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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 1609.PDF
SEPTEMBER 30TH, 1948 *•*» The B.S.A.A. Tudor I, a small group of R.A.F. Yorks, and a Flight Refuelling Lancastrian at Gatow. The tarmac is mysteriously depopulated. table, and this consideration, together with the worseningweather, may soon render impracticable the use of Frankfurt. Our next business at Gatow was to form a picture of theCivil Air Lift. The first intimation received by Mr. Whitfield of the planfor augmenting the military "Operation Plain Fare" was advice, on Sunday, August 1st, that civilian charter aircraftmight be sent out under his control. The following day, more details arrived; B.E.A. representatives were despatched tomake preliminary arrangements, and on Wednesday the first aircraft landed. The civil lift started in earnest on August5th, the fleet at that time consisting of nine Dakotas (from Air Contractors, Air Transport (Jersey), Ltd., WestminsterAirways, Kearsley Airways, Scottish Aviation, and Trent Val- ley Aviation), a Hythe (Aquila Airways), a Liberator (ScottishAviation) and a Halton (Bond's Air Services). Meanwhile, since July 27th, Flight Refuelling had been operating uudeiseparate contract three Lancastrians from Buckeburg, carrying M.T. petrol. On August 31st, this company joined the CivilAir Lift for operational and administrative purposes. CIVIL CIRCUS Things went amazingly well, and by September 21st, thecivil fleet (sometimes known by the R.A.F. as " Whitfield's Circus) had doubled in size. Ciro's Aviation and the BritishNederlands Co. contributed Dakotas; Silver City sent two Way- farers ; and Haltons arrived from Skyflights, Bond's Air Servicesand Eagle Aviation, together with a. Tudor of Airflights, a second Hythe and a Viking of Transworld Air ("barter. The Dakotas operated between August5th and 26th from Fassberg and during this period carried coal, but since havingmoved to Liibeck, on August 27th, their load has been flour. From Buckeburg,the Flight Refuelling Lancastrians trans- ferred to Wunstorf, from which base theHaltons were already carrying flour and an occasional load of coal. The Hythesare operating on the Finkerwerder-Lake Harvel run, bearing food and miscel-laneous loads, while the Wayfarers from Wunstorf are handling similar cargoes.The following figures for the '' civil lift '' speak for themselves and reflect the high-est credit on the personnel and machines involved: Sorties: Dakota 1,01 r, Halton172, Liberator 15, Hythe 140, Lancastrian 329, Tudor 49, Wayfarer 32, Viking 9.(Total 1,757). Tonnage uplifted: 7,109.8 tons of petrol, food, flour and miscellaneous cargo. Not the least gratifying aspects of the operations have beenthe severance of red tape, the reduction of paper work and the recognition of gentlemen's agreements. Though the charterfirms are responsible for bringing their own spares to Germany occasions arise when B.E.A. are requested to supply a part.Should this be available it is handed over; if lacking, the R.A.F. is approached; and, as a last resort, the item is flownin by the first available aircraft. Mr. G. A. C. H. Foster, who, with Messrs. K. J. Mathie-son, J. Herbert and C. Colman, is responsible at Gatow for B.E.A. air lift liaison, related for us the story of A.V-M. Captain Gordon Store, who is operating a B.S.A.A. Tudor I on the Civil Air Lift. Bennett's Tudor II which arrived from Heathrow with anexhaust stub on one engine sprung open by heat. The time was 9 a.m. Five hours from touch-down the Tudor was inthe air again with some first-class R.A.F. craftsmanship con- trolling the fiery exhalations of the Merlin. Nor is the Service/civilian co-operation restricted to sparesand running repairs, as witness the following: On hearing that civil Dakotas were to be based at Fassberg, Mr. Whitfieldrang up to request a hangar for maintenance. Next morning, arriving at Fassberg, he was approached by a corporal witha request to sign below the entry " Hangars, one." Any number of anecdotes were forthcoming concerning thecharter crews, who are working themselves and their machines to the utmost of their endurance. One heard, for instance,of Captain Treen, of Bond's Air Services, who did six return trips in a Halton in 26 hours; of Dakota G-AKDT, ofKearslej' Airways, which arrived at Fassberg from the Fur East at 1800 hrs one evening, took off at 2116 hrs and did areturn trip to 'Gatow ; and of how an Air Vice-Marshal and Chief Executive—Doi\ Bennett by name—rolled up his sleevesand got down to it with the chaps. (The A.V-M. had, regret- tably, returned to England before we arrived, for a "major"on his Tudor II). The deeds of the men are certainly matched by those of th.emachines. To facilitate loading, standardized cargoes have been agreed—7,500 lb for the Dakota (with special A.R.B.dispensation); Hythe, 11,5921b; Liberator, 14,6001b; Halton, 14,112 1b; Lancastrian, 10,800 lb (made up of 1,500 gallonsof petrol; the capacity, of course, is greater but the aircraft is restricted by runway); Tudor II, over 20,000 lb; Wayfarer,7,400 lb. In the present scheme of things a short turn-round time is vital—some 12 minutes for a Dakota ("record," 10minutes); Tudor, ^^ minutes; Wayfarer, 23 minutes; (Freighters with nose doors, are an urgent need); Halton 14 to20 minutes; Flight Refuelling Lancastrian, 21 minutes. All this we learned before adjourning late to the compara-tive peace of the Country Club, formerly the residence of Marshal of the Royal Air Force, Lord Douglas.Thursday, September 23rd: Throughout last night the drone and roar of engines per-sisted as cargoes of food came swiftly out of the darkness. Each York sounded like a flight of Mosquitoes, breaking ourbadly needed sleep, but the morning was fair consolation foi a restless night, and as we drove on to Gatow airfield the sunglinted on the fuselage of a Tudor—a newcomer unexpected even by Mr. Whitfield. Inspection showed it to be a Tudor I -of B.S.A.A., just arrived with 20,600 lb of bean flour. We soon sought out Captain Gordon Store, Chief Pilot of B.S.A.A.,who said his machine—G-AGRJ—was one of three Mk I Tudors used by B.O.A.C. for training and now turned over toB.S.A.A. From the Tudor we walked over to meet G/C. B. Yarde,Station Commander, R.A.F. Gatow, and W/C. T. W. Piper, Wing Commander, Flying. The group captain was emphaticthat, notwithstanding its amazing effort, Gatow is not work- ing nearly up to capacity. More and bigger aircraft areneeded, and the Hastings, for which crews are training in England, will be a godsend. Due consideration we wereassured, has been given to free dropping and the employ- ment of towed gliders. (To be continued) <•
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