faltering Warsaw Pact regimes as had occurred in the past. The result in 1989 was a wave of revolutions that peacefully overthrew all of the communist regimes of Central, the Communist Party of the Soviet Union itself lost control and was banned following an abortive coup attempt in August 1991. This in turn led to the dissolution of the USSR in December 1991. The United States remained as the only superpower. The Cold War and its events have left a significant legacy and it is often referred to in popular culture, especially in media featuring themes of espionage and the threat of nuclear warfare
25.
Armstrong Whitworth AW.660 Argosy
–
The Armstrong Whitworth Argosy was a British post-war military transport/cargo aircraft and was the last aircraft produced by Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft. Although given different type numbers, the AW.650 civil and this led AW to develop a twin-engine design for the military, the AW.66. The potential for civil sales led to a civil design AW.65, the AW.650 was a high-wing four-engined general-purpose transport aircraft, powered by four Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop engines driving Rotol four-blade propellers. This gave an unobstructed cargo space measuring 10 by 47 feet with a sill height corresponding to that of a flatbed truck. This unusual pod and boom structure, similar to the earlier C-82 Packet and C-119 Flying Boxcar transports and it had a maximum weight of 88,000 lb and a payload of 28,000 lb. Cruising at 276 mph, it had a range of 1,780 mi, the first Argosy made its maiden flight on 8 January 1959, receiving Federal Aviation Administration type certification on 2 December 1960. 10 of the civil version, the Series 100, were built. The resultant design, the AW.660, was different from the AW.650. It had the door sealed to take a weather radar radome, the rear doors were changed to clam shell style with an integral loading ramp. Two doors were fitted, one each on the starboard and port sides, the military Argosy had four Rolls-Royce Dart 101 turboprops and had twice the range of the civil Series 100. The new clamshell doors were tested on the second Argosy Series 100 from July 1960, British European Airways was interested in the Argosy as a replacement for its piston engined freighters, but the payload capacity of the Series 100 meant that it would not be profitable. This produced a wing that was stronger and lighter, while the new wing did not have a limited fatigue life. The revised version, the Series 200, also had larger cargo doors, integral wing fuel tanks, the first Series 200 flew on 11 March 1964, being followed by six more Series 220s, with more powerful engines. A final Series 220 was not completed and was scrapped, when Riddle lost the logistics contract in 1962, its Argosies were repossessed by Armstrong Whitworth and sold on to other airlines which had taken over the contracts from Riddle. BEA ordered Armstrong Whitworths three remaining Series 100s as a stopgap until it could receive its definitive Series 220s, for which it placed an order for five in 1964 and it lost two Series 220s in crashes and purchased another to replace the lost aircraft. Two aircraft operated later by SAFE Air in New Zealand as the link between the Chatham Islands and the mainland, were fitted with a pressurised passenger capsule. The last flight by a New Zealand Argosy was made by operator SAFE Air in September 1990, the last Argosies, operated by American cargo airline Duncan Aviation, were withdrawn in 1991. The Argosy was used by the Royal Air Force for its capability to accommodate 69 troops,48 stretcher cases or 29,000 lb of freight
26.
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15
–
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15 was a jet fighter aircraft developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB for the Soviet Union. The MiG-15 was one of the first successful jet fighters to incorporate swept wings to achieve high transonic speeds, the MiG-15 is often mentioned, along with the F-86 Sabre, as the best fighter aircraft of the Korean War. The MiG-15 is believed to have one of the most widely produced jet aircraft ever made. Licensed foreign production may have raised the total to over 18,000. The MiG-15 remains in service with the North Korean Air Force as an advanced trainer, the first turbojet fighter developed by Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB was the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-9, which appeared in the years immediately after World War II. It used a pair of reverse-engineered German BMW003 engines, the MiG-9 was a troublesome design that suffered from weak, unreliable engines and control problems. Categorized as a jet fighter, it was designed with the straight-style wings common to piston-engined fighters. Stalin is said to have replied, What fool will sell us his secrets, however, he gave his consent to the proposal and Mikoyan, engine designer Vladimir Klimov, and others travelled to the United Kingdom to request the engines. Sample engines were purchased and delivered with blueprints, following evaluation and adaptation to Russian conditions, the windfall technology was tooled for mass-production as the Klimov RD-45 to be incorporated into the MiG-15. To take advantage of the new engine, the Council of Ministers ordered the Mikoyan-Gurevich OKB to build two prototypes for an advanced high-altitude daytime interceptor to defend against bombers. It was to have a top speed of 1,000 kilometres per hour, designers at MiGs OKB-155 started with the earlier MiG-9 jet fighter. The new fighter used Klimovs British-derived engines, swept wings, further experience and research during World War II later established that swept wings would give better performance at transonic speeds. At the end of World War II, the Soviets seized many of the assets of Germanys aircraft industry, the swept wing later proved to have a decisive performance advantage over straight-winged jet fighters when it was introduced into combat over Korea. The design that emerged had a mid-mounted 35-degree swept wing with a slight anhedral, Western analysts noted that it strongly resembled Kurt Tanks Focke-Wulf Ta 183, a later design than the Me 262 that never progressed beyond the design stage. While the majority of Focke-Wulf engineers were captured by Western armies, the MiG-15 bore a much stronger likeness than the American F-86 Sabre, which also incorporated German research. The MiG-15 does bear a resemblance in layout, sharing the high tailplane and nose mounted intake, although the aircraft are different in structure, details, the new MiG retained the previous straight-winged MiG-9s wing and tailplane placement while the F-86 employed a more conventional low-winged design. To prevent confusion during the height of combat the US painted their planes with bright stripes to distinguish them, the resulting prototypes were designated I-310. The I-310 was a fighter with 35-degree sweep in wings and tail
27.
