andover c.1

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Flight photograph

ANDOVER C.1

Multi-purpose rear-loader now in service

HE AIR ST AFF S PLANNERS

decided in 1961 that they needed

a replacement for the RA F s ageing Valetta and Hastings

short-range transports which even then had another in-

tensive campaign to serve. In that, the Malaysian-Indonesian

confrontation, the veterans were called upon to mount a cease-

less par adro p logistic-support opera tion, supplying troops in

virtually impenetrable jungle. They did it, and they did it well,

as

light

saw at first-hand, bu t the disadvantages of the old

side-loaders, with a strict limit in the size and weight of para -

drop loads, and the slow delivery rate consequent upon loads

being man hand led down the fuselage and rou nd throug h the

door, were really driven home. The immense operational

advantages of rear-end loading were obviously to be required

in any replacement but the same aircraft had not only to serve

as a tactical freighter and p ara troo p transp ort, while possessing

good STOL qualities, but be usable across the whole spectrum

of RAF short-range transport operations. This meant, among

other things, hauling dependant families from time to time, and

use on casualty evacuation flights. Pressurisation, a long ferry

range and quick convertibility of the interior were also pre-

requisites therefore.

For economic reasons it was decided that the transport must

be a derivation of an existing aircraft, rath er th an evolving

from a clean sheet of paper. Britain was in the fairly unusual

Position of having two directly competitive commercial trans-

ports, the twin-Dart HS.748 and Handley Page Herald, at that

time, both of which qualified for consideration as the base

ircraft for the project. In one of the most hotly contested

contract battles waged between two British airframe companies

or many years, and after a lot of politicking and front-page

olumn inches, the contra ct was awarde d to Haw ker Siddeley s

Avro Whitworth Division to go ahead with its 748MF (Military

ghter) project, otherwise known around the group s M an-

ndover.

The civil 748 had made its first flight in June 1960 and the

irst production aircraft was delivered in Jan uary 1962. After the

October 26, with delivery of the first aircraft required exactly

two years later, on October 26, 1964. Due to extensive changes

which were subsequently specified, this date was put back and

the aircraft received its CA release in Februa ry 1965. An in-

terim contract ha d-b ee n awarded in 1962 which ran until

April 23 and the main contract was signed on April 22, 1963.

On December 21 that year the maiden flight was made of the

rebuilt prototype 748 with the new, upswept ramp-equipped

rear-end, and the more powerful D art 12 engines of the

Andover, but lacking other features of the definitive military

transport. Flight development of this aircraft was followed on

July 9, 1965, by the first flight of the first production aircraft.

Since then delivery has reached the rate of H aircraft a

month (on an assembly line at Woodford separate from that

of the commercial 748 airliners) and the last of 31 ordered

for RAF Air Support Command is about to be delivered. The

Andover is already hard at work adding a new dimension to

RAF short-range transport capabilities in the United Kingdom

and the Far East and within a few months a Middle East

squadron will be formed.

The Rolls-Royce Dart R.Da7-powered 748 Series 2 was taken

as the base aircraft from which the Andover was evolved. This

aircraft was fully described, with a cutaway drawing, in

light

for June 3, 1960, and the changes made will be described in

this article, rather than a full description, including the common

parts, being given.

Extensive wind tunnel testing was run to evolve the Andover

rear fuselage. The conventional beaver-tail shape adopted for

such rear-loaders as the C-130 and the Belfast gave high drag

characteristics which threatened the long unrefuelled ferry range

requirement of 2,700 n.m. with the relatively high s.f.c. Dart

R.Dal2 engine, which was preferable on every other score.

Five basic designs of rear fuselage, with sub-variants, were

evolved before the final choice was made.

Low rear-end drag is achieved by retaining the rounded fuse-

lage cross-section right through to the tail, with gently tapering

contours in both plan and side elevations. Relatively little up-

Continued on page 334 after cutaway drawing of the Andover

7/17/2019 Andover C.1


t

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f

«

e

I l i f fe/Transport Publications Ltd

The

salient features of the Andover C.I tactical transport, which shares some common structure with the HS.748 comm ercial short-hauler but

is nevertheless much modified, are shown in this Frank Munger drawing. The fuselage has been extended b oth fore and aft, the tail surf ces

redesigned, the wing centre-section extended

to

accommodate the larger propellers of the more powerful Dart 12 engines, and the wingtips

cropped

to

leave the overall span unchanged. A radically new kneeling and long-stroke un dercarriage see far right) has been fitted

ANDOVER

C.1\ . .

