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Aviation History
1931
1931 - 0570.PDF
FLIGHT, JUNE 12, 1931 all officers and airmen are en-couraged to know as much as possible about the sea. Theycannot know too much. At the end Of the summerMount Batten holds a big regatta. Another very useful unitof the station is the Co-opera- tion Flight, which uses theFairey III F seaplane. This flight works a good deal withthe School of Gunnery at Devonport. The Fairey car-ries target-towing gear, and tows a target on a 2,000-ft.cable for the ground gunners (and also the flying boats) tofire at. Flying Boat Work Flying boats may still beregarded as at the beginning of their career. They aredestined to grow larger. Their powers of action willincrease, and as they increase so will new problems have tobe solved. Mount Batten is grappling with some of these problems already. For instance, the question has arisen ofhow best to swing the compass on a flying boat. A large The Officers of No. 209 (Flying Boat) Squadron. Namesleft to right:—F./O. G. I. L. Saye ; Sqdn.-Ldr. J. H. O. Jones ; Wing-Comndr. E. J. R. Burling, D.S.C., D.F.C.,A.F.C ; Flight-Lt. L.G.Maxton, A.F.C.; F./O. C. Ryley. (FLIGHT Photo.) evolved an apparatus \ i-is dropped in such a - : avto straddle the wreck -VH T one end of the ]f.le fattached a canister contain ing either food or life jackets"or whatever may be thought most useful to the people onthe wreck. When the submarine H 47was rammed and sunk off Pembroke in June, 1929, theflying boats of Mount Batten were asked to help the sal-vage craft by delimiting the oil patch over the sunkensubmarine. This a flying boat was able to do, and thelimits of the patch were marked with buoys by thesalvage craft. On another occasion a flying boat spottedand reported a ship on fire. Cruises by No. 209 (F.B.)Squadron The cruise of one of theIris boats to Iceland last summer to take part in the Iceland celebrations was avery notable feat, which was fully reported at the time. No more striking way could have been devised of showinglandplane can taxi across an aerodrome to the compass- British interest in the occasion, and the islanders were swinging base. A flying boat on land is not so mobile. T ' ' -' ' ' ! J 1— " —' ' "There are obvious difficulties about swinging on the water ; so Mount Batten is experimenting with swinging the com-pass in the air. Other Government Departments besides the Air Ministryand the Admiralty are anxious to make use of the ever- growing powers of the flying boat. The Ministry ofAgriculture and Fisheries enlists their help in preventing poaching, mainly by foreign fishing boats, inside the three-mile limit. The Ministry has a patrol cruiser which can deal with poachers when they are found, but flying boatsare often able to spot poachers which would easily be able to escape the notice of a surface ship. One instance is onrecord of a flying boat escorting a poaching vessel into a British port ; but usually a report is sent to the patrolcruiser. Flying boats have also carried out fishery patrols in Canada, especially from the Vancouver station. Evenmore effective than an occasional capture is the deter- rent effect upon would-be poachers of knowing that atany moment they may be seen from afar by a flying boat which can send off a report by wireless and bring thecruiser to the spot. The Board of Trade has also made inquiries as to howfar flying boats can give assistance to wrecked ships. Mount Batten set to work, and after many experiments much interested and impressed by the performance of theIris. Unfortunately, Wing Commander Sydney Smith, who set out on the flight, was taken ill with appendicitisat Stornoway, and had to go to hospital for an operation. Our photograph shows that he now looks in as good healthas ever. Another cruise by an Iris was to Gibraltar in Augustlast year. The boat sent was under the command of Fl.-Lieut. L. G. Maxton, A.F.C., than whom there isno finer boat pilot in the service. On the way south, the Iris called at Lisbon and was given a great reception thereby England's oldest Ally. There was some thought ol attempting a non-stop flight from Gibraltar to Plymouthon the return journey, but the idea was abandoned. Such a flight would mean taking off with 1,500 gallons of petrolon board. In very favourable circumstances the non-stop flight might have been successfully accomplished. But itwould have been in the nature of a " stunt " flight with that heavy over-load, and " stunt " flights teach no usefullessons, while they will probably create a false impression on the public. To be able to fly regularly and as a matterof course to Gibraltar in any reasonable weather, withoul having to alight or refuel in any foreign water, is theambition of the flying boat branch of the service. It is asking a good deal of designers, but no doubt the demand Officers and Airmen of No. 209 (Flying Boat) Squadron. (FLIGHT Photo.) "• :r.. r^r-:;• ^_,_:_... 532 .," • • . . • •. , : . • "- ' - - '
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