Air Pictorial 1957-12
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Photos by request
PLUVIAL LANCASTER. The strange device on this Rolls-Royce engine flying test-bed Avro Lancaster B. Mk. III (NG465) is a water droplet system devised in connection with the engine manufacturer's artificial icing flight programme of 1949. Received by Rolls-Royce at Hucknall in August 1946, NG465 was modified and test flown for the first time with the nose-installed Dart Test Engine No. 5 on 10th October 1947; totalling 47 1/2 hr. flight time to November 1948. Then Dart No. 15 was installed in March 1949, flying until February 1951 (226 1/2 hr.), when it was replaced by Dart No. 3 in same month. By November 1952 engine flew for 204 hr., being succeeded by Dart No. 30 which was installed in January 1953. On 22nd January 1954, NG465 made an emergency landing at Holinwell Golf Course (nr. Mansfield) and was written-off. The Dart was returned to Sinfin after 94 1/2 hr. Icing trials began on 1st September 1949 with Dart No. 15 installed. Two 100-gallon water tanks were mounted in rear fuselage.
BLIND-FLYING BT-1. According to Peter M. Bowers, who took this photo, Douglas Aircraft had no record of the Douglas BT-1 basic trainer last flown in 1935. The reason was because the BT-1s were originally supplied to the U.S. Army Air Corps as Douglas O-2K observation two-seaters (420-h.p. Liberty V-1650-1) in 1929. 40 modified.
The Brewster SB2A-1 two-seat dive-bomber of the U.S. Navy was transferred to the R.A.F. under Lend-Lease in 1941; and this accounts for the unusual sight of a Bermuda I with both U.S.N, and R.A.F. fuselage markings.
Mention of Hindustan Aircraft Ltd., and Folland Gnat licence-construction prompts this photograph of the first H.A.L. aircraft, the Harlow Model PC-5 two-seat trainer, flown in August 1941 at Bangalore.