The 23rd Main Lecture to be given before a Branch of the Society was held under the auspices of the Merthyr Tydfil Branch on 10th November 1955. The Lecture, entitled “A Review of Some Combustion Problems Associated with the Aero Gas Turbine,” was given by Dr. J. S. Clarke, O.B.E., M.I.Mech.E., F.R.Ae.S. Mr. C. S. Gardner, Past President of the Merthyr Tydfil Branch, opened the proceedings by welcoming the guests. He was deputising for Mr. W. R. Morgan, the Branch President, who had unfortunately had to go into a nursing home for treatment for an old war injury. He apologised also for the absence of Mr. McGibbon who arrived back from America only that day and was unable to be present. He then introduced Mr. N. E. Rowe, President of the Royal Aeronautical Society, whom they were very honoured indeed to have with them. When they thought of the journeyings that his presence involved he thought they should be all the more grateful that he could come and support them in their Branch. He would ask Mr. Rowe to take the Chair.

The 988th Lecture to be given before the Society and the 25th Main Lecture to be held at a Branch of the Society, “ Problems Associated with the Production and Use of Wrought Aluminium Alloys,” by G. Forrest, B.SC, A.M.I.Mech.E., A.F.R.Ae.S., and K. Gunn, B.Sc, A.R.S.M., was held under the auspices of the Belfast Branch on 5th April 1956. Mr. D. Keith-Lucas, F.R.Ae.S., Chairman of the Belfast Branch, opened the proceedings, and Mr. E. T. Jones, C.B., O.B.E, M.Eng., F.R.Ae.S., presided for the rest of the meeting.

Mr. Keith-Lucas (Branch Chairman): This was a great occasion for the Belfast Branch because for the third time they were honoured to be the hosts of the parent Society, the Royal Aeronautical Society. It was with great pleasure that he welcomed their guests. First of all, Mr. E. T. Jones, the President-elect of the Royal Aeronautical Society, Dr. Ballantyne, the Secretary, and Mr. Dunsby and Mr. Simmons, both of the Technical Department, of the Society. The President, Mr. N. E. Rowe, and the Chairman of the Branches Committee, Mr. Handel Davies, had both sent their sincere apologies that they were unable to be present.

He would also like to extend a special welcome to three members of the Preston Branch, Mr. Turner, Mr. Swales and Mr. Dyson. They were rather “ out on a limb” in Belfast, rather far from other Branches and they did appreciate this neighbourly gesture from the Preston Branch. He would also like to welcome their own President of the Belfast Branch, Sir Matthew Slattery, and their Vice-President, Mr. C. P. T. Lipscomb.

But this was essentially a Royal Aeronautical Society function and not a Belfast Branch function. Therefore he would invite Mr. E. T. Jones, the President-elect of the Royal Aeronautical Society, to take the Chair and to conduct the meeting.

Mr. E. T. Jones: It was a great pleasure and honour to be in Belfast that evening deputising for Mr. Rowe. They had already heard from Mr. Keith-Lucas that Mr. Rowe was unable to be present and he had asked him also to express his regrets.

People working in aeronautics were sometimes liable to overlook the fact that materials had played a tremendous part in the advancement that they had achieved. They knew that the aerodynamicist, the structural engineer, the propulsion engineer, had all made their mark on the progress of aviation but they must not forget that materials had forged a very great key towards the progress which had been made. Indeed he recollected that Sir Harry Garner, in his Wilbur Wright Lecture in 1952, made the statement that he doubted whether the Aircraft Industry today could make a much more forward aeroplane than the Wright Brothers did in 1903 if they were confined to the use of the same materials and to the same stalling speed. He thought that statement would have been a very profound one even if stalling speed had been left out. If one considered the materials that people in those days had to work on it was wonderful that they flew at all. Thus he thought it was fitting that they should have a lecture of the kind Mr. Forrest and Mr. Gunn were to give.

He had a pleasant duty to introduce the lecturers. Mr. Forrest was educated at London University and joined the National Physical Laboratory in 1925, or thereabouts, in the Engineering Division. In 1936 he joined the Northern Aluminium Company and he later transferred to the Aluminium Laboratories Ltd. He was now an Associate Director of Research in the Aluminium Laboratories Ltd. at Banbury. Mr. Forrest had impressed upon him that he should make a point of saying Banbury because there were three Laboratories of the firm. Mr. Gunn was educated at the Royal School of Mines. He joined the Northern Aluminium Company in 1944 and he too transferred to the Aluminium Laboratories in 1946. He did not know quite how they proposed to deal with the Lecture, but he thought that Mr. Forrest would read it and both would be available to reply to the questions.

