FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1952
1952 - 0430.PDF
196 FLIGHT, 15 February 1952 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Naval Aviation News R.A.F. FLYING COLLEGE AIRCRAFT RETURN OF the five aircraft—two Hastings, two Lincolns and the "Lincolnian'' Aries— which left for world flights from the R.A.F. Flying College, Manby, early last month, all but one arrived back on time on Febru ary 7th. The fifth, which had been visiting air and naval bases in the United States, experienced engine trouble over the Atlan tic and had to return to Gander, Newfound land, arriving at Manby a day late. Altogether, more than 100,000 miles were flown and while one of the Lincolns was basking in a temperature of 116 deg F in the shade at Sydney a Hastings was standing out in 50 below in Alaska. A. Cdre. S. R. Ubee was there to greet each crew on arrival -he was, in fact, making a squash appointment with S/L. Cole within a minute of his landing from Alaska. Aries, from Japan, was in first—one minute before the E.T.A. at 1030 hr. On the way out S/L. Oakley had made Singa pore in two jumps—each of i8| hr—with a rest of only 4J hr between. A detour had been arranged for Aries to visit Clark Field in the Philippines, but this part of the schedule was cancelled and a direct flight lasting i6£ hr was made to Tokyo. While in the Far East both the naviga tors, F/L. Jillings and F/L. Grocott, went on bombing missions in B-29S with the Americans in Korea. These were night operations from 20,000ft, using radar; the Americans have given up day bombing. There was plenty of flak, obviously pre dicted but not very accurate. The target was 60 miles south of the Yalu river and each B-29 dropped 40 x 5001b bombs. At Mauripur, Pakistan, S/L. Radley (who captained the Lincoln touring Aus tralia) lost one of his students—W/C. Humphreys, whose medical papers were not in order; they were minus one rubber stamp. The Pakistani authorities insisted on his sojourning in isolation—with 12 Japanese sailors—for nine days, and he caught up with the aircraft at Sydney. The highlight of this trip was the trip to the rocket ranges at Woomera. Although the party was there for only two days, more than 230 miles were traversed while inspect ing the ranges. Woomera now has a civil population of about 3,000 and Service per sonnel make up another 2,000. The Hastings coming in from the Alaska-Canada trip had lost both starboard spinners. The worn red paint on the tail- plane, fin and wing-tips was also evidence of the severe conditions under which it had been operating. These parts had been painted red to make them more easily seen in event of a forced landing in the snow. Three of the students went on B-29 flights to the North Pole and two to the Bering Sea. These were weather-study trips lasting 15-20 hr each. The Alaskan team spent three weeks in Alaska, where temperatures fell as low as minus 50 deg F. Two days and one night were spent with only Arctic survival kit to supply food and shelter. Two-man huts were built in the 'snow by bending thin willow branches into an inverted U and covering the roof, first with a parachute and then with the blue and yellow tarpaulins which form part of the kit. The exercise also included "buddy co-operation"—the local name for avoid ing frost-bite by watching for the first signs to appear on a companion's face. W/C. R. I. K. Edwards reported a trouble-free journey to New Zealand and back, during which three days were spent in Malaya studying air operations against the banditry. The students went on supply- dropping sorties from Kuala Lumpur. The programme had provided for a detour to the Fiji Islands but the area was suffering from the effects of a 120 m.p.h. hurricane and the visit had to be cancelled. R.A.F. Appointments F OUR senior appointments are an nounced by the Air Ministry. A. V-M. D. Macfadyen, C.B., C.B.E., who has recently been Director of Plans and Assis tant C.A.S. (Policy) is to be A.O.C. British Forces, Aden. The S.A.S.O. of Middle East Air Force, A. V-M. F. W. Long, C.B., is to go to Flying Training Command as A.O.C. No. 23 Group, and his place at H.Q. M.E.A.F. will be filled by A. V-M. G. R. C. Spencer, C.B., C.B.E. Since February, 1950, A. V-M. Spencer has been A.O.C. No. 19 Group, Coastal Command. The fourth appointment is that of. A. Cdre. H. W. Heslop, C.B., C.B.E., A.F.R.Ae.S., who is to be Senior Techni cal Officer, M.E.A.F. with the acting rank of air vice-marshal. He has held the same appointment at Bomber Command. Shackleton Formation Flight S IX Avro Shackletons of Coastal Com mand left St. Eval, Cornwall, last Friday for an overseas formation flight to Ceylon. Two stops were made on the way, at El Adem (Libya) and Khormaksar (Aden). Total mileage was 5,300, approxi- PERSONAL PRESENTATION: Air Marshal Sir Alan Lees (affectionately known as "Uncle" Lees) presents his trophy for the most efficient squad ron of the A.T.C. to F/L. R. B. Stratton, the CO. of No. 1024 (East Wight) Squadron. F/L Strat ton is chief flight engineer at Saunders-Roe, Ltd., and will fly on the first trials of the Princess flying-boats. mately. S/L. A. E. W. Laband is in command. The formation is to take part in exercises with the East Indies Fleet. Navigation Exercise ON the night of February 18th, four Lincolns from the R.A.F. Central Navigation and Control School at Shaw- bury, Shropshire, are due to start on a training flight to Canada and back. The aircraft will be away for 11 days, during which over 10,000 miles will be flown. They will proceed via the Azores and Bermuda, and will arrive at the R.C.A.F. Central Navigation School at Summerside, Prince Edward Island, on February 24th. The return flight will be via Iceland. W/C. S. G. Baggott, the School's chief instructor, is in command and the captains of the four aircraft are: S/L. J. S. Sher wood, F/L. J. Maxwell, F/L. P. D. Richards and F/L. E. W. Talbot. Reunions N O. 2 Group Officers Association, including No. 2 Group units past and present, will hold their fifth annual general meeting and reunion dinner on May 10th. The organizer, S/L. J. A. Beattie, 6, Leamington Road Villas, London, W.n, from whom full particulars may be obtained, asks us to say that the association extends a special welcome to W.A.A.F. officers. Mosquito aircrews of No. 4 Squadron will hold a reunion on April 4th. Par ticulars from F/L. K. Utton, R.A.F., Thorney Island, Emsworth, Hants. JOURNEY'S END : (Left) The Handley Page Hastings which took the Flying College teams to Canada and Alaska touches down at Manby. (Right) "Aries," the Avro "Lincolnian" of polar fame, taxies in past waiting families after flying from Malta. "Fhght" photographs
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
