Aeroplane Monthly 1986-07
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C.Read - Dunlop diversions (3)
Avro Lancaster I PB752 of Dunlop's test flight at Elmdon in 1946. The squat Compacta tyre looks somewhat incongruous. Note the rear turret still retains its guns.
The men who flew and serviced Dunlop's test flight pose in front of the fleet at Elmdon in 1946.
Wellington Mk III BK563 and Lancaster MK I PB752 fitted with experimental Dunlop tyres at Elmdon in 1946. Both aircraft retain their defensive armament. BK563 replaced Wellington BK187, which was damaged while taxying over boggy ground.
Line-up of Dunlop test flight aircraft at Elmdon in 1946. Lincoln RE253 and Buckingham XV479 stand behind the company's Proctor V executive transport.
Left, a production tyre, used for intensive flight development, fitted to Wellington BK563. Right, a Compacta experimental aero tyre is seen in its final development stage.
The two photographs show the initial Compacta experimental aero tyre at left, with a normal-sized wheel and tyre assembly at right. Successive very hard braking almost tore the Compacta to pieces. The aircraft used for these experiments was Wellington Mk III BK563.