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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 0364.PDF
228 FLIGHT MARCH 13TH, SfRVICE AVIATION for production for the Armed Forces willbg borne on the rates of the respective Service Departments. Moreover, the M.of S. figures "are restricted to their estimated expenditure on research anddevelopment with related works ser- vices, to that proportion of certain in-spection services provided by the Ministry which is regarded as appropriateto the work undertaken on behalf of the Service Departments, and to terminalpayments in respect of war contracts." FURY RECCE/F1QHTER ONE of the earliest lessons learntduring the war was that the "long established class of two-seater tactical reconnaissance aircraft had become obsolete. It was found that a single- seat fighter with good performance and handling qualities at low levels, flown by a well-trained and observant pilot and litted with suitable cameras, could do a better job. Its high performance gave' a higher degree of immunity to ground lire and interception arid a greater number of sorties was possible in a given time. The photographic equipment, moreover, de- PHOTOGRAPHICFURY : The main view shows the stow-age of the oblique F.24 camera, heremounted to star- board. In the smal-ler view the mount- ing for the verticalF.24 is shown. Focal length i ariation of5-2oin is possible. TO his study of Flight's reports ofthe 1909 French trials Air ChiefMarshal Sir Arthur Longmore. ascribes his early interest in flying. Thus in some measure Flight may claim tohave influenced the course of a career which, for variety of R.A.F. experience,can have few equals. To the progress of this career, ratherthan to the expression of opinion or the propounding of military doctrine. SirArthur's recently published autobio- graphy* is devoted. His memoirs inspirenot by force of style of presentation but in being an unadorned record of a life• which, for the greater part, has run parallel with the growth of a great fight-ing Service. Sir Arthur was one of four Navalofficers, out of five hundred applicants, who learnt to fly during 1911 in the Isleof Sheppey. Between this time and early 1916 he saw—and did much to assist—the initial growth of Naval aviation. After serving at Jutland (he had chargeof a turret in H.M.S. Tiger) he joined the R.N.A.S. and was in Malta and Italyduring 1918. He recalls some brave days in Irak and Great Britain in the yearsbetween the wars; two of these years (1930-32) he spent as Commandant ofthe R.A.F. College at Cranwell and two (1936-38) as Commandant of the ImperialDefence College. As an easily assimi- lated account of the development of theR.A.F. at this period the book is thoroughly recommended. In 1939, prior to taking over Training FROM SEA TO SKY Command, Sir Arthur accompanied SirHardman Lever and Sir Donald Banks 011 a mission to Australia and New Zea-land to investigate the possibilities of aircraft production, and in the spring of1940 he received his appointment as A.O.C., Middle East. The splendid story of the air opera-tions in the Middle East and Greece is straightforwardly — and forthrightly -—told. An all-too-familiar tale of strained resources and of skirmishes with higherauthority concludes with an account of the visit to England from which he wasnot to return to his Command. "My passage by air to Cairo via Takoradi hadbeen arranged," he writes, "but the Fates decreed that I was not to return..." On the 19th of May, Sir Archi- bald Sinclair told him that Air MarshalTedder's appointment in his place would be confirmed. "My personal feelings arebetter left to the imagination," he goes on. "It seemed that the change hadalready been planned -when the signal recalling me to England for consultationshad been sent. I received my G.C.B. from His Majesty and retired to the ob-scurity of my home at Grantham to await the next throw of the dice whilst thesituation in Crete went from bad to worse." • As Inspector-General he found that itwas unfortunate for his reputation that the announcement of the change of Com-• mand, Middle East, should coincide with the news of the fall of Crete. "It wasnot lack of air strength alone," he avers, •traeted little, or not at all, from ^powers as a heavily armed fighter. • " The importance: of such aircraft wasstressed by the late Air Chief Marshal Leigh-Mallory in his recently publisheddespatch (see Flight of January 16H1). Whereas the Spitfires and Mustangswhich did such excellent service during the war were adapted for reconnaissance,the Hawker Fury.was designed from the outset with this role in mind. Equipped-'for reconnaissance the Furydisposes two F.24 cameras, one for ver- tical, and the other for oblique phota-'graphy. ' The lens of the vertical camera titu be varied in focal length from ^to 20x11, and that of the oblique camtjt from 8in to 2oin. The latter can bemounted to face either port or starboard and can be depressed from o deg to 20deg ,, below the horizontal. Thus all normal '' photo recce '' duties can beundertaken and the pilot's job is made easier than in certain other single-seaters by the high-mounted seat and the slight forward drop-away of .the nosecowling behind the Bristol Centaurus engine. Carrying two 90-gallon drop-tanks, thereconnaissance Fury has a range of over 1,900 miles, at a height of 10,oooft, anda cruising speed of 300 m.p.h. The full armament of four wing-mounted 20mmguns, with 580 rounds of ammunition, is retained. Even this formidable array of equipment and tanks does not load the Fury to the limit of its capacity. In iong-range armed fighter-reconnaissance con- dition the take-off weight is 13,6151b,whereas with two i,ooolb bombs in place of drop tanks and cameras thefigure is 14,2501b. . , . "which lost us that island." But hefound in his new appointment " how very healthy the R.A.F. really was."By December, 1941, it seemed .to Sir Arthur that there was a limit to his use-fulness as an Inspector-General. There already existed a very efficient one (AirChief Marshal Ludlow-Hewitt) and it was improbable that Sir Arthur wouldreceive an active command. The Air Force List still showed too many AirChief Marshals and he considered that it was time to make way for the youngerAir Marshals and Air Vice-Marshals, many "*of them of high calibre and witha fine record of war service. The Air Ministry accepted his offer to retire andlie left the active list at the end of Feb- ruary, 1944. ':•-•' ' :After unsuccessfully contesting a election he became a Major in the HomeGuard. Visits to the U.S.A., and Canada followed and by the end of May, I944-he reverted to the retired list. Having started the war as an Air Chief Marshalhe finished it in the capacity of skipper of a motor fishing vessel with the rela-tive rank of Chief Petty Officer. This fact, like so man\' incidents in his life.he found amusing. In his retirement after so full andmeritorious a life Sir Arthur can readily be forgiven for ascribing the Fury toFaireys, the Nimrod to the same com- pany and for crediting the Cygnet withtwo engines ! . * From Sea to Sky. By Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur Longmorc. G.C.Y., D.S.O. Bles. 18/- net.
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