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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 1803.PDF
JULY I, 1937- FLIGHT. 9 this year four "free" Furies, forming a square or diamond, demonstrated advanced formation flying and. if there had been connecting cords, these would only have been broken when the flight changed formation. Once again it can be said that the demonstration, though not providing anything very new, was superbly carried out. Even when the machines changed formation there was not a trace of jerk, and the spectators only realised that the change had been made when the combined manosuvre had been com pleted. The show was wound up with a pretty formation lauding, made necessarily in unsymmetrical Vee formation. Led by Fit. Lt. E. M. Donaldson, the pilots were: F/O. H. E. C. Boxer, P/O. P. F. Walker and P/O. P. P. Hanks. A hardy annual, so spectacular that it never palls, is the destruction of the kite balloon, and this year it was given a novel twist by the employment of, genuine 1914-19T8 aircraft as attackers and defenders. What memories must the Bristol Fighter, S.E.5a and Sopwith Triplane have aroused in the war time pilots present as they taxied out past the enclosures, the Sopwith's engine stuttering on that characteristic flat note and loading the warm, still air with castor-oil smoke! Taking off, the trio proceeded to harry the balloon. Their manoeuvrability—largely due, of course, to the low speeds— was most marked, but the very highest marks must go to their anonymous pilots and to those who were responsible for their airworthiness. Twenty Years After But the real surprise came when the balloon's defender appeared—an apparently genuine L.V.G. biplane, dazzle- painted in the correct manner, and tactfully referred to in an announcement as "a type widely employed during the war by several countries." In the duel the "tripe'' was shot down, then the S.E.5a, and the L.V.G. and the " Brisfit" fought out an inconclusive combat while the remains of the balloon, belching great clouds of orange flame, slid swiftly earthward, its "observer" escaping by parachute—all of which again seemed a very fair and tactful arrangement. For Event jo it. was supposed that a band of, pirates had raided a river steamer and were returning home with the loot. The appearance over the brow of the flying field of a motley collection of villains in suitable attire caused quite a lot of amusement, particularly among those onlookers with field- glasses. The punishing Hawker Furies of No. 25 (F) Squadron made a spectacular dive attack on the pirates, who proceeded rather obviously to throw bombs at themselves. The scream of the Kestrels would be most terrifying to such uncivilised ruffians, and the undulating circle of Furies, continuously diving from different directions, would have been very bewildering and demoralising. One moment the fighters would dive in flights of three looping over at the top ready for the next dive, the next minute, without warning, they would all dive in line, pulling out almost on the ground and zooming up and out of range again. . The pirates certainly received a severe and lasting lesson. More than challenging Tattersalls with its parade of "A New and Experimental " that puzzled many visitors until they referred to their programmes was the Airspeed Queen Wasp, a wireless-controlled target machine. It looks much too comfortable and private-ownerish to shoot down into the sea 1 IP ' i Something new in flight aerobatics : Four Furies carry out combined aerobatics and formation changes. In this view the machines are seen in the basic diamond formation. work. Our light bomber units, however, are trained in the art of making high-speed assaults on ground targets from low altitudes which may profit them when surprise is desirable or if the cloud base is low. — A low bombing attack was demonstrated this year by three squadrons of Hawker Hinds (Kestrel)—Nos. 12, 49 and 142— using harmless but satisfactorily noisy papier rudche bombs. The targets were screens which were, approached by the Hinds from various directions and with varying success. In war-time light fragmentation bombs would be favoured for this work. Flight Aerobatics The use of radio telephony between air and ground in recent Displays has added a great deal to the interest and educative value of certain events, and it is certainly exciting for the public to realise that they are actually listening to the pilots' own voices. Last year the flight aerobatics *.- event was carried out with three Gauntlets which were tied together and the telephony idea was used for the first time;
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