Hawker Hurricane
–
The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–1940s that was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd for the Royal Air Force. In late 1934, the Air Ministry placed an order for Hawkers Interceptor Monoplane, on 6 November 1935, the prototype Hurricane, K5083, performed its maiden flight. In June 1936, the Hurricane was ordered into production by the Air Ministry, the Hurricane was rapidly procured prior to the outbreak of the Second World War in September 1939, by which point, the RAF operated a total of 18 Hurricane-equipped squadrons. It is perhaps best known for its contribution to Britains home defences during the Battle of Britain, the Hurricane evolved through several versions and adaptations, resulting in a series of aircraft which acted as fighters, bomber-interceptors, fighter-bombers and ground support aircraft. By the end of production in 1944, in excess of 14,583 Hurricanes had been completed, at the time, there was an institutional reluctance towards change within the Air Staff, according to aviation author Francis K. In 1934, the British Air Ministry issued Specification F. 7/30 in response to demands within the Royal Air Force for a new generation of fighter aircraft. Earlier, during 1933, British aircraft designer Sydney Camm had conducted discussions with Major John Buchanan of the Directorate of Technical Development on a monoplane based on the existing Fury. Camms initial submission in response to F. 7/30, the Hawker P. V.3, was essentially a version of the Fury biplane. However, the P. V.3 was not among the proposals which the Air Ministry had selected to be constructed as a government-sponsored prototype, after the rejection of the P. V. By January 1934, the detail drawings had been finished. In August 1934, a scale model of the design was produced and dispatched to the National Physical Laboratory at Teddington. A series of wind tunnel tests confirmed the aerodynamic qualities of the aircraft were in order and this time, the Ministrys response was favourable, and a prototype of the Interceptor Monoplane was promptly ordered. In November 1934, the Air Ministry issued Specification F. 5/34 which, drawing on the work of Squadron Leader Ralph Sorley, however, by this time, work had progressed too far to immediately modify the planned four-gun installation. In July 1935, this specification was amended to include installation of eight guns, ground testing and taxi trials took place over the following two weeks. On 6 November 1935, the prototype K5083 took to the air for the first time at the hands of Hawkers chief test pilot, Flight Lieutenant George Bulman. Bulman was assisted by two pilots in subsequent flight testing, Philip Lucas flew some of the experimental test flights. As completed, the prototype had been fitted with ballast to represent the aircrafts armament prior to the acceptance of the final multi-gun wing armament. In early 1936, the prototype was transferred to RAF Martlesham Heath, Suffolk, in the course of further testing, it was found that the Hurricane had poor spin recovery characteristics, in which all rudder authority could be lost due to shielding of the rudder
28.
