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Aviation History
1945
1945 - 2121.PDF
454 FLIGHT HERE AND THE Mightier than the Sword A .MILES Aerovan flew to Zurich,Switzerland, last week carrying a load of 5,000 fountain pens. It called at Le Bourget to clear customs and at Dijon, and is to give demonstration flights in Switzerland and France. The Last Wimpey— THE last Wellington bomber to bemade in this country—a Mark X— went through its test nights at Squires Gate, Blackpool, recently, after which the Mayor and Mayoress and members of the town's corporation were given flights in it. A luncheon followed, at which a stain- less steel model of the Wimpey was pre- sented to the Mayor of Blackpool by Vickers-Armstrongs who have built a total of 11,461 of these famous bombers. —and the Last Halifax "FHE last of the Fairey-built Halifax -*- bombers—the 661st—recently left the production line at the Government factory at Errwood Park, .Stockport. Production of the Halifax was begun at this plant in October, 1942, under the dispersal scheme, and in 18 months reached a monthly, output of 34 aircraft. Employing about 7,000 at the peak period, of whom less than 4 per cent, were skilled labour and 40 per cent, were •women, the factory is to switch to civil production under the Board of Trade. College of Aeronautics PROVISION for the preliminary ex-penses of the College of Aeronautics has been made in the supplementary esti- mate for education. Miss Ellen Wilkin- son, Minister of Education, mentioned this when replying to a debate in the House last week on a vote of ,£4,168,000 for her Ministry. "Arrangements have been made with the Air Ministry," she added, "to accommodate the college temporarily—so that a start can be made early next year —at Cranfield. There will be residential, teaching, and flying facilities." Thank You, Sir Richard MEMBERS of the Press have particu-lar reason to appreciate the quali- ties of Air Marshal Sir Richard Peckwho has just retired from the R.A.F. after being Assistant Chief of Air Staffsince February, 1940. Nobody could have conducted thePress conferences at the Air Ministry with greater tact and courtesy than did SirRichard, for no matter how many awkward questions were fired at him (andPressmen can think up the most search- ing kind!) he was never disconcerted, butpreserved a genial diplomacy that won everybody's liking and respect. Best ofall he paid the Press the compliment oi entrusting them, on many occasions, withhelpful "background information" and, needless to say, this confidence wasalways respected. At present Sir Richard is enjoying awell-merited rest, but we sincerely hope that British aviation will not lose thevaluable services of a man of such wide experience and pleasing personality. Lord Portal Also Retires MARSHAL of the R.A.F., Lord Portalof Hungerford, who began his Ser- vice career as a despatch rider in August, 1914, and has been Chief of the Air Staff and Senior R.A.F. Member of the Air Council since Ocober, 1940, is to retire on January 1st, 1946. Lord Portal has rarely been in the lime- light, although he may fairly be described as one of the main architects of victory. He was one of Mr. Winston Churchill's chief advisors at the various great war conferences. He was made G.C.B. in June, 1942, and a Baron last August. He will be succeeded by Marshal of the R.A.F., Sir Arthur Tedder. Changes at AvroW ITH the retirement from active fly- ing duties of Capt. H. A. Brown, who is at present in South America on the firm's behalf, Mr. S. A. Thorn has been appointed chief test pilot of A. V. Roe and Co., Ltd. Capt. Brown now takes up a post on the administrative side of the business. "Bill" Thorn, who joined Avro's in FLYING TEST BED : In order to carry out altitude tests during the develop-ment work on the Rolls-Royce Derwent jet engine, a unit was installed in the tail of a Wellington bomber in place of the gun turret, as depicted here. The Wimpeycarried the usual test-recording gear and flew normally on its own engines. Air Marshal Sir Richard Peck. 1934 as a test pilot, has worked with Capt. Brown on all special test work, and it was he who took the Tudor I into the air for the first time on June 14th last, and since then has put it through exhaus- tive flight trials. Mr. T. G. Green, who has been in- spector-in-charge at the Avro group in the Manchester area since January, 1940, also retires after 30 years' service in A.I.D. Good Samaritans A USTRALIAN Dakota aircrews, ^V- ground staff, nursing sisters and medical orderlies in Singapore recently withdrew their applications for repatria- tion so that they might fly sick prisoners of war from the East Indies to hospitals and rest centres, and their unselfish service earned a special commendation from Lord Louis Mountbatten, Supreme Allied Commander. '' I am certain your action saved very many lives," he told them. Deaths in Sumatra camps were averag- ing six or seven a day, and it was to check this'heavy toll that the R.A.A. f men and nurses flew something l»./j 300,000 miles and, in just under icfi weeks, carried 1,000,000 1b. of urgent supplies to the prison camps and evacuated 1,200 to Australia. During the present year, the R.A.A.F. transports have flown in 26,600 re- inforcements. ""Personal" Aircraft SOME indication of what is toto R.A.F. surplus aircraft - given within the next few we anyone who has notions of pii a fighter for personal use ought the experience of Mr. Arthur' of Jackson, Michigan. ^^ He is the first known civilmnbuyer^of a P.38J. Lightning, the flljJhine that a sceptical American pjJurjalist once described as '' to^ rnjicjj flip for one man to fly and Mr. Bfcapp coSstted h&*Lightning at Bush Fily, Ge/rgia, and flew to Stout Field, InJLinaif at an average speed of 301 nv^p\h%4ind an operating cost esti- mated at about ^15 an hour. Amd when he stepped' down at Stout Field in civilian clothes he was promptly arrested. It took some time, and production of
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