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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0337.PDF
FLIGHT, 13 March 1953 335 WEEK-END IN AFRICA . . . unserviceabilities. Shell were quickly on the scene to refuel and, with the exception of the D.I.s to be performed on Sunday in preparation for the return journey the crews and students were free to enjoy a week-end of warm sunshine and interest, in cluding a visit to Tripoli, 22 km distant. The return journey, early on Monday, was presaged by reports of bad weather over Britain. Low cloud at 600ft was spoken of, with diversions either to Manston or East Anglia. It was decided to go into Istres (Marseilles) to top up with fuel, though the pilot was a little worried at the prospect: one of our tyres had devel oped a nasty cut, and he was aware of the existence of a long P.S.P. taxi track at Istres. The delay in starting, however, was due to the fact that Istres—five-and-a-half hours distant—does not open until 0700 hr. On these practice trips an attempt is made to do half the journey in darkness and half in daylight. In this case, the change of schedule made it impossible to adhere to such a programme. And so, under a brilliant moon sailing in an indigo sky, and in air that was cool, but far removed from the English winter variety, we talked and smoked until it was time to go aboard. We in Fox were first away at 0210 G.M.T., climbing to 6,000ft. Idris control wished us good morning just as the coast was reached. Crews were now feeling the effect of a strenuous week end, and the tea served from a Thermos flask was a welcome aid to keeping awake as we climbed once more to cross Tunis. Over the Mediterranean the sun came up as a great golden orb, so different from the first grey light which had ushered in the dawn on the way out. Our E.T.A. at Istres was timed for shortly after 0700 hr but we arrived slightly earlier, at 0655, and had to make circuits until a voice from the control tower gave us the O.K. to land at 0707. The slit tyre gave no trouble, neither did it get any worse. A crew bus was waiting to take us to the mess, where the usual fried egg and chips transit meal was ready to be served in return for a very bi-lingual chit—"Bon Pour One B'Fast." Take-off for the last leg was slightly delayed, this time owing to a faulty switch in Nan; but the electrician we had brought with us in Fox was able to fix things temporarily and we were soon air borne and passing over Montelimar, the nougat town. As we flew RECENTLY we reported the news of an agreement between Flight Refuelling, Ltd., and certain American interests, where by Flight Refuelling, Inc., of Danbury, Conn., becomes a partner rather than a subsidiary of the Tarrant Rushton, Dorset, concern. Relating the events leading up to this development, the British company has issued a most informative statement. In 1948 (it says) the U.S.A.F. placed its first contract with Flight Refuelling, Ltd., for the supply of a large quantity of equipment for the looped-hose system of refuelling in order to extend the range of B-29 bombers. To look after the parent company's growing interests in the U.S.A. a subsidiary called Flight Refuelling Inc. was formed at Danbury, Conn, in 1948. Urgent American demand for refuelling single-seat fighters came early in 1949, and Flight Refuelling, Ltd., designed and produced the simplified probe-and-drogue system in four months. The U.S.A.F. ordered probe-and-drogue experimental equipment for test in September, 1949. Its first publicly announced use broke into the news when Col. David Schilling, of the U.S.A.F., flew a Thunderjet non-stop from Manston, Kent, to Bridgeport, Conn., in the autumn of 1950. Since the outbreak of the war in Korea some 2,000 refuelling contacts by probe and drogue have been reported from that theatre, and the tactical importance of flight refuelling has been amply proved under combat conditions. In 1951 Col. Harry Dorris made the longest known combat strike, in a probe-equipped F-80* Starting from a Japanese base, he made five attacks on widely separated Communist targets and then returned to Japan. To enable him to do so, he made seven refuelling contacts with a B-29 tanker while maintaining radio silence. His flight lasted over 14 hours. Later, two U.S.A.F. F-84 fighters fitted with probes were refuelled in flight whilst they maintained air cover, pending rescue, over two other pilots who had ditched their battle- damaged F-84S in Korean waters. In 1952 the U.S.N, adopted this British system of flight refuelling for Grumman Panther and McDonnell Banshee fighters, using the North American Savage bomber as a quickly convertible carrier-borne tanker. Other reported developments concern naval flying-boat tankers with multiple refuelling points. Since 1949 various types of flight-refuelling equipment have been supplied to the U.S. air Services, and the A-12 hose reel unit produced by the Danbury subsidiary for drogue tankers