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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 0072.PDF
20 FLIGHT. JANUARY 14, 1937. is in the Heston communication area, though lying nearest to Croydon, and operators must obtain permission from either Heston or Croydon (according to the area which is being traversed) before the machine enters Gatwick's own controlled zone and before the operator tunes in to the latter's frequency. In the London area alone no fewer than six frequencies are used in different circumstances. Everybody has been hoping that the long-awaited May- bury report would deal constructively with this problem as well as with those of internal operation in general, and, from what can be unofficially gathered at the various air ports, this is so. For the moment we can only wait and see, but some interesting developments are to be expected within a very few weeks. Searching the Seas F OR years Flight raised a continual outcry about the slow development of R.A.F. flying boats and of flying boat squadrons. The big advance made when the Southampton was adopted seemed to have exhausted the energies of that side of the Air Ministry, and it took years for it to recover. During the waning years of the South ampton's life only one squadron, No. 201 (F.B.) Squadron at Calshot, rejoiced in an establishment of five aircraft. The rest could only boast of three or four. Things have now changed somewhat for the better, for there are in all nine F.B. squadrons at home and over seas, and the establishment is being worked up to a mini mum of four aircraft and a maximum of six. The Singa pore III is the type with which most of the squadrons are equipped. Its range of roughly 1,000 miles is quite use ful, and it could undertake reconnaissance in the North Sea and elsewhere which would be outside the range of the Anson. The Scapa is supreme in the Mediterranean at the moment, being the equipment of No. 202 (F.B.) Squadron at Malta. The Stranraer and the London are other types which are on order, but the familiar old spirit of slowness of delivery and re-equipment where flying boats are concerned still seems to cling to the Air Ministry. The trouble is that by the time re-equipment with these types is complete, all of them will be" out of date in the matter of speed. When the Empire commercial flying boats can achieve a top speed of just on 200 m.p.h., it would be absurd for the R.A.F. to rest content with one of under 170 m.p.h. It may be admitted that for overseas work the top speed of a flying boat is of less consequence than its range and the comfort which it provides for its crew in tropical climes. The Metropolitan Air Force, how ever, needs speed, not only within the range of the Anson but for more extended reconnaissance. We-feel assured that even the flying boat side of the Air Ministry is not blind to this need, and we hope that the spirit of hustle which has marked the rest of the expansion programme will soon become apparent in the realm of flying boats. Landplane Increases / T was mentioned in Flight of December 3 last that the General Reconnaissance squadrons—that is, those which are equipped with Ansons, have an establish ment of eighteen machines, which resembles the strength of many classes of squadron during the war For certain kinds of work a large unit is more efficient than a small one, and when a large area of sea has to be searched for a submarine or other hostile craft, it is convenient for one commanding officer to have a considerable number of machines at his disposal. It makes for unity of command, and therefore will probably give better' and possibly quicker results than if the same task were entrusted to two separate squadrons. Light bomber squadrons remain as they were before, with an establishment of twelve machines, and will probably continue to worl as a general rule with nine. The other three machines count as first-line aircraft, and not as reserves, and they can be used when special circumstances cal tor a bombing strength rather above the ordinary Normally, either the squadron formation of three flights, each with three machines arranged as a broad arrow, or the V of nine machines, gives a good group of bombs, and also presents attacking fighters with a formidable arrange ment of cross fire. In the Spanish Civil War the Daily Telegraph correspondent reports that formations of thirty or more bombers have been used and have proved imper vious to fighter attacks—"they go into action surrounding themselves with an impenetrable wall of fire." We hope that our nine bombers will also prove an impenetrable for mation, and we believe in waves of attack following each other, rather than in one mass. At the same time, our fighter squadrons are now to have an establishment of fourteen machines instead of twelve, also for convenience of command, while our heavy bombers will have twelve machines instead of the previous establishment of ten. By night heavy bombers work singly, and also rely on a succession of attacks. With two more aircraft available, each squadron will be able to undertake more lone-hand raids on any given night. One result of these increases in establishment will be that the 1,750 aircraft aimed at in the expansion programme will make fewer squadrons than was originally intended. The Large Flying Boat. r HE recently expressed view of Mr. Arthur Gouge that the very large flying boat is quite feasible found con firmation in America at the recent presentation of the Guggenheim Medal to Dr. Gecrge W. Lewis, Director of Research of the American N.A.C.A. Igor Sikorsky said that it is certain that planes of 100,000 lb. gross weight will be "flying, or at least under construction, during the next five years. Mr. Sikorsky does not deny that she landplane scores by lower cost and greater efficiency, but thinks the advantage will decrease with increasing size, and that the flying boat offers, in certain cases, substantial operating advantages. He holds the view that a machine weighing a million pounds and carrying 1,000 passenger could be produced before 1950, but that the need for frequency of service will call for aircraft of rather more modest dimensions. Kenya's Air Garrison NEW chapter in R.A.F. history opens with the for mation of No. 223 (Bomber) Squadron, which is an nounced in current Air Ministry Orders. Formations of new squadrons have now become events of almost weekly occurrence, and, whereas a couple of years ago each new formation was an event which called for large headlines, now it scarcely evokes more than a grunt of satisfaction. But the formation of No. 223 (B) Squadron stands by itself, for the squadron has come into being at Nairobi, the capital of Kenya. In this we see the first reaction of the British Empire to the appearance of a first-class air Power in East Africa. a reaction which has been foretold in Flight. With an Italian Air Force in Ethiopia, it has become an ordinary precaution for the R.A.F. to include Kenya in its over seas sphere of activities. It may be that the appointment of Sir Robert Brooke-Popham as Governor of Kenya was the first step in that direction ; at any rate, this is the second, and more squadrons are likely to follow. No. 223 (B) Squadron is in the Middle East Command, and its nearest neighbours are the squadrons in the Sudan. It may be presumed that it will be equipped with some type of light bomber. With the changed conditions in Africa the General Purpose class of aeroplane with which our bomber squadrons in the Middle East have hitherto been equipped becomes less satisfactory than it once was. The G.P. is good enough for policing recalcitrant deserl tribes, flying political officers about, surveying unmapped tracts of country, and occasionally co-operating with local military forces. That means that when highly trained and specialised European air squadrons are just across the fron tier, it is next to no use at all
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