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Aviation History
1947
1947 - 1693.PDF
OCTOBER 2ND, 1947 FLIGHT Prizes for the concours d'el&gance were presented by Mrs. W. £. Butiin. On the right is the winning American Navion entered by Mrs. Ackerman. (Above) Flight's representative is congratulated on the good looks of the Chipmunk. (Top right) Col. Price-White, M.P., who per- formed the opening ceremony. lay almost over the top of Ely Cathedralwhich looked as fine from the air as it does from the ground. Many of the well-known bomber stations were seen below. Most of them are deserted and some arenow under the plough and recognizable only by their runways '•> and buildings. Marham Marham is a tine station with very long, wide runways ofthe latest type. Like many of the other stations its flying pro- gramme was part local and part by arrangement at Commandlevel. During the afternoon, formations of Meteors, Lincolns (from Marham) and other operational types flew over a numberof stations as part of a training exercise and, in between times, the home squadron or individual pilots gave displays. Ofspecial interest was an attack on a set piece marked by a Mos- R.A.F. stations which were typical of the 70 which were "at home " to the public on Saturday, September 20th. (Top) Central bomber Establishment at Marham, which provided in particular a flight of Lincolns, and (below) the Chipmunk at Cranwell, home of the Royal Air Force College. quito using the dive-bombing technique. The pilot, S/L.C. B: Owen, D.S.O., D.F.C., was one who helped to develop this method of night marking during the war. By this timethe Chipmunk had inspired me witli sufficient confidence to accept an invitation to put it through its paces as an additionalitem on Marham's programme. Joy-riding (in a Rapide and a Proctor in this instance) was also a popular sideline at most"at home" stations. Cranwell From Marham we flew to Cranwell. I know of no moreimposing building than the Royal Air Force College, and on this Saturday afternoon it was looking its best. The Chip-munk received a somewhat puzzling receptibn on the circuit. Coloured Very lights giving all known signals were followedby smoke puffs and rockets bursting beside us. We com- pleted three circuits while deciding which of the two fieldsto land on and whether in fact we were being warned oil or were witnessing a pyrotechnic display. Cranwell's flying programme included dive-bombing byHarvards. a fly-past by a Meteor III and glider aerobatics. German aircraft were also exhibited in one of the hangars,and a water polo match, P.T. display and flying by model aircraft provided additional entertainment.Allowing comfortable time, to reach Pwllheli (one gets by with a noise spelt Pworthelly) before-dark we set coursewestwards after the CranwelF flying programme had ended. The Chipmunk continued to fly faultlessly, unperturbed bya second removal of passengei and luggage to permit a few minutes' strenuous aerobatics at Cranwell. My passenger One of the special exhibits at Henlow was the Sopwith Pup., which contrasted with the last-war fighters and bombers and the post-war Chipmunk in the foreground. This station will soon devote its energies entirely to technical ground training.
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