FASTEST IN WORLD

Evening Post, Volume CXL, Issue 103, 29 October 1945, Page 5

FASTEST IN WORLD

BRITISH JET FIGHTER

DETAILS RELEASED

Details of three new British aircraft —the Vampire, a jet-propelled fighter with a top. speed which "exceeds 500 m.p.h. by a handsome margin"; the de^Havilland Hornet, a long-range fighter; and the Airspeed Ambassador, a civil air -liner, have been released in London.

The Vampire is believed to be the fastest aeroplane in the world. Fitted with a pressure cabin, it can achieve an operational height of between 45,000 feet and 50,000 feet. Both the airframe and jet-propulsion engines of the Vampire are the product of one British firm, the de Havilland Aircraft Company, which also made the Mosquito and the newer Hornet longrange fighter. When the much publicised American Shooting Star prototype attained a speed of 500 m.p.h. last year it was powered by a similar British jet engine to the Vampire, a powerful unit known as the Goblin, which was the first British Jet turbine engine to complete the official type-approval tests. In appearance the Vampire is not unlike the American Lightning fighter It has twin booms instead of the conventional fuselage, and the cross-boom, linking the tail units, is set high up the fins, presumably to avoid interference from the jet discharge. The air entry apertures are in the leading edges of the wing, close to the roots, and the discharge vent is at the rear of the streamlined cabin. A short undercarriage of the nose-wheel type is fitted. Armament consists of four 20mm. cannon in the nose. The Vampire is of all-metal construction, except for the cockpit, which is of all-wood carapace (shell) construction, as used for the Mosquito and Hornet." The prototype first flew on September 20, 1943, with Mr. Geoffrey de Havilland as the test pilot, and by the spring of 1944 its maximum speed was considerably in excess of 500 miles an hour. Its Goblin engine is believed to be the most powerful jet engine yet in full production in England. Wing span is 40ft, length 30ft 6in, height 9ft 9in, and wing area 258 sq. ft. The Vampire airframe and the Goblin engine were designed concurrently by the de Havilland Aircraft Company and the de Havilland Engine Company, under the leadership of Sir Geoffrey de Havilland and Major Frank B. Halford respectively. Both have now been in production for several months. The aircraft is being built by the English Electric Company at Preston, and the engine by the designing company in London. THE HORNET.

The de Havilland Hornet has/a top speed exceeding 470 m.p.h., which probably makes it the fastest airscrewdriven machine in the world. Designed as a long-range fighter capable of meeting single-engined fighters in combat, it has a rate of climb of more than 4500 ft a minute at sea level, an operational ceiling of some 35,000 ft, and, when fitted with long-range tanks, a range exceeding 2500 miles. The Hornet proclaims its "family* relationship to the famous Mosquito. It is, however, smaller in both wing and fuselage and is a new design throughout. The graceful fuselage is of all-wood carapace (shell) construction, as "is the Mosquito, but the wing is composite, having a double upper skin v of plywood and an under skm of light alloy, with composite wood and metal spars. The prototype Hornet first flew at Hatfield on July 28, 1944. It has now been in production for several months, the first deliveries to the R.A.F. having been made last February. A feature of the design is the neat engine installation. The power units are two Rolls-Royce Merlins, each of 2070 h.p. for take-off, driving de Havilland hydromatic four-bladed airscrews. Armament consists of four 20mm. cannon. , Dimensions are: Span, 45ft; length, 34ft 6in; and wing area, 361 sq. ft. Weight is about 15,0001b.

NEW CIVIL AIR-LINER.

The Airspeed Ambassador, formerly known as the A.5.57, is designed for trans-continental feeder line services. It is now being built at the Airspeed factory at Portsmouth,, but it will be some time before it is flown. ; The Ambassador will have two Bristol Centaurus engines of about 2500 hp each, driving constafit-speed, feathering airscrews which can be reversed to act as brakes. Alternative lay-outs provide accommodation for 28 to 36 passengers. A feature of the design is the reserve of power ayailable, giving an excellent single-engined performance. The wide cruising range is between 200 and 285 m.p.h. A high-wing monoplane, the Ambassador has under-slung engines housed in nacelles which are faired into the underside of the wing. It is fitted with a tricycle undercarriage, Sid has three fins and rudders on a high tailplane. Loaded weight is about 45,0001b. v