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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 1241.PDF
JULY 31st, 1947 FLIGHT 101 Ths Sea Hornet XX above) had the new dorsal fin. This was the most modern aircraft aboard " Illustrious." (Below) Divisions on the flight deck during the Royal inspection. Illustrious in the Seafang prior to trials with this Naval development of the Spiteful. Future commitments on the Illustrious are likely to include trials with the latest Sea Vampire equipped with interconnected throttle ancTflaps, and with the Wyvern, Firecrest, and the two-seat night fighter version of the Sea Hornet (N.F.21). In parallel with the testing of ground equipment, radar, etc., some exploratory work has been undertaken with the photo- graphy, on 16mm film, of deck landings, with the "bats- man" (deck-landing control officer) shown in each picture. Within an hour, while the landings are still fresh in the minds of both pilot and batsman, the films can be dis- cussed and their potential training value assessed. Because of the present shortage of carriers (H.M.S. Implacable, the Training Carrier, being in dock) Illustrious has been undertaking a certain amount of deck landing training. For this purpose pupils from the Deck Landing Training School at Milltown, near Lossie- mouth, are taken aboard, and having com- pleted eight satisfactory landings-on, are passed as proficient. Firefly Is and Sea fire Ills are used and are flown aboard by instructors from Milltown. During this type of training crashes are compara lively frequent, providing ample oppor tunity for new types of crash trollies and other safety gear to be proved. Most accidents result from the pupil floating over the arrester wires into the barrier or making too heavy a landing. Occasion- ally, of course, a man will go over the side. H.M.S. "Vengeance" Pilots from Milltown have also been training in H.M.S. Vengeance, which was visited by the Royal party on July 23rd. In the ship's Air Intelligence Room we learned something of her work. During 1945 she was in the Pacific but arrived too late to undertake any operations against the Japanese other than sending her aircraft on photographic sorties over ' Burma. After a period of ferrying air craft and personnel she returned last year to Plymouth for a refit. Commissioned again she served as a training carrier until at the beginning of July, having em barked the Seafire XVIIs of No. 807 Squadron, she sailed for Norway with the First Sea Lord, calling at Oslo, Kristian- sund, Bergen, Trondhjem and Tromso. A Sea Otter had been embarked to supple- ment the ship's own A.S.R. machine and in these two amphibia, piloted by Lt.-Cdr. J. H. Stenning, R.N. and Lt. (A) R. J. Thurstan, R.N.V.R., King Hakon and his staff flew up to Hammerfest, the northern most town in Europe. After leaving the Clyde, Vengeance was due to take part in Fleet exercises in which the Seafires of No. 807 Squadron were to operate against attacking shore- based aircraft, and after a spell in dock; at Portsmouth she will sail for the Far East, bearing No. 15 Carrier Air Group. This Group is commanded b\ Lt.-Cdr. McWhirter, D.S.C., and comprises 12 Sea- fire XVs of No. 802 Squadron (Lt-Cdr. Hordern, D.S.C.) and 12 Firefly Is of 814 Squadron (Lt.-Cdr. Swanton, D.S.C.) By the time this is read the Fleet Exer- cises should have 'taken place. They were to last, four daj^s and jet aircratt of Fighter Command were to be used for the fir^t time. No. 19 Group, Coastal Com- mand, had been detailed to locate the Fleet, which would thereupon be attacked by a combined Bomber and Coastal force. PRELUDE TO GLORY NEXT week's issue of Flight will contain the first of threeexcerpts from a new book, Prelude to Glory, to be pub- lished shortly by Sampson Low, The story of the creation of Britain's Parachute Forces and their share in the war has never hitherto been told. No one is better able to present the whole romantic story than G/C. Maurice Newnham, O.B.E., D.F.C., who commanded the Parachute School at Ringway.* He writes intimately with an apt pen and the reader's interest is continuously held. Along- side praise for a select few in high authority, the author does not hesitate to show how incompetent flying and sheer "bumbledom" were the frequent causes ot many brave men losing their lives. By special arrangement with the author and publishers, Fiight will publish three typical chapters in serial form, together with a selection of the many photographs with which Prelude to Glory is illustrated.
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