The Aviation Historian — January 2018

Issue No 22 THE AVIATION HISTORIAN 3

Editor’s Letter

A VERY HAPPY New Year from all of us here at TA HTA HTA H and a and a

warm welcome to another issue laden to maximum take-off

weight with fascinating features. They cover more than 75

years of aviation history, from primitive amateur glider plans

by a future genius aircraft designer to the hair-raising North

Sea ditching of some very expensive top-secret kit in the 1990s.

Although we don’t really do themed issues, there is a distinct

presence running through this one — and it is that genius

designer mentioned above. Sir Sydney Camm’s early career,

glory days and legacy are reflected in several features in

TAH22, including Philip Jarrett’s discovery in a Devon

bookshop of what may well be Camm’s first credited aircraft

design; his tussles with the “windtunnel jockeys” over the

Hurricane’s wing in our feature on wing-root drag; through to

his organisation of the team of “young turks” responsible for

the P.1129, Hawker’s rival to what would become the TSR.2,

described by Tony Buttler in greater detail than ever before.

Speaking of detail, another article in this issue which offers

a wealth of previously unpublished information is Ricardo

Lezon’s history of the ten Supermarine Walruses operated by

Argentina’s Aviación Naval during 1939–58, for which he had

to dig deep into the archives in both South America and the

UK in order to tell this long-lost part of the amphibian’s story.

Finally, if, like mine, your grasp of aerodynamics is best

described as “elementary”, Matt Bearman’s highly readable

explanation of wing-root drag and how to cure it will be a

revelation. As Sydney Camm’s contemporary R.J. Mitchell,

designer of the Walrus, remarked to test pilot Jeffrey Quill:

“If anyone tells you anything about an aeroplane that is too

complicated to understand, take it from me — it’s all balls.. .”

The modern journal of classic aeroplanes and the history of flying

The Aviation Historian

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ISSUE NUMBER 22

(published January 15, 2018)

TM

EDITOR

Nick Stroud

e-mail [email protected]

MANAGING EDITOR

Mick Oakey

e-mail [email protected]

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Amanda Stroud

FINANCE MANAGER

Lynn Oakey

For all telephone enquiries:

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EDITORIAL BOARD

Gregory Alegi, Dr David Baker, Ian Bott,

Robert Forsyth, Juanita Franzi, Dr Richard

P. Hallion, Philip Jarrett HonCRAeS,

Colin A. Owers, David H. Stringer,

Julian Temple, Capt Dacre Watson

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© The Aviation Historian 2018

ISSN 2051-1930 (print)

ISSN 2051-7602 (digital)

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If you do not wish to keep your copy of

The Aviation Historian (impossible to imagine, we know),

please ensure you recycle it using an appropriate facility. FRONT COVER Alohaaah de Havilland! Comet 3 G-ANLO is

given a traditional welcome in Honolulu during its record-setting

promotional world tour in December 1955.

BACK COVER One of NACA’s architecturally beautiful — and

technologically invaluable — windtunnels. See pages 46–...

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