1 Front pressure bulkhead

2 Electrically heated windscreen

3 Forged windscreen frame

4 DV panel

5 Pull- in slide window

6 Heavy frames, terminate at pressure

f loor

7 Pressure floor

8 Flight deck f loor

9 Heavy structure supporting pressure

floor and nose gear

10 Continuous Z-section str ingers

11 Uncut frames

12 Frame/skin segment plates

13 Single-pressing door frames

14 Freight/crew door 48in x 54in

15 Spring balance link

16 Doubler plates

17 Stringers doubled up in this area

18 Window retaining clamps (windows

I9in x I3in)

19 Fabricated fuselage/wing m ain frames

2 Wing/fuselage joint ( forging and

plate, multi-bolt fixing

21 Frames bolted to main ribs

22 Str inger carry-through f it t ing

23 Fuselage inter-spar skin support at

ribs

24 Spars form pressure boundary

25 Top skin forms pressure boun dary

26 Floor support structure

27 Diagonals brace seat rails for axial

loads

28 6,7001b lashing point

29 Paratroop door 69m x 30in (pull- in

and slide)

3 Two-stage ramp jack

31 Ramp latch

32 Ramp latch cylinder

33 Door l inkage

34 Door l inkage torque tube

35 Emergency jettison handle

36 Door release lock handle

37 Ramp in pressurised area

38 Clamshell doors in unpressurised

tail cone

39 Troop static- l ine

40 Load drop static- l ine

41 External door-release

42 Hinged rear pressure bulkhead

43 Interchangeable tailplanes (15°

dihedral)

44 Built-up fail-safe braces

45 Crack-I imit join t

at 67 per

cent depth

46 Double-L-section bottom boom

47 Boom stabilising brackets

48 Web stiffeners

49 Single-L-section boom

50 Tank

end

ribs

51 Tank baffle ribs

52 Str inger carry-through

53 Rib safe w ith any tie broken

54 Str inger / r ib tie

55 Extruded Z-section

56 Extruded T-section

57 Skin in crack-limit ing panels

58 Skin butt joint

59 Tip N A C A 4412; I8SWG bot tom

sk in ,

I6SWG top

60 Main root r ib NACA 23018: I4SW G

bottom skin, I0SWG

top

61 Stringer joint plates

62 Str inger carry-through

63 Inspection-hole doubler plate

64 Doublers

at

flap tracks

65 Fail-safe hinge brackets

66 Detachable leading edge

67 Hinged leading edge

68 Wing-to-centre-section butt-strap

69 Flap track

70 Flap/rib bridge-piece

71 Ribs take load oh track failure

72 Back-to-back channel section over

skin

73 Back-to-back L-section

74 Built-up fail-safe bracing

75 Hatch for flap-gear access

76 Hinged radome

77 Hinged fair ing

78 Removable top nd side panels

Outboard cowling panels only

shown

nterchangeable port and stbd

81 Cowling stays

82 Inspection, cabin-air

83 Inspection, electr ics

bay

84 Inspection, tank and w ing

85 Emergency door 48in

x

30in

86 Tail prop strut socket

87 Folding trooping seats

88 Static point

89 Ai r mileage reco rder

90 Stall warning

91 Compass detecto r u nit

92 Galley

93 Toi le t

#o isemtn

79

I Ou

V she

8 J Int,

A

Al

A2

A3

A4

A5

A6

A7

A8

A9

AI0

Al l

AI2

AI3

Cabin Air System

Cooling-air intake

To cabin via non-return valve

Heat exchang er (no rmal system)

Heat exchanger (cold air system)

Cold-air unit

Water separator on deliver, to

r iser

Cooling-air outlet

Pressure dump-valve (manual

Temperature control valve

Ground condi t ion ing

Flight deck riser, radio eoolmr

Compressor

to

heat exchange"

a

temperature contro l

Heat exchanger

to

temperature

contro l

7/17/2019 Andover C.1


FLIGHT International 31 ugust

967

334 -335

I

t Godfrey cabin-air blowe r

and

ou t le t

o

^

e n s l n

8

an<

* con t ro l un i t

Compressor intake

Discharge valve 4 .4lb/sq

in

and

inward

A n t i n g

- A n t i n g

Duct relief valve

Contro l

Aileron controls

Elevator controls

Thro t t le

C4

HP cock and feathering

C5

Control rods under f loor

C6 Cable tensioners

C7 Cont ro l lock

C8 Mass balance

C9

Trim screw-jack

CIO

Duplicated control rods

C l I

Torsion bars

C I2 Tab

torsion

bar

C I3

Main torsion bar

C M Cont ro l input

CIS

Ou tp u t to tab

C l

Tr im

tab

C I7

Spring

tab

C I8

Duplicated torque tubes

C I9

Interconnecting chain

and

sprockets

C2 0

Flap-operating cable

C2I

Tab-operating linkage

C22

Electric flap mo tor manual

emergency)

