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Aviation History
1952
1952 - 1670.PDF
728 FLIGHT, 13 June 1952 LAST WEEK-END'S EVENTS V.R.s Compete THE annual competition between the Reserve Schools ot No. 61 Group, Home Command, took place at R.A.F. Station Kenley last Saturday. Teams of Chipmunks from six schools took part in the pilots' section, and Ansons from the same units com peted for the crew award. Weather was excellent, and the stan dard of flying high. It was a pity, therefore, that lack of publicity within the Reserve units and elsewhere resulted in only a small attendance. Last year's winners, No. 18 R.F.S., Fairoaks, were again top in the pilot competitions with a total of 252 marks, their team of three Chipmunks giving an almost faultless display of formation flying and the individual pilots making admirable simulated forced land ings. The individual aerobatics were also of very high standard. No. 15 R.F.S., Redhill, came second with 242J marks, and No. 24, R.F.S. Rochester, third with 205. The remaining three were No. 22 Cambridge (171); No. 17, Hornchurch (137J); and No. 1, Panshanger (135J). In the crew competition, thanks largely to excellent work on the part of their signaller, No. 24 R.F.S. were the winners of a very close-fought competition—their aggregate was 169 marks followed by No. 17 (160J), No. 22 (159); No. 18 (i57i); No. 1 (154); and No. 15 (150). The combination award went to No. 18. It is our belief that more could be made of competitions of this kind, which give rise to friendly rivalry among the schools and provide an aim and incentive to reach high standards among Reserve pilots whose flying curriculum is inclined to be limited, and at times dull, and whose only real aim at present is to obtain an instrument rating and complete their annual 40 hr commitment. R.N.F.C. At Home DESPITE evil weather, the Royal Naval Flying Club held a very successful At Home at Gosport on Sunday. Over 20 light aircraft arrived, including two Geminis and a Messenger, Reliant and Cub, together with a selection of Austers, Tiger Moths and Magisters. Two of the pilots—Mrs. Dykes (Auster) and Lt-Cdr. Gunner (Magister)—received prizes (for, respectively, time of arrival and distance flown) from Rear-Admiral C. E. Lambe, president of the Club. Present also were Sir Richard Fairey and his son, Mr. Richard Fairey, who piloted a Rapide from White Waltham. The brief flying programme, carried out to plan within the limitations set by weather, was opened by three R.A.F.V.R. Chipmunks from Hamble with some lively formation manoeuvres. Lt-Cdr. Sothers, flying an S-51 Dragonfly, contributed an excel lent selection of helicopter antics; and the R.N.V.R., represented by Seafires from Bramcote and Fireflies from Ford (four of each) made some impressive attacks at tree-top height before signing-off with a joint fly-past. During its three years of post-war existence, the R.N.F.C. has operated under the difficulties common to most flying clubs. Its fortunes now show signs of improvement, however; full flying membership stands at 68, and there are also about 50 non-flying and overseas members. The club has four aircraft—two Tipsies. an Auster and a Tiger Moth. Some Admiralty support for the R.N.F.C. is now forthcoming, in the shape of a contract for training approximately 40 sub lieutenants per year up to the solo stage. These officers, mostly drawn from the executive branch, will receive their flying instruc tion free, but for a small contribution towards insurance (represen ting about 2s 6d per flight). Tornadoes in Norfolk AS recently reported in Flight, Sculthorpe, Norfolk, is to be the base of the forty-five B-45C Tornadoes of the 47th Bomb Wing, U.S.A.F., as well as the headquarters of the 49th Air Division of which the wing is a part. Last week-end the B-45S were arriving at Sculthorpe after flying from Langley Field, Virginia, by way of Iceland. As we closed for press some Torna does were still held up by bad weather, but were expected at Sculthorpe during the week. Dowty Australia YET another branch of the Dowty organization has now been established, this time under the title of Dowty Equipment (Australia) Pty. Ltd. The