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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 1245.PDF
Stilty, Lynx-engined Avro 504N trainers, appear horrifyingly tangled in a scene reminiscent of many classic crazy-flying performances. MEMORIES OF HENDON . . . which was still in evidence. Certainly fighter design had advanced, as F/L. Bulman proved by his handling of the Hawker Heron. S/L. Peck's commands to his Grebe squadron were relayed by the British Broadcasting Com- pany via 2LO and 5XX, and the King himself directed the fighters at one stage. "Immediately," ran Flight's account, '' the leader executed a loop and a half-roll from the top, while the others turned sharply—and there was the formation once again in double line ahead, but flying in the opposite direction." A Bugle—of the Bourges family—defied a section of Grebes and there was para- chuting from Fawns. The year 1926 brought an innovation—a long-distance reliability trial for Virginia and Hyderabad night bombers. The message pick-up included No. 4 Squadron (S/L. J. C. Slessor, M.C.) and No. 16 (S/L. W. A. Coryton, M.V.O., D.F.C.). The Gamecock, Gorcock, Snipe, Siskin and the sensational Condor-engined Hornbill, were all shown off. Capt. F. C. Courtney hovered in the Cierva Autogiro. At one time the Pterodactyl, Sprat, Vendace, Gorcock, Horn- bill, Avenger, Firefly (Felix), Atlas, Boarhound, Hyena, Vespa, Fox, Horsley, Ava, Argosy and Autogiro were all in the air together. Next year—1927—two crazy-flying Lynx-Avros played f Gamecocks tSte-a-tete at the start of an aerobatic turn. hide and seek among squadrons of 9AS and Foxes lined up ready for take-off. Siskins manoeuvred to music, and an aerobatic flight of Genet Moths included no fewer than four Schneider aces-to-be—D'Arcy Greig, Stainforth, Atcherly and Waghorn. There were pull-off parachute jumps from Vimys, and the prototypes of the Chamois, Goring, IIIF, Hound, Valiant, Wapiti and Bulldog were on view. Technically, the most interesting item on the 1928 pro- gramme was a climb contest for supercharged and unsuper- charged Jaguar-engined Siskins. One machine, with "blown" engine, attained 19,500ft in 15 min (to-day a Service Meteor would get there in about 3J min). This was the year when the great Beardmore Inflexible (someone, of course, dubbed it Inexplicable) was present, in company with the Partridge, Hawfinch and Wizard. Of low bombing by the Fairey Foxes Flight said, "We have still got headaches and what nerves we had left are now gone." Five Southampton flying boats introduced a robust maritime note into the 1929 Display, and in 1930 "lighter than air" was represented by the R-101. Experimental fighters included the D.H. monoplane intercepter, Black- burn Lincock and Bristol Bullpup. No. 43's squadron aerobatics on Siskins was declared " the most excellent performance of the day." How many people now remember that in 1931 two Virginias from the R.A.E. demonstrated flight refuelling? This, too, was the year of the incredibly "dicey" con- verging bombing by Fleet Air Arm Flycatchers. The Auxiliary Wapitis covered themselves with glory ; as Flight remarked, "The pick of the Regular Air Force was at Hendon and was putting up a really remarkable show ; yet here was the Auxiliary Air Force inviting comparisons, showing no fear and asking no favour, and emerging from the ordeal with nothing but credit." F/L. Basil Embry led five inverted Moths and 43 Squadron introduced its new Hawker Furies. Of these it was written, " They were certainly fast, but it may perhaps be doubted that they attained the 250 m.p.h. in the dive which the loudspeakers announced "! An elaborate display of air co-operation with ground With their fiendishly noisy, directly driven metal airscrews, Fairey Fox day bombers were ideal for demonstrating low-flying attacks. \
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