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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 1481.PDF
SEPTEMBER O,TH, 1948 FLIGHT Royal Air Force and Naval Aviation News and Announcements SERVICE AppoiDintment AN Air Ministry announcement statesthat G/C E". W. Towsey, O.B.E., has been appointed Command DefenceOfficer, R.A.F. Mediterranean and Middle East Command, with the acting rank ofAir Commodore. A. Cdre. Towsey was for 30 years a regular Army officer, andwas appointed to a permanent commis- sion in the R.A.F. Regiment last June. R.A.F. Stations at HomeP ART of the celebrations commemor-ating the eighth anniversary of the Battle of Britain will be the opening to "the public on Saturday, September 18th,of 82 R.A.F. stations—ten more than s last year. Due to the demands madeby the Berlin air-lift, Transport Com- mand will be able to open only fourstations, compared with ten in 1947. Admission to all stations will be free,but Air Force charities will benefit from car park charges and collecting box pro-ceeds. It is intended that the public be given every opportunity to see at closequarters how the R.A.F. works, lives - and plays.Ambitious programmes are planned for all the stations, and most will stageflying displays. These displays will be far more varied than in previous years;at R.A.F. Beaulieu, Brockenhurst, for example, the S.R./Ai, Nene-Viking andAmbassador will be among the visiting aircraft, and it is hoped to stage a high-speed ejection in a Martin-Baker seat from a Meteor. Parachute-dropping andglider-towing by the Hastings and Valetta are included in the unit events.There will be a very comprehensive static exhibition at No. 20 M.U., AstonDown, apart from a flying programme of 15 events, including formation aero-batics by Spitfires, and demonstrations by the Meteor, Vampire, Tempest,Hastings and Lincoln. A list follows of all the stations open on September 18th: R.A.F. Station DyceEdzell Aldergrove (Belfast)Cardington (Bedford) Heniow (Hitchin)Abicgdon (Oxford) Booker [Bomber Command H.Q.will hold their " At Home " here) Haitoc (Ayksbury)Sealand (Chester) St. Eval (Newquay)Kirkbride, Stfloth Mount Batten (Plymouth) CountyAbe rdeenshi re AngusAntrim, N. Ireland Bedfordshire Berkshire Buckinghamshire.. SPITS AND DROGUES: Pilots of No. 6// (West Lancashire) Squadron, R. Aux. A.F., scrutinize a target used in air firing exercises from Tangmere. Cheshire ...Cornwall ... CumberlandDevonshire County R.A.F. StationDumfriesshire ... Dumfries Essex Debden (R.A.F. Empire RadioSchool) (Saffron Wahten) Fifesfaire ... ... Leuchars (Dundee)Glamorganshire ... St. Athan (Cardiff) Gloucestershire ... Filton, Little Rissington (Chel-tenham) Aston Down, South Cerney(Cirencester) Hampshire ... Calshot (Southampton), Odiham(Basingstoke), Thorney Island (Portsmouth), Middle Wallop(Bournemouth.), BeauUeu Hertfordshire ... BassingbournHuntingdonshire... Upwood (Peterborough), Wyton (Huntingdon)Kent „. ... West Mailing (Maklstone), Man- : ston, Biggin HU1, Hawkinge. " .-••' . ' : (The W.A.A.F. Depot) (Folke- stone)Lancashire ... Ringway, Woodvale, Kirkham (Preston), Weeton (Blackpool)Lincolnshire " ... Cranwell (The R.A.F. College) (Sleaford), Manby (The EmpireAir Armament School) (Louth), Binbrook (Grimsby), Conings-by (Boston), Hemswell, Wad- dington (Lincoln)London ... ... Hendon Midlothian ... TurnhouseMorayshire ... Kirdoss (Elgin) Norfolk Horsham St. Faith (Norwich),Feltwell (Thetford), Swanton Morley (Watton)Northampton ... Wittering (Stamford) Northumberland... Acklington (Newcastle-on-Tyne),Ouston Nottinghamshire ... Syerston (Newark)Oxfordshire ... Benson (Reading) Pembrokeshire ... Pembroke DockRutland Cottesmore Shropshire ... Ternhill (Newcastle-under-Lyme)Shawbury (The Empire Air Navigation School) (Shrews-bury) Somerset Locking (Weston-super-Mare)StaffoHtehire ... Cosford (Wolverhampton), Lich- neldSuffolk Stradishall, Felixstowe Warwickshire ... Castle BromwichWorcestershire ... Defford Wigtownshire ... Wig BayWiltshire ... ... Melksham, Colerne, Compton Bassett (Calne), Hullavington The Empire Flying School) Yorkshire... ... Church Fenton (Leeds), Linton-on-Ouse (York), Lindholme, Thornaby, Finningley (Don-caster), Topcliffe, Driffield (Bridlington), Middleton St.George, Leconfield (Hull), Cattericlt (Richmond) Stepping Up the Qood WorkD URING the first half of this year the R.A.F. Benevolent Fund assisted needy ex-members of the R.A.F. and W.A.A.F. at a greater cost than ever before. The total sum dispersed was £295,735, an increase of eleven per centon last year's rate. More than half of the 15,261 cases aided were new ones. R.A.A.F. Renaissance AUSTRALIA'S Minister for Air and•**• Civil Aviation, Mr. A. S. Drakeford, said recently in Melbourne that theR.A.A.F. was now on its way up again after touching the bottom. He statedthat new fighter squadrons would begin to function in October. Shortage in Signals Trades '"THE R.A.F. is anxious to recruit-*• large numbers of men for training as radar or wireless fitters. The Berlin air-lift has placed an increased strain on the already under-manned signals organiza-tion. The work should appeal to any young man interested in wireless. Re-cruits may be selected for the trade of wireless fitter, entailing a 41-week courseat No. 2 Radio School, Yatesbury, OT for the slightly longer period of trainingas a radar fitter (air) or radar fitter (ground). These are all Group A trades,offering chances of promotion to warrant officer rank, while for those who are un-suitable for training as fitters there are the Group B trades of air wirelessmechanic, ground wireless mechanic, air radar mechanic and ground radar mech-anic. Opportunities in Group B trades are more limited but facilities will bemade later for a Group A conversion course. Trainees at Radio Schools may becomestudent members of the R.A.TVs own Amateur Radio Society, which iaaffiliated to the Incorporated Radio Society of Great Britain. R.A.F.V.R. Entry Conditions Relaxed '"PHE upper age limit and the qualifica-i tions required of aircrew candidates entering the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserveare to be relaxed in special cases. Ex-service aircrew who qualified fortheir flying badges may be accepted up to the age of 38 for a normal engage-ment of five years but this age liit
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