Supersonic bid scuttled
QUESTION Was the U.S. Bell X-1, the first aircraft to break the sound barrier, invented in Britain?
This is a sad tale of a missed opportunity. Plans for the M.52, a turbojet-powered supersonic research aircraft designed by Miles Aviation, were handed over to the U.s., which went on to pioneer supersonic flight.
in 1943, the Ministry of Aircraft Production awarded a contract to Miles Aviation at Woodley Aerodrome near Reading, Berkshire, to design and manufacture an experimental aircraft.
it had to be able to take off from a runway, climb to 36,000 ft in 1.5 minutes and exceed the speed of sound in level flight. Power was to come from a special Whittle jet engine.
Miles designed a sleek aircraft with a fuselage shaped like a rifle bullet. The wings were shorter than on subsonic planes and had a sharp leading edge to minimise drag at supersonic speeds.
Crucially, the entire tailplane moved in pitch to provide longitudinal control. The centre of lift moves rearwards at supersonic speeds and the aircraft becomes nose heavy, so needs down force from the tailplane to maintain level flight and to pull out of a dive.
Conventional tailplanes are ineffective at supersonic speed. Their effect may even be reversed if forces make them flex in the opposite direction.
A Miles Falcon, a conventional pistonengined aircraft, was modified to test the thin wing and all-moving tailplane. Called the ‘Gillette’ Falcon after its razor-sharp wing, its only problem was that, as expected, landing speed was increased.
The aircraft was almost complete when the project was cancelled out of the blue in February 1946.
Various reasons were given, including pilot safety. it was felt future supersonic research should use rocket-propelled model M.52s, which would also be cheaper than a piloted aircraft.
The Government handed over to the Americans all the calculations Miles had generated during the project.
Dennis Bancroft, chief aerodynamicist at Miles, claimed Bell Aircraft was given access to the M.52 drawings and research, but reneged on an agreement to share its knowledge and data in return.
Bell began designing the X1 in 1944, which strongly resembled the Miles M.52, except it was powered by a liquid-fuelled rocket motor instead of a jet engine.
it had conventional elevators on the tailplane, but the pilot could vary the pitch of the entire tailplane in flight, emulating the one fitted to the M.52.
Test pilot Chuck Yeager used this to maintain control when he broke the sound barrier on October 14, 1947.
Denis Sharp, Littlehampton, W. Sussex.
QUESTION Why is there a place called Pye Corner near Newport?
TheRe are two Pye Corners near Newport, south Wales: between Bassaleg and high Cross to the west; and at Nash on the east of the River Usk. The origins of the name are unclear.
One definition of pye is a list of church services. it might also refer to a magpie and, by association, thieving or trickery. Perhaps these were places at a bend in the road where robbers lurked.
There is a Pye Corner in London where a golden statue of a boy marks the end of the Great Fire of London. in this case, pye might be an archaic spelling of pie. There was also a Roman road from London to Norfolk known as the Pye Road.
Ken Wood, Newport, South Wales.
QUESTION What is the highest losing score in a county cricket game?
esseX played Glamorgan at Chelmsford in september 2004. in their first innings, they scored 642 runs, with centuries from Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower (119) and two former england Test cricketers, Ronnie irani (164) and James Foster (188).
Glamorgan made a spirited reply, making 587. Former england players Matthew Maynard (136) and Robert Croft (125) made centuries, the latter atoning for his marathon spell with the ball in essex’s innings when he took just three for 203 in 58 overs. No 10 batsman David harrison scored a career best 88.
essex struggled in their second knock, making just 165 with no batsman passing 50. This time Croft took four for 52 and Australian Mick Lewis four for 39.
Now in the driving seat, Glamorgan needed 221 in a minimum of 69 overs. They ended up with a winning total of 223 for six, with 22 balls remaining. David hemp was top scorer with 83 not out.
The previous record was set by Northampton, who scored 632 in a loss to essex in 2002.
Tim Mickleburgh, Grimsby, Lincs. The highest losing score in a Test match came in 2017, breaking a 123-year-old record. Bangladesh scored a seemingly unassailable 595 for eight declared at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, before New Zealand replied with 539 all out.
in their second innings, Bangladesh were skittled out for 160 and New Zealand scored the 217 they needed to win.
The previous record was set in a timeless Test of 1894 in sydney. Australia scored 586 in the first innings; england replied with 325 and were asked to follow on. They put up a total of 437 before Australia were bowled out for 166, losing by ten runs.
Australia were the victims again in 2003. in Adelaide, they lost to india by four wickets despite posting a first innings total of 556. Ricky Ponting’s 242 was the highest individual score in a Test defeat.
Few england fans can forget the 2nd Adelaide Test of the 2006 Ashes series. having lost the first Test at Brisbane, england replied with a first innings total of 551 declared, with Paul Collingwood scoring a double century accompanied by Kevin Pietersen’s cavalier 158.
Australia scored 513 and whittled england out for just 129, bamboozled by shane Warne, who took four for 49. england lost by six wickets and never recovered, suffering a 5-0 whitewash.
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