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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0479.PDF
APRIL 15TH, 1948 FLIGHT 401 Immaculate Firefly IVs await delivery to Service units. In the foreground are Lt. (A) D. D. Peacocke, Royal Canadian Navy, S,L. 1. 0. Matbews, D.S.O., D.F.C., G C. R. Gordon Slads, and Lt. Peter Twiss, D.S.C. Activity at thi /* Illustrated by " Flight " Photographs 'remises ANY times a month—up to twenty^!special low-loaders pull out of the main Fairey plant at Hayes in Middlesex and head for White Waltham, south-west of Maidenhead. At the Fairey hangars on this airfield they discharge their load of Firefly assemblies, comprising the fuselage (with centre section and engine, and with undercarriage retracted), the mainplanes, and tail unit. Preliminary checks having been completed on hydraulic. radiator, and fuel systems, and on the wire lessjpnd electrical installations, the Griffon engine of each Firefly is run up and the air craft is passed out for flight testing. Having been initially flown in the yellow primer coat, without the " radome" or auxiliary fuel tank in place, the machine is then" normally delivered to Heston, where Faireys retain a pied a terre, to be camouflaged in the latest Naval colours—light-grey fuselage sides and vertical surfaces, and dark-green horizontal surfaces and decking. Only a few machines are painted at White Waltham. At Heston the under-wing appendages are installed, and in its final state each aircraft is flown again at White Waltham to check the fuel system for the auxiliary tank before leliverytothe Royal "undergoing productioa testing are OperationalTrainers from Fairey's Ringway works at Manchester; these are destined for the Royal Navy or foreign governments.The British machines are Mk. Is, with the Griffon II or XII engine, and are rebuilt at Ringway from Mk. I airframesas these arrive for major overhaul or repair. The first few Trainers for the Royal Navy are intended solely forflying training and no armament is fitted, but the fully- equipped Operational Trainers of later production have two Navy, Royal Cana-dian Navy or Royal Netherlands Navy. Often mingledwith the fighter- reconnaissance Fire- fin experimental flame damper developed by Fairey. Peter Twis; is seen before taking- off to "get in hours " on this unit.
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