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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 1878.PDF
272 FLIGHT SEPTEMBER IOTH, 1942 portion of its energies has had to be spent on its primary duty, which is the air defence of Great Britain-=-for it is essentially a defensive body. Its aggressive tactics have forced the Germans on to the defensive in France and have compelled them to keep there the cream of their fighter strength. Fighter Command has done what the Luftwaffe failed to do in 1940; it has fought over enemy territory and has inflicted more losses than it has suffered. Its intruder night-fighters have been a good example of dynamic defence, and have destroyed nearly forty enemy aircraft in the last twelve months. The Command's total for that period has been close on 1,000 enemy aircraft. In the Middle East Command pride of place must be given to the defence of Malta. It took a very large force of Axis bombers to throw Malta on to the defen sive, but its defence was magnificent. In Libya the chief military lesson of the year has been, in the words of the official resume, that " ground forces, if they are willing to sustain losses, can in desert condi tions advance in the face of air attack, if that attack is conducted by limited forces, even though their own aircraft are largely absent." Coastal Command is always engaged on both offensive and defensive work. Tactically, of course, it is practic ally always on the offensive, but its anti-submarine work it strategically defensive. Its constant attacks on the enemy's coastwise shipping have been a rankling thorn in the side of Germany. During the month of May, 1942, Coastal machines bombed and hit forty-one ships. The resume concludes: "Moreover, and above all, throughout the year we forced the enemy to employ against us more than half of his available air resources." 4 Corps of Test Pilots ? S OME months ago " Indicator" suggested, in one of his " Topics of the Day " articles, that it might be a good idea if an official pool of test pilots, drawn from the different designing companies, were formed, so that several opinions of a new aircraft type could be obtained instead of one or two only. He pointed out CONTENTS The Outlook War in the Air Here and There Glider-Pilot Training - Norwegians Over Dieppe - Behind the Lines - * ' Aircraft Characteristics - Lancaster Poses - Topics of the Day - - Cata-Fighters' Birthday - American Air Transport - - - - - - - - - - - - Plywood and Plastic Construction Correspondence Service Aviation - - ~~ - - - - - - "- - - - - - - — - - - - - - 282 - -• - - - •* 271 273 276 277 280 282 a and b 283 286 287 288 289 292 293 that, unofficially, there is already a good deal of " swaj£ ping horses" going on. This week we publish, on our Correspondence page, a letter from a test pilot who, for fairly obvious reasons, desires to remain anonymous. His suggestion goes rather beyond that of "Indicator," in that he proposes that there should be centralised control of all test pilots under the Air Ministry. On the face of it, the position of the test pilot appears anomalous. Superficially, his job is to say whether or not a new type is fit for issue to the R.A.F. ; he is paid by the firm but responsible to the Air Ministry. In actual fact, the present system h:.s worked fairly well, mainly because all the designing firms have a reputation to consider, and they are, therefore, just as interested in " getting the bugs out " of a new type before it goes into service as is the Air Ministry. Consequently, the firm which wants '' a passer-off'' of aircraft, as our correspondent has it, must be a rarity. With one view expressed by our -correspondent we disagree: he, thinks a corps of test pilots would give greater" uniformity of opinion; we have never yet met two pilots who agreed on the characteristics of a type! EMPIRE AIR TRAINING. Much has been published about Canada's great contribution V"the>^ai training programme. Force is lent to this point by this group, taken at Bowden, Alberta, in(j[uly, ai at No. 32 E.F.T.S. at that time. From left to right : (Toprmo): P/O. Pritchard, R.C.A.F. ; P/0._Johnie Trull, R.C.A.F. ; F'0._Haw]cj, Admin. O. R.A.F.._; P/O. Shepherd,MCA.F. #R F/O. Ferguson, R.A.F ; P/O. Hodeson, RCA F ; P/O. Tim Berfy P/O. Pip Musgravj|fR.C.A.F. ; Lt Sol Brndcr>«ro., R.A.F. : Dew, R.A.F. ; Mr. Brimacombe, Y.M.C.A., R.C.A.F Black (WovtB and Buildings). (Centre row) : Fit. Lt. Hamish Currie, R.A.F. ; F-'O. Alistaire Bruce, R.A.F. ; Fit. Ll. Unett, R.A.F. ; F/O. Thompion, R F/O. Dickie Bradbury, R A.F. ; Capt. Goodman, Dental P, R.C.A.F. ; F/O. Terry Procter, R.A.F. ; F/O. Hutchison, R.C .A F/O. Kemp-Lewis, R.A.F. ; F'O. "Jim" Munn, R.C A.F ; P/O. "Da»e" Brethcrton, R.A.F. ; P/0. " Ken " Caldwell, R.C.A.r (Bottom row): Fit. Lt. Norman Inman, Equip. 0„ R.A.F. ; Fit. Lt. M. A. Smith, R.A.F. ; Fit. Lt. Bob McLaren. R.A.F. SJSWTLt. PetEi H«rtffrn, R.A J. ; A/S/L. "Shorty " Shaw, Chief Tech. O., R.A.F.; S'L. Don Townsend, R.A.F.: Wing Cdr. Follett Bristow, CO., R.A.F.; A/S/L. Wats#n Turner, R.A.F. (N.Z.) ; Fit. Lt. "Bats " Bullmore, R.A.F. ; Fit. Lt. Maynard, R.A.F. ; Fit. Lt. Peter Hairs, R.A.F. ; Fit. Lt. Hatton-Smooker, Adjutant R.AS=^Hon. Fit. Lt. Wilkinson, Padre R.C.A J.
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