is reported in current supply to the U.S.A.F. and the U.S.N. Bureau of Aeronautics. U.S. aircraft known to have been fitted with probes up the Rhone valley the scene was quite exquisite, with the Alps to the right and the Auvergne mountains to the left, both snow- covered and glistening in the brilliant sunshine. From Clermont-Ferrand northwards the French landscape is uninteresting and we had just to possess ourselves in patience as we droned towards the French coast. It was crossed at Le Havre, where die pilot coarsened pitch and throttled back a trifle for the final let-down through the clouds for Thorney Island. The first glimpse of Britain showed that it had not changed its colour in our absence; it was still grey . . . So ended a pleasant, if strenuous, week-end. For the student navigators it was in the nature of a prize for some very hard work at No. 2 Air Navigation School. Nine months previously they had come from the Initial Train ing Wing to No. 2 A.N.S. to be taught air navigation and trained to be officers. Their rank was acting pilot officer with their commissions subject to confirmation at the end of a satisfactory course. On the technical side the syllabus at No. 2 A.N.S. includes dead reckoning, astro-navigation, compasses, maps and charts, radio, radar, meteorology, weapons, and instruments. For officer-train ing the subjects are : administration and organization, manage ment of men, current affairs and the other Services. The students live in the officers' mess and are taught how to conduct themselves both by example and precept. Flying training during the course includes 193 hours in the air, of which 103 in the basic stage are on Valettas and Ansons. The Valettas are flying classrooms accommodating 10 students at a time. The remaining 90 hours of the advanced stage, are mostly on Varsities. A further division in the flying time is that of night and day. Approximately 64 hours of the basic stage and 31 hours of the advanced stage are by day and the remainder by night. Just before the end of the course—No. 98 Course graduates today, March 13th—the ten best navigators are selected for one of these long overseas flights in order that they may practice procedures and employ aids whilst flying over foreign countries. The policy is that eventually all the students that qualify will be rewarded with one of these overseas trips, but at the moment it is possible for only about half of them to go. More staff aircrews and aircraft are needed before any improvement can be shown. include the F-80, F-84, F-86, F9F, F2H, B-29 and (reportedly) the B-47. Tankers with drcgue equipment include the KC-97, B-29, the AJ-i and AJ-2, possibly the R3Y-1 flying-boat and reportedly the B-47. With a vast expansion of American demand for the probe-and- drogue refuelling equipment imminent, the American branch of Flight Refuelling, Ltd., has moved forward into American partner ship and is no longer just a subsidiary of the parent firm. Mr. Laurence Rockefeller has bought 32 per cent of the shares, Reaction Motors 24 per cent, and associated financial interests 4 per cent. Flight Refuelling, Ltd., retains 40 per cent interest in the American company and is still the largest single shareholder. Sir Alan Cobham and Mr. Christopher Tonge, representing the British company, sit on the board. Complete collaboration and exchange of information between the British and American com panies is a feature of the new agreement between them. On both sides of the Atlantic (the statement concludes) the Flight Refuelling design staffs are now engaged on long-term development programmes in which it is expected that the British as well as the U.S. Government will be interested. British enter prise is well in the lead in the invention and development of Flight Refuelling systems, but recent reports show that the U.S.A.F. and U.S.N, are at least two years ahead of the R.A.F. and Royal Navy in plans for the practical application of airborne refuelling equipment to high-speed, high-altitude jet fighters and bombers. INSTRUCTORS FOR ETHIOPIA AN advertisement has appeared recently in Flight inviting L applications for the post of assistant technical instructor in air frames, engines and instruments required by the Imperial Ethio pian Air Force. On February 20th a London newspaper stated that five British instructors are going to Abyssinia this spring and, after quoting the terms of their appointment, added: "Fea tures of their lives in the capital will be no sanitation, no running water, and no lighting." We are informed by the Ethiopian Embassy that this statement is untrue. The facts, says the Embassy, are that the instructors and their families will occupy bungalows at the Air Force Training School 27 miles from Addis Ababa, and that electric light and power, piped water supply and satisfactory modern sanitation are provided. FLIGHT REFUELLING—AMERICAN AND BRITISH
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