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Aviation History
1951
1951 - 2330.PDF
651 L CROSS-ROADS idas Extended Land-and-water Airport facilities; a new control tower; and passenger amenities providing speed of transit and real comfort (shower baths, for instance, are provided to allow transit passengers to refresh themselves). In the first ten months of this year, added Mr. Potter, 1,378 aircraft, carrying 15,000 passengers, had been handled. After speaking of various places of interest in the locality, of Uganda's mineral and other resources, and paying tribute to those who had played a part in the construction scheme, the Acting Governor formally declared the airport open. As he spoke, the Union Jack was broken at the control-tower mast, followed by the Civil Air Ensign as the B.E.A. Viscount taxied out, and then by the R.A.F. Ensign as three R.A.F. Vam- pires prepared to give their display. After a steep take-off and climb the Viscount gave a very brief demonstration and then departed. The Vampires were three of the four which, as reported elsewhere, were engaged on proving jet-reinforcement routes from South Africa to the Canal Zone. Well-worn operational aircraft handled by pilots not specially trained in display work, the three machines nevertheless put up an excellent show of formation and individual aerobatics. When the Vampires had landed, the American pilot of an Ethiopian Airlines Convair 240 demonstrated the Jato equipment intended for use at Ethiopia's high-altitude airfields, one of two Jato rockets "buried" in the centre-section was used, but there did not appear to be any very noticeable contrast to a previous unassisted take-off. An East African Airways' Lodestar—attrac- tively refurnished in the company's own workshops at Nairobi— was then put through its paces in a lively manner. Other aircraft present included a B.O.A.C. Hermes IV, a Viking owned by Crewsair, Ltd., A. Cdre. Pankhurst's Valetta, and a Tudor owned by Win. Dempster, Ltd. (the last-named machine had a gently-fanning starboard outer airscrew, the reduc- tion gear having stripped). A Dove, Rapides, Ansons and other aircraft from Nairobi, a smart new green-and-white Bonanza and a Piper Pacer—all these helped to make an impressive line-up. Among the 40,000-odd visitors was King Kabaka, a young African ruler who completed his education at Cambridge. (6) No. 2 runway, extended to 3,300 yd in length, is now Africa's longest. The taxi-track loop at the north-west end has been added to accommodate aircraft waiting to give priority to jet arrivals. Q) The Vampire pilots stand by near the terminal building. (8) A Convair 240 of Ethiopian Airlines demonstrates Jato equipment. (9) Thousands of gaily dressed natives swarmed in from the surrounding countryside. Here is a small section of the crowd of 40,000 spec- tators, with an Air France Constellation in the background. (10) Local architecture at its most attractive—Lake Victoria Hotel, Entebbe. 01) The R.A.F. Vampires come in after their acrobatic show. The flight was engaged on a survey of the Cape-to-Suez route for jet- aircraft reinforcement.
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