E Emergency Syitemi

E l

Compressor bleed

to

pneumatic

de-icing

E2

De-icing

air

f i l te r

E3

De-icing suction

E4 De-icing pressure

E5

Discharge from venturi

E4

Solenoid distributor

valve

fULLY KNELT

HORM L ST TIC

E7 Connectors to boot

E8 Fire wal l , zone I

E9 Fire wal l , zone

2

EIO

Double-headed 121b f ire bott le

each nacelle)

E l l

Fire suppression to zones I and 2

E I2

Electric de-icing

EI3

Pressure-locked outw ard-o pening

emergency hatch

E I4

External handle

EI5

Fire access panels

EH

De-icing boot chardwise tubes)

EI7

De-icing boot spanwise tubes)

E18

Door-jettison hinge shear

pin

Key

continued

overleaf

7/17/2019 Andover C.1


336

FLIGHT International

3

August

KEY

TO

CUTAW AY DRAWING

Continued from previous page)

F Fuel System

Fl Integral tanks (1,440 Imp gal,

addit ional 860 Imp gal opt ional ,

see

F5)

F2 Pressure refuelling point

F3 Vent

F4 Contents unit

F5 Alterna tive tank-end rib for ex-

tended tankage

F6 Collector tank

F7 Booster pumps

F8 Ground service cock

F» Water-methanol feed

FIO LP f i l ter

F l l Wa ter-m eth ano l tank s (291-gal

port, 32gal stbd)

F I2 Fuel heater

F I3 Cross feed

F14 Fuel heater

air

exhaust

H Hydraulic and Electric power

H I Electr ical contro l panel

H 2 Circuit breakers

H 3 Hydraulics duct

H 4 Al ternator (30kVA)

HS Generator 9kW)

H 6 Generator cooling air

H 7 Batter ies (4x28V 23Ah)

H S Retractable landing lamps

H9 Hydraul ic pump

H IO Header tank

H I I Hydraulic equipment bay

H I 2 Hydraulic accumulator

H I S Pressure gauges

and

charging

points

H I 4 Hydraulic service

bay

H I S Ramp and undercarr iage g round

control panel

P Power Plant

P I Rolls-Royce Dart (R.Dal2) Mk 201C

P2 Rotol 14ft 6in propellers

P3 Rotol 120 h.p. accessory gearbox

P4 Jetpipe shroud (B rit ish Refrasil

blankets)

P5 Jetpipe-shroud cooling

air

P6 Stainless-steel accessory drip tray

PT Oil- tank f i l ler

P8 Fil ler drain

P9 Oil-cooler air f low

PIO Oil f i l ler and dips tick access

PI

I

Cowl ing dra in

P I2 Turbine drain

P I3 Pressure relief doors

P I4 Engine breather

P I5 Combustion chamber drain

PI6

Bay

venting

air

R Rad io

R l Radio control panel

R2 Radio racks

R3 Static discharge wicks

R4

HF

wire aerial

R5

IFF

aerial

R6 Glide slope aerial

R7 Marker aerial

R8 ADF loop, VHF, VHF2 VOR/LO C,

UHF, Violet Picture, on fuselage

to p

R9 ADF sense ae rial

RIO Doppler

R l

Decca

R I2 UHF aerial

R I3 Ekco M22I0 search radar

R I4 Rebecca transmitt ing

R I5 Rebecca homing

U Undercarriage

U I Nose leg p ivot

U 2 Nose

leg ram

pickup

U 3 Up- lock

U 4 Up- lock

pin

US Down lock

U 6 Steering linkage

U 7 Externally stowed drag strut

U8 Liquid Spring unit

U9 Door operating linkage

U IO Pre-closing-door opera ting cam-

track (f ixed)

U11 Main ram

U I 2 Leg-operated door mechanism

I I 1 3 Dunlop ceramic mult i-disc

an t i -

skid brakes

U I 4 Dunlop tyres 34 x 11.75-14 71/77

Ib/sq in (tubeless)

U I S Dunlop tyre 8.5x IO.5Slb/sq in

( tubed)

U I 4 N i t r ogen

U I 7 Hydraulic kneeling facil ity

Paratroop seats

and

restrainer nets which replace s eat belts

for

fully equipped troops)

and at

rear

the

upward-hingeing sectional

rear pressure bulkhead.

In the

casing

by the

starboard emergency

door is a wheel-packed 26-man dinghy

ANDOVER

C 1

sweep

of the

fuselage cen tre line

was

necessary

if

drag

was to

be kept low but this in turn made the design of the rear door

and ramp more complicated.

