FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1945
1945 - 1506.PDF
AUGUST 2ND, 1945 FLIGHT 121 \ A SYMBOL OF GOODWILL AT a Wings presentation ceremony on the Royal NewZealand ,Air Force Station at Wigram, Sir Cyril Newall, the Governor-General, as a Marshal of the Royal Air Force, recently presented a gold cup from the R.A.F. to the R.N.Z.A.F. as a token of goodwill and esteem. The cup was received by Air Vice-Marshal L. M. Isitt, Chief of the New Zealand Air Staff. The Governor-General said that just as the cup made of gold had been tested in a furnace, so had the comradeship oi the two Services been tested in war. The Royal Air Force, he said, had earned a high reputation among both friends and foes—a reputation shared by the R.N.Z.A.F. and by New Zealanders serving with the R.A.F. all over the world. New Zealand had a high and noble share in the contribution made by the R.A.F. towards victory. In five and a half years, for instance. Bomber Command flying from England alone and disregarding all other opera- tions, had suffered 47,500 killed. It was a high price, but it shortened the war by two years, and there was no doubt that it had reduced by hundreds of thousands the casualties which sister Services might have suffered. In that New Zealand had played a notable part. Air Chief Marshal Sir- Arthur Harris, who commanded Bomber Command, had written to him stating " how very, very good and efficient were all my New Zealand crews. The pick of the bunch and a good bunch to be the pick of." That was a testimonial indeed from a very high authority and it had been justly earned and fully merited. "And so I say," the Governor-General added, " guaTd this cup. Treasure it. Keep it in mind always as a symbol of sincere goodwill, of very great comradeship and of a very great cause." COASTAL COMMAND ESCORTED TRUMAN R.A.F. COASTAL COMMAND shared in the task of escort-ing the convoy bringing President truman to Europe. As the American cruisers neared Britain, aircraft of the Com-mand took ofl to escort the ships. The patrols were carried out by Sunderlands of the Royal Australian Air Force operatingunder Coastal Command, and by R.A.F. Warwicks. The aircraft were from a group commanded by Air Vice-Marshal F. H. M. Maynard, C.B., A.F.C. PASSING-OUT PARADE AT HALTON MARSHAL OF THE ROYAL. AIR FORCE SIR JOHNSALMOND, G.C.B., C.M.G., C.V.O., D.S.O., took the salute last week of 1,200 aircraft apprentices at a parade atR.A.F. Station, Halton, Buckinghamshire. The occasion was the passing out of a course of aircraft apprentices consisting offitters, fitter-armourers and instrument makers. The apprentice, in charge of the parade was Sergeant/Apprentice R. Meadow, of New Brook End, Berkeley, Gloucestershire, who later received from Sir John Salmond theprize for the outstanding sergeant apprentice o"f the entry. The Elliott Memorial Prize for highest marks in the generalstudies examination was awarded to Sergeant/Apprentice J. C. Ainsworth, of 75, Chaplin Rpad, Wembley, and prizes for thebest fitter-air frame and the best in educational subjects were won by Aircraft /Apprentice R. Ravine, of 67, Ruskin Road,Shadwell St. Mary, Essex. Ninety-seven apprentices from the entry have been recqjrf-mended for aircrew duties. 0 MOTHS FOR CANADIAN UT of a total of 389 Service aircraft with spara^Sarts, which have been sold by the War Assets Corporanon dv. past year, and which have realised 200 were bought by the Rdyal Canadian Fifing Club tion. They will eventually be resold tomerjiber Dominion. s^2Sl £l) iC-*" - The aircraft, which are all de Hafcjflfcji-fcjgbe-'Moths, werepreviously used as trainers for the Vy^gjfrMi wealth Air Training Ian, and were soldSufficient eaftja pa/rs t Jyears. Before teidg re:full^reWnditioned licensing regulatsold to the clubs at co The Royal Canadian* Dne spare motor apiece andserviceable for at least two the individual clubs, the aircraf^rnust:i com/y with the Department of Trans- It is expected that they will be>fce plus the reconditioning expenses, lying Clubs Association, which main- tains offices in Ottawa, acts as a general clearing house for twenty-two local flying clubs throughout Canada. SOME YORK JOURNEYS SINCE hostilities ended in Europe, air transport has playeda big part in the rehabilitation of the liberated countries, in the administration and occupation of ex-enemy territory,and in the building-up of the forces in the Far East. The great need for Service air transport was realised whenAmerica entered the war and the tide turned in Africa. Vast distances had to be covered and communications kept openacross oceans and continents, and-the transport aircraft came iuto its own. Here the Americans had a flying start. The Douglas Dakota had been the standard transport machine ontheir continental airways for some years. Large numbers of these aircraft were available and production was stepped up.A larger type, the Douglas Skymaster, was also put into pro- duction, and there was soon a steady stream of transport air-craft crossing the Atlantic. Apart from a limited number of transport aircraft, we thenhad to rely almost entirely on the American-built machines. When Transport Command was formed, the need for more andbigger aircraft, capable of carrying heavy loads and flying long distances, was immediately apparent. After much official hesitation and procrastination, the AvroYork was put into production, and to-day these aircraft are performing prodigious undertakings as a matter of routine.Recently a York aircraft flew from England to India in a little over 30 hr., carrying a heavy load of urgently neededsupplies to South-East Asia Command. Another accomplished the journey from Ceylon to London in 60 hr., and from Indiain 34 hr. flying time. Another York, flying non-stop from London to Cairo in10 hr. 25 min., averaged 238 m.p.h. for a distance of 2,450 miles, carrying six passengers, a crew of six, and 6,700 1b.of diplomatic mail. In April this year a freighter version completed the roundtrip from England to Calcutta and back in an overall time of four days 15 hr., travelling by way of Malta, Cairo, Shaibahand Karachi, and returning over the same route. The 12,638 miles were covered in a flying time of 60 hr. 40 min., anaverage speed of 208 m.p.h. The York, despite its excellent record, must not be con-sidered as other than a wartime compromise. Ease of pro- duction was a cardinal principle of the design. To achievethis, at a time when all labour was devoted exclusively to the production of operational types, A. V. Roe's had recourseto the basic design, and the jigs and tools, of the successful Lancaster bomber. The wings, engine nacelles and undercarriage, the tailplane,fins and rudders are, it will be remembered, identical with those of the Lancaster, but the fuselage and such detail modifi-cations as the central tail fin are new. The gross weight is 65,.000 lb., or approximately 30 tons. In the passenger York there is seating accommodation intwo cabins for 24 persons, with wardrobe and toilet-room space between these two compartments. A well-equipped kitchenis arranged aft of the rear seating compartment and behind that there is a roomy baggage compartment. The York has a range of over 3,000 miles, a cruising speedof 275 m.p.h. at 21,oooft.,' and a maximum speed at the same altitude of a shade under 300 m.p.h. DEFERRED "Y" SCHEME CANDIDATES AS a result of the Fleet Air Arm training in Canada comingto a halt this summer and aircrew training taking place in Britain, thousands of " Y Scheme candidates for theF.A.A. will be put on a waiting list and deferred, possibly until next February, although due for call-up in August. During these six months the entrants may be called up ascivilians for approximately a week in order that they may be tested for flying aptitude, after the style of the R.A.F.V.R.,which has been furthering this method for the last two or three years. Many potential aircrews in the Air Force have beengiven jobs in Government offices until they come off the R.A.F. waiting list and begin their training.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