The 985th Lecture to be given before the Society, “ The High Temperature Turbo-jet Engine ” by D. G. Ainley, B.Sc, A.M.I.Mech.E., A.F.R.Ae.S., was given at the Institution of Civil Engineers, Great George St., London, S.W.I on 15th March 1956, with Mr. N. E. Rowe, C.B.E., D.I.C., F.C.G.I., F.I.A.S., F.R.Ae.S., in the Chair. Introducing the Lecturer, Mr. Rowe said that Mr. Ainley had been working on gas turbines since 1943 when he joined the gas turbine division of the Royal Aircraft Establishment. He transferred to Power Jets Ltd. and later to the National Gas Turbine Establishment. His early work was associated with the development of axial flow compressors, contraction design and so on; he then transferred to turbine design, became head of the section dealing with turbine and heat transfer problems and for the past five or six years had been chiefly engaged on the cooling of gas turbine blades. Mr. Ainley graduated from the University of London, Queen Mary College, with first class honours. In 1953 he was awarded the George Stephenson Research Prize by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

The Ninth Louis Blériot Lecture was given in Paris on 7th March 1956 under the auspices of the Association Française des Ingénieurs et Techniciens de l'Aéronautiques, by Mr. E. T. Jones, C.B., O.B.E., M.Eng., F.R.Ae.S., Director-General Technical Development (Air), Ministry of Supply, and President-Elect of the Royal Aeronautical Society.

The Lecture was attended by the President, Mr. N. E. Rowe, C.B.E., B.Sc., F.C.G.I., F.I.A.S., F.R.Ae.S., and several members of Council of the Royal Aeronautical Society, by the Secretary, Dr. A. M. Ballantyne, T.D., B.Sc., Hon.F.C.A.I., A.F.I.A.S., A.F.R.Ae.S.; by three former British Blériot Lecturers, Air Commodore F. R. Banks, C.B., O.B.E., F.R.Ae.S., Mr. H. Knowler, F.R.Ae.S., and Mr. R. Hafner, F.R.Ae.S.; and by members of the Society and the British Aircraft Industry and by a large and distinguished French audience. M. Jules Jarry, President of A.F.I.T.A., presided at the meeting and welcomed the guests before introducing Mr. Rowe and later, Mr. Jones. Mr. Jones spoke for a few minutes in French and then his paper was read by M. Maurice Roy, Director of O.N.E.R.A., and himself a Blériot Lecturer. After the lecture a film was shown of the Rolls-Royce “ Flying Bedstead.”

The Lecture was followed by a Reception and cocktail party and then by a dinner attended by 150 distinguished members and guests at the Aero Club de France. Among the guests were Madame Louis Blériot and M. Henry Laforest, French Secretary of State for Air. Following the dinner, speeches were made by M. Jarry and M. Laforest, and by Air Commodore Banks, deputising for Mr. Rowe who had had to return to England, and by Mr. E. T. Jones.

Many may expect the major emphasis to be given to problems of design of manned aircraft for supersonic flight. Of these, there will be some more qualified to speak on supersonic aircraft matters than I am, for my own experience in supersonic aerodynamics has been predominantly in the guided weapon field. Perhaps this is no disadvantage, for I believe that the aircraft designer has much that he can learn from the guided weapon designer.

Aircraft and missiles have much in common; for both are, or are intended to be, vehicles for conveying efficiently a payload through the air from one point to another. The fact that, in military applications at least, “efficiently” often means “as quickly as possible,” gives rise to a requirement for supersonic speeds in both aircraft and missiles.

The 987th Lecture to be given before the Society was the 24th Main Lecture to be given at a Branch of the Society and was also the First Chadwick Memorial Lecture. The Lecture, inaugurated by and held under the auspices of the Manchester Branch was given by Mr. H. Rogerson, M.B.E., A.M.I.Mech.E., F.R.Ae.S., before a large and distinguished audience on the 21st March 1956, at the College of Technology, Manchester.

