Canberra at Kitty Hawk
The winning candidate in the England-New Zealand Race is to visit Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, on December 17th, as a participant in America's main Wright anniversary ceremony. Flown by its race crew, F/L. R.L.E. Burton, A.F.C., and F/L. D.H. Gannon, D.F.C., the machine will pass over Kill Devil Hill, the scene of the Wright brothers' first successful powered flight.
The anniversary celebrations in the U.S.A. will take place from December 14th to the 17th. The Royal Air Force was invited to participate by the sponsors of the event - the Kill Devil Hills Memorial Society, the AIr Force Association, the National Parks Service and the North Carolina 50th Anniversary Commission.
The Canberra, WE 139, is to leave Wyton, Huntingdon, on December 16th, and will return from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, the following day. The memorial on Kill Devil Hill, erection of which was authorized by Congress in 1927, is being officially re-named the Wright Brothers National Memorial.
Bristol Helicoptery
Last week we illustrated the prototype Bristol 173 Mk.1 helicopter embarked in H.M.S. Eagle during a recent series of trials. These tests have provided the company with a full range of results of rotor starting and stopping behaviour, blade folding, striking down to the hangars and general handling in all conditions of wind. Mr C.T.D. ("Sox") Hosegood, with three company personnel, took off from Gosport in the early morning to fly to the carrier, which was 50 miles offshore; the first landing was made with a deck wind of but five knots.
Boeing 707 Features
Progress with the Boeing 707 four-jet transport is reported to be on schedule. In the company's main plant at Seattle the first prototype - which will be a general-purpose demonstrator - has its wing fitted, and it should fly, as planned next June. The civil J57 engines are to be rated at about 10,500lb thrust.
The Boeing 707 was described in detail in our issue of August 7th last. The machine has a number of new features, such as the flush cockpit roof and windscreen and the bogie landing gear with a 21ft track, which is hinged on the rear spar and is housed in the fuselage when retracted. The number of cabin windows is remarkable and indicates that Boeing are being very cautious in cutting into the pressure-envelope. Each row of seats appears to be provided with two to three very small windows on each side of the aircraft.
Source: Flight International
