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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 0030.PDF
FLIGHT BOSCOMBE DOWN cations may be proposed, and when these are incorporated repeat tests must be made until the aircraft is satisfactory. Apart from establishing the suitability of a machine as a gun, bomb or R.P. platform, Boscombe does acceptance tests on all forms of new and modified armament installa- tions in prototypes- and in standard Service aircraft. It also reports on various armament stores, including bombs, R.P.s, pyrotechnic devices, ammunition and chemical containers. Power plant installations are tested for suita- bility of airscrews, cooling, fuel and oil systems, etc., and radio and navigation facilities are checked. A Civil Commitment A vital function of the Establishment is to determinethe characteristics of an aircraft relative to its Service role, embracing all aspects of performance and maintenance. Ofrising importance is a commitment to perform, on behalf of the Air Registration Board, Certificate of Airworthinesstests of civil aircraft ordered by the Ministry of Supply, and to conduct the acceptance tests of these machines. Finally, Boscombe, by its very nature, is a rich sourceof data for the advancement of aircraft development. Under the Chief Superintendent, Mr. E. T. Jones, arefour '' Wings '' concerned with Performance (superintended by Mr. Hufton), Armament (Grp. Capt. C. F. S. Fraser),Engineering (Mr. B. D. Clark), and Flying (Grp. Capt. R. C. Dawkins). Each of these officers has charge of severalsections, and in the case of the Superintendent of Flying, of squadrons. The Signals-Test, Navigation and Photo-graphic sections and the Drawing Office are under the direct control of Mr. Jones. A skilled exponent ofhijh-speed flying on a favourite mount—Sqn. Ldr. Zurakowski and the Vampire. Boscombe's activities, like its influence, are wide-spreadand will become more so. Hitherto tropical testing of air- craft and their power plants has been done on an ad hocbasis, but this year a special Tropical Testing Unit—a miniature Boscombe—is to be set up at Khartoum and willbe under the functional control of the Establishment. Under a Principal Scientific Officer, this unit will have astaff of 36, including a Squadron Leader (Flying) and a number of technicians. Royal Air Force personnel of theWinterization Flight, operating to such good effect in • Canada, are already under the administrative control ofA. and A.E.E. Grp. Capt. Dawkins, Superintendent of Flying, keeps avigilant eye on the conduct of all test-flying at Boscombe, and when necessary, gives his opinion on aircraft charac-teristics. He has control of three squadrons: A Squadron being responsible for fighters and light aircraft; B hand-ling medium and heavy machines ; and C, naval types. The "S. of F." is further responsible for the control of theIntensive Flying Development Flight, Maintenance Wing and Flying Control. The Civil Aircraft Test Flight is anoffshoot of B Squadron, but is now regarded as a separate unit and has its own office. Commanded by Wing Cdr. J. B. Baldwin, D.S.O. andBar, D.F.C. and Bar, a 2nd T.A.F. fighter-bomber pilot with sixteen air-to-air victories, A Squadron has a strongerestablishment than either B or C and has lately dealt with a greater numberof types. These have been chiefly fighters, but there have been a fewtrainers like the Prentice and Desford, and A.O.P. aircraft. "Johnny" Baldwin holds that the^,essential attribute of a test pilot is i *>>•:• absorbing interest in his job: he mubJlive for flying. Operational experience, however, is a very great asset.Also on the strength of A Squadron are Sqn. Ldr. W. Price-Owen (with eightvictories), Sqn. Ldr. J. Zurakowski, Sqn. Ldr. P. Barthropp, D.F.C., Sqn.Ldr. L. Stark, D.F.C. and Bar, Sqn Ldr. R. J. B. Roach, and Fit. Lt. A.E. Gunn. Three of these pilots have Lt. Cdr. levers tests the bomb doorsof a Sea Mosquito in murky weather. "Flinltt" photograph-
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