Focke-Achgelis Fa 330
–
The Focke-Achgelis Fa 330 Bachstelze was a type of rotary-wing kite, known as a gyroglider or rotor kite. They were towed behind German U-boats during World War II to allow a lookout to see further, because of their low profile in the water, submarines could not see more than a few miles over the ocean. To solve this, the German admiralty considered a number of different options, in the end, they chose the Fa 330, a simple, single-seater, autogyro kite with a three-bladed rotor. The Fa 330 could be deployed to the deck of the submarine by two people and was tethered to the U-boat by a 150 m cable, the airflow on the rotors as the boat motored along on the surface would spin them up. If the U-boat captain were forced to abandon it on the surface, the tether would be released, when not in use, the Fa 330 was stowed in two watertight compartments aft of the conning tower. Recovering, dismantling, and stowing the Fa 330 took approximately 20 minutes and was a difficult operation. As Allied air cover in other theatres of the war was considered too much of a threat, only U-boats operating in the far parts of the Atlantic. Despite its advantages, the use of the Fa 330 resulted in only a single sinking when U-177 used one to spot, intercept, the Allies came into possession of an Fa 330 in May 1944 when they captured the U-852 intact. After the war, the British government did successful experiments towing Fa 330s behind ships and jeeps, U-boats that deployed Fa 330 kites included at least U-177, U-181, and U-852. Otto Giese wrote, Our boat was rigged with a Bachstelze and this was a small, single, piloted helicopter attached to a long steel cable and lifted into the air by the speed of the boat while the cable was gradually reeled out. From his position aloft, the pilot had a 360-degree view, valkyrie is designed to hover as high as 5,000 feet but is envisioned to operate typically at 500 to 1,000 feet, offering a 28-to-39 mile field of view. L-3 stated that naval vessels could easily be retrofitted with this system,100032 – On static display at Egeskov Castle in Kvaerndrup, Faaborg-Midtfyn. 100150 – On static display at the Le musée de lAir et de lEspace in Paris and this airframe was restored using parts from Wk. 100042 – On static display at the Deutsches Museum in Munich,100345 – On static display at the Deutsches Technikmuseum in Berlin. 100406 – On static display at the Hubschraubermuseum Bückeburg in Bückeburg,100143 – On static display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in Duxford. 100503 – On static display at the RAF Museum Cosford in Cosford,100509 – On static display at the Science Museum at Wroughton in Swindon. 100545 – On static display at the Fleet Air Arm Museum in Ilchester,100549 – Awaiting restoration at the Lashenden Air Warfare Museum in Ashford. 60133 – On static display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly,100463 – On static display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio
29.
Aircraft engine
–
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines, in commercial aviation, the major players in the manufacturing of turbofan engines are Pratt & Whitney, General Electric, Rolls-Royce, and CFM International. In general aviation, the dominant manufacturer of engines has been Pratt & Whitney. General Electric announced in 2015 entrance into the market,1848, John Stringfellow made a steam engine for a 10-foot wingspan model aircraft which achieved the first powered flight, albeit with negligible payload. 1903, Charlie Taylor built an inline aeroengine for the Wright Flyer,1903, Manly-Balzer engine sets standards for later radial engines. 1906, Léon Levavasseur produces a successful water-cooled V8 engine for aircraft use,1908, René Lorin patents a design for the ramjet engine. 1908, Louis Seguin designed the Gnome Omega, the worlds first rotary engine to be produced in quantity. In 1909 a Gnome powered Farman III aircraft won the prize for the greatest non-stop distance flown at the Reims Grande Semaine dAviation setting a record for endurance of 180 kilometres. 1910, Coandă-1910, a ducted fan aircraft exhibited at Paris Aero Salon. The aircraft never flew, but a patent was filed for routing exhaust gases into the duct to augment thrust,1930, Frank Whittle submitted his first patent for turbojet engine. June 1939, Heinkel He 176 is the first successful aircraft to fly powered solely by a rocket engine. August 1939, Heinkel HeS3 turbojet propels the pioneering German Heinkel He 178 aircraft,1940, Jendrassik Cs-1, the worlds first run of a turboprop engine. It is not put into service,1943 Daimler-Benz DB670, first turbofan runs 1944, Messerschmitt Me 163B Komet, the worlds first rocket-propelled combat aircraft deployed. 1945, First turboprop powered aircraft flies, a Gloster Meteor with two Rolls-Royce Trent engines,1947, Bell X-1 rocket propelled aircraft exceeds the speed of sound. 1948,100 shp 782, the first turboshaft engine to be applied to aircraft use,1949, Leduc 010, the worlds first ramjet-powered aircraft flight. 1950, Rolls-Royce Conway, the worlds first production turbofan, enters service,1968, General Electric TF39 high bypass turbofan enters service delivering greater thrust and much better efficiency. 2002, HyShot scramjet flew in dive,2004, NASA X-43, the first scramjet to maintain altitude. This is typically to differentiate them from radial engines, a straight engine typically has an even number of cylinders, but there are instances of three- and five-cylinder engines
30.
