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Aviation History
1946
1946 - 1451.PDF
JULY 25TH, 1946 FLIGHT Leicestershire Display Auster Day Out : Five Crowded Hours O doubt the many lay visitors enjoyed the flying after-noon at Rearsby last Sunday. Not only was it the first post-war flying event in the area, but there was plentyf action and not a few unrehearsed near-incidents. Whether any earnest control officer would have felt quite so happy isanother matter, since rather too much incidental flying was permitted during the programme events, and Rearsby airfieldis of a shape which, depending on the wind, involves varying directions of take-off and landing for different aircraft. Not unnaturally, there was a preponderance of various Austertypes, and, apart from the demonstrations by visiting aircraft, nearly all the events involved the appearance of this type in amultitude of guises—from aerobatic type to glider-tug and mail collector.Visiting demonstrations were made by a Miles Gemini, a Reid and Sigrist Desford Trainer, a D.H. Dove, and an anonymousMeteor IV—which arrived at high speed in the middle of a display of low-level aerobatics by Mr. Derbyshire. The mostinteresting visiting type from most points of view was the venerable Westland Widgeon which, flown by Sqn. Ldr. Garner,and brushing aside any modern ideas of flap assistance, took second place in the spot-landing competition, and also, ofcourse, the "oldest visitor" prize. This particular Widgeon had been built in 1929. Incidentally, another visitor from "Yeovil, Fit. Lt. Thompson, with an Auster, actually won the I photograph One of the visitors demonstrates : The ^pveJ>-pife airscrewfeathered, flies past the control tower. "Flight" Part of the crowd at Rearsby with one orVfag mAusters about to take off. hotograph. attending landing competition, so that it was all something of a familyaffair. The D.H. Dove, flown by Mr. Fossett, improved on the usual single-engine demonstration by continuing to fly withone airscrew feathered while making two complete circuits. To any rtudent of crowd psychology the Rearsby affair pro-vided some interesting lessons. On repeated occasions the crowd pressed onwards into the landing area. On being askedover the loudspeaker to return behind the ropes, they moved with the utmost docility, only to reappear on the flying fieldfive minutes later. There was only one minor accident during #the afternoon, and this was not caused either by this encroach- ment or by overcrowding in the air; an unfortunate privateowner, during the spot-landing competition, stalled his Auster into the ground. The event at Rearsby, though organized by Austers and theworks flying club, signalled the appearance of the reconstituted Leicestershire Aero Glut)—which is a combination of the pre-war club of this name and the County Flying Club which once operated from Rearsby. The Leicestershire Club has beenoffered the use of Ratcliffe Airfield by Sir Lindsay Everard for a period of two years without charge. It is.expected that theflying rates, using Austers, will be as low as £2 an hour. WALRUS TO « \TCII WHALE "FHREE Supermarine Walrus amphibians, were christened•»• Moby Dick, Snark and Boojum respectively at a ceremony at East Cowes last Saturday. They have been overhauled and^re-equipped at the works of Saunders-Roe for the United 4jBi^halers, Ltd., and are to be used for whaling operations in 'the Antarctic during the 1946-47 whaling season. A factory ship, the Balaena, and a number of catching vesselswill comprise the expedition, the air branch of which is in charge of Mr. John Grierson, who has had considerable ex-• perience in flying in high northern latitudes. :,'.. At a luncheon before the launch of the three flying boats."Mr. Grierson was warm in his praise of the help given by Government departments and institutions, especially .theAdmiralty, and by private firms and individuals, with advice and supplies. The one fly in the ointment was the homingradio. The expedition had planned to use the American sys- tem, which is especially suitable for the purpose, for homingon the factory vessel, but American authorities had refused permission. This may be a serious handicap. The intention is that the three flying boats shall reconnoitre(or suitable weather and sea conditions, keep the surface ves- sels out of fog areas, and explore open lanes in the ice throughwhich the vessels can proceed. Very complete equipment is being installed in the Walrusflying boats, including new covered-in dinghies, emergency rations, tents, immersion suits, signalling apparatus, etc., sothat every foreseeable" contingency has been allowed for. The three flying boats will not be used for increasing the catch,which is limited by international agreement, but it is ex- pected that their use will effect economies in reducing thetime spent in locating the whales and in guiding the vessels to the feeding grounds. The expedition hopes to leave by theend of September. SEABEE CERTIFICATED THE Repuhlic company's promising little four-seateramphibian, the Seabee, has been granted a certificate for* commercial production by the Civil Aeronautics Administrationin America. Deliveries to distributors and dealers will com- mence at once. Some fourteen Seabees have been producedto date.
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