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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 1058.PDF
6l2 FLIGHT JUNE 26TH, 1947 CORRESPONDENCE given fellows stationed there. I would add that Shell's service was astonishing throughout and beyond praise. We were forced to land at Tororo (Uganda) through loss of power owing to plugs getting dirty. It is a two-strip airfield, 1,500-1,350 yd, 4,000ft above sea level. No fuel is available, but there is an excellent hotel and a friendly reception. Shell send a car the 100 miles from Kisumu with sufficient supplies. I chose the route down the Portuguese East African coast for three reasons: (1) You cannot get lost following a coast line; (2) sea-Jevel take-offs; (3) better weather. I am glad I did, for at that time Central Africa was having particularly bad weather. The airfields are good; there was considerable hospitality and, half a mile out to sea, flying conditions were bump-free all day. I would recommend any amateur, such as myself, to go by that route, and I have sent details of each airfield to the R.Ae.C, Shell and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. If my plans continue as I hope I expect to be wandering home in July-August by a similar route. P. S. FOSS. PRIVATE CEYLON AIRLINE In the Pre-Beechcraft DaysF URTHER to B. J. Hurren's article in your June 12th edition, in which he makes reference to Neville Stack's "private" airline in Ceylon, I thought a little:more informa- tion on this might be of interest to many of your readers. The R.N. communication flight started at the beginning of 1943 with an ancient Swordfish flying twice a week from Katakurunda via Colombo (Race Course) and Puttalam to CoUnbatore in Southern India. This flight was later based at Puttalam and very soon ran a daily service from Colombo to Coimbatore and Cochin with a connecting link across Ceylon to China Bay. When the old grass airfield at China Bay was rendered u/s by monsoon rain, this link was flown by a Walrus which put down in Trincomalee harbour. No radio operators, radio sets or navigators could be carried as all the available pay-load was urgently required. The Swordfish were modified to carry three passengers and often sacks of goods were tied on the wings and such things as motor bicycles, etc., strapped between the undercarriage legs. Such was the " Stringbag " that we had no casualties. A word of praise is due to the pilots, mostly young New Zealand Sub. Lieuts. from 1st line squadrons who had been stopped from proceeding home- on leave, and who cheerfully undertook their new duties flying in all types of weather with no navigational or radio aids. By December, 1943, this little band of enthusiasts had been running the " airline " for a year with pld Swordfish assisted by one Fulmar for V.I.P.s. It was not until this time that a fleet of American Beechcraft and Neville Stack arrived to take over. No letter on this subject would be complete without remem- bering a very old and weary R.A.F. Anson " The Lanka Belle " which plodded round Ceylon for several years and was the only alternative Service air transport. Finally we must remember the " erks " who cheerfully, in intense jungle heat or monsoon rain, kept the outfit going. LESLIE GILBERT. A.T.C. DECLINEA Sergeant's View of the Present Troubles THE R.A.F.V.R. and the U.A.S. have been revived; butwhat of the A.T.C,? The Corps is dwindling away and nothing is done to remedy the decline. An A.V.-M. once told a group of cadets that the R.A.F. wanted at least 100,000 active boys in the A.T.C. At the present time I doubt if there are 25,000, and this pitifully^ small number is receiving only about one-third as much in-1 struction as it would have done in 1943. The position is ^ steadily worsening, as recruits are simply just not forthcoming, and at the same time cadets are leaving for the Services. Most A.T.C. cadets are more than lucky if they get ten minutes' flying a year, and that in a crate as steady as a rock. Besides, cadets get rather tired of getting to a 'drome (no. transport) and then being told, after stooging around for a couple of hours, "sorry, no aircraft available." This is what often happens, although arrangements had been made weeks before for the flight and the cadets are losing wages to be there. : ' Similar things occui with other A.T.C. activities. Units; are being promised radio sets, and one squadron received theirs' a few months ago. The transmitter turned out to be from a flying bomb (V-i) in pieces and with about 250 per cent spares, no details of the German marking codes, and a wiring diagram of a two-valve set for which the parts could rrot possibly be used! .