Alvis Leonides
–
The Alvis Leonides was a British air-cooled nine-cylinder radial aero engine first developed by Alvis Car and Engineering Company in 1936. Development of the engine was led by Capt. George Thomas Smith-Clarke. The prototype engine, called 9ARS and which weighed 693 lb, in 1938 Airspeed Ltd lent their test pilot, George Errington, and their much rebuilt Bristol Bulldog, to carry out test flights. The first production use was the Percival Prince, which flew in July 1948, from 1959 the stroke was increased to 4.8 inches for the Series 530 rated at 640 hp. It was Britain’s last high-power production piston aero-engine when manufacture ceased in 1966, the world’s only surviving Gloster Gauntlet, formerly powered by a Bristol Mercury VI engine, is now powered by a Leonides 503. A privately owned, Leonides-powered Percival Pembroke remains airworthy in March 2010. Bore,4.8 inch Stroke,4.41 inch Displacement,718.6 in3 Diameter,41 inch Dry weight,815 lb Valvetrain, supercharger, Single speed, single stage, boost pressure automatically linked to the throttle. Fuel system, Hobson single-point fuel injection unit, fuel type, Petrol,115 Octane Oil system, Dry sump Cooling system, Air-cooled. co. uk warbirdalley. com helicoptermuseum. co. uk virtualpilots. fi Beaver hovercraft-museum. org
31.
Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah
–
The Armstrong Siddeley Cheetah is a seven-cylinder British air-cooled aircraft radial engine of 834 cu in capacity introduced in 1935 and produced until 1948. Early variants of the Cheetah were initially known as the Lynx Major, the Cheetah was used to power many British trainer aircraft during World War II including the Avro Anson and Airspeed Oxford. The Cheetah was developed from the earlier Lynx using the increased bore cylinders from the Armstrong Siddeley Panther, initially only direct-drive variants were produced with later engines being made available with propeller reduction gear of various ratios. Superchargers were also available for later variants, both geared and directly driven by the crankshaft, the basic design of the Cheetah remained unchanged from its introduction in 1935 to the last examples built in 1948. It was the first engine of its type to be certified for 1,200 hours of time between overhauls, with over 37,200 examples built. List from, LumsdenNote, Lynx V1930,230 hp, Cheetah V1935,270 hp at 2,100 rpm. Cheetah VA1935,285 hp at 2,425 rpm, Cheetah VI1935,307 hp at 2,425 rpm. Cheetah VIA1936, as Mk VI but with Mk IX cylinders, Cheetah IX1937,345 hp at 2,425 rpm. Cheetah X1938,375 hp at 2,300 rpm, Cheetah XI345 hp at 2,425 rpm, geared version of Cheetah X. Cheetah XII Similar to Mk X, adapted for target drone aircraft. Cheetah XV420 hp at 2,425 rpm, Cheetah XVII1948,385 hp at 2,425 rpm. Cheetah XVIII385 hp at 2,425 rpm, carburettor modified for aerobatics, Cheetah XIX355 hp at 2,425 rpm Cheetah 25345 hp at 2,425 rpm, Cheetah XV uprated to 475 hp at 2,700 rpm, modified constant-speed unit. Janes fighting aircraft of World War II, ISBN 0-7509-4478-1 Flight magazine,19 May 1939 - Introduction of the Cheetah X - Flightglobal. com
32.
Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major
–
The Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major is a British five-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engine for aircraft, designed and built by Armstrong Siddeley and first run in 1928. In Royal Air Force use the version was known as the Civet I. The Feliform names used are in line with convention, the Genet and Civet both being large cat-like carnivores. The Genet Major 1 was an engine of 105 horsepower that was closely related to the Genet I but with increased bore. Avro Avian Avro Cadet Avro Rota Cierva C. 30A Autogiro RWD-6 Saro Cutty Sark SEA-1 Westland Wessex As Genet Major IA, a geared propeller drive version of the Genet Major IA,160 horsepower. ANBO V An Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major powers the Southern Martlet owned and operated by the Shuttleworth Collection, an Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major IA is on display at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford. An Armstrong Siddeley Genet Major IV can be seen in Polish Aviation Museum in Cracow
33.