The solution

to the

difficult design p rob lem

was to

have

the

fuselage rear opening closed by three sections, an upward-

hingeing ramp door forward of two outward -hingeing clamshell

doors which ' themselves are divided, each into two longitudinal

sections, the inner sections folding inward to reduce the

excrescence in the airstream when in the open position. These

doors continue virtually

to the

tail extremity,

to

give maximum

loading headroom. To overcome problems of complexity and

weight in pressure sealing the clamshell doors, an ingenious

rear pressure bulkhead, hingeing down from the roof to join the

rear end of the ramp, was designed. To fit the roun d fuselage

contours in the raised position, it was necessary to make this

component sectional, too with two side wings which droo p

close

to the

fuselage roof

in the

retracted position

and

which

ar e

in

plane with

the

middle section

in the

lowered, pressurised

position.

The

central section

has a

vertical slot

to

accommo-

date

the

para-dropping static line which,

at its

rear

end is

anchored beyond

the

limits

of the

pressure cabin. Th is slot,

an d

the

periphery

of the

rear pressure bulkhead,

are

sealed

by

self-inflating servo seals

of

silicon* rubber with teryknc

net

reinforcement. These

are

tubular with

an

attachment strip inside

and holes are simply cut in the outer tubing for the attachment

screws.

The lightweight two-section clamshell doors thus need no

pressure seals, neither do they have aerodynamic seals. They

are geometrically locked in both open and closed positions; if

there is a loss of hydraulic pressure when the doors are open

they are not closed by air loads in the path of departing loads.

Knowing that rear-loaders,

and

particularly ramps, come

in

for plenty

of

physical abuse

in

hard service,

the

design team

aimed to make the back end very robust. Very big extrusions

F l igh t copyr ight drawing

7/17/2019 Andover C.1


International, 31 August 1967

337

to descend as the shoot bolts slide into place. Bulkhead

roof aft of the pressure bulkhead, is stowed the

ractor parac hute for mass daisy-chaining drops of pallets.

Although the basic 748 empennage was dictated by the

limits inside which the A ndover was conceived, con-

the case with the civil aircraft, but bolted to heavy frames

\°

to star-

e inboard ends of the eleva tors ineffective. The ta ilplan e and

Substantial reinforcement of the wing rear spar was necessary

take the STOL landing loads—vertical speeds are 13ft/sec

e installation of the R .D al2 an uncom plicated affair, despite

2,970 s.h.p. we t take-off pow er against the 2,030 s.h.p.

ke-off we t power of the R.Da7 in the 748 Series 2.

n com plication came from the larger, 14ft 6in-dia pro-

to give the necessary prop/fuselage clearance. The tips were

cropped by 18in each side, to leave the total span unchanged

at 98ft 3in. Despite the beefing of the wing which was neces-

sary, opportunities were taken in the light of experience on

the civil aircraft to save weight on the wing structure. The

outboard tank end rib was moved farther out, to increase fuel

capacity each side from 550gal to 720gal. Spring-tab ailerons

were substituted for the servo-tab controls on the civil 748

and the Fowler flaps were modified. Maximum leading-section

extension angle is 30° (instead of 27^°) and that of the trailing

section another 80°, to produce a re-entrant effect and the 6°

approach angle necessary for STOL landings.

Low-pressure tyres of 34in-dia (instead of the original 32in)

demanded minor nacelle changes while the greater gross-weight,

STOL landing loads and the need for greater ground clearance

for the bigger props all demanded a new undercarriage, de-

signed by Dow ty-Rotol. The main feature of this, the kneel-

ing facility to permit adjustment of ramp-end height to suit

various lorry-bed heights, is already well known. To prevent

accidents in kneeling on to ground obstructions the kneeling

undercarriage, together with the ramp, can be controlled only

from outside the aircraft, at an external panel on the port side

near the ramp, once the pilot has selected a master switch.

Kneeling can. however, be cancelled from the cockpit, the

pilots being able to unkneel, clean up the aircraft by closing

all doors, and getting away. There is lateral adjustment of the

kneeling facility, for sloping ground. A safety device prevents

kneeling without sufficient system pressure to unkneel being

available.

Though the aircraft is cleared for two-pilot operation and

the flight deck bears a close resemblance to that of the civil

airliner, the RAF specified a full navigator's position and seat-

ing for a supernumerary crew member. Installation of the side-

mounted navigation console (the nav's seat turns forward for

take-off and landing) was off-set, in terms of volumetric

capacity, by the extension of the forward fuselage by 3ft to

balance the increased length of the rear fuselage.

