Post by Dave Homewood on Jul 16, 2019 21:31:58 GMT 12
New Zealander Acts as "Guinea Pig" in Jet Tests
Flying Vampire In Tropical Climates
Extreme Physical Fitness Vital
Refrigerators in the cockpits of jet fighter aircraft flying in the tropics; equipment of pilots with lightweight nylon “G suits”; and more rigorous tests for physical fitness in the selection of men flying jets ....
These are among the main recommendations of Flight Lieutenant George Francis, A.F.C. and Bar, of Hamilton, New Zealand, who acted as a “guinea pig” for doctors while he was testing a Vampire 3 in tropical conditions at Singapore and Khartoum for the R.A.F. and the de Havilland Enterprise. He landed in 22 countries.
Flight-Lieutenant Francis, accompanied by a Dakota which carried a ground crew of four men together with spares and equipment, did four months of tactical trials with the Vampire in Singapore early in 1948. He made a number of demonstration flights in the Far East before flying 6200 miles from Singapore to Khartoum.
Further trials were made in the dry heat of Egypt, providing a sharp contrast for pilot and aircraft from the humidity of Singapore. Recently the New Zealander brought the Vampire back to Britain, where it is now being dismantled; a report on the effects of damp and dry heat upon its structure is being prepared.
“Best Two Years”
“It is nearly two years since I left England, and they have been the best two years of my life,” Fit.Lt. Francis said. “Testing and flying the Vampire was most interesting and enjoyable, and, of course, we had a marvellous time everywhere we went.
‘‘The Vampire is simple to fly and has very few controls in the cockpit. It is one of the most manoeuvrable aircraft I have flown, and it has a nice turn of speed. With a Goblin 2 engine and 3000 lb thrust it can do 550 miles an hour, at sea level, and at 30,000 feet in the tropics it is slightly faster
“A pilot’s chief worry in the tropics is, of course, the heat. In Singapore the cockpit temperature was usually around 140 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, and on one occasion it reached 164 degrees. In Khartoum it was much the same and if the aircraft were left out in the sun for long everything became red hot—the stick, the throttle, and the wings.
To Counter Heat
“Such heat is pretty trying for a pilot—fortunately, I didn’t lose weight, for I usually manage to keep around 9st 9lb—and you perspire continually and get pretty sunburnt. The only thing to reduce the cockpit temperature, stop you perspiring, and save you getting sunburnt is to have a refrigerator built in, and they are planning to do this in future.
“While flying straight and level at high speeds there is little strain on the pilot. When you begin aerobatics or practising fighting tactics you get varying degrees of ‘G’—that is the force of gravity on the body—and your eyeballs feel as though they are being pushed down to your mouth and you black-out.
“One way of countering ‘G’ is to wear an anti-G suit, and in the tropics that makes you sweat all the more in the cockpit; the two things combined make you pretty fagged out after a while. You have to be very fit to fly jets and do aerobatics. Terrific concentration is required, especially if the weather is bad.
"Pilots need strong neck and tummy muscles to help counteract ‘G.’ and personally I think that one of the best methods of developing these muscles is to practise weightlifting.
Fitness Is Vital
“Within reason, the age of a pilot doesn’t matter so much as being absolutely fit and having a sense of responsibility about the job. Plenty of exercise, rest, and good food and the realisation that flying a jet is a responsible and exacting job are among the main things a pilot needs. Perfect understanding of the aircraft and its performance is the secret of safe, high-speed jet flying.”
Flt.-Lt. Francis said that he had delivered the Vampire to de Havillands at their airfield at Hatfield, where the reports sent in and the information they gained by dismantling the aircraft should be quite useful knowledge for future flying in the tropics
"Now I am going to have a rest for two months,” he added. “It’s good to be back in England, but I cannot say I care for frost and fog after the heat of Khartoum and the Far East! It takes me all my time to keep warm.”
BAY OF PLENTY TIMES, 8 DECEMBER 1949
Flying Vampire In Tropical Climates
Extreme Physical Fitness Vital
Refrigerators in the cockpits of jet fighter aircraft flying in the tropics; equipment of pilots with lightweight nylon “G suits”; and more rigorous tests for physical fitness in the selection of men flying jets ....
These are among the main recommendations of Flight Lieutenant George Francis, A.F.C. and Bar, of Hamilton, New Zealand, who acted as a “guinea pig” for doctors while he was testing a Vampire 3 in tropical conditions at Singapore and Khartoum for the R.A.F. and the de Havilland Enterprise. He landed in 22 countries.
Flight-Lieutenant Francis, accompanied by a Dakota which carried a ground crew of four men together with spares and equipment, did four months of tactical trials with the Vampire in Singapore early in 1948. He made a number of demonstration flights in the Far East before flying 6200 miles from Singapore to Khartoum.
Further trials were made in the dry heat of Egypt, providing a sharp contrast for pilot and aircraft from the humidity of Singapore. Recently the New Zealander brought the Vampire back to Britain, where it is now being dismantled; a report on the effects of damp and dry heat upon its structure is being prepared.
“Best Two Years”
“It is nearly two years since I left England, and they have been the best two years of my life,” Fit.Lt. Francis said. “Testing and flying the Vampire was most interesting and enjoyable, and, of course, we had a marvellous time everywhere we went.
‘‘The Vampire is simple to fly and has very few controls in the cockpit. It is one of the most manoeuvrable aircraft I have flown, and it has a nice turn of speed. With a Goblin 2 engine and 3000 lb thrust it can do 550 miles an hour, at sea level, and at 30,000 feet in the tropics it is slightly faster
“A pilot’s chief worry in the tropics is, of course, the heat. In Singapore the cockpit temperature was usually around 140 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, and on one occasion it reached 164 degrees. In Khartoum it was much the same and if the aircraft were left out in the sun for long everything became red hot—the stick, the throttle, and the wings.
To Counter Heat
“Such heat is pretty trying for a pilot—fortunately, I didn’t lose weight, for I usually manage to keep around 9st 9lb—and you perspire continually and get pretty sunburnt. The only thing to reduce the cockpit temperature, stop you perspiring, and save you getting sunburnt is to have a refrigerator built in, and they are planning to do this in future.
“While flying straight and level at high speeds there is little strain on the pilot. When you begin aerobatics or practising fighting tactics you get varying degrees of ‘G’—that is the force of gravity on the body—and your eyeballs feel as though they are being pushed down to your mouth and you black-out.
“One way of countering ‘G’ is to wear an anti-G suit, and in the tropics that makes you sweat all the more in the cockpit; the two things combined make you pretty fagged out after a while. You have to be very fit to fly jets and do aerobatics. Terrific concentration is required, especially if the weather is bad.
"Pilots need strong neck and tummy muscles to help counteract ‘G.’ and personally I think that one of the best methods of developing these muscles is to practise weightlifting.
Fitness Is Vital
“Within reason, the age of a pilot doesn’t matter so much as being absolutely fit and having a sense of responsibility about the job. Plenty of exercise, rest, and good food and the realisation that flying a jet is a responsible and exacting job are among the main things a pilot needs. Perfect understanding of the aircraft and its performance is the secret of safe, high-speed jet flying.”
Flt.-Lt. Francis said that he had delivered the Vampire to de Havillands at their airfield at Hatfield, where the reports sent in and the information they gained by dismantling the aircraft should be quite useful knowledge for future flying in the tropics
"Now I am going to have a rest for two months,” he added. “It’s good to be back in England, but I cannot say I care for frost and fog after the heat of Khartoum and the Far East! It takes me all my time to keep warm.”
BAY OF PLENTY TIMES, 8 DECEMBER 1949