headquarters of the new undertaking are to be at Sydney, N.S.W., and in charge will be Mr. Peter Handcock, who recently left England by B.O.A.C. He has been with the parent company since 1937. Before his present appointment he was contracts manager at Cheltenham. The initial activities of the new company will be in connection U.L.A.S. Entertain IN very pleasant surroundings at their airfield base at Booker the University of London Air Squadron, whose commanding officer is W/C. A. V. Rogers, A.F.C., held an evening flying dis play and cocktail party last Saturday, June 7th. The flying pro gramme included a Chipmunk formation with Squadron pilots led by S/L. W. E. Farrow, A.F.C.; gliding and non-powered aero batics by No. 126 Gliding School; and a stirring display by F/L. G. R. Gordon, commander of the Meteor Squadron at C.F.S. After this, a Chipmunk was made to perform some truly remark able manoeuvres by F/L. J. K. Hough, A.F.C., from Farn- borough. He performed tail slides, an inverted spin, and a half bunt as well as the more usual aerobatics in the course of an instructor-and-pupil act, with F/L. P. I. H. Courtney in the other machine. The Royal Air Force Central Band played. Five More for Hayhow? SUBJECT to confirmation, five more point-to-point records— his Easter batch of 18 were confirmed last week-end—now stand to the credit of T. W. Hayhow and his modified Auster Aiglet Trainer, G-AMOS (130 h.p. D.H. Gipsy Major I). On Saturday last, June 7th, he took off from Fairoaks at 6.45 a.m. and was clocked-out as he flew over R.Ae.C. timekeepers at Brooklands. He then set course for Berne, where he landed at Belp airfield after 3 hr 21 min, a speed of 141.11 m.p.h. for the 472 miles. After 28 min on the ground he returned in 4 hr 15 min 28.8 sec (111.03 m.p.h.). His time for the round trip was 8 hr 4 min 46 sec (117.02 m.p.h.). A little over a week before—on Friday, May 30th—he had left Fairoaks with Copenhagen-Kastrup, 617 miles distant, as his objective, flying at a take-off weight of 2,202 lb. The outward trip was made in 5 hr 13 min 24.2 sec (118.115 m.p.h.). After 28 minutes on the ground he returned, against strong head-winds, in 6 hr 14 min 49 sec, representing a speed of 98.76 m.p.h.—just too low to rank for a record. The round-trip time, however, was admissable at 11 hr 56 min 28.8 sec (103.33 m.p.h.). The Auster carried the same equipment as during the Easter attempts, an account of which appeared on page 515 of Flight for April 25th. The only modification was the reversion to a tailwheel in place of the skid originally fitted in the hope of a slight reduction in drag; Hayhow found that the skid wore away disconcertingly fast. Gliding Record Claimed SUBJECT to confirmation, a gliding speed record over a course of 100 km was broken last Saturday by Lt.-Cdr. Antony Goodhart, R.N., who averaged 27.2 m.p.h. on a cross-country flight from Basingstoke (aero-tow release at 2,000ft) to Lympne, a distance of 93 miles. This Week-end THE coming week-end (June 14-15th) will be another active one in competition, social and display flying. On Saturday the Auster Flying Club is holding its rally at Rearsby (2.15 p.m.); the Air Ranger section of the Girl Guides Association has a big flying display (2 p.m.) at Sywell, Northampton, at which the salute will be taken by the Vice-Chief of the Air Staff; the R.A.F.A. is holding its pageant at Sydenham, Belfast; and the London Aeroplane Club, Vintage Aeroplane Club and Herts Auto and Aero Club have an At Home at Panshanger. On Sunday the R.Ae.S. holds its Garden Party (members only) at White Waltham. w.th the servicing and repair of Dowty aircraft undercarriage and hydraulic equipment. Mr. Peter Handcock will be assisted in his new duties by Mr. P. W. Long as service manager. NEW WAKEFIELD DIRECTOR MR. ARNOLD WATSON, 0,B.E., general manager of Castrol sales for the past four years, has been elected to the board of C. C. Wakefield and Co., Ltd. Now 43 years of age, he joined the firm in 1929. During the war, as chief test pilot in the A.T.A., he flew practically all types of British and American operational aircraft.
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