Armstrong Whitworth A.W.52
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| A.W.52 | |
|---|---|
 The AW-52G experimental glider (as distinct from the jet-powered AW-52) |
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| Type | Experimental aircraft |
| Manufacturer | Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft |
| Designed by | John Lloyd |
| Maiden flight | 13 November 1947 |
| Primary user | Royal Aircraft Establishment |
| Number built | 2 |
The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.52 was a British flying wing aircraft design of the late 1940s.
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[edit] History
Armstrong Whitworth Aircraft proposed a jet-powered four-engine flying wing bomber design, utilising a laminar flow wing, during the Second World War. The design was tested on a third-scale glider known as the A.W.52G, but the war ended and the project was dropped.
However, Armstrong Whitworth then received a contract that would allow them to produce two prototypes for evaluation, nominally for a mail carrying aircraft. The first prototype flew on 13 November 1947 powered by two Rolls Royce Nene engines. This was followed by the second prototype on 1 September 1948 with the Rolls Royce Derwent. The first prototype crashed without loss of life in May 1949, making it the first occasion of an emergency ejection by a British pilot, but the second prototype remained flying with the Royal Aircraft Establishment until 1954.
[edit] The accident
On 30 May 1949, test pilot Jo Lancaster encountered a pitch oscillation while diving at 320 mph, believed to be a result of elevon flutter. Starting at two cycles per second, it rapidly increased to incapacitating levels. With structural failure seemingly imminent, Lancaster bailed out of the aircraft using its Martin-Baker Type 1 ejection seat, becoming the first British pilot to use the apparatus in a "live" emergency.[1]
[edit] Operators
[edit] Specifications (A.W.52 prototype)
This aircraft article is missing some (or all) of its specifications. If you have a source, you can help Wikipedia by adding them.General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 37 ft 4 in (11.4 m)
- Wingspan: 90 ft (27.4 m)
- Height: 14 ft 4 in (4.4 m)
- Airfoil: NPL.655-3-218 at root, tapering to NPL.655-3-118 at extremity of the centre section and to NPL.654-3-015 at the tips
- Empty weight: 19,662 lb (8,919 kg)
- Loaded weight: 34,154 lb (15,492 kg)
- Powerplant: 2× Rolls Royce Nene Turbojet, 5,000 lbf (22.2 kN) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 500 mph (804.7 km/h)
- Range: 980 miles (1,577 km)
- Service ceiling 36,000 ft ()
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
[edit] References
- ^ Lancaster, Jo (October 2006). "Setting the Record Straight". Aeroplane 34 (10): pp. 42–46.
[edit] External links
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