In keeping with its multi-purpose role—which means trans-

porting passengers in reasonable airliner-like comfort on

radar and pro-

for a D ecca flight log

iately in front of the powe r

propeller p itch levers are

this flight-deck view

rear door and ramp control,

switches for the paratroop

of the co-pilot s

T

R F Andovers have this well

navigator s station on

opposite the

door

Details:—

' folding supernum erary seat

*

s t r o

navigation window

supply and mask stowage

Electrics

oppler

a s t e r c o

m p i s s

Decca

Rebecca

bo x

j

eri

«ope sextant

t-up Periscope sextant platform

7/17/2019 Andover C.1


Left: This 3,500lb-pull freight winch, w eighing 1801b, which anch ors

to

freight lashing points,

is

part

of the

role equipment

and is

driven

from the aircraft electrics. Pull is adequate to draw a disabled Ferret scout car up the ramp. Right: the general-arrangement dr wing

shows

a

normal side elevation

and

another with

the

undercarriage knelt

and the

ramp

and

clamshell doors open

ANDOVER C.1 . . .

scheduled military services as well as fuly equipp ed p aratro ops

on urgent operational occasions, the Andover has a fully hard-

trimmed cabin interior, and two carry-on toilet units can be

installed, one forward by the navigato r s station and one aft

by the starboard emergency doo r. Inside the forward door

is

an

emergency equ ipmen t cabin, which houses parachutes

and

a 26-man wheel-packed dinghy—which can easily be rolled aft,

or forward

to the

forward door.

A

galley unit

can be

installed

in the forward area. There are folding hat-racks and four

aeromedical station boxes in the cabin walls. The cabin floor

has seat/lashing fittings on a standard 20in grid and HSA Mk 2

roller conveyors, with side guidance, can be swiftly installed.

A light-weight winch, which plugs into a heavy power socket in

the cabin roof, has been developed as part of the comprehen-

sive range

of

role equipment,

to

haul heavy goods into

the

aircraft—the hauling cable passing beneath loads already

embarked. This

is

sufficiently powerful

to

pull

an

inert Ferret

scout car into the aircraft. Lightweight r am p extensions—only

1051b the pair—are carried as standard and these, too, are

stressed for weights up to that of the Ferre t Up to

1,2001b

can be carried on the ramp in flight. For the important long-

range ferry case two 850gal cabin tanks are carried, these

gravity feeding the ordinary fuel system thro ugh two connector

panels

in the

cabin walls.

The aircraft is considered too narrow for double stick

dropping of paratroopers the And over s cabin cross section,

dictated by 748 d imensions, is certainly on the slim side for

the military transport role); thus, only the por t rear side door

is used

for

paratrooping, this being

a

plug-type door moving

on parallel link hinges, with

the

com plete ly smooth sill

which

was an

operational requirement. Twenty-six paratroops

an d two dispatchers can be carried in this role on sideways-

facing seats which fold up against the cabin sides. Other items

in the range of role equipment designed by Hawker Siddeley

are stretchers and associated fittings, w hich can be stowed near

floor level beneath the seats when the aircraft is used in the

trooping role. As an aeromedical transport the Andover can

carry

up to 18

stretcher cases

and a

further eight sitting

pas-

sengers, who might include am bulato ry patients as well as

nursing personnel.

In the

ordinary trooping

and

passenger

transport role, standard Shorts-built Air Support Command

rearward-facing seats

are

installed

in

pairs,

up to a

maximum

of 44, with the passengers kitbags or other luggage restrained

behind nets on the rear-loading ramp .

HAWKER SIDDELEY ANDOVER

C.I

DATA

Powerplant Two Rolls-Royce R.Dal2 Mk 20IC turboprops of 2,970 s.h.p.

mini-

mum we t power take-off rating.

Dimensions Length 78ft; span 98ft 3i n; height 30ft l in; wing area 83lsq ft; aspect

ratio

11.61;

max fuselage dia 8ft 9in; max internal width 8.1ft; gross usable volume

2,200cu ft.

Weights Manufacturer's empty wt 26,6151b; basic operational wt 27.9141b; APS

wt 28,6421b, max payload (inc role equipment and water/methanol) 'jj i'-jS?'

max zero fuel wt 44,0001b; design gross wt 50,0001b; max landing wt 47,6001b;

STOL landing wt 42,0001b.

