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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0470.PDF
466 FLIGHT, 10 April 1953 CORRESPONDENCE The Editor of "Flight" does not hold himself responsible for the views expressed by correspondents in these columns; the names and addresses of the writers, not necessarily for publication, must in aV cases accompany letters. C.C.F. Gliding Instruction I READ your article on the Combined Cadet Force (Flight, March 13th,) with considerable interest. Frankly, I am surprised that the C.C.F. is allowed to operate primary gliders from school playing-fields. As the Air Training Corps gliding schools are having their primary gliders replaced by two-seater trainers, and the British Gliding Association is encouraging its member-clubs to do the same, it seems strange that the C.C.F. should be equipped with primaries. One of the reasons for the changed policy of the B.G.A. and A.T.C. was the feeling that primary single-seater gliders are dangerous in the hands of inexperienced instructors, and I fear that most of the C.C.F. masters fall into that category. Quite apart from the safety aspect, I fail to see the point of catapulting a cadet in a glider a few feet off the ground for a matter of seconds. This manoeuvre can hardly be described as flying—it is nearer to aerial ski-ing or hopping—and I do not see that it has any value either as a pre-entry pilot exercise or as an inducement to join the R.A.F. May I suggest to the Air Ministry that it would be safer to scrap the primaries, and let the C.C.F. do all its gliding at the A.T.C. schools? Further, that a number of the keener C.C.F. and A.T.C. cadets be trained up to a stage comparable to the civilian "C" gliding badge. J. GODLEY, Friston, Sussex. Southdown Gliding Club. Bristol Fighter Echo R ECENT correspondence on the Bristol Fighter has been of great interest—especially the letter from S/L. J. E. Doran- Webb relating to the shorter term "Brisfit." The word "Brisfit" was in common use with the operating squadrons of the period he is referring to, namely, Nos. 5, 20, 28 and 31, who all operated in India. It would be interesting to note how many remember the late W/C. Pink and his epic poem written in 1924, when we were on operations in Waziristan, after being placed on a "peace-time" basis: O smart Brisfit, O smart Brisfit What are you doing in fighting kit ? I'm praying hard to avoid a conk On offensive patrol from a sink called Tank. Up the gorges and down Spi-toi, Sniped to blazes, but attaboy, They call it war on the banks of Mame, Bui, bless you, this is peace in Waziristan. O big 9A, O big 9A, What are you doing down Razmak way ? Why these bombs, this pomp of war, Surely your home is Risalpore ? Pomp be damned, you make us laugh, There ain't no pomp on this small strafe, I'm bombing hell from the local Khan To prove there's a peace in Waziristan. An' if they ask me what shall I say, To the folk at home, back England way ? Don't you worry, for there's naught to tell, 'Cept work and fight and bomb like hell, With the hills above and the hills below, And rocks to fill where the hills don't go, Nice soft sitting for those who crash; But war you call it—don't talk trash, War's a rumour, war's a yarn, This is the peace of Waziristan. Armstrong Siddeley Liason Executive, A. F. HOBBIAS Curtiss-Wright Corporaion, Wing Commander, Ret. Wood Ridge, N.J. [Our publication of the above letter does not indicate that we are re-opening the argument as to whether the term "Brisfit" was in use during the First World War.