§ 45. Sir J. Edenasked the Minister of Aviation what support he has given to the project of a low-cast laminar flow control development aircraft.
§ Mr. MartenThe Ministry of Aviation has since 1953 supported a number of flight experiments on laminar flow. Early experiments were based on the Vampire aircraft. More recently, the flight testing of a laminarised swept wing, mounted on a Lancaster, is being undertaken by the College of Aeronautics. In the absence of a military or civil operational requirement, no full-scale development of an aircraft has been authorised. Proposals for a research aircraft have hitherto been rejected either on technical grounds or because of other demands of greater priority on available funds. My right hon. Friend is, however, now considering a proposal for a project study for a research aircraft based on the conversion of a DH125 aircraft to laminar flow.