Armstrong Whitworth A.W.52
The Armstrong Whitworth A.W.52 was an early flying wing aircraft designed and produced by British aircraft manufacturer Armstrong Whitworth.

The A.W.52 emerged out of wartime research into the laminar flow airfoil, which indicated that, in combination with the flying wing configuration, such an aircraft could be dramatically more efficient than traditional designs. It was pursued to gather data and experience with the configuration in support of Armstrong Whitworth's ambitions to develop its proposed flying wing jet airliner. Construction of the A.W.52 commenced during the late 1940s; a total of three aircraft, the "A.W.52G" glider and two jet-powered aircraft, were constructed for the research programme.

On 13 November 1947, the A.W.52 performed its maiden flight. On 30 May 1949, during a test flight, the first prototype encountered severe pitch oscillation that motivated its test pilot, John Oliver Lancaster, to eject from the aircraft; the incident was the first occasion of an genuine emergency ejection by a British pilot. The first prototype recovered and descended to the ground relatively undamaged. Shortly thereafter, Armstrong Whitworth decided to terminate all development work, having lost confidence in the configuration's practicality and the envisioned flying wing airliner that the A.W.52 was intended to lead to. Despite the termination, the second prototype remained flying with the Royal Aircraft Establishment until 1954.
Q1414106
flying wing
Concept
Q689159
Armstrong Whitworth
ORG
Q189452
laminar flow airfoil
Concept
Q4120025
jet airliner
Concept
Q2165278
glider
Concept
Q1362364
maiden flight
Concept
None
pitch oscillation
UNK
Q16085940
John Oliver Lancaster
PER
Q623544
emergency ejection
Concept
Q1419175
Royal Aircraft Establishment
LOC
Q689382
Armstrong Whitworth A.W.52
MISC
1940-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1940
DATE
1947-11-13T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
13 November 1947
DATE
1949-05-30T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
30 May 1949
DATE
1954-01-01T00:00:00Z^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#dateTime
1954
DATE
+52^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
52
NUMBER
+52^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
52
NUMBER
+52^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
52
NUMBER
+52^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
52
NUMBER
+52^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
52
NUMBER
+52^^http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#decimal
52
NUMBER
first flight
service retirement