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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 1883.PDF
396 FLIGHT, 9 November 1950 ., Personalities at West Mailing : (Above) Mr. Arthur Henderson with Air Marshal Sir Basil Embry. (Right) The G.A.L. 60. MINIATURE "FARNBOROUGH Civil and Military Prototypes and Service Aircraft Displayed to Commonwealth Visitors SPEAKERS and Presiding Officers of CommonwealthParliaments, together with their families, wererecently entertained at R.A.F. Station West Mailing by a miniature " Farnborough Display " arranged for them by the Air Ministry and Ministry of Supply. The visitors had travelled to this country to take part in the opening ceremony of the new Hoifse of Commons. Present with them to see the flying display were members of the Air Council and senior R.A.F. officers, together with the Secre- tary of State for Air, Mr. Arthur Henderson. Countries represented were British Guiana, Bahamas, Jamaica, Mauritius, Northern Rhodesia, Kenya, Trinidad, Tobago, New Zealand, India, Barbadoes and Windward Islands. It is, perhaps, surprising that so many of the guests attended, for only a short time before the flying was due to begin the fog and low cloud which enveloped the London area still persisted in Kent also. About mid-day, however, a strong, cold wind sprang up and cleared the mist, while sunshine dissolved the low cloud patches. Both civil and military prototypes were assembled and demonstrated. They included the Blackburn and General Aircraft G.A.L. 60 Freighter, the Avro Shackleton, Hawker P.1081, Avon-Meteor, A.W. Apollo, H.P. Hermes V and D.H. Comet. The Venom N.F.2 and Ambassador were included in the programme but did not make an appearance. Highlight of the R.A.F.'s part of the flying programme was- the formation-aerobatic performance by Vampires of No. 72 Squadron under the leadership of S/L. D. Kingaby, D.S.O., D.F.M. With faultless precision the five aircraft (Below) The Avon-Meteor about to relight on the starboard side, and (right) Commonwealth representatives. executed rolls in vie and arrowhead formation before the final fly-past and low-level breakaway. Formation drill and a demonstration of stream landing by Meteors of No. 63 Squadron were much admired, as were the individual aerobatic shows by a Meteor and a Vampire, in both cases performed in a neat and apparently effortless manner. The Meteors were visitors from R.A.F. Station Waterbeach. They grouped themselves around the end of the long runway at West Mailing and, when their turn came, started up and moved rapidly off in pairs as they would when being scrambled. They appeared to have no difficulty in taking off down-wind, and both for take-off and landing adopted the technique of holding the nosewheel off and tail .well down as long as possible. Demonstrators of the new types profited by the stiff easterly wind and achieved some very short take-off runs followed by steep climbs, the-Comet in the hands of John Cunningham, Shackleton (Baker up) and Apollo (Franklin) being notable in this connection. The Hermes V (Hazelden) and G.A.L. 60 (Parker) were turned steeply around the field and manoeuvred in a lively manner.
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