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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 1854.PDF
»6a FLIGHT SEPTEMBER 7TH, 1944 MOSQUITO FICHTER- BOMBERS (Below.) In field conditions, airfield control is carried out from a mobile unit. While it is not as convenient as the static control room, a considerable volume of traffic can be handled. When next in turn to land, speed is reduced to 180 m.p.h. and the undercarriage lowered. This is checked twice to make certain that the tail wheel is down. Flaps are put down 30 deg. during a cross-wind approach, with speed down to 150 m.p.h., and fully down as a final turn is made into the runway funnels. Engines are revved' up to 2,850 r.p.m. in fine pitch and throttled right back as the coloured lights of the glide-path indicator are approached. A slight scrape is heard as the touch-down is made at about 115 m.p.h. because the wheels refuse to accelerate instantaneously. A series of hisses occur as the compressed air is used to operate the brakes to avoid swing and to pull up the Mosquito. It comes to a standstill and then taxies off the runway. Immediately Control is called and "runway clear" is given, as well as "good night," plus any little pleasantry appropriate to the moment. At the dispersal point the oxygen and V.H.F. radio is •witched off and the engines stopped by the aid of the cut-outs The ground crew are eager to know if everything was all right and to hear of the night's work. Interrogation Transport takes the crew to the briefing room, where the flight will be discussed in detail. Down each side of the marquee are tables and chairs, cigarettes and hot tea with a lacing of rum. Each table has an Interrogating Officer, and a crew coming in goes to any vacant table. At one end of the tables is another table at which the chief Intelli gence Officer sits. All the reports are passed to him and co-ordinated by him into a comprehensive report to Group. If there is something requiring urgent attention, Group is, of course, told straightway. These interrogating officers need to be good psychologists, and from just this point of view it is interesting to watch them at work. Some crews have to have every comment dragged out of them by lead ing questions; others "shoot an imperial line" and have to be curbed. The most difficult of all are those who say that nothing very much has happened and then just casually mention some terrific job of work they have done. It must not be thought that all the flying is done at night. Actually this is quite a recent innovation, and low- level attacks by day are still being made. It was an in spiration to hear a French crew describe a recent attack on a suspected Gestapo H.Q. They were the only French crew (Above.) A Control Officer in the conning tower of the mobile unit. He is talking to aircraft at the dispersal points which are asking for permission to taxy. in the Wing. Rene was an Armee de Fair pilot of 15 years' .experience, and Jacque, his navigator, a student in Paris. The target was at Egletons, 50 miles south-east of Limoges. In it were a number of Germans surrounded by the Maquis. Bombing had to be accurate because the Maquis were within rifle-shot distance. According to these two French lads, it was very accurate. They saw the bombs from the Mosquito in front of them go straight in through the front door and, knowing that their own bombs were in formation with them, presumed that they entered close by. Out of 14 aircraft one was lost by a stray machine-gun bullet. Shortly afterwards came the message from the Maquis, "Many thanks for magnificent bombing." The other week this Wing celebrated their 2,000th sortie since D-Day. This has meant very hard work by the air crews ; often two, and occasionally three, journeys were made in a night. It is, however, an equal tribute to the ground crews and aircraft that such pressure can be main tained. It would not be possible at all if the majority of the flying had to be done by day. As it is, the Mosquitoes fly by night and are serviced by day. Although the flying hours are 200 per cent, over the pre-invasion figures, yet serviceability is still well over 95 per cent, of the aircraft on charge. The wooden airframes stand up to all weathers with no cover, in a manner quite equal to metal aircraft, and their only drawback is the time taken to do a glued repair. A "BLACKBURN" SCHOLARSHIP T\yTR. ROBERT BLACKBURN, chairman of Blackburn Air- •"•*- craft, Ltd., has undertaken to award a £ioa annual scholarship to the apprentice who achieves the best results in the examinations for the ordinary National Certificate in mechanical engineering. This offer is only open to those who take the course for the diploma in aeronautics at University College, Hull, and the first award will be made this year on the results of the examina tions already held. Trade and engineer apprentices at any of the company's works are eligible. This generous offer by Mr. Blackburn is further evidence of the increasing interest taken by the industry in the technical training of youth. The Society"of British Aircraft Constructors has had in being for many years a scheme for the encourage ment of boys whose parents are in financial circumstances that would otherwise debar them from following their chofeen career. Recently the de Havilland company announced details of a comprehensive education scheme for youth aeronautical train ing, whilst Westland Aircraft have a scheme leading ultimately to a university course at Cambridge.
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