Armstrong Siddeley Mamba
–
The Armstrong Siddeley Mamba was a British turboprop engine produced by Armstrong Siddeley in the late 1940s and 1950s, producing around 1,500 effective horsepower. Armstrong Siddeley gas turbine engines were named after snakes, the Mamba was a compact engine with a 10-stage axial compressor, six combustion chambers and a two-stage power turbine. The epicyclic reduction gearbox was incorporated in the propeller spinner, the Ministry of Supply designation was ASM. The ASM.3 gave 1,475 ehp and the ASM.6 was rated at 1,770 ehp. A 500-hour test was undertaken in 1948 and the Mamba was the first turboprop engine to power the Douglas DC-3, when in 1949, a Dakota testbed was converted to take two Mambas. The Mamba was also developed into the form of the Double Mamba and this was essentially two Mambas lying side-by-side and driving contra-rotating propellers separately through a common gearbox. A turbojet version of the Mamba was developed as the Armstrong Siddeley Adder, ASM.3 Mamba Armstrong Whitworth Apollo Avro Athena Boulton Paul Balliol Breguet Vultur Miles M.69 Marathon II Douglas C-47 Dakota ASM.5 ASM.6 Mamba Short Seamew ASM. A Mamba is also on display at the Aviation Heritage Museum
34.
Bentley BR2
–
The Bentley B. R.2 was a British rotary aircraft engine developed during the First World War by the motor car engine designer W. O. Bentley from his earlier Bentley BR.1. Coming as it did near the end of the war, the BR.2 was built in numbers than the earlier BR.1 – its main use being by the Royal Air Force in the early 1920s. The initial variant of the BR.2 developed 230 horsepower and it weighed 490 pounds, only 93 pounds more than the Bentley B. R.1. This was the last type of engine to be used by the RAF – later air-cooled aircraft engines being almost entirely of the fixed radial type. The BR.2 represented the peak of rotary engine development, airco DH.2 is on public display in the Science Museum, another forms part of the aero engine collection at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford. A ¼ scale working replica of the Bentley BR.2 World War I rotary aero engine built by Lewis Kinleside Blackmore is currently on display at the Bentley Memorial Building in Oxfordshire, UK. This was the first model built of this engine and is the subject also of a book by L K Blackmore, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada has a BR.2 installed in their Sopwith 7F.1 Snipe
35.
Blackburn Cirrus Major
–
The Blackburn Cirrus Major is a British, four-cylinder, inline aircraft engine that was developed in the late 1930s. The Cirrus series was bought by Cirrus Aero-Engines which produced the Cirrus Hermes I, II, III and IV, again each differing slightly in displacement. In 1934 Cirrus was bought again by the Blackburn Aircraft company, in 1935 the Cirrus Major entered production. Cirrus Major I135 hp Cirrus Major II148 hp variant, Cirrus Major III Higher compression engine with an increase in output to 150 hp
36.
Bristol Siddeley 605
–
The Bristol Siddeley BS.605 was a British take off assist rocket engine of the mid-1960s that used hydrogen peroxide and kerosene propellant. The BS.605 design was based on the smaller of two chambers of the earlier Armstrong Siddeley Stentor. A pair of retractable BS.605 engines were fitted to Buccaneer S.50 strike aircraft of the South African Air Force for hot and high operations. The BS.605 was also considered for the Bluebird CMN-8, blackburn Buccaneer S.50 A complete BS.605 and exploded working parts of a second engine are on display at the Midland Air Museum. A preserved BS.605 is part of the collection on display at the Royal Air Force Museum Cosford
37.
Daimler-Benz DB 605
–
The Daimler-Benz DB605 is a German aircraft engine, built during World War II. Developed from the DB601, the DB605 was used from 1942 to 1945 in the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter, license-built versions of the DB605 were used in the Macchi C.205, Fiat G.55, Reggiane 2005 and some other Italian aircraft. It was also used in the pusher-design Swedish Saab J21. Approximately 42,400 DB 605s of all kinds were built, the primary differences between the 605 and 601 were greater displacement, higher revolutions, higher compression ratio and a more powerful supercharger. Through careful study the engineers determined that the cylinders could be bored out to a larger diameter without seriously affecting the strength of the existing block. The difference was minimal, increasing from the 601s 150 mm cylinder bore to the 605s 154 mm, the combination of these changes raised power output from 1,350 PS to 1,475 PS. The engine was similar, notably in size, which was identical to the 601. However, its weight did increase from 700 to 756 kg, in other ways the engine was essentially identical to the 601, being a 12-cylinder, inverted-V design. Both used dual Bosch magnetos firing twin spark plugs for ignition, fuel injection was powered by a pump supplying up to 90 bar and the oil system used three pumps with a separate 35-litre oil tank. The supercharger was fairly advanced for the era in that it used a barometrically controlled hydraulic clutch which allowed the system to compensate for changes in altitude. Like the 601, the 605 was designed to run on B4 fuel with a rating of 87. The DB 605AM, running initially on C3 and MW-50, saw power improved to 1,800 PS for takeoff, in mid-1944, the requirement for C3 was dropped and standard B4 fuel with MW-50 was used. The DB 605AS improved the maximum rated altitude by using a larger supercharger taken from the DB603 but was similar to the A. The DB 605ASBs takeoff power was rated at 1,800 PS. The final version of the A-series was the DB 605ASC of 1945, as early as 1942 Daimler had also been working on an upgraded D-series engine that could run on either C2 or C3 fuel. The first of these, which appeared in late 1944, were a series of DB 605DM, followed by the main production series. In its DB-suffix form the engine generated 1,800 PS for take-off at 1.8 ata, if MW-50 was not available for use with the B4 fuel the throttle was limited to 1.45 ata for the entire flight. Thus, this series was ideally suited to catering for the fuel supply situation prevalent during the last months of the Third Reich
38.
