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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 1087.PDF
3RD. I947 FLIGHT TO YOU : The tanke:Lancaster photographed from the receiver aircraft during thetransfer of 1.750 gallons of fuel to the receiver's main and bombbay tanks. Flight Refuelling from the Pass- enger's Point of View: South Atlantic Crossings in Less than Twenty Hours Bermuda Non-stop By E. W. YOUNG IT may be recalled that the technique of refuelling anaircraft in the air was reviewed very thoroughly inFlight some twu years ago and the mechanics of the procedure will now be familiar to most readers; therefore, it is not intended in this account to go too deeply into that side of the question, but to look into the process from the passenger's point of view. It was with this idea in mind, and to gain first-hand knowledge, that I travelled as a passenger on service F.W.4—the fourth non-stop London to Bermuda flight in the present series of trials over the South Atlantic route. Before describing this, however, a brief account is called for of the history of this method of refuelling. About fifteen years ago the idea of refuelling an aircraft whilst it was in the air first came under consideration. In those days it was tried out mainly as a " stunt," but later its commercial and military potentialities were realized and a serious study of the subject was undertaken. The idea was slow to find support and it seemed that something always occurred to delay its fulfilment as a practical routine procedure. Perhaps the biggest step forward was made just before the war when Imperial Airways operated their "C" class flying-boats on a North Atlantic experi- mental service and made use of flight refuelling soon after take-off. These experiments were unfortunately stopped by the outbreak of war, and further plans had to be shelved. Flight refuelling was reconsidered during the wai against Japan, when an order was placed for several hundred tanker Lancasters and receiver Lincolns, but this time the appearance of the atom bomb put paid to what might have been a comprehensive try-out of flight refuel ling in operation under war conditions. Post-War Developments As soon as the war ended, however, those who had faith in the "new" project saw in it a means of using our " stop-gap " civil aircraft on long distance routes, and last winter B.S.A.A. crews started regular flying trials on three days a week, taking off from London Airport on specially equipped Lancastrians which were refuelled in flight by tanker Lancasters at various rendezvous almost regardless of weather. Those trials proved what was not then a certainty — that the f'V^sa: operation could be carried out under near- ly all conditions. Even so, this did not entirely satisfy A.R.B. and the f • -•* Ministry of Supply, who demanded further RESTING : The receiverLancaster at Kindley Field, Bermuda, aftercompleting its 3,860-mile non-stop flight via theAzores. Kindley Field is operated by the Ameri-cans on a ninety-nine year lease under a lease-lend agreement.
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