••.••; I have spoken to many cadets and the following are their main grotrSes: not enough flying; uniform neither smart nor comfortable; too much bookwork; too many broken promises. Efforts to remedy the decline of the A.T.C. by the local committees have failed miserably in all parts of England. Nevertheless, I am convinced that if the Air Ministry took the trouble, the Corps could be re-established on a sound foot- ing within three months, and unless this is done the A.T.C. will cease to exist in a very short while. I would like to point out that the large majority of A.T.C. officers do everything in their power to get the best possible ' training, equipment, etc., for their cadets, but, unfortunately, they have not a free hand on the most important matters. Sgt. SEC, A.T.C. BOOK REVIEWS Peirol-Engined Model Aircraft (including some notes on Diesels). By C. E. Bowden. Percival Marshall and Co., Ltd. js 6d net.A S G/C. Pelly-Fry remarks in his foreword to this most instructive work, super-charged with the lore born of long experience, there is evidence that the petrol model aircraft has begun to return after its enforced wartime disappearance. No one is better qualified than Lt. Col. Bowden to pronounce on petrol-driven models and his intimate survey of the field is as readable as his " tips" are practical. Aircraft Engines (Volume II), by A, W. Judge. 36s. Chapman &• Hall. X/OLUME ONE of Aircraft Engines deals chiefly with theory V and experiment, and Volume Two, first published in 1941, with detailed description of engines and their components and systems. A second edition of this last-named work of refer- ence has now been printed, and it contains a long new chapter on "Recent Developments and Future Trends," intended to bring the book up-to-date to the end of 1946. The introduction of the subject of gas turbines for the first time by no more than a cross-heading and the discussion and dismissal of most of the existing types of turbine power units all in a dozen pages of a 500-page book, seems, to say the least of it, disproportionate. The author, however, devotes some pages to the possible layouts of huge piston engines giving up to 10,000 h.p. and may, therefore, have more belief in the future of such units than we have. Water injection was suggested and tried on automobiles in this country at least twenty years ago. In view of the reluct- ance of British manufacturers until the last year or so to adopt water / methanol injection on high-powered aircraft engines, some credit might have been given to the American designers who have done so much development work on liquid injection during the last ten years. The author quotes several examples of German engines equipped with what he calls this '' inno- vation." FORTHCOMING EVENTS. June 28th.—South Coast Flying Club : Tea patrol, Shoreham Airport. June 28th and 29th.—Luton Flying Club: Summer meeting, display and competitions. June 28th to 30th.—Aero Club of Le Puy en Velay : Rallye Lafayette. June 29th.—Auster Flying Club: Annual air rally. Rearsby airfield, Leicester. July 2nd to 23rd.—Air League of British Empire: Blackpool (Squires Gate) Flying displays with R.A.F. support on 9th, 16th and 23 rd. July 3rd to 13th.—Soaring Contest for Swedish National Championship, Orebro, Sweden. July 4th to 20th.—Brussels International Aero Show. July 6th.—Gloucester Hying Club : At Home and flying display, Staverton airfield. July 12th to 14th.—Deauville International Air Rally. July 13th.—Royal Aero Club of Belgium : International flying meeting at Liege. July 19th to 21st.—International Air Rally at Knocke Le Zoute. July 20th.—Prague : International air display. July 20th.—Northern Heights Model Flying Club : Gala day at Langley airfield, Bucks. July 26th and 27th.—United Services Flying Club : Air display and air rally. Elstree airfield, Herts. July 30th to August 9th.—Aero Club of Switzerland : International gliding contest. Samaden in the Engadine. Aug. 1st.—Start of Belgian " Aerial Fortnight," Le Zoute. Aug. 2nd and 3rd.—Aero Club de Versailles : St. Cyr air rally.
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