Performance ISA conditions) Take-off to 35ft, 50,0001b, s.l . 2.400ft—balanced

field length 3,420ft; rate-of-climb, 50,0001b, max climb power, s.l. t,l60ft/min:

service ceiling, at max cl imb power 23,8001b; cruising speed (TAS) at max crujs*

power, 45,0001b, 20,000ft 224kt; landing field length from 50ft, 47,6001b, s.l. 3,850ft.

stalling speed (EAS), 50,0001b, no flap IO9kt, 10° flap 99Jkt, 22*° flap 88kt;

46,700 Ib, 10°flap 97kt, 221° flap 86kt; 30° main flap, flap tab 110 77kt. Payload;

Range Performance (ISA, 30min

hold,

200 n.m. diversion plus 5 per cent stage tuei

reserves): maximum payload 250 n.m.; I2,000lb payload 700 n.m.; 4,0001b payloao

5

n m

-

Andover

in Action:

page

3»

Left

Rear-end view, showing

the

external hydraulic support strut, with

an

8,0001b proof load, which stows

n the

clip on

the

rear

of

the ramp;

the two-section clamshell doo rs

in the

fully open position;

the

anchorage

of the

static line;

the

rearward-shining ramp light one/

the

external mesh guard to prevent flailing parachute lines from whipping upward and jamming in the elevator and rudder root slots.

a Dart R.Dal2

Mk

20IC engine, with

2,970

s.h.p.

wet

take-off

power,

goes

in. It

drives

a 14ft bin

Dow ty-Rotol p rop

Flight photograph

7/17/2019 Andover C.1


FLIGHT International, 3 / August 1967

AN DOVER C.1 . . .

339

Andover in Action

AMPLE COMMENTS FROM ABINGDON,

where 46 Sqn, the UK-

based Andover squadron, and the Andover OCU are

based : It's in a class of its own— the RA F has never

had a tactical aircraft as good as this before ; A very good

operator—we're all very pleased with it ; Delightful to fly,

and pretty good to look at ; Wond erful little beast—easy to

look after and exceptionally reliable for the early days. On e

does not have to think far back to recollect aircraft which , on

introduction, have not been welcomed with such repeatable

hymns of praise.

No 46 Sqn started operating with three crews on Novem-

ber 28 last year, and has since built up to a full crew

complement, and has eight aircraft. Andover OCU training

began in September last year and 46 Sqn's build-up has run in

parallel with that of 52 Sqn, at RAF Seletar, which is intro-

ducing the new multi-purpose short-hauler to the Far East

theatre. Within the next few mon ths form ation of a third

squadron, for the Middle East, is due to take place. These

three squadrons, and the OCU, will then account for all the

RAF's force of 31 Andovers, one of which was recently

written off in a training accident at Abingdon.

First operational flight with passengers for 46 Sqn took

place on Feb ruary 14 after an intensive work -up period . This

was an aeromedical evacuation flight from W ildenrath in

ermany; the squadron has done several more since and the

intention is that the comfortable pressurised Andover should

eplace the unpressurised Pembrokes which are still operating

the medical run on a scheduled basis. Training had taken

quadron aircraft as far afield as Gibraltar, Norway and

Cyprus when

light

visited the unit recently. The squadron's

main commitment is transport support for the Army, and it

is an organic pa rt of the Strategic Reserv e; there is, therefore,

policy to keep it untrammelled by commitments to fly any

regularly scheduled runs, save the aeromedical service.

Most Andover captains are Transport Command men

astings though the CO, Sqn Ldr M. J. Rayson, had been

lying a desk after tou rs on Beverleys and RC AF No rth Stars.

o-pilots are largely first-tour men straight from training; while

he initial navigators on the squadro n ha d previous transport

ours,

the newest are mainly first-tour men, too.

Very intensive work-up flying is taking place at the present

e squadron's notice board , with 25 planned for the following

ay. The aircraft h as earn ed all its clearances; the crews,

aratroop door—a larger radius aft jamb to prevent static line

s aircraft had b een modified; and m odification of the

Aircrew work-up and role training naturally involves the

dron in operation—they , too, mu st become fully familiar

light

flew.

d took the co-pilot's place; additional to the remaining crew

Tk' °^

c o u r s e

> there was the Army dispatch team of four.

Three one-ton loads were already lashed in place (the maxi-

m is six—limited by volume rath er than by weight) and

ther than automatically as daisy chain all-in-one dropp ing

Flight photograph

Above: a one-ton load goes over th e sill of an Abingdon-

based 46 Sqn Andover during training drops at Watch-

field Wilts, from a height of SOOft. The second

operational Andover squadron at the present time is

52 Sqn at RAF

Seletar

Singapore, one of whose air-

craft below) disgorges a well manned and armed

Land-Rover. Bottom, a one-ton container goes into

an Andover for practice dropping from Abingdon

Fligh t photograph

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340-341

FLIGHT lnurn

mm o

j

• 31 August

(967

ANDOVER IN ACTION . . .

involves. Take-off weight

was

44,8001b. When

the DZ was

sighted

and the run in had

begun,

for the

dro p from 500ft,

the

dispatchers already

had the

first load unlash ed,

but

chocked

to prevent rearward movement. Action stations—chocks away.

