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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 0828.PDF
MAY 22ND, 1947 SERVICE AVIATION heavy icing, with ar^-thing up to fourinches on their wings, and on several days landings were made in the middleof snowstorms, fetching ground crews out of their beds before dawn to de-ice and.service the aircraft ready for the next climb. Hangar Into Church A DISUSED hangar at No. 5 R.A.F.Recruits' Centre, West Kirby, Cheshire, has been converted into achurch. All ranks have assisted. Over the altar is a fare tapestry, the gift ofMrs. Kea-Dodson. It is hoped that the Bishop of Chester will dedicate thechurch this month. More V.R. Schools Open SEVEN more R.A.F.V.R. flying schoolshave lately opened, at Cambridge, Panshanger (Hertford), Rochester, Des-ford (Loughborough), Fairoaks (Surrey), Wolverhampton and Sywell (Northamp-ton). This brings the total number of Reserve Flying Schools up to eleven.The first four, which opened in April, were Woodley (Reading), Brough(Hull), Derby and Perth. Royal Marines and R.A.F. Regiment THE Air Ministry offers a number ofshort-service commissions in the R.A.F. Regiment to non-regular officersof the Royal Marines. Whilst serving on short-service commissions, officers willbe eligible for consideration for appoint- ment to permanent commissions. Officersreleased within the last six months may apply. Further information can beobtained from The Commandant General, Royal Marines, Queen Anne's Mansions,St. James's Park, S.W.i. Aircrew Psychological Disorders H.M. STATIONERY OFFICE pub-lishes, at 7s 6d net, a collection of .studies of representative aspects Of flyingstress in the R.A.F. during the war. The papers have been selected from numerousinvestigations on psychological disorders of air crews, undertaken during the warfor the Flying Personnel Research Com- mittee by R.A.F. consultants andspecialists in neuro-psychiatry. Of topical interest, they give the reader aview from the medical angle of the strain endured by operational air crews.Although nervous breakdowns did occur, the incidence was lower thanmight have been expected. The new book shows how measures were devisedto lighten the load and help men to carry it. Medway Towns V.R. School RECRUITING has started for theMedway Towns V.R. School. S/L. Holt is the C.F.I, and flying will startquite soon at Rochester Airport with Tiger Moths and, later, with Prenticesand Oxfords. There is accommodation for about seventy-five officers andseventy-five N.C.O.s in the mess, and an airmen's canteen will open as soon asit is required. The school is hoping to recruit about 300 pilots and in about fiveweeks' time will start enlisting naviga- tors, wireless operators and flight engi- TALE OF A TIGER : A summery scene at Woodley with A.T.C. Cadets absorbingultra-violet rays and some good counsel on the handling of the D.H. Tiger Moth. neers. The address of this School is: No. 4 Reserve Centre, Cuxton Court, Rochester. New Mosquito 'Variants WITH the announcement severalmonths ago of the Mosquito Marks 34- 35 and 36, it might reasonably havebeen supposed that this great line of air- craft would be without further issue. Afew days ago, however, the manufac- turers announced the TR Mk. 37 carrier-borne strike aircraft, the NF Mk. 38 night fighter and the TT Mk. 39 targettower. Developed to replace the Mk. 33, thefirst twin-engined aircraft to land on an aircraft carrier, the Mk. 37 differs mainlyin equipment, being fitted with British radar in place of the American A.S.V.equipment. To accommodate the new gear the nose has been enlarged and re-sembles generally that of the night fighter Mosquito. The war load remainsunaltered. With its two Rolls-Royce Merlin 25s, the Mosquito TR 37 has amaximum speed at sea level of 345 m.p.h., and at 20,000ft attains 383m.p.h. The normal still-air range with 405 gallons of fuel is I.IOO miles, withthe usual allowances for take-off and. climb. As in the case of the Mk. 37, the onlymajor difference between the Mk. 38 and the earlier Mk. 36 is in the radar instal-lation, the American Mk. X A.I. gear having been replaced by the British Mk.IX. Here the difference is less apparent externally, since the enlarge-ment of the nose is only noticeable in plan view. The cockpit enclosure hasbeen lengthened forward by some sin to allow for associated equipment to be in-stalled on the pilot's side. The difference in weight is not sufficient to affect per-formance. A new departure in Mosquito develop-ment is represented by the Mk. 39 target tower, the design and construction ofwhich were undertaken by General Air- craft, Ltd. Not only will this new Markfunction as a target tower but is designed itself to act as a target. For instance,it may be used to make dummy attacks on a ship, the A.A. gunners using liveammunition but laying their guns with a fixed error of, say, 10 deg. in azimuth,but correctly in elevation and range. The shells, therefore, should burst at thecorrect altitude and to one side, the bursts being recorded by a cameraman ina glazed position built as an extension to the nose of the aircraft. A second new crew position is pro-vided for a rearward-facing observer, who is responsible for drogue operation.The drogue is streamed from an electric winch in the bomb bay, and power forthe winch is supplied by a wind-driven generator mounted on an arm whichretracts into the bomb bay when not in use. The engines of the Mk. 39 Mosquitoare Merlin 25s with single-stage two- speed superchargers, each giving 1,610b.h.p. at take-off. ReunionsA REUNION dinner for all ranks oithe Air Disarmament staffs and formations of B-.A.F.O. (Germany) willbe held at the Connaught Rooms on July 19th. Tickets are 25s and applica-tions should be made to W/C. S. G. Walker, O.B.E., R.A.F. Station,Kemble, Glos., befoT-5 July 1st. The second dinner for officers ofReunion Association of No. 313 M.U. R.A.F. Kankinara and Cossipore, Bengal,will take place at the Midland' Hotel, Manchester, 2, at 6 p.m. (for 7) on May31st. All officers of 313 M.U. are in- vited. Tickets 13s 6d plus service.Notify N. Mills, 173, Frederick Street, Oldham, Lanes, or S/L. P. Cartridge,3/44 Cranky Gardens, London. S.W.7. » * * A reunion meeting of No. 382 (West-minster) Squadron, A.T.C., will be held on May 30th at 7 p.m. at Shelleys, Albe-marle Street, W.i, with the object of forming an association. All interestedcan oBtain particulars from A. C. Porter, 33, The Little Boltons, S.W.10.
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