Finished in Fighter Command's grey/green (upper) and silver (under) surfaces, this Hawker Hunter F.Mk.4 (WV385) is being loaded with a battery of three cartridge starters. Note the wing-mounted 1,000-lb. H.E. bomb.

HANDLEY PAGE HPR-3 HERALD. Designated HPR-3, the Herald has been produced by Handley Page as a private venture . It is a' general purpose transport with characteristics which suit it for undeveloped countries and in particular for taking the place of the DC-3. The Herald may eventually be offered with turboprops when engines of suitable power are available. The machine is engineered and stressed for such units.
Salient features: The Herald has a deep oval-section fuselage with nose not unlike that of the Viscount . There is marked upsweep on the underside of the rear fuselage, the windows are circular, and there are two loading doors on the port side. The wing is of fairly high-aspect ratio with little taper and square-cut tips. There is a distinct hump in the fuselage at the wing/fuselage intersection. Large flap guides are situated on the wing top surface. The circular section nacelles of small diameter are underslung, and have small cooling intakes above the spinner. In the head-on view the dihedral from the roots on the aircraft is most noticeable . The fin is very tall and square cut, while the tailplane, also square cut, is set low. Main undercarriage legs retract into the inner nacelles, and the nosewheel forwards.

HANDLEY PAGE HPR-3 HERALD. Data: Manufacturer: Handley Page Ltd. Cricklewood and Reading. Power: four Alvis Leonides Majors of 870 h.p. each. Accommodation: 36/44 passengers or freight. Dimensions: span 85 ft .; length 70 ft. 3 in . Weights: empty 21.136 lb. normal all-up 34.000 lb. Performance: cruising speed 231 m.p.h.; maximum still air range 2.175 miles; cruising altitude 13.500 ft.

XJ433 is a Westland-Sikorsky Whirlwind H.A.R. Mk. 2

BELL X-2. In 1946 the U.S. Air Force announced a Special Research Programme (XS - later X) to investigate the physical aspects relating to new wing shapes, materials and power plants - over a wide trans-sonic range of speed and altitude. In August of this year the U.S. Air Force announced that the last of the quintet of Research prototypes, the Bell X-2 is now undergoing flight trials at the U.S.A.F. Flight Testing Centre at Edwards (formerly Muroc) A.F.B., Edwards, California, The pilot in charge is Lt.·Col. Frank H. Everest, who has already undertaken unpowered glide tests from 30,000 ft. The "mother ship" is a Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The first X-2 crashed into Lake Ontario, May 13th, 1953.
Bearing only a superficial resemblance to the 1946 straight-wing X-1/X-1E series, the swept-wing X-2 is also designed for high-altitude, high-speed (Mach 3) research, like the Douglas X-3, the Bell X-2 has numerous surface recording points and gauges which will build up the picture relating to the use of new metals (including stainless steel) to counter the skin friction problems associated with the heat barrier , Similarly, the prototype X-2 (serial 46-674) is painted white overall to dissipate friction heat at high Mach numbers. The "needle-nose" cockpit is in the form of a jettisonable capsule for emergency use. A retractable metal skid replaces the more conventional wheels of the earlier X-1, although a single nosewheel is retained.
Salient features: Low mid-wing monoplane with 60-degree swept surfaces, Needle-nose fuselage has slight taper to single fin and mid-mounted "all-flying" swept tailplane.

BELL X-2. Data: Manufacturer: The Bell Aircraft Corpn., Buffalo 5, N.Y., U.S.A. Power: one 16,000-lb. s.t. Curtiss-Wright XLR25 liquid-rocket unit. Performance (approx.): 2,250 m.p.h. at 30,000 ft . To exceed 90,000 ft. All other data restricted.

G-ANSA a D.H.82A Tiger Moth (formerly N6944) owned by Mr. D. E. Bianchi, has been fitted with wheel spats and an enclosed cabin. It is the first Tiger to embody both these refinements .

Photographed at Blackbushe on 8th September is G-AOBU, the only civil-registered demonstration Percival Jet Provost. Ex-Luftwaffe General Adolf Galland is seen nearest the camera, about to fly the Jet Provost.

LOCKHEED T2V-1. Latest development of the well-known Shooting Star series is the T2V-1 or Lockheed Model 245. This machine, now in production for the U.S. Navy, flew for the first time on 15th December 1953 as a private venture. Differences between it and the T-33 include wing suction devices, modified fin, and cockpit, and up-rated engines.
Salient features: A low-wing monoplane. the T2V-1 has an unusual fuselage shape with blunt nose, long transparent canopy, "hump" aft of the canopy, and the long dorsal spline to the fin. The intakes are low set in the fuselage sides. Wings are square cut with large streamlined fuel tanks at the tips. The fin resembles that of the F-94 Starfire and there is a marked lip above the jet efflux. The tailplane is mounted a short way up the fin. Main undercarriage legs retract inwards into the centre section, and the nosewheel folds backwards.

LOCKHEED T2V-1. Data: Manufacturer: Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, California, U.S.A. Power: one Allison J33-A-16A of 6.350-lb. thrust. Accommodation: two-seat in tandem. Dimensions: span 42 ft.; length 38 ft.; height 13 ft. No other data available.

GLOSTER VI GOLDEN ARROW. Two specially built Gloster VI single-seat racers were entered for the 1929 Schneider Trophy Contest - N249 and N250. Misfortune in the form of technical snags (petrol feed and air intake faults) could not be solved in time to prevent the entries from being withdrawn. However, N249 had a short-lived triumph when flown by F/Lt. G. H. Stainforth of the R.A.F. High Speed Flight on 10th September 1929. Over Calshot, N249 broke the Absolute Speed Record, averaging 336.3 m.p.h. Two days later, S/Ldr. A. H. Orlebar of the same Flight flying a Supermarine S.6, averaged 357.75 m.p.h. over a 3-km. course and gained the F.A.I.-recognised World Speed Record.
Designed by the late H. P. Folland, at that time Chief Designer of the Gloster Aircraft Company, the Gloster VI was the first of the Gloster monoplane breed. The clean lines of this spruce sheet-covered seaplane were enhanced by the low frontal area Napier Lion VIID racing Vee 12-cylinder engine, designed by Capt. A. S. Wilkinson. Painted high-gloss gilt overall, the Gloster VI lived up to its name Golden Arrow, if only briefly.

GLOSTER VI GOLDEN ARROW. Data: Span 26 ft.; loaded weight about 3,700 lb.; max. speed 351.6 m.p.h. at sea-level. No other data available.

Currently undergoing flight tests at the M.o.S.'s Radar Research Aerodrome at Defford, Worcestershire, is VN828, an English Electric Canberra B.Mk.2 airframe which has been brought up to B.Mk.8 standard. The tests will include evaluation of the Boulton Paul designed radar nose for night-fighter and all-weather purposes.