The 969th Lecture to be given before the Society and the 22nd Main Lecture to be held at a Branch Centre, “ Free Flight Techniques for High Speed Aerodynamic Research ” by J. A. Hamilton, M.B.E., B.Sc, A.M.I.Mech.E., A.F.R.Ae.S., and P. A. Hufton, M.Sc, was given under the auspices of the Boscombe Down Branch on 1st December 1955. Air Commodore R. A. Ramsay Rae, O.B.E., President of the Branch welcomed the guests and said how delighted he was to see the President of the Society, Mr. N. E. Rowe and members of the Council and Main Society at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment.

The 23rd Main Lecture to be given at a Branch Centre was also the First Henson-Stringfellow Memorial Lecture and was given at the Yeovil Branch on the 16th February 1956. Mr. D. L. Hollis Williams, F.R.Ae.S., Chairman of the Yeovil Branch, opened the meeting and the chair was later taken by Mr. E. T. Jones, C.B., M.Eng., F.R.Ae.S., Vice-President and President-Elect of the Society. The audience, which numbered some 400, included members of the main Society and some 50 members from the Bristol and Boscombe Down Branches

The effectiveness of any braking system is ultimately limited by the point at which the wheels lock and slide over the surface on which the stop is being made. When surfaces are clean and dry the adhesion with a rubber tyre is high enough to meet most requirements of braking without risk of skidding. In wet, or in icy conditions, however, adhesion may be reduced to such an extent that, even with efficient brakes, stopping distances are greatly increased and dangerous conditions can arise. Under wet conditions there are special difficulties. Different surfaces may have very different skid-resisting properties and, in addition, when surfaces are wet, the adhesion with a tyre depends on speed, generally diminishing as speed is raised.

This paper gives an account of the engineering and operational aspects of the introduction and first three years' operation by British European Airways of the first propellerturbine engine to go into airline service—the Rolls-Royce Dart which powers the Vickers Viscount air liner. The origin of this type of gas turbine engine and its chief advantages and disadvantages are considered. The main features and operational characteristics of the Dart engine are detailed. The training, operational handling, flight planning and maintenance aspects of the introduction and operation of the Dart engine in the Viscount are reviewed, and the experience accumulated is summarised. It is noted that apart from all the new ground that has had to be covered and all the associated development, no special problems have been encountered. Considerable advantages in respect of engineering and operational simplification have been demonstrated. Experience indicates that this type of engine has good reliability and long overhaul life characteristics, and confirms its general suitability for medium-speed air transportation. The paper ends with mention of some of the probable trends of propeller-turbine development, and with suggestions for some additional improvements which the author considers would benefit civil operators.

The main purpose of this paper is to outline the position which the propeller holds in current aircraft propulsion, its construction, operation and its future. The paper has been arranged in four parts, as follows:–

1. 1. Present and future types of aircraft foreseen with propellers.

2. 2. Engines for turbo-prop power units.

3. 3. The Propeller.

4. 4. The Future.

In the present military field propellers are used for the following types of aircraft:—Heavy transport and Army reconnaissance, for example the Beverley and Pioneer, Submarine reconnaissance, Naval Strike Fighters and R.A.F. Trainers as exemplified by the Gannet, Wyvern and Provost.

The 996th Lecture to be given before the Society and the 26th Main Lecture to be held at a Branch of the Society, was also the First Sir Henry Royce Memorial Lecture inaugurated by the Derby Branch. The Lecture, “ Sir Henry Royce, Bart,” was given by Mr. Ivan Evernden, M.B.E., B.Sc.(Lond.), M.I.Mech.E., M.S.A.E., M.S.I.A., on 1st October 1956 at Derby. Mr. A. A. Rubbra, F.R.Ae.S., Chairman of the Derby Branch opened the Meeting and Dr. E. S. Moult, B.Sc.(Eng.), F.R.Ae.S., Vice-President of the Society, presided for the rest of the meeting.

In the earlier days of flying, when aircraft speeds were low, it was a relatively easy matter to resort to a parachute to escape from an aircraft in trouble but, as aircraft speeds increased, escape by means of a parachute was more a matter of good fortune than of personal effort. Early in 1944, with the introduction of jet aircraft into the Royal Air Force, it became apparent that some assisted means of escape would have to be provided to enable air crews to escape from fast jet aircraft in an emergency. It was early in 1944, therefore, that I was invited by the Ministry of Aircraft Production to investigate the practicability of providing, in fighter aircraft, a means of safe escape for the pilot in abandoning the aircraft.