—Ed.] Technicians and the Call-up T HERE has been much talk recently about the technician's dilemma, the problem seemingly being whether to Go West, Young Man—or not. Yet there is another dilemma (just as im portant, in the long run, to the problem of aircraft production) which faces the young man who wishes to become a technician. At the threshold of his career, he will find that he has two courses open to him. He may accept call-up immediately on leaving school, emerging at the age of 20, with two of the most valuable years of his life, from the point of absorbing knowledge, down the drain—at which time he can at last embark on the training, which, by now, but for National Service, would have been half-completed. On the other hand, he may start an apprenticeship or uni versity course as soon as he leaves school, securing deferment from call-up for as much as five or six years. For all this time he learns continually, and in the latter part of the period actually works at his chosen job, gaining valuable experience. And then, just when he thinks he at last knows enough really to pull his weight in the Industry and that he is perhaps helping to put air craft in squadron service in five years instead of six, the hapless fool is carried off screaming and kicking by the Whitehall eagle, which has had its eye on him all the time from its aerie on the roof of the Ministry of Labour and National Service, whence it now bears him to be held prisoner for two vital years—vital not only to himself, but no less to the cause of Rearmament itself. For the number of trained technicians affected by this admittedly- justifiable measure is no handful. An overall two-year gap in the experience of the present generation of young technicians at the present time will surely have repercussions in years to come. Chislehurst, Kent. STRESS BOD. Unrealistic Re-arming I WAS more than a little surprised at the manner of loading belts of 20 mm ammunition, as depicted in the photograph (page 394, March 27th), captioned "Lethal Belt." Surely this mode of rearming with belts of the length shown, is to say the least, a bit archaic. Rearming a whole squadron of Lincolns in the day must be a tedious affair, to say nothing of night operations. Even worse would be the apparent contamination with abrasive matter of the belts and the rounds themselves, by ground contact with concrete or tarmac path. In the picture, I counted six ground-crew without those in the fuselage, all for one turret installation. London, E.i. J. JOSEPH. [Our caption should have added that the scene was clearly posed for the benefit of a picture-agency photographer.—Ed.] A Planet Misplaced M UCH as I enjoyed reading the account of a bomber sortie in Exercise "Jungle King" (Flight, March 27th), I was nevertheless surprised to learn that the author's Washington flew on a course of 260 deg towards Venus and Saturn, with the new moon between them. If the verb "blazed" refers to both the planets seen, then the second one should surely be Jupiter; if only Venus was very bright, Mars could be meant. But not Saturn, which was in the eastern sky, behind the aircraft. Stockport, Cheshire. N. A. OGILVTE. [To this correspondent and others, our apologies; for "Saturn" read "Jupiter"—ED.] FORTHCOMING EVENTS Apr. 11. British Interplanetary Society (Manchester): Conversazione and Film Show. Apr. 15. Institute of Transport: Brancker Memorial Lecture: "Influence of Military Aviation on Civil Air Transport," by Sir Frederick Handley Page. C.B.E. Apr. 15. Aircraft Recognition Society: Annual General Meeting. Apr. 18. British Interplanetary Society: Film Show. Apr. 22. R.Ae.S. Graduates' and Students' Section: "Accident Investiga tion," by H. Caplan, D.C.Ae., Grad.R.Ae.S. Apr. 23. R.Ae.S. : "Civil Jet Operations," by Capt. A. J. Maiendie, M.A., A.F.R.Ae.S. (at Glasgow). Apr.25-26. R.Ae.C: Private Air Rally. Co. Wicklow. Apr. 28. Air League of the British Empire: Aviation Jubilee Ball, London. May 7. Pathfinder Association and Club: Annual Dinner. May 9-10. Aero Club du Finistere Brest and Cote des Legendes Rally. May 14-17. American Helicopter Society: Forum, Washington. May 14-22. F.A.I.: 46th Annual Conference. May 16 Wolverhampton Aero Club: Goodyear Trophy Race and Display. May 21 R.Ae.S.: All-day Meeting on Aeronautical Acoustics (jointly with the Acoustics Group of the Physical Society). May 23. Derby Aero Club: Display. May 25. Women's Junior Air Corps'. Display, White Waltham. May 25. S.S.A F.A.: Display, Yeadon. May 29. R.Aux.A.F.: Officers' Coronation Ball, London. May 30. Auster Flying Club: Ragosine-Auster Homing Trophy Com petition. May 30. Swansea and District Flying Club: Display. June 5-7. Yorkshire Aeroplane Club: International Rally. June 6. Leicestershire Aero Club: Coronation Air Display June 11. R.Ae.S