Summary: A documentary highlighting the work undertaken at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) at Boscombe Down on Salisbury Plain, Wiltshire.
Description: The A&AEE carries out extensive programmes of tests on all military aircraft and equipment before it is approved for operational deployment, from testing prototypes to final tests of production models. Elements of their work includes in this film are:
The Trials Officers co-ordinate the tests which involve teams of scientists, test pilots and the manufacturers themselves, from the initial design phases through to the final pre-production evaluations.
Included is a brief history of the establishment from its foundation in 1914 to the time of the film being produced, when over 1000 personnel were employed at the site. Also shown is 1960 footage of the Hawker P1127 prototype in early stages of testing, which would later be developed into the Hawker Harrier.
Weapon aiming software on a Panavia Tornado fighter aircraft being tested and the recently introduced infrared night vision equipment and goggles being improved for use in military aircraft.
The Short Tucano T1 training aircraft being tested, presumably just before its introduction into service as a basic trainer in the Royal Air Force (RAF) that year.
Tests to a Hercules C mark 3 transport aircraft, to address the problems encountered if an engine fails during take off, thus violently dragging the aircraft off course.
The AgustaWestland EH-101 helicopter being trialled, which would later become an Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) and army support helicopter, developing into the AW-101 Merlin.
How to counter the relatively new problem of electro-magnetic interference, which distorts military equipment operations, sometimes with disastrous consequences.
General aircraft design, including how to counter problems with bomb release behaviours which can be influenced by aero-dynamic behaviours.
