TSR2

[folkyphil]

A recent conversation with an ex-Bristol-Siddeley engineer led to the following story, which readers might wish to comment upon.
Apparently, during the flight testing of TSR2,the T/P decided to "give it some welly" and achieved in excess of 2.5 Mach.....comprehensively outstripping the Lightning chase plane.
Since the flight test envelope was supposedly transonic, there was an "inquiry", as a result of which the T/P was "relieved of his duties."

Anyone care to expound?

Phil H.

[CamelPilot]

T/P? You must mean "Bee" Beamont.

Anyway, your information is incorrect. The particular flight you mention was carried out in accordance with a planned flight, from Warton and up the Irish sea. The speed reached was 1.87 (or thereabouts). I will look it up. But in conversation with the great man I can tell you that he thought the TSR2 was capable of Mach 2.5. In which case it would outstrip the Lightning which had already reached Mach 2.0

However, "Bee" was never "relieved of his duties" at any time - an absurd thing to say.

Edited: The incident to which you refer may have been when a test pilot flying a TORNADO, in 1979, flew the wrong way down the Irish sea in "Test Run Alpha" and caused sonic bangs in a very large part of South Lancashire towards Liverpool Bay. "Bee" referred to this as a test pilot who "left his brains in the briefing ropom." For the following day the Air Ministry withdrew the test facility! It was not re-instated until 1999 (twenty years later!) for the Eurofighter project. Btw, the test pilot concerned was not sacked.

[folkyphil]

CamelPilot...thanks for that.
As I suspected,the facts were greatly distorted, but,
having heard the story I had to ask the question!

Phil H.