COMBAT AND COMPETITION.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

COMBAT AND COMPETITION
The aircraft came back one at a time. Arrowhead shapes, trailing
smoke, materialising out of the haze, to hang kite like, on the
approach.
Time stood still as the batsman played them in, until each one came
crowding in over the round down, impossibly large and fast. Just six
arrester wires from disaster. But it was enough. Batsman and pilots had
played this game many times before. Flight trials or not, they already
had these heavy swept wing fighters taped. Tyres smoked and oleos
squashed brutally as they hit the deck and lurched to a halt. Not a
single overshoot. It was an impeccable performance.
As for the matter of servicing and recharging lox converters on
board ship, which had been the object of the exercise, the indications
were that it would be easier than we had expected.
At the time of that visit to Ark Royal, BOAE had some way to go
technically, and in terms of product acceptability. But the indications
were not unfavourable. There was the prospect of a worthwhile, if
somewhat slender, peripheral business for the parent company,
developing over the coming years. And the mixed powerplant SR 177
interceptor fighter might well bring additional orders for specialised
HTP storage and refuelling equipment in Britain and Germany.
Then in April 1957 the Minister of Defence, Duncan Sandys, who
wanted to be rid of all manned military aircraft in favour of missiles,
issued his infamous White Paper and almost destroyed the industry
overnight. There were some who referred to him unkindly as 'Drunken
Sandys' as it became apparent that every fighter project, except the
Lightning, was about to get the chop, and the Avro 730 Supersonic
Bomber was to be cancelled as well.
When Dickie Martin broke the sound barrier, and his Javelin's
shock wave just happened to hit the Houses of Parliament, he made a
point for Glosters and said something for the rest of us too. For
political ignorance and expediency has done incalculable harm to the
British aircraft industry over the years.
But on that fateful April day Sandys was in the driving seat and Sir
Victor Goddard's 'Elongated Balls' were in the ascendency. Shortly
afterwards Jack Pateman rang to suggest that I return to Elliotts and
indicated that the position of manager Guided Weapons Division was
on offer. It seemed the obvious thing to do.
However GW was not my scene and before long I was back in the
fold - with the task of opening up export markets for Elliott Flight
Automation.
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