Aircraft - Aviation - Balloons - Helicopters
1957 - English Electric P.1B. has Maiden Flight. The first English Electric P.1B fully supersonic twin jet fighter made its maiden flight today at Warton aerodome, Lancashire. Wing Commander R.P. Beamont.chief test pilot of English Electric, was at the controls. A production order for the P. 1B has been placed by the ministry of supply, and it will, in due course, go into sevice with fighter command of the Royal Air Force as an all weather day and night fighter. Design work on the P.1B was done by a team led by Mr.F.W Page, Chief Engineer of the English Electric Aircraft Division. Production is in hand at the company's Prest works, under the direction of the Manager, Mr.W. Sherrock, The P.1B has been designed from the outset as a complete weapon system. This means that the extensive armament, radar and radio aids are intregal parts of the aircraft and have not been treated as extra items to be added in stages. This equipment long range radar to find enemy aircraft by day and night and in all weathers, radio and navigation aids for operations under the worst conditions and a dual armament of guided missiles and 30 mm Aden cannon is of equal importance to the aircraft's supersonic speed. It is a single seat aircraft and is powered by two Rolls Royce. It has a very high rate
