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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 1609.PDF
FLIGHT, 22 September 1949 573 Part of the fly-past : Tight formation flying by the B.A.F.O. Mosquitoes, seen from the tail of the formation of seven. Mosquito 36 night fighters, in three groups of six, drawnfrom West Mailing squadrons. We had just taken off lrom the station, at 1506 hr, in the last Mosquito tobecome airborne—a Mk. 6 fighter-bomber which, like the six others in our formation, belonged to a famous B.A.F.O.squadron, commanded by W/C. B. Everton-Jones, and had come from Wahn to West Mailing to take part in the fly-past.Our pilot was a Canadian, F/L. E. Holmes. ft was soon evident that conditions were little, if any, betterthan during the morning, with " cu and cu-nim " in abund- ance on the route to Norfolk, where we were to meet otherMosquitos from Coltishall, before about-turning to follow the East Anglian coastline to Southend—the communal rendez-vous for all formations. By 1515 hr, we had joined the other West Mailing "Mossies," but those from Colfishall had beendiverted, and further union was denied our formation. In fact, it came nearer to an unplanned meeting with the 24southbound Lancasters which passed across, and slightly below, our path at 1545 hr. The Southend leg was made overland,via Cambridge and a patch of ten-tenths cloud, and we sighted no other "fliers-past." Just before 1630 hr we turned up the Thames Estuary andmade the run over London at 1500ft and a steady 2iokt (it should have been 210 m.p.h., but we were a minute late). Anofficial Whitehall flare guided the formations over the capital, where the haze was intense. Before touching down at West Mailing, i\ hr after take-ofi,the formation put in its scheduled appearances over Watford, I.uton, Saffron Walden and Colchester, all without incident. So far as Saturday's proceedings were concerned, it wouldbe appropriate to choose a "typical" station and describe its display in detail—were it not for the fact that no onestation was typical: each put on an individual show with emphasis on its special activities, and the touring aerobatictormations provided the only common theme. At some there was much aerial activity ; at others comparatively little. At Hendon, for example, the shades of Siskins, Gamecocks,Bulldogs and the rest of the "old brigade" which doubtless haunt the local sky must have been mystified by the paucityof the flying spectacle, but visitors—those at least who had read their programmes—were aware that this was due to thebuilt-up surroundings and limited landing area which prohibit the attendance of the larger and faster types of Service air-craft. Accordingly everyone set about enjoying to the full an all-embracing static show and an aircraft park of unusualinterest in numbering among its inmates a warranted-genuine Wadiator four-gun biplane. Here, indeed, was a mementoof Hendon's past glories, and one, moreover, which could be 'iirectly compared with a nearby Vampire. Though small in scale, the flying programme boasted oneattraction—a Vampire aerobatic flight from Odiham—which many larger and busier airfields might well have envied.Never was the artistry of the Vampires' performance more appre- ciated . Meteors, Yorks, Spitfires, Mosquitoes, ten standardUncolns and a Theseus-Lincoln, which showed themselves briefly and went their various ways, assisted Hendon-basedaircraft of less imposing aspect to remind visitors that the R.A.F. is a flying Service; but though more noise and thrills The instructors at the Central Flying School write their unit'sinitials against a b!ue-and-white background. would have been welcomed, everyone seemed benignly happyand truly appreciative of an afternoon's enjoyment at the small but still useful airfield so warmly regarded by allLondoners. And now to move farther afield and "drop in," as Flightdid, to see what was happening elsewhere. Benson, base for all the R.A.F. Photographic Squadronsand, of course, the King's Flight, attracted many thousands of people in spite of the distance from Reading, to which townit was " affiliated " for the Day. A fine "static" and more than sixteen flying events were in the well-varied programme.Particularly outstanding were the formation aerobatics of three Vampires of 72 Squadron, led by S/L. Kingaby. Formationsof Meteors (92 Squadron), Yorks from Bassingbourne, Lincolns of 100 and 101 Squadrons, B-50S (43 Strategic BombardmentSquadron, U.S.A.F.) alternated with displays by local Anson 19s—which flew past with one feathered—and excellent indivi-dual Spitfire 19 aerobatics by a pilot of No. 541 Squadron. One of the King's Vikings left for Dyce with Royal Mail,Mr. Lynch was ejected from a Meteor, and in contrast to the high-speed aircraft a Fieseler Storch loitered grotesquely over-head. Air Marshal Sir Arthur P. M. Sanders, V.C.A.S., paid a visit and the Chief Constable of Berks, Cdr. the Hon. Hum-phrey Legge, R.N. (Ret.), was present. Farther west (and on the way, as we passed over Abingdon,we saw a Hamilcar glider being towed-off) Central Flying School at Little Rissington, near Cheltenham, staged a first-class display for its 12,500-odd visitors. High-spot of the flying programme was the formation tableau by 31 Harvardsarranged to spell out the initials of this flying instructors' school. The "F" (11 aircraft) was flown by pilots from thedetached flight at Brize Norton nearby. In addition, the Seventh heaven : A small boy operating the controls of a power-operated gun turret at Booker.
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