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Aviation History
1944
1944 - 2253.PDF
NOVEMBER 2ND, 1944 FLIGHT f7i R.P. SQUADRON H • Behind him the remainder crowd-in as close as possible. Flying control gives the signal and the take-off begins. In the leader's Beau. X the throttles are opened up to the stops until the Hercules are doing 2,900 r.p.m. with plus 10 lb. boost. After a run of some 15 seconds the wheels are clear; and the undercarriage is already tucked up as the airfield boundary is crossed. As each man becomes airborne, he turns slightly left or right to keep the runway clear of his slipstream for the next man to take off. Each pilot opens his throttles the moment the man in front leaves the ground. The leader climbs to 2,000ft. and his navigator con tinuously flashes a coloured light until his squadron has formed-up in Squadron Vic. Time to set course has not yet arrived, although the fighter cover is already circling overhead, so the formation flies on a reciprocal bearing for half the period, to while away the time. On course and immediately out over the sea. They look fine. A formation of possibly 60 or more Beaufighter Xs with, perhaps, an equal number of long-range Mustangs as fighter escort. This escort must be maintained, and a certain amount of under cover may also be given, despite the fact that many of the pilots have seen nothing of the Luftwaffe for many months. For the run across the North Sea, the engines will be throttled back to 1,950 revs, with plus 1 lb. showing on the boost gauge. This gives a cruising speed in the region of 180 knots. Wireless silence is preserved, but a number of the aircraft keep a listening-out watch in case a change of plan or an alternative target has been decided upon by Group H.Q. On they go, mile after mile, over a deserted sea which is just far enough away below them for the waves to appear to have lost all apparent motion. In Y for Yorker the THIS week we desire to apologise to our readers for a sin of omission which we committed thirty-five years ago. There were extenuating circumstances ; still, we failed to record in our pages the first flight made by Mr. Robert Blackburn, now chairman of Blackburn Air craft, Ltd Our excuse must be that we were never told of it. We can only suppose that the modesty where his * "personal achievements ate concerned which characterises Robert Blackburn to-day was a trait in his character even then. He probably thought that the flight was "<nowt." In very truth, it probably would be regarded as rather less than " nowt" in 1944, for it was little more than a jump into the air and a minor crash. That was how all the pioneers flew in those days. A jump, a crash, a return to the shed for repairs probably taking several weeks, and then another jump, most likely with similar results. But they were enthusiasts. They had to be ; there was no en couragement and they were mostly looked upon as more or less harmless lunatics whom it were better to humour. Their enthusiasm and faith carried them over all disappoint ments and failures, and ultimately they won through to success, often bitterly fought for. Robert Blackburn was of that small band to whom the country owes so much to-day. Trained as an engineer, he was a frequent visitor to France, where the Wright brothers, the Farman brothers, Bleriot, R. E. Pelterie and others were laying the foundations for the conquest of the air. In Paris, in 1908, young Robert Blackburn designed his first flying machine and built it in Leeds the next year. In October, 1909, he made his nrst flight on it (on Saltburn Sands in his native Yorkshiie) and crashed it, which is scarcely surprising if one examines the picture on page 462 of this issue. But "Bob" did not give up. By 1911 he leader looks out on either side to watch the great Bristol Hercules turn the red-nosed de Havilland hydromatio constant-speed airscrews. At last the convoy is sighted. Over the R.T. the leader orders "Deploy for action," and each three aircraft in a Vic open out a little. The little flaps which cover the cannon and R.P. triggers are turned over to show " Fire," and this automatically switches on the cameras which are carried in the nose and wing. From now onwards the cameras will "take" every time the firing buttons are pressed*. Flak of all sorts fills the area, for these convoys with their escort ships are very hot targets. " Attack, attack, attack," comes the voice of the leader, and the air is filled with diving Beaufighters. The big hands of the sensitive altimeters swing back in an anti-clockwise direction as height is rapidly lost. The airspeed indicators show over 300 m.p.h. Ships disappear in the smoke of bursting explosive. A great plume of water goes up as an unfortunate Beaufighter is shot down and hits the water. Thousands of small spurts of water show where 20 mm. shells are hitting. As these spurts reach the ships, they change into brilliant white flashes, and this is the exact moment when the R.P.s are fired. Down they go in their hundreds. Bedlam let loose Some are bad shots, some are near misses. The majority, however, are either above- or under-water strikes. Fires break out on the ships and some of them slow down and stop in their tracks. The attack ends as suddenly as it began. Three minutes has seen the whole affair over. Squadrons reform and journey homeward. Back at base patient interrogation officers piece little bits of information together 'to give Group a picture of the attack. Photographs taken during the show are developed and printed, and these provide unquestionable evidence of hits and misses. Later, reconnaissance aircraft will report more fully as to how many ships were sunk, how many beached and how many damaged. Another strike is ended. had a monoplane which flew very well, piloted by Mi. B. C. Hucks. Since that time the Blackburn brothers (Bob was joined by Norman and Charles) have never ceased to contribute to the growth of British aviation. Particularly has the name been closely linked with aircraft for the Navy. On October 26th members of the British flying world paid a sincere tribute to Robert Blackburn and his pioneer work at a gathering in London. There were no toasts and no speeches (again, one supposes, at the request of modest Bob), but Sir Frederick Handley Page spoke a few words of appreciation, to which Mr. Blackburn merely replied by saying how pleased he was to see so many old friends. Sir Frederick recalled that he had known Bob Blackburn since the earliest days. In fact, it could be said that Bob had enabled the Handley Page concern to pay its weekly wages on an occasion when this might otherwise have been difficult. Mr, Blackburn ordered his undercarriage from Handley Page. "Then," said Sir Frederick, "we antici pated the wishes of the present Ministry of Aircraft Pro duction by farming out the Order to sub-contractors, thus inaugurating the dispersal scheme." That would not, of itself, have enabled them to pay the week's wages, but they did a thing of which, Sir Frederick said, "Mr. Pickles would not approve had he been there. We made a profit out of the sub-contractors." Mr. Pickles was for very many years head of the Contracts Department of the Air Ministry and now of the M.A.P. Among those present were many prominent in all branches of British aviation, including the R.A.F., the Navy, the industry, research, Parliament, and many other sections of British life. A few eminent people were pre vented from being present, either by important engage ments on national work or through absence abroad Celebrating a Flight On Salthum Sands, Yorkshire, by Robert Blackburn, 35 Years Ago
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