Minutes of D.Eng.RD meeting held at Armstrong Siddeley Motors

Agenda: Sapphire contract position: Hp.80 and English Electric P.1. Sapphire test position: Sapphire 7; Sapphire 6 for 150-hour development test on Hunter type engine. Sapphire turbine development: Failure of 2nd row turbine rotor blades during overspeed tests. Sapphire 7 future programme: Sapphire 6 production engines for Avro Vulcan. Titanium development. Sapphire general development. Sapphire flying test beds: AST Lancastrian; Gloster Meteor WA.820; Canberra WD.933; Canberra 2nd aircraftVW.787; Javelin 2nd aircraft WD.808 (twin engined Sa.6) ; Gloster T118.D (twin engined Sa.6); Handley Page HP.80 (4 Sa.6 engines)1st aircraft 3/4-hour flying since previous meeting, 2nd aircraft due for delivery march 1953; Hawker Hunter (Sa.6) WB.202; English Electric P.1(twin Sa.5 engines). Adder test position: 3 engines despatched for the Vickers C.9 research aircraft. Viper test position: 2nd Australian engine despatched. Viper in tail of Mamba Lancaster SW.342. Double Mamba test position: 3-stage turbine. Double Mamba aircraft: Fairey Gannet VR.546; Fairey Gannet VR.557 (2nd aircraft); Fairey Gannet WE.488 (3rd aircraft); Blackburn GR17/45 WB.797. Mamba test position: Engines for 2nd Apollo. 3-stage turbine. SB.6 prototype flight engines. Aircraft: Lancaster SW.342; Apollo VX.220; Apollo VX.224; Dakota KJ.839; Balliol VL.935. General development: Mamba Mk.6 engines for Short SB.6 (M.123.D). Python test position: (e) Production engine failures ASP.180 and ASP.192. Wyven VW.868 provisioned for Armstrong Siddeley Motors. Rocket: Screamer rocket motor. Provision of aircraft for Screamer tests. Snarler rocket awaiting a decision. Appendix 1: Sapphire. Appendix 2: Python. Appendix 3: Mamba. Appendix 4: Double Mamba. Appendix 5: Adder. Appendix 6: Viper.