COMBAT AND COMPETITION.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

CHAPTER THIRTEEN FRONTIERS OF WHAT?
Perhaps there was in a way. For the separate national identities
were a reminder to tread delicately. Yet this was a golden opportunity
to explore the background to the various competing projects and their
standing at SHAPE. To strengthen the case for Elliotts and calm any
fears of excessive British participation with well honed arguments
about our joint venture experience. It turned out to be an enjoyable
and well matched little gathering and everyone knew the rules:
"Another brandy gentlemen?" (might encourage them to say a little
more!)
"Thank you. Yes!" (but you're wasting your time!)
In the end NBMR3 came to nothing. The Hawker 1154 won the
day but the French refused to accept the decision. NATO had no
central funds to finance the project and any post mortem would have
had embarrassing repercussions.
NBMR3, through my international role with Elliotts, had brought
me back in touch with Hawkers on the 1 154 itself. There was a British
Joint Service Requirement. But Hawkers were trapped between the
Ministry, which was trying to impose a single design, and the RAF
and Navy, whose requirements differed to such an extent that they
could not be met in this way. No information whatsoever could be
obtained on the avionics fit for the simple reason that the Ministry of
Aviation did not know. The 1154 programme was in a complete mess.
However our various contacts with Hawkers on the 1154 paid off
in the end. When a three axis autostabiliser was eventually specified
for the Harrier the contract came to Elliotts. The result was a very
simple system which weighed only 2\ Ibs per axis. Even Sir Sydney
Camm might have approved.
We devoted a considerable amount of time to the Dornier Do 31,
and its Anglo-German derivative to NBMR4, before these two were
scrapped.
One member of the family, Silvius Dornier, joined us from time
to time on our visits to Friedrichshafen. A pleasant educated man,
rather shy, and knowledgeable about the grape. But his interests were
mainly legal and financial, so our main contact was Dr Weiland - an
enthusiastic mountaineer - and subsequently Dr Schweitzer.
On one visit the latter showed us his simple rig to demonstrate the
fundamental difficulties of VTOL flight. A flat metal plate, hinged at
the centre in two axes (pitch and roll), operated by a joystick
controller. He allowed you to compose yourself, then he placed a large
ball bearing in the centre, and you had to keep it there. Simple really.
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