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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 2253.PDF
SEPTEMBER I6TH, 1943 FLIGHT 309 LET US BE HONEST dog-leg in order to follow valleys and not bump into mist-ladenhills. As you will realise from this, I spent the trip in the intimate company of terrors which were entirely of my ownmaking (for I have no doubt it was all in the day's work to an experienced pilot). Certainly, we could see nothing ahead; itwas quite clear to me that we should have to force-land; and I could think of nothing else but that this forced-landing wouldbe plumb on top of some cathedral spire. I followed the route carefully on my map and was appalled to find that it simplywas littered with cathedrals (all with spires) and began to agree" with those who hpfcT that the country is rather over-full ofecclesiastical architecture. However, it turned out ultimately that I was holding the map upside down and was travelling rapidlytowards some point off the north coast of Ireland. " Our objective achieved, I prepared to dismount, descend, getout, or whatever the correct expression is, over the starboard side with that nonchalance which it is so easy and pleasant toassume with ' dangers ' behind one. But when I waved my foot as a sign to the A C.H. that I wished to have it fitted intothe step, he was nowhere to be seen. Hanging there in a gymnastic attitude, I bellowed for his assistance, only to beinformed that the step was on the other side. I had then to climb ignominiously back and, turning round^try the other side,entangling my inter-com. about four times en route, around the various unnecessary taps and protuberances placed there by amalignant manufacturer. I descended, a beaten, humbled and broken man, to earth amongst those who I hail hoped to impresswith a dashing and experienced arrival. " We left again, with some promise of dirty weather ahead.It was evening, and 1 felt that a blanket under the aircraft would be a more than desirable place for the night, but, asnothing of the kind—or better—was suggested, I climbed in, hoping that the engine would refuse to start or a wing fall offbefore w'e actually got going. My wish wasn't granted and we took oft 'without incident,' whila^I hoped this time thnt nofairy, beset with that impatient^Mfa reckless urge to grant wishes, had heard mine and was preparing, however belatedly, to carrythem out. " The smoothness of my passage laid my fears low, and I washappily pursuing my favourite occupation in the air—that of making quite sure, by comparing ground with map, that we were over where we most certainly were not—when I caughtsigh;, of some ' nasty weather ahead.' Jet-black and edged with several thousand-; of the most repulsive Gremlins I have everseen. It was approaching us at 160 m.p.h.—our airspeed—and cathedral spires were forgotten as a few bumps left me withthe absolute conviction that one-half of the aircraft would shortlv break off and descend to the ground. A refinement of thisprofound belief was that I was also sure that it would be the half with me in it. In an endeavour to find out, in such anevent, how far I should have to walk, I consulted the map. On comparison with ground features, I found that we were,apparently, approaching Southend. A minute later we three- pointed at oui correct destination." I shouldn't, of course, point out the obvious by remark- ing that most of this passenger's fears were quite ground- less and were the result of lack>of actual piloting experience —and possibly also of a subconscious belief that all pilots are nerveless and haywire and will fly on where angels fear to tread. But it is obviously a waste of good time to preach " airmindedness " and other rot to an intelligent person of this kind who knows and understands his weak- nesses. Only the right kind of knowledge can save him. For myself, I shall always travel by air if I can fly myself; 1 shall always do so if I can be allowed to take an intelligent hand in the proceedings and not just sit like a moron staring out on to a shiny metal wing ; and I shall when it really saves time and energy, though I may be desperately bored during the few short hours. Between, say, London and any European capital the use of an airline saves the passenger an immense amount of physical and nervous energy ; it is really too easy, and everything is done for one. It would almost be possible, with a good personal service, to be given a sleeping draught in a London hotel and to wake up again in the Adlon, Berlin—if that somewhat overpoweringly nineteenth-century hotel is still standing. If one's sole interest is in getting somewhere, whether Moscow or New York, flying is the obvious way to do it whether one is bored, frightened or anything else. " INDICATOR." LAST OF A^fcdiW-J^NE : The final Hudson to be assem- bled at the/Lockheed factory. It is framed by the fuselage of a Constel^itiontranjfirftrt now in production. The Hudson, which was $ rnlfitary adaptation of the Lockheed 14, has given wonderful service in the R.A.F., particularly with Coastal Command. AUSTRALIA'S NEW FIGHTER "DECENT mention of the new Australian fighter, the -[*- Boomerang, has aroused considerable interest, but the censors will allow us to say very little about it at present. All that may be disclosed at the moment of writing, in fact, is that it is a radial-engined, long-range single-seater, designed aftd produced in Australia, and is now in service with the K.A.A.F. in the S.W. Pacific theatre. Whatever its performance and firepower may prove to be, its name should enhance its chances of returning to base. A DIRECTOR ON LOANr T is interesting to learn from our contemporary, Indian Aviation, that the Government of India has loaned the services of Sir Frederick Tymms, Director of Civil Aviation, to Tata Aircraft, Ltd., of which he has becoming managing director. This firm, which has begun the manufacture of aircraft at Bombay, is distinct from Tata Air Lines, though both are enterprises run by the Parsi family of Tata. The civil airline started by this family has done splendid work on its run between Karachi and Madras. A USEFUL SERVICE ONE of the evils which war brings in its train is a continuousspate of new laws, rules and regulations. Some of them affect all of us, and all of them affect some of us, but the trouble is to keep track of them and, very often, to wrench their meaning from the tangle of legal verbiage in which they are so cunningly concealed. Few business people have the time to spare for this sort of thing, but they must find it, somehow, unless they can get expert help. And that is what Bulterivorih's Emergency Legislation Service, 37, Essex Street, Strand, London, W.C.2, sets out to provide; it keeps its subscribers up to date with every new emergency regulation that may affect them, and every one is annotated by an experienced legal staff, so that it can be readily undeistood by the layman. Since its fort- nightly issues began in November, 1939. well over 6,000 "Orders" and more than 200 "Statutes" have been covered in this service.
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