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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 0942.PDF
TVIAY 26TH, T949 FLIGHT 609 m (Above) A stick of five parachutists jumping from the Dakota. (Right) SjL. Porteous gave' a convincing demonstration of the Auster fitted with the Goodyear cross-wind undercarriage. although no concrete promise had ever been made, the clubs have been encouraged in the past by the thought that eventually assistance might be forthcoming, but all hopes had now been dashed in a most casual manner. During the luncheon members of the Northamptonshire Model Aero Club displayed their models in front of the clubhouse and immediately afterwards Lord Pakenham inspected a guard of honour provided by the Northampton- shire Unit of the Air Training Corps and declared the display open. The first "event' was not on the pro- gramme and fortunately had no disastrous consequences. A visiting aircraft, after an initial attempt at landing, appeared to be about to go round again when its starboard wing dug into the ground and the aircraft slid to an abrupt standstill between a hangar and a committee tent. The occupants climbed from the machine unhurt and the atten- tion of the crowd was soon diverted by three Tiger Moths of No 6 Reserve School, R.A.F.V.R.* Sywell, taking off in vie formation. They changed to echelon to port, to line astern and then back to a neat vie to land. S/L. Porteous maintained his usual high standard of aerobatics with the Miles M.18. He started with a series of three rolls which alone demonstrated the capabilities of his bright red, highly manoeuvrable, little monoplane. He then stall-turned, looped, half-looped off a half-roll and then rolled off the top of a loop. In the meantime, Mr. Jerry Smith of the Lancashire and Derbyshire Gliding Club was preparing to be towed-off in an Olympia sailplane. Unfortunately, the cable slipped and the towing Auster made a circuit without its charge. The next attempt was successful, but the delay had upset the timing of events, and from this the display never fully recovered. While the Olympia was towed to 2,500ft, Capt. "Timber" Wood, chief test pilot of the General Aircraft Co., demonstrated the aerobatic and single-engined capabilities of a Mosquito which had been rebuilt by Brooklands Aviation, Ltd., in their factory at Sywell. Gliding displays are always a welcome feature in a pro- gramme consisting mainly of powered-fiight events, and Mr. Smith's Olympia was put through a polished and well- timed display of silent aerobatics which finished with a dive and low-level flight across the airfield before a zoom and turn to land in front of the public enclosure. Spitfires of No. 504 (County of Nottingham) Squadron, K-Aux.A.F., under the command of S/L. J. M. Birkin, D-S.O., D.F.C., A.F.C., which had been standing-off during the glider display, then flew in from the west in vie formation with one in the box. After further runs in Hne abreast, and in line astern stepped down, they broke up to perform individual rolls, loops and other aerobatics so far as the limited visibility would allow. The Cierva Skeeter was then started up and Mr. H. A. Marsh, the company's test pilot, proceeded to flying hither and thither, forwards and backwards and to pirouette gaily in the centre of the airfield. When his time was finished he had no trouble in " landing-on " the trailer. An even more con- vincing display of precision helicoptering was given later in the programme, when he plucked a smallish ring from a tripod on the ground by means of a hook on the nose of the Skeeter. During that manoeuvre we could see through the transparent nose the very fine touch necessary for control. The promise of a Vampire team from No. 605 (County of Warwickshire) Squadron, R.Aux.A.F., had everyone on his toes, but after a wait of some 15 to 20 minutes the best that could be done were three slow runs across the airfield at about 300 to 400ft in vie formation, so misty were the conditions. The Auster fitted with the Goodyear cross-wind undercarriage had been on demonstration to a Government mission at Ypenburg, Holland ; it was recalled for this display and landed in time for S/L. Porteous to demonstrate some incredible manoeuvres on the ground. Parachute dropping by members of No. 1 Parachute and Glider Training School, Upper Heyford, provided one or the most interesting spectacles of the afternoon. After the usual ground preparations a Dakota made runs across the airfield and dropped four sticks of five parachutists. One felt that this event, interesting though it was, could have been perhaps a little more lively with the introduction of mock war hazards. The display ended on a note of ab- surdity by members of the flying club, who played with a jet helicopter of their own weird design.
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