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Aviation History
1940
1940 - 0535.PDF
FEBRUARY 22, 1940 173 A Junkers Ju. 86 belonging to South African Airways. These machines can be converted into bombers. February, 1920, for the Cape. They, too, used a Vickers Vimy biplane, but their " Silver Queen " crashed hope- lessly, landing in the dark on rough ground strewn with rocks about 530 miles south of Cairo. Determined to carry on, they salvaged the engines, put them into another Vickers Vimy, called it " Silver Queen II," and got as far as Bulawayo and another wreck. For the third and last lap they climbed into a D.H.9, the " Voor- trekker," and reached Cape Town in March, 1920. Brand became Sir Quentin, and is now an Air Commodore in the R.A.F. ; van Ryneveld became Sir Pierre, and is now Major General, D.S.O., M.C., Chief of Staff of the Union Defence Forces. General van Ryneveld and General van der Spuy, M.C., originally of the S.A. Aviation Corps, who is now military adviser in London, then organised the South African Air Force as a section of the Army. Originally the air mechanics were dressed in plus fours and puttees, like the Guards, but now they wear shorts. Forage cap, peaked cap without a black band, or a narrow-brimmed sun helmet are worn according to occasion or the weather. The material is " veld " colour, practically tha same as khaki, but named otherwise for local reasons. The pilot's wings have the arms of the Union, sur- mounted by a Crown, in place of the letters R.A.F. to which we are accustomed. The lapels of the tunic carry brass badges composed of laurel leaves and a pair of wings with the letters S.A.A.F. for onesideandZ.A.L.N. for the other. Ranks are all the same as in the Army, and so is tire scale of pay, plus flying pay and instructor's pay. The force was formed in October, 1920, under a Direc- tor of Air Services in charge of flying, but expansion was slow. By 1934 it amounted to only one Training and two-thirds of a Bombing Squadron, manned by 22 pilots and 250 airmen. The first separate item in the Budget for the Air Force appeared in 1931, when £30,256 was allotted for aerodromes, stores and aircraft. Five years later this grew to £330,128 ; now- the latest air force esti- mate is £800,000. In 1934 a Five-Year Programme was begun. By March, 1939, its aim had been more than achieved, the establishment having grown into nine Squadrons, each of 25 machines with appropriate reserves. Five were for A line-up of Hawker " Hartbees " at a South African aero- drome.
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