FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1951
1951 - 2368.PDF
30 November 1951 669 FROM ALL QUARTERS Two More Comets for Canada ALTHOUGH no official announcement or confirmation is as /V. yet forthcoming from the manufacturers, it is understood from Canada that the Canadian Government is now completing nego- tiations for the purchase of two de Havilland Comets. The pur- poses for which the aircraft are being acquired are not disclosed, although one duty is believed to be in connection with high- altitude interception exercises for the R.C.A.F. It is possible, also, that while remaining the property of the Government and being available for whatever national purposes may be in mind, the Comets may also be operated commercially by Trans-Canada Airlines, or perhaps by Canadian Pacific Airlines, together with the two other Comets which this company has already ordered. Minister of Supply Visits Kingston TJAYING his first visit to an aircraft factory since he took office, 1 Mr. Duncan Sandys, the Minister of Supply, spent some instructive hours with Hawker Aircraft, Ltd., at Kingston on Wednesday, November 21st. He was conducted round the factory by Mr. A. Neville Spriggs, director and general manager. Mr. Sandys told representatives of the management, design staff and workers that "aircraft production is one of the most essential elements of our national defence, and secure defence is the indispensable foundation for the establishment of a stable and lasting peace. The sooner we can complete our defence programme the sooner we shall be able to turn our attention to the production of more consumer goods." Discussing the problem of increased production, particularly of the P. 1067—the principal object of his visit—Mr. Sandys said that because there was insufficient labour available at Kingston, arrangements had been made for Hawkers to open the big new Squires Gate (Blackpool) factory. He added that the Hawker Group factories at Kingston would be very fully occupied with defence production for the foreseeable future. Those Russian Nenes REVIVED in the House of Commons on Wednesday of lastweek, the old subject of the Nene turbo jets supplied to Russia in 1946-47 caused a short but violent storm. It began when Mr. William Shepherd (Cons., Cheadle) asked the Under-Secretary of State for Air what opinion he had formed, as a result of examining the engines of Mig-15 fighters, on the technical benefits which the Russians had derived from their purchase of Nene engines. Mr. Nigel Birch replied that examination of a captured Mig-15 had shown the engine to be a copy of the Nene, and that some of these engines had been developed to give increased thrust. "It is thus reasonable to suppose," he added, "that the Russians have derived substantial benefit from the sale to them of these Nene engines." Mr. Shepherd : "Is it not clear from the answer just given that the sale of these engines was not merely an act of foolishness but struck a real blow against the free world?" Mr. Birch : "I think it was certainly unfortunate." Mr. Ernest Shinwell, the former Minister of Defence, then rose from the Opposition front bench to ask: "In view of the dis- closure by the Minister about the benefits alleged to have been derived from the sale of the Nene engines, will the Minister dis- close the whole of the facts which have now been made available to the air experts?" Mr. Birch asked what facts he had in mind, and to this Mr. Shinwell retorted, "If he will make inquiries, and if he feels fit to make the necessary disclosure, he will discover his statement to be a travesty of the facts." Amid loud cries of "Withdraw!" directed at Mr. Shinwell from the Conservative benches, Mr. Birch said, "He will be aware that this answer has been carefully vetted and prepared by the Ministry." Mr. Shinwell rose again and said, "Is he [Mr. Birch] or the Minister of Defence [Mr. Churchill] aware that the state- ment made to me by our Intelligence experts is contrary to the statement made by the Minister?" Mr. Birch replied that his answer was based on information supplied by the intelligence experts. Mr. Arthur Woodburn (Lab., Stirling and Clackmannan) asked whether the Minister had communicated with the Ministry of Supply, which was the department responsible, and whether BADGE FOR S.U.A.S.: As reported on page 706, A. Cdre. R. Coats, A.O.C. No. 62 Group, Home Command, recently visited Southampton University to present a new badge to the University's Air Squadron. Sir Robert Wood, the Principal, is seen receiving it. he was aware that the experts of the Ministry of Supply "gave us information that it was quite impossible that the Russians could learn anything which they did not already know" ("Oh, Oh! from the Conservative benches.) The Speaker then intervened and stopped further questions. War Correspondent Honoured By U.S.A.F. AT an informal ceremony held recently at the office of the •*»• United States Air Attach^ in London, the Attache' (Brigadier- General Jack W. Wood, U.S.A.F.) presented to Mr. William Courtenay, O.B.E., M.M., a scroll recording his honorary member- ship in the Far East Air Force of the U.S.A.F. The award had been conferred by Lt-Gen. George A. Stratemeyer, the Command- ing General of F.E.A.F., earlier this year. This honorary membership of a fighting force—which entitles the holder to wear F.E.A.F. sleeve insignia on his war corres- pondent's uniform—was conferred in recognition of Mr. Courtenay's coverage of the Korean War over the past two years, during which he has flown on numerous sorties as war corres- pondent of Kemsley Newspapers. In 1949 Mr. Courtenay received similar recognition from the U.S. 5th Air Force for his four years' coverage of the Pacific War. He has lately returned from a tour of training bases in America, during which he delivered 120 lectures on the Korean War, illustrated with his own colour films. New Canadian Air Attache in Paris AN announcement from R.C.A.F. headquarters in Ottawa says- that G/C. F. A. Sampson, O.B.E., CD., has been appointed Canadian Air Attache in Paris. He succeeds G/C. F. C. Carling-Kelly,A.F.C.,C.D. who has been se- lected to attend the new N.A.T.O. De- fence College in Paris. G/C. Samp- son, who returned to Ottawa this year following a tour of duty in Argentina as Air Attach^, is now in Paris to take up his new duties. Joining the , R.C.A.F. in 1927, he flew on aerial photo-survey opera- tions and on test and development work, and from I937'to 1939 served with the R.A.F. on exchange duties. During the war he GlC. Sampson. commanded a num-ber of heavy bomb- er squadrons in Britain. In 1945 he served in senior staff positions in the U.K. and in Germany. Before going to Argentina he served as Chief Staff Officer at North West Air Command, Edmonton,
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
