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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0192.PDF
190 FLIGHT, 13 February 1953 HERE AND THERE Viscount Flagship Named ON Wednesday last, Lady Douglas of Kirtleside was due to visit Vickers' Wisley Airfield to perform the naming ceremony of Discovery (G-ALWE), the flagship of B.E.A.'s Discovery fleet. Incidentally, the first Air France Viscount is now complete in its operators' colours. Eastchurch Memorial PLANS are progressing for the East- church memorial to the pioneer airmen who flew at that airfield in the very early days, and Mr. Sidney Loweth, architect to the Kent County Council, has been appointed honorary architect to the memorial committee. R.Ae.C. Film Show THE next film show to be given by the Royal Aero Club (members and guests only) at Londonderry House will be on Thursday, February 26th, at 6.15 p.m., when Theirs is the Glory will be shown. This film is the story of Arnhem, and forms a tribute to the men of the 1st Airborne Division, who fought the battle of September 17th, 1944. High Spy THE McDonnell F2H Banshee—a twin- jet carrier fighter of the U.S. Navy—is well-known for its altitude performance. Banshees from the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent River, Maryland, have photo graphed Washington, D.C., from a num ber of altitudes up to 51,000ft. The cur rent copy of the American Naval Aviation News features an excellent vertical shot of the San Diego (California) area, obtained by an F2H-2P P.R. Banshee flying at 54,650ft. The particular negative was secured with a K-17 camera with 6-inch lens; the ground area included measures some 170 square miles. DELTA DART: Like some giant ray leap ing from the depths, the Convair XF2Y-1 Sea Dart is here seen mysteriously parked on dry land. It is seen to have surpris ingly large hydro- skis ("Flight," December 5th, 1952) with slightly convex planing surfaces. To gether, when re tracted, they form the sides of the vee hull bottom. The "whip aerial" above the air intake is in fact the leading-edge of the fin. Bristol on Wearside THE Bristol Aeroplane Company already has two factories in the Pallion, Sunder land area, at which 750 men are employed on making engine components. It is now reported that the company is establishing a third plant in the district. It will employ about 250, and may be in production by the end of the year. Training at the "Axed" Schools IN the Commons last week, Mr. George Ward, Under Secretary of State for Air, said in a written reply to Mr. Frank Beswick (Lab., Uxbridge) that, in 1952, 625 National Service pilots and 156 navigators successfully completed their basic training at civilian training schools which were now to be closed. In a further reply he said that 107 N.S. pilots com- SEEING THROUGH IT: This interesting pictorial echo of the R.A.F. Canberras' South American tour has just come to light. It shows the Governor of Trinidad, with A.V-M. Boyle (leader of the mission) and others inspecting a novel plastic fuel-drum. Developed by Shell, the transparent drum is placed on a white surface in strong sunlight, so that the presence of any foreign matter in the kerosine sample—which itself acts as a magnifying lens—can be detected without difficulty. pleted their training to wings standard at the schools in 1950, and 211 in 1951. Training of N.S. navigators did not begin until the end of 1950, but 43 completed their training to wings standard in 1951. First-hand History THE story of the Korean campaign, with special emphasis on the role of air power, was related during January at various air bases of the NATO Powers in France and Germany by Mr. William Courtenay, O.B.E., M.M., at the invitation of General Lauris Norstad, the commander of Allied Air Forces Central Europe. The lectures were illustrated by Mr. Courtenay's own colour films. Airline Celerity TWO unofficial records have recently been established by Convairs of Trans-Austra lian Airlines. The Matthew Flinders, piloted by Capt. R. Gray, broke the Hobart-Sydney record by four and a half minutes in covering the 625 miles in 123 J mins (304.5 m.p.h.), and the George Bass, under the command of Capt. R. Keig, cut three and a half minutes off the time for the Launceston-Melbourne run when it flew the 291 miles in 64J mins (270 m.p.h.). Italian Recovery A ROME correspondent writes that the post-war difficulties of the Italian aircraft industry, show continued signs of de creasing. Last year between 6,000 and 8,000 workers were employed, and mod ernization of several plants was completed. Production to the value of 13,000 million lire (about £,i\ m) was achieved. It is said that the present labour-force could, if necessary, be trebled at short notice. As recorded in an article in Flight on August 22nd, 1952, a major reorganization of the Italian aircraft industry is now in hand, based on long-range production pro grammes agreed upon by the Government, the Air Force and the companies. Jungle Paratroop Action RECENTLY 30 men of the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment, wearing special protective clothing, parachuted into the jungle in Central Johore, Malaya, in an attack on the headquarters of the "3rd Regiment of the Malayan Races Libera-
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