Now

all

that restrained

the

load

was a

small nylon cord

at

the forward

end. By it a

dispatcher stood, knife

in

hand.

The

dispatch commander stood

on the

starboard side, hand over

the load, watching the Go light and ready to give the

thumbs-up which would signal the away.

Forward,

the

navigator

was

standing

up

behind

the

pilots,

ready with

the

correction factors

to

apply

for

wind drift

and

the time

lag

between giving

the

drop order

and the

load going

over

the

sill. Fo rty yards right, 370yd early,

he

said.

Aft, the

check

AQM was

ready

to

time

the

lag— sill time —the

aim

in training being

to

reduce

it. Ten

degrees

of

flap

was

giving

the gentle nose-up floorline which would help

the

load

get

away—a rearward slope of about 5°. IAS was 105kt. The red

readiness light was on; then came the imperative Green on.

The dispatch commander both saw it and, through his head-

set, heard it. Up went his thumb, down went the knife and

the suddenly severed nylon tether snaked away from the

blade. The dispatchers shoved. Load mo ving, load gone, said

the AQM, and there was both an audible and physical thum p

as it went over the sill. Then it reappeared as our distance

from it grew, swinging very gently beneath its red canopy, a

bright splash of colour against a grey-green, overcast country-

side. Five seconds sill time, said the senior A QM .

We flew very wide and untypical circuits for our second

and third drops,

to

clear

the

Royal Military College

of

Science

at Shrivenham— the College of Know ledge said the captain—

which gets angry should modern science

and

technology actually

manifest itself audibly through

any

open window. After

all

three loads

had

gon e, with satisfactory results,

the

dispatchers

moved their forward seats

aft to

restore trim

for the

landing,

made

at a

runway target threshold speed,

Vat, of 91kt,

with

27°

of

flap

for a

normal landing. STOL touchdowns require

30°,

with propeller reverse pitch selected

in the air a few

seconds before touchdown. Reverse

is

used only

for

STOL.

Dropping speeds vary between 105 and 120kt IAS accord-

ing to stores, and are arou nd 110-115kt for troops, who are

dropped with 22±° flap selected from a height of 800ft AGL.

All 46 Squad ron's m aintenance is done in the open, under

portable floodlights if necessary, and the aircraft only see the

inside

of the

Tech W ing's hangars when they

go in for

scheduled servicing after 240hr flying. This check takes five

days. The squa dron engineering officer rep orts a very good

mean time between defects with the Ando ver— the aircraft

operated straight away without snags. Even such a smooth

and trouble-free introduction into service has its drawbacks,

however— the lack of troubles to rectify gives little technical

feedback to the maintenance trades and probably slows up

their familiarity with all parts of the aeroplane, he said. The re

John Marsden s drawing shows an RAF Andover in

typical freighting configuration, with the forward

toilet unit installed, and a Ferret scout car and

Land-Rover quarter-ton truck comprising the load.

Also shown is one of the two 8S0gal cabin-fitted

ferry tanks, which give the Andover a 2,700 n.m.

unrefuelled ferry range ~-l.

Pilot

2 Co-pilot

3 Supernumerary folding seat

4 Navigator s position

5 Rebecca aerial

6 Periscopic sextant

7 Astro-navigation window

8 Very pistol

9 Radio racks

10 Freight/crew door, 48in

X

54in

Removable toilet

12 HF aerial

13 VHF aerial

14

ADF

oo p

15 VOR aerial

16

UHF

aerial

17 Upper formation-keeping lights

18 Freight lashing points

19 Freight floor, reinforced uniformly

to carry load

of 2 1

b/sq

ft

20 Ferry-tank connecting panel (two)

21 Protected lights

22 Overw ing emergency exits one

each side)

23 Emergency door 48in

x

30in

24 Paratroop door 69in

x

30in

25 Tail ramp

26 Clamshell doors

27 Ramp extensions (stowed both sides)

28 Hinted rear pressure bulkhead

29 Dinghy stowage

30 Vortex generators

31 Auxiliary ferry tanks (two may be

carried in fuselage)

32 Main undercarriage unit, fully kneel-

ing (lower wheels shown in normal

static position)

33 Rolls-Royce Dart 12 engines

34 Rotol 14ft 6in-dia reversible-pitch

propeller

35 Aircraft shown in freighter con-

figuration carrying Ferret

Mk 2/3

scout car and

34 Land-Rover Mk 5 |-ton truck

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team of Army dispatchers, with RAF air quartermasters, during load -dropping operations.

a dispatcher slashes the one remaining nylon tether after all other restraints have been

Centre, the load begins to move over the roller track, assisted by a downw ard 5°

slope trimmed in for the purpo se and,

right

it's smack on the DZ. M anually discharged

leave the ramp at an approximate relative speed of 10 m.p.h.; parachute-extracted daisy

loads of up to six one-ton pallets reach 40 m.p.h. over the sill

© Hiffe Transport Publicitions Ltd 967

7/17/2019 Andover C.1


4

FLIGHT International 31

August 1967

ANDOVER IN

AC TION . . .