De Havilland Gipsy
–
The de Havilland Gipsy is a British air-cooled four-cylinder in-line aircraft engine designed by Frank Halford in 1927 to replace the ADC Cirrus in the de Havilland DH.60 Moth light biplane. Initially developed as an upright 5 litre capacity engine, later versions were designed to run inverted with increased capacity, apart from helping to establish the de Havilland Aircraft Company as a manufacturer of light aircraft, it also established the company as an engine manufacturer in its own right. Gipsy engines remain in service powering vintage light aircraft, just like the ADC Cirrus, the Gipsy was born as a collaboration between aircraft manufacturer Geoffrey de Havilland and engine designer Frank Halford. In fact, the history of the Cirrus and Gipsy were linked through de Havillands D. H.60 Moth. In 1925 Geoffrey de Havilland was looking for a reliable cheap engine for use in a sports aircraft. More particularly, he was looking for something like his favourite First World War aircraft engine, the 240 hp Renault 8G air-cooled V8, but with half the weight and half the power. Halford gave it to him by building a four-cylinder crankcase and adding to it half of the Renaults cylinders, several other of the Renault’s components, and standard parts used in car engines. The result was a 60 hp in-line aircraft engine that, although it fell short of the promised horse-power, was superior to all contemporary engines for light aircraft. Most importantly it was an aircraft engine at a time where its competitors were more often than not motorcycle engines adapted to running at high altitude. By 1927 however, the Moth threatened to become a victim of its own success as continuing demand was depleting the stockpiles of surplus Renaults needed to build its Cirrus engine. The Moth now having provided a financial cushion, de Havilland Aircraft decided to take the problem head-on. Halford and de Havilland quickly agreed on a 135 hp test engine later to be de-rated to 100 hp for production models, while Halford went to build the engine, de Havilland designed its test-bed, the diminutive D. H.71 racer. Two D. H. 71s were built and although in a bout of over-confidence named Tiger Moth and their only notable claim to fame came in capturing a world speed record of 186 mph for their weight class. Like the Cirrus, the new Gipsy was an air-cooled four-cylinder in-line engine weighing a mere 300 pounds, the cylinders had a bore of 4.5 in and a stroke of 5 in for a displacement of 319 cu in. It was soon developed further into the 120 hp Gipsy II, the new engine proved itself to be docile, easy to maintain and, as demonstrated in many long distance flights by the new Gipsy Moth, reliable. The solution came as several pilots boasted that they would be able to fly their Moth upside down for as long as they wanted if it were not for the carburettor and fuel tank now being inverted. Halford decided to test this by mounting a Gipsy engine upside down, the design proved to run just as flawlessly as the regular Gipsy engine and soon the Gipsy I and II were replaced on the production lines by the Gipsy III inverted four-cylinder engine. The Moth with this new engine became the D. H.60 G-III, as the Gipsy III was quickly developed further into the Gipsy Major, the D. H.60 G-III was baptised the Moth Major
39.
