96 THE AVIATION HISTORIAN Issue No 22
ABOVE This photo ofTS375 from the rear highlights the Youngman flaps, seen extended in the “cruise” setting.
This type of flap had proved itself on the wartime Fairey Barracuda and FireflyThis type of flap had proved itself on the wartime Fairey Barracuda and FireflyThis type of flap had proved itself on the wartime Fairey Barracuda and Firefly, acting as a slotted flap for take-off , acting as a slotted flap for take-off
and landing or as an auxiliary aerofoil to increase wing area and efficiency to extend endurance in cruising flight.
BELOW With a strap placed around its rear fuselage. TS375 is prepared for a tethered engine test run. Only a few
early test Eagles had been built before 15 examples of the 3,500 h.p. Eagle 22 were produced by Rolls-Royce,
largely for the Wyvern test programme. The prominent gills in the forward part of the cowling are the outlets for
hot air passing over the intercoolers, which were arranged in a semi-annular fashion around the reduction gearhot air passing over the intercoolers, which were arranged in a semi-annular fashion around the reduction gearhot air passing over the intercoolers, which were arranged in a semi-annular fashion around the reduction gear..
Seen here from the front in “clean” configuration, with flaps
retracted, TS375 did not have folding wings or any armament
fitted; the first two prototypes were purely aerodynamic and
systems test vehicles. The first prototype, TS371, was lost in
a fatal crash little more than a month after TS375 first flew.