Sq n Ldr M. J. Ray son CO of 46 Sqn

at Abingdon, noses up close under

the open ramp of another squ dron

aircraft for Flight photogr pher

Tom Hamill to get this picture

were the usual crop of radio troubles; any snags we got with

the hydraulics have now disappeared; the electrics are very

good indeed, and we haven't had a snag with the kneeling

undercarriage. Likewise the engines—we went six months

before we got our first engine change. It takes seven hours,

with a team of four men. Prop changes take two.

The Dart 12s are being run to 600hr t.b.o. for the first

sampling, with 800hr targeted for the second sampling. Thing s

are reasonably accessible on this aeroplane and we can

normally turn it round inside the hour. There have been very

few defects at the rear end, save one rather bad snag on a

ramp when the sequencing went wrong and the ramp jammed

down.

Man who's lived longest with the Andover at Abingdon is

Sqn Ldr H. Ogilvie, CO of the OCU and formerly RAF project

officer on the type with HSA. Sqn Ldr Ogilvie, a South

African with 24 years' unbroken RAF flying, is as keen an

Andover enthusiast as one can find and very recently took

great pleasure in demonstrating it to senior US officers during

a series of dem onstratio n flights in W ashington. STO L is a

new concept on aircraft of this type in the R A F and there is

also, of course, a new c once pt in crewin g, with n o signaller or

flight engineer. The p ilots are k ept very busy, bu t they find

the aircraft delightful.

Course s at the OC U la st 19 weeks, for bo th pilots and navi-

gators, and 90 per cent of the trainee captains are from other

Air Suppo rt Com man d sq uadro ns. The O CU has 18 instruc-

tors—pilots, navigators, AEOs (to supervise pilots' radio

procedures) and A QM s. No m anu factu rers' courses are in-

volved for R A F trainees, all gro und instruction being given

at Abing don by R A F perso nnel. T he first six weeks are

devoted to ground instruction; 13 weeks' flying training

follows. The Andover OCU is also responsible for the train-

ing of crews for the R A F s few Andov er C C.2 VIP transports

— The Shiny Boys —w hose aircraft are geometrically iden-

tical to the civil 748 but installationally identical to the C.I.

Co-pilots for the Q ueen's F light And overs are also trained at

the OCU, but the captains' training is done by the Queen's

Flight itself at Benson.

ROBERT R RODWEIX

THE BACK STAGE PLAN

Four hundred aircraft will take part in Battle of Britain

commemoration displays at nine RAF stations on September 16.

RAF Fighter Command, responsible for overall planning of

the event, has revealed details of the planning.

The calculation of split-second timing, so that aircraft flying

from station to station to give displays arrive exactly on time,

while doing so safely and without disruption of civil traffic, has

resulted in an immense 150-page operation order. In general,

aircraft will fly routes and altitude chosen to avoid controlled

air spaces and prohibited areas. Where faster formations over-

take slower ones, or where there is conflicting traffic, a height

separation is given and each pilot has notes warning him of

proximity of other aircraft. For example, a Shackleton per-

forming at Leuchars, Acklington, Finningley and Coltishall

will fly between stations at 180 m.p.h. and 3,500ft and is

warned that on the first leg he will be overtaken, on the same

route, by a Britannia flying at 280 m.p.h. and 5,500ft; at

different times on the second leg he will be passed by a Sea

Vixen at 340 m.p.h. an d 5,500ft and by four Phantoms and

four Super Sabres at 400 m.p.h. and 5,500ft. The Shackleton

crew will know just where and when the other aircraft wili

come into view, similarly, pilots of the faster aircraft will

know they will pass the Shackleton at a given point and

time.

The time-table cannot be flexible and if, for some reason,

a pilot cannot meet his ETA at a given station, he will inform

the station by radio and be instructed to by-pass outside the

display area, or cleared to do his turn a t an am ended time, he

will go on to his next scheduled station, adjusting his speeti to

arrive at the right ETA. All pilots' watches are synchronised

and meteorological reports will be issued giving significant

weather changes. All weather contingency plans have been pre'

pared. Touring formations will fly between 1 700ft and 5,500tt.

descending to 500ft and

1 000ft

to cross airfield boundaries-

These formations alone will fly some 1,500 miles in three hours

on September 16.

andover c.1

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