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Cranston Fine Arts  Aviation Art and Artists Modern Era Aircraft  TSR2 |
[UP] - Blackbird - Hercules - Hunter - Jaguar - Phantom (US) - Stealth - Thunderchief - Tornado - TSR2 - Vulcan - More Aircraft - Helicopters |
| TSR2 Aviation Prints |
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| Text for the above items : |
Legend - TSR.2 by Ivan Berryman. Viewed by many as the most advanced and forward-thinking design for an attack and reconnaissance aircraft in its day, the BAC TSR.2 was to fall victim to inter government wrangling and the absurd belief by those in power in the mid 1960's that the days of the manned fighter aircraft were over and that all future conflicts would be fought with missiles. Eventually exploring tried and tested American aircraft to re-equip the RAF, the extraordinary TSR.2 project was abandoned, leaving the British military aviation industry bruised, angry and in tatters. No all-British military aircraft has been conceived or constructed since and it is almost certain that this remarkable aircraft would have continued in front line service for at least two decades had it been allowed beyond its difficult gestation. |
Testing Time by Keith Aspinall. A TSR2 deploys its parachute while a Lightning flies by. Test pilot Roland Beamont finally made the first flight from the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire, on 27th September 1964. Initial flight tests were all performed with the undercarriage down and engine power strictly controlled - with limits of 250 kn and 10,000 ft on the first (15-minute) flight. Shortly after take off on XR219's second flight, vibration from a fuel pump at the resonant frequency of the human eyeball caused the pilot to throttle back one engine to avoid momentary loss of vision. Only on the 10th test flight was the landing gear successfully retracted - problems preventing this on previous occasions, but serious vibration problems on landing persisted throughout the flight testing programme. The first supersonic test flight (Flight 14) was achieved on the transfer from A&AEE, Boscombe Down, to BAC Warton. During the flight, the aircraft achieved Mach 1 on dry power only (supercruise). Following this, Beamont lit a single reheat unit only (because of problems with the other engine's reheat fuel pump), with the result that the aircraft accelerated away from the chase Lightning flown by Wing Commander James 'Jimmy' Dell, who had to catch up using reheat on both engines. On flying the TSR-2 himself, Dell described the prototype as handling 'like a big Lightning'. Over a period of six months, a total of 24 test flights were conducted. |
Hot Metal - TSR.2 by Ivan Berryman. Without doubt the most advanced and forward-thinking design for an attack and reconnaissance aircraft in its day, the BAC TSR.2 was to fall victim to the shortsightedness of a misguided Labour government whose entrenched position in the mid 1960s dealt a terrible blow to the British aircraft industry - a blow from which it never fully recovered. Whilst the few TSR.2 airframes that had been constructed languished in outside storage or on gunnery ranges, its intended American replacement, the General Dynamics F.111, was ready for RAF service fully ten years late and at a cost of nearly three times that of a production TSR.2, with the order being cancelled at the last minute. Here, XR219 streaks into the air having ridden the 'hump' in the Boscombe Down runway. |
Cancelled by Peter Westacott. Chief Test Pilot Wing Commander Roland Beamont CBE DSO* DFC* making the first test flight in the prototype English Electric TSR-2 Serial No.XR219 at Boscombe Down on 27th September 1964. |
| TSR2 Pilot and aircrew signature details |
  Jimmy Dell OBE Our estimated value of this signature : £50 Died : 2008 | Jimmy Dell OBE Jimmy Dell joined the RAF in 1942 and after the war flew F-86Es and the first radar equipped F-86D with the USAF. He was the first RAF Lightning Project Test Pilot and later became Chief Test Pilot at English Electric/BAC test flying Lightning, TSR 2 and Jaguar. One of a unique breed of aviators who have achieved great career success as a fast jet test pilot within both military and commercial environments. Probably best known for his work on the English Electric Lightning, Jimmy Dell has used his skill, courage and intimate knowledge of aerodynamics to reach the very top of a highly demanding profession. Joining the RAF in 1942, Jimmy Dell did his initial pilot training in Southern Rhodesia. By 1944 he had already become a Flying Instructor for advanced trainers. After the war Jimmy performed various training and test flying roles on aircraft such as Spitfires, Meteors, Venoms and Hunters. He also led test flight teams to the USA and France to work on aircraft such as the F-100, F-104, F-105, F-106, Mystere 4 and Mirage 3. In 1960 he joined English Electric on the Lightning development programme and was Chief Test Pilot from 1961 to 1970. Jimmy also worked on the TSR2 programme and flew 12 of the aircraft's 24 test flights, before its untimely cancellation in 1965. He worked on the French / UK Jaguar programme, and finally became Director, Flight Operations with responsibility for all Tornado test flight activities across the three participating countries. Jimmy Dell retired in 1989. Amongst his awards was the OBE for services to test flying. Sadly, Jimmy Dell died on 25th March 2008. A Clipped Signature is Available |
| TSR2 Squadron details |
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