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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 1601.PDF
FLIGHT, 6 June 1952 699 YEADON DRAWS the CROWDS A Hundred Thousand Watch the S.S.A.F.A. Whitsun Display WHIT-MONDAY'S odd weather was compara tively kind to the 100,000- strong crowd that attended the air display at Yeadon, near Leeds. Sponsored by the Yorkshire Evening News, in aid of the Soldiers', Sailors' and Airmen's Families Association, a very enterprising show was prepared, but the high wind necessitated the cancellation of two or three of the events. One of the highlights of the afternoon was the first public display, in this country, of an F-86 literally booming through the sonic barrier: a Canadian Sabre dived from 40,000ft to 20,000ft; and, when it pulled out, a very noticeable puff of condensation could be seen, followed a few seconds later by a loud explosion. After this dramatic introduction, the pilot, F/L. Kelley, put up a very polished display, which ter minated in an amazingly slow fly-past, with everything down, at zero feet. Altogether a very good indication of the Sabre's pos sibilities. The well-known French aerobatic pilot, M. Nicole, gave a beau tifully varied show in a "rehashed" Biicker Jungmeister, made from a collection of pieces' found all over the Continent, and now on the French civil register. The timing of his flick rolls was perfect. and an innovation was the switching-on of a siren (mounted between the undercarriage legs) during the dives—very remini scent of the Stuka during the war. M. Nicole's display was about the best of its kind seen since Prince Cantacuzene was in this country. No doubt the act which most appealed to the crowd was the • acrobatic stunt performed by Dragoljub Aleksic. This Yugo slavian "dare-devil" was due to perform on a ladder slung beneath a P0-2 but, unfortunately, the aircraft did not arrive in this country and a Tiger Moth was suitably modified for him. As this (Above) F/L. Kelly brings his F-86 past the enclosure at about 11Skt Note the extended dive-brakes. (Left) M. Fred Nicole's inverted fly-past in his rebuilt Biicker Jungmeister. "Flight" photographs would have been the first appearance of a Soviet P0-2 in England, the sight of a "Tiger" was rather disappointing, but M. Aleksic's contribution was, nevertheless, clearly appreciated by his audience —particularly when he exhibited the strength of his dentures by hanging for about half a minute literally by his teeth at the bottom of the ladder. Neville Duke's demonstration in the Tomtit G-AFTA again proved what a master he is on any steed and at either end of the speed range, while two Royal Navy Sea Vampire 20s passed by on the best low-level beat-ups that have been seen for a long time. Variety ranged from another R.N. contribution in the form of a mock air/sea rescue by a Dragonfly to the perfect silence that prevailed during Gerard Smith's assortment of loops and rolls in a Slingsby Sky. It was a pity that only one of the three Canberras from Binbrook made an attempt to enter the aerodrome surrounds —a positioning fault also shared to some extent by the Meteor 8s of 609 Squadron, though their formation-keeping was first-class. Another four F-86s of the U.S.A.F. displayed smoking orifices for a few minutes. By then the timing—started so well by Ranald Porteus in an Aiglet—had got rather out of hand, but the local population didn't seem to mind, as there was plenty of interest on show in the hangars, among it a number of tableaux depicting 30 years of Royal Air Force achievement. ELMDON DEFIES the WEATHER FARTHER south, in the Midlands, the weather was far less kind than at Yeadon. Determined not to be beaten, the Midland Aero Club managed to carry through most of the items of its display at Elmdon, though a succession of storms played havoc with the running-order. Birmingham had wended its way to the airport in force (there was a mile-and-a-half traffic jam outside), so it was the more unfortunate that the rain should begin at precisely the same moment as the opening event. This opener was a "bombing" competition—a mistake, to our mind, at any display which seeks to entertain a big crowd, for flour-bag warfare of this kind is seldom spectacular at any time. On Monday, as the rain grew heavier, it was difficult even from the control-tower to see the bursts; at enclosure level it must have been impossible. However, the winner was Mr. Flack (Gemini, G-AJKS), with two bags bang on the target; Mr. Blumenthal (Hawk Major,G-ACYO) was second; and Mr. Hollander (Taylor- craft Plus D, G-AHVS) was third. A delayed parachute-drop in rain must be singularly unpleasant, but "Chuck" Thompson of the Apex Group went through with his intention of stepping out of an Auster (flown by Capt. Stirk) at 4,000ft, with a smoke-candle tied to his leg to register his fall. Although the surface wind—which had been varying between 10 and 20 kt—had momentarily fallen light, so that he touched down with little drift, he had the bad luck to skid on the muddy turf and concuss himself sufficiently badly to earn a ride to hospital. The weather grew steadily worse and, by the time F/L. R. J. A. Woods (C.F.I, of Birmingham University Air Squadron) took off in a Chipmunk for individual aerobatics, the ragged stratus was down to 1,500ft; nevertheless, he contrived to perform, and very nicely, most of the evolutions demanded by small boys whose requests were relaid to him over the R/T. After some more delay, the ceiling grudgingly lifted again to 4,000ft, and allowed a C.F.S. Meteor 7 (F/L. Price) to come over from Honiley and aerobat brilliantly, compression-vapour flickering over its wings as it pulled out of dives; Price's eight- point roll was one of the most precise we have ever seen. Then another storm piled out of the west but, cajoled by commentator W. Dono from the Coventry Flying Club, most of the crowd stayed put in the hope of a clearance. They were eventually rewarded by seeing Johnny Railing walking a Tiger Moth's wings; a demonstration with a C.30a Autogiro, G-AHTZ —a rara avis these days—by Mr. Parkes; and air drill by four B.U.A.S. instructors in Chipmunks (F/L. Woods, F/L. C. M. P. Kempster, F/L. H. W. Thackeray and P/O. W. V. L. Rees). This last item gained by being performed at under 300ft—which, if it failed to show the "plan form" of the various formations to full advantage, at any rate gave an uncomfortably clear idea of the bumps, with which the quartet were having to contend. The airport crash-crew then put on a fire demonstration (would it not be better, we wonder, not to remind the public that aeroplanes occasionally catch fire, rather than to demonstrate that the fire can be put out quickly when they do ? In other words, have the demonstration, but not with an "aircraft" as the bonfire). Finally, the Meteor pilot, who had returned to Honiley, very sportingly came over again and ran through the second half of his extensive repertoire. Altogether, a damp but valiant afternoon, on which the Mid land Aero Club (and its C.F.I., W/C. L. H. Hunt, i/c organization) deserves mingled congratulation and commiseration. A word of praise, too, for the senior air-traffic control officer, Mr. D. N. Price, and his staff, who were not one whit dismayed by having to dovetail scheduled airline comings and goings with aerobatting Meteors, visiting Austers, joy-riding Rapides and messages about missing infants.
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