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Aviation History
1932
1932 - 0881.PDF
FLIGHT, SEPTEMBER 2, 1932 the pilots Thieffry, de Meulemeester, Jacquet, Olieslagers, Kervyn de Lettenhove, and Robin will always be remem bered with honour. Belgium does not yet possess a fully developed aircraft industry. Her flying corps has always been equipped with machines of foreign design. For many years the rule existed that only such types should be acquired as had been adopted and tried out in the flying corps or air force of the country of their origin. One effect of this rule was that the Belgian Flying Corps was usually equipped with machines of a type which was anything but new. Air craft design progresses at a great pace nowadays, and even in our own small Royal Air Force we constantly find that a type which has been adopted as standard has become antiquated before it has been supplied to all the units for which it was destined. The position was bound to be worse when foreign aircraft were bought. In Belgium the position at the beginning of 1931 was that the Flying Corps possessed about a dozen D.H.9 machines, which were used as training machines, and which had been in service for the past 12 years. The squadrons of single-seater fighters were flying either the Czecho-Slovakian " Avia " or the French " Nieuport." The two-seater squadrons were using the French " Breguet XIX." About that time an officer of ability and initiative was placed in command of the Flying Corps, General Gillieaux. He had been for years in the artillery, and was aged 57. Nevertheless, he set to work to learn to fly, and he succeeded. Now he regularly flies about in his Avro 504. It is strange to remember that during the war it was thought that a man would be too old for piloting at 30. Gen. Gillieaux set to work to increase the efficiency of his new corps. Belgium can produce fine pilots, but without really good up-to-date designs of air craft she could not have a Flying Corps worthy of the reputation which she won in the war, or one to which she could look with confidence to give due assistance to her Army in case she should ever again have to play the role of " Cockpit of Europe." It was accordingly decided to bring the corps up to date by providing the squadrons with modern aircraft of high performance. MEN OF MARK : Left to right, Maj. le Baron de Woel- mcnt, Mr. Tips (Fairey representative in Belgium), and Reserve Lt. E. Toilet (test pilot for Fairey machines in Belgium) at the works at Gosselies. (FLIGHT Photo.) In 1931 a competition was held to decide on new de signs of single-seaters and two-seaters for re-equipment of the corps. At first no British machines were entered, and it seemed that the choice was about equally divided be tween metal " Avians " with " Jupiter " engines and " Dewoitines " with the 500-h.p. Hispano-Suiza. At this juncture, the Fairey Aviation Co., Ltd., of Hayes, sent a " Firefly " with Rolls-Royce " Kestrel " THE BROAD ARROW : Six Fireflies " of a Belgian squadron from Nivelles. 817 (FLIGHT Photo.) C 2
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