FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1951
1951 - 1252.PDF
FLIGHT, 29 June 1951 775 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Naval Aviation News • EXTRA URGE: A Sea Fury making a rocket- assisted take-off from the flight deck of H.M.S. "Glory," now in Korean waters. Since this carrier took over from H.M.S. "Theseus" last April, nearly 1,000 sorties have been flown from her deck. Lof d Fakenham on Naval Aviation AT his first Press conference as First Lord **• of the Admiralty last week, Lord Pakenham dealt exclusively with matters and news concerning Naval Aviation. He announced that H.M.S. Eagle, the Navy's newest and largest aircraft carrier, is due to commission in October, and that the squadrons operating from her decks will be equipped with Attackers. Deck landing trials with the Sea Venom, he said, would be held in the Illustrious in July and it was hoped that these aircraft would come into operational use in 1952. In dealing with aircraft he announced "Gannet" as the new name for the Fairey 17. (It is to be hoped that none of them will follow the practice of their namesake, which folds its wings and dives vertically into the sea to secure its prey. Another name for the Gannet is the Booby.) The Fairey 17, incidentally, is not the first aircraft to be named Gannet; in 1923 there was a little Gloster light plane of the same name. The First Lord said that the main reason for the choice of the name was that the anti-submarine station at Eglinton, Northern Ireland, was called H.M.S. Gannet and that great confidence reposed in the Fairey 17 as an anti-submarine aircraft. Lord Pakenham then told the conference that there was no truth at all in the reports of sabotage on board H.M.S. Glory, our carrier in Korean waters. The contamina- tion of the ship's aircraft-fuel store had been caused entirely by corrosion in the pipe- lines of the refuelling ship. Two other news items given at the con- ference were that Machrihanish, Kintyre, is to reopen to accommodate training squadrons to give refresher courses, and that it was the Admiralty's intention to send a helicopter unit of two Dragonflies to operate in Korean waters. The most important subject of the con- ference was the announcement of a plan similar to that already in being in the R.A.F., whereby National Ser- vicemen accepted for training as officer aircrew are invited to transfer to a short full-time service engagement of four years. Those who so engage will receive full naval rates of pay—this will mean an extra £82 per annum— and a gratuity of £525 at the end of four years. On completion of the four years service they may volunteer for a further four years, during which the gratuity will continue to grow at the same rate of £175 for each year. In this second period volunteers will be considered for permanent com- missions in the Royal Navy. Lord Pakenham described the shortage of aircrews as "the most acute of all our problems" and said that not enough of the regular officers are volunteering to serve in the air branch, neither were enough coming in under the eight-year short- service scheme introduced in PICKING UP IDEAS? Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh P. Lloyd (extreme right), A.O.C.-in-C. Bomber Com- mand and president of the R.A.F. Model Association, watches M. A. Ayres prepare his radio-controlled model for flight at the Northern Club's Gala, . qst Sunday. r photograph 1948. In reply to questions, it was em- phasised that service in Naval Aviation does not prejudice a naval officer's chances of promotion to the highest rank. New Commandant for C.F.S. YJI71TH the acting rank of air commodore, "" G/C. A. D. Selway, D.F.C., has been appointed commandant of the Central Flying School. He replaces G/C. G. T. Jarman, D.S.O., D.F.C. Sycamore Tropical TrialsA BRISTOL Type 170 Freighter, carry- ing a Bristol Sycamore (the Service name for the Type 171 helicopter) arrived at Khartoum on June 22nd. The Freighter was flown by a Ministry of Supply crew and was delivering the Sycamore for tropical trials, which are expected to last for two or three months. The flight from Lyneham took two days, and calls were made at Marseilles, Malta, El Adem and Waddi Haifa. Re-equipping R.N.V.R. SquadronsT HE three fighter and two anti-sub- marine squadrons of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve are shortly to receive more modern aircraft. At present the fighter squadrons—No. 1831 (Lancashire), No. 1832 (Berkshire) and No. 1833 (Warwickshire)—have Sea- fires, but it is hoped that re-equipment with Hawker Sea Furies will begin in August. Already the squadrons have two- seater trainer Sea Furies for pilot conver- sion. The two anti-submarine units, Nos. 1830 and 1840, are to have later-mark Fireflies than those already in use. No. 1830, based at Donibristle, will exchange Mk 1 for Mk 5 or 6; No. 1840, which recently formed at Gulham and is now stationed at Ford, -Sussex, has been temporarily given Firefly Mk 4s.Appointments THE AIR MINISTRY has announcedthat A. Cdre. the Earl of Bandon will take up his appointment as A.O.C. No. 11 Group, Fighter Command, on July 5th. He will have the acting rank of air vice- marshal. The Earl of Bandon's post as A.O.C. No. 2 Group, B.A.F.O. will be taken over by G/C. H. D. McGregor, C.B.E., D.S.O., who will assume the acting rank of air commodore. A.Cdre. McGregor comes from New Zealand and until lately held an appointment with the Standing Group of N.A.T.O. G/C. J. E. R. Sowman, until recently Senior Equipment Staff Officer at Flying
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