De Havilland Gipsy Queen
–
The de Havilland Gipsy Queen is a British six-cylinder aero engine of 9.2 litres capacity that was developed in 1936 by the de Havilland Engine Company. It was developed from the de Havilland Gipsy Six for military aircraft use, produced between 1936 and 1950 Gipsy Queen engines still power vintage de Havilland aircraft types today. Note, Gipsy Queen I205 hp, military version of Gipsy Six II, splined crankshaft, but intended for fix-pitch airscrews fitted with an adapter. No fittings for a VP airscrew fitted, Gipsy Queen II210 hp, military version of the Gipsy Six Series II. Gipsy Queen III200 hp, military version of Gipsy Six, strengthened crankcase, tapered crankshaft for fixed-pitch, most of these engines were fitted with a very basic top-cover, as per the early Gipsy-Six, with no accessory drives at the rear of the top-cover whatsoever. Gipsy Queen IV Supercharged version, originally designated Gipsy Queen IIIS and this engine was widely advertised at the time, however, it never entered production, as it was superseded by the completely re-engineered Queen 30. Gipsy Queen 30, All-new engine from this point, Gipsy Queen 33 As Gipsy Queen 30 for pusher installation. Gipsy Queen 34 As Gipsy Queen 30, Gipsy Queen 50295 hp, Single-speed, single stage supercharger. Gipsy Queen 51295 hp, as Gipsy Queen 50, Gipsy Queen 70-1 Renamed Gipsy Six S. G,1,889 built. Gipsy Queen 70-2380 hp 3
40.
De Havilland Spectre
–
The de Havilland Spectre was a rocket engine built by de Havilland Engine Company in the 1950s. It was one element of the intended mixed powerplant for combination rocket-jet interceptor aircraft for the Royal Air Force, the Spectre was a bipropellant engine burning kerosene and hydrogen peroxide. The power could be controlled from 10-100% delivering 8,000 lbf of thrust at full power, in the SR.53 it used the same fuel tanks as the turbojet engine and if run at full power was expected to consume the full load in about seven minutes. In 1952 static testing commenced with the Spectre DSpe. l, the aircraft industry had no precedent for an engine which would gain in thrust with altitude and the required maximum thrust was estimated at between 2,000 lbf and 15,000 lbf thrust. The design was based on a variable thrust which could be throttled from 8,000 lbf to 2,000 lbf, design philosophy was matched to the mixed power concept of an aircraft having both a turbojet and rocket engine for maximum operational flexibility. Primary innovation was as the first to incorporate its turbo pump turbine upstream of its combustion chamber, the aircraft tanks were to be pressurised to suppress pump cavitation problems. It went through rig tests commencing in 1953, bench tests from mid-1954, from flight approval in Autumn 1956, flight experience again posed altitude starvation problems. Clearance was given for flight in the SR.53 prototype from May 1957, in conjunction with the new engine, development had been undertaken with two major ancillaries, a peroxide starter for the gas turbine and a peroxide auxiliary power unit. After merging of interests in 1959, it was manufactured by Bristol Siddeley, the Spectre project was cancelled in October 1960, at a reported total cost of £5.75 million. The conventional Spectre DSpe.5 had been developed alongside a DSpe and these two engines were then used in combination to power the development rounds of the Blue Steel missile stand-off bomb, together with the peroxide APU, from its first flight in October 1959
41.
De Havilland Sprite
–
The Sprite was a British rocket engine built by de Havilland for use in RATO applications. For RATO use only a short time is required, with simplicity. The intended market was for assisting take-off of de Havilland Comet 1 airliners,30 successful test flights were carried out by Comets, from May 1951, but gas turbine performance improved rapidly, and so RATO was not required in service. A hydrogen peroxide monopropellant was used, decomposed into oxygen and steam over a metallic calcium catalyst, the maximum thrust was 5,000 lbf, varying over the 16 second burn time for a total impulse of 55,000 lbf seconds. This practice was replicated in all future applications with the catalyst no longer consumed, in April 1952 the DSpr.2 proved this modification impressively in Comet demonstration with clean exhaust. The units, flight approved in August 1953, reverted to the practice of being parachuted after firing for routine re-use in service operations with the Vickers Valiant V bomber. The Super Sprite DSpr.4 was a re-development of the Sprite application, using a different hot propellant technology. Although the peak thrust was reduced, burn time was 2.5 times longer. For simplicity, there were no fuel pumps and the tanks were pressurised by nitrogen from nine cylinders wrapped around the combustion chamber, the Super Sprite was packaged as a self-contained engine in its own nacelle, jettisoned after take-off and retrieved by parachute. Inflatable air bags cushioned its impact with the ground, to obtain a clean separation from the carrier aircraft, the production engines fitted to the Vickers Valiant had a small canard vane at the nose, pitching the nacelle downwards on separation. De Havilland regarded the 166 units manufactured as a production item, supported by their Service Department alongside piston. It was the first rocket engine to gain type approval. The Super Sprite project was cancelled in October 1960, at a total cost of £850,000
42.
