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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 1074.PDF
APRIL 13, 1939 FLIGHT. 375 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Official Announce ments ; Fleet Air Arm Nezvs : Military Aviation Abroad Launch of the " Illustrious " O UR newest aircraft carrier—H.M.S. Illustrious—was launched last Wednesday by Lady Henderson from the Vickers-Armstrong yard at Barrow-in-Furness. She displaces 23,000 tons, is 753ft. long, and should accommodate about seventy machines. Her engines are Parsons turbines of 110,000 designed shaft horse-power, and this should give her a speed of at least equal to that of the Ark Royal, which attained 31.75 knots on her speed trials. The hangars will be on two decks, there being three lifts to transfer aircraft to the flight deck. Electrically operated fireproof curtains will divide the hangars into sections; sprinklers and fire extinguishers are further safeguards. Of the complement of 1,600, over 9 per cent, will be sea or air officers.' Illustrious is the first of six carriers of her class, the other vessels being the Indomitable, Victorious, Formidable, Implacable, and a sixth ordered under the 1939 estimates. Long'nosed'Blenheim Figures T HERE have lately been a number of instances of Continental journals publishing data on new British military aircraft before figures have been released in this country. Officially, the only figures it is permissible to quote for the " long-nosed " version of the Bristol Blenheim are its nominal maximum speed of 295 m.p.h. and its range of 1,900 miles. Special interest, therefore, attaches to the following comparative data for the short- and long-nosed versions of the Blenheim, taken from the semi-official French publication. Revue de VAnnie de I'Air: — Speed at sea level Top speed (at 15,000 ft.) Cruising speed (at 15,400 ft.) Landing speed .;. Climb to 10,000 ft Service ceiling Absolute ceiling ... Range Weight empty All up weight ... Taking the wing area of the Blenheim at 469 sq. ft., the wing loading of the long-nosed version works out at rather more than 30 lb./sq. ft. The fine take-off characteristics are little influenced by the increased load, however, as 100-octane fuel is fed to the Mercury VIII engines, a combined output of 1,840 h.p. being avail able. No details have vet been released of armament installations for the fighter version "of the Blenheim, though it is known that the Fokker G-l with similar engines can accommodate the following alternative loads: (r) eight rifle-calibre machine guns with 4,000 rounds of ammunition, plus one free gun of similar calibre; (2) two shell-guns of 20 or 23 mm. bore, with 120 or 200 shells respectively, plus two rifle-calibre machine guns with 900 rounds of ammunition, plus 1 free gun; '(3) four 20 mm. shell-guns with 60 rounds per gun, plus one free gun; or (4) four 13.2 mm. machine guns with 1,000 rounds of explosive ammunition, plus one free gun. " Short-nosed " 242 m.p.h. 285 ro.p.h. 200 m.p.h. 72 m.p.h. 7.12 min. 27,300 ft. 32,000 ft. 1,165 miles 8,090 lb. 12,500 lb. " Long-nosed " 251 m.p.h. 295 m.p.h. 220 m.p.h. 76 m.p.h. 7 min. 27,000 ft. 31,500 ft. 1,865 miles 8,248 lb. 14,3951b. AERIAL PORTRAIT : Sqn. Ldr. J. W. Donaldson of tne Station Flight, Northolt, smiles polite acquiescence to the proximity of the photo graphic Hart to his Hurricane. Some Notable Promotions I N the list of promotions made with effect from April 1 (and given in full on page 376) four Air Commodores become Air Vice- Marshals. Some notes on the careers of these four officers appear below: — Air Comdre. George Ronald Macjarlane Reid, D.S.O., M.C., was born in October, 1893, at Largs, Ayr. He was educated at Malvern. In 1914 he was gazetted as 2nd Lieutenant in the 4th Battalion Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders and in 1915 was seconded to the R.F.C. as Flying Officer. In 1916 he was awarded the M.C. and promoted to Flight Commander, being also awarded a bar to his M.C. in that ye^r He was promoted to Squadron Commander in 1917, awarded the M. in D. (France) in 191S and in 1919 was awarded the D.S.O. and granted a permanent commission with the rank of Squadron Leader. From 1919 to 1924 he was posted to various stations at home and was promoted'to Wing Commander in 1925 and then posted to Spittlegate, where he remained until in 1927 he was posted overseas to Headquarters, Middle East. Returning to England in January, 1^30, he proceeded to the Stall College, and in December was posted to Headquarters, Wessex Bombing Area. He was appointed to the Department of Chiel of Air Staff at the Air Ministry in January, 1932, and was promoted Group Captain in July of that year. In 1933 he proceeded on Special Duty to Washington, U.S.A.; returning to England in 1935, he was posted to Upper Heyford. In July, 1936, he was promoted Air Commodore and posted to Halton. He was appointed Air Officer Commanding, British Forces in Aden, in September, 1938. Air Comdre. Conway Waller Heath, Puljord, O.B.E., A.F.C., was born in India on-January 26, 1892, and was-educated at Osborne and Dartmouth, entering the Navy as midshipman in January, 1910. He was promoted to Sub-Lieutenant ill March, 1913. In 1914 he joined the R.N.A.S. as a Flight Lieutenant and in tte following year graduated at the C.F.S. He was decorated with th.i Croix de Guerre (French) in 1918 and was awarded the O.B.K. and A.F.C. in 1919. In 1919, also, he was awarded the Dunning Cup, presented for valuable experimental work in connection with the method of attack by torpedo-carrying aeroplanes upon ships. On August 1, 1919, he was granted a permanent commission in the R.A.F. with the rank of Squadron Leader. Since the Great War Air Comdre. Pulford has held several commands, and after com pleting the course at the Royal Air Force Staff College, was employed in 1923 on Air Staff Duties at the Air Ministry. He was promoted Wing Commander in 1925. In 1926 he commanded the Cairo-Cape Flight. He completed the course at the Imperial Defence College in 1929 and was then posted to the command of No. 7 (Bomber) Squadron. In 1931 he took command of Station Headquarters, Bircham Newton, until, on being promoted to Group Captain in 1932, he was ap pointed to command the Station Headquarters, Heliopolis. He returned to England in 1934 to command the Air Armament School. In July, 1936, he was promoted to Air Commodore and in the fol lowing September he was appointed Superintendent of the Reserve and Inspector of Civil Flying Schools and was appointed Air Officer Commanding, No. 2 (Training) Group, in September, 1937. Kc was
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