General Electric T700
–
The General Electric T700 and CT7 are a family of turboshaft and turboprop engines in the 1, 500–3,000 shp class. In 1967, General Electric began work on a new turboshaft engine demonstrator designated the GE12 in response to US Army interest in a utility helicopter. The Army effort led, in the 1970s, to development of the Sikorsky S-70 Black Hawk, powered by twin GE T700 turboshafts, the T700 was initially bench-tested in 1973, passed military qualification in 1976, and went into production in 1978. The engine is designed for reliability, featuring an inlet particle separator designed to spin out dirt, sand. The T700-GE-700 is rated at 1,622 shp intermediate power, t700s are also used on Italian and commercial variants of the AgustaWestland EH101/AW101 helicopter, and Italian variants of the NHIndustries NH90 helicopter. These are all twin-engine machines, except for the three-engined EH101, the CT7 turboprop variants use the same core as the turboshaft variants, with a propeller gearbox fitted forward of the core. CT7 turboprops are used on variants of the Swedish SAAB340 airliner, the Indonesian-Spanish Airtech CN-235 cargolifter, the baseline CT7-5A provides 1,735 shp on takeoff. The YT706 engine is based on the CT7-8A engine, compared with the H-60s primary T700 engine, the T706 has a larger compressor, hot section improvements, and full authority digital engine control. The T706 is rated at 2,600 shp and increases the mission capability of the U. S. Armys MH-60M Black Hawk for Special Operations applications. T700-GE-701, The improved T700-GE-701A, -701B, -701C, -701D versions have also developed from the original -700. T700-GE-401, Navalised version for SH-60 Seahawk helicopters, t700-GE-401C, Universal application version of the -401. T700-GE-701C, Universal application version of the -701, t700-TEI-701D, Licensed produced version of Tusaş Engine Industries of Turkey. Developed for use in the Sikorsky/Turkish Aerospace Industries T-70 Utility Helicopter, CT7 turboshaft, Commercial version of T700. General Electric T700/CT7 Engine Family page on GE Aviation site Jet Engines by Greg Goebel on faqs. org General Electric CT7 Cutaway by FlightGlobal. com
43.
Junkers Jumo 004
–
The Junkers Jumo 004, was the worlds first production turbojet engine in operational use, and the first successful axial compressor turbojet engine. Variants and copies of the engine were produced in Eastern Europe, the feasibility of jet propulsion had been demonstrated in Germany in early 1937 by Hans von Ohain working with the Heinkel company. The companies remained skeptical and little new development was carried out, in 1939 Schelp and Mauch visited the companies to check up on progress. Otto Mader, head of the Junkers Motorenweke division of the large Junkers aviation firm, stated that if the concept was useful. Schelp responded by stating that Dr Anselm Franz, then in charge of Junkers turbo- and supercharger development, Franz started his development team later that year, and the project was given the RLM designation 109-004. Franz opted for a design that was at once conservative and revolutionary, the axial-flow compressor not only had excellent performance, about 78% efficient in real world conditions, but it also had a smaller cross-section, important for high-speed aircraft. On the other hand, he aimed to produce an engine that was far below its potential, in the interests of expediting development. One major decision was to opt for a simple combustion area using six flame cans, Fedden himself criticized the attachment of the 004s compressor casing, which was in two halves, bolted to the half-sections of the stator assemblies. The first prototype 004A, which was constructed to run on fuel, was first tested in October 1940. It was benchtested at the end of January 1941 to a top thrust of 430 kgf, and work continued to increase the output, vibration problems with the compressor stators, originally cantilevered from the outside, delayed the program at this point. Max Bentele, as an Air Ministry consulting engineer with a background in turbocharger vibrations, the original aluminium stators were replaced with steel ones in which configuration the engine developed 5.9 kN in August, and passed a 10-hour endurance run at 9.8 kN in December. The first flight test took place on March 15,1942, the 004 used an eight-stage axial-flow compressor, with a number of axial combustion chambers, and a one-stage turbine with hollow blades. On July 18, one of the prototype Messerschmitt Me 262s flew for the first time under jet power from its 004 engines, Franz realized that the Jumo 004 would have to be redesigned to incorporate a minimum of these strategic materials, and this was accomplished. The engines operational lifespan was shortened, but on the side it became easier to construct. Production engines had a cast magnesium casing in two halves, one with half-sections of stator assemblies bolted to it, the four front stators were constructed from steel alloy blades welded to the mount, the rear five were pressed steel sheet bent over the mount and welded on. Steel alloy compressor blades dovetailled into slots in the disk and were fixed by small screws. The compressor itself was mounted to a shaft with twelve set screws. A hole in the nose of the intake diverter body contained a pull-handle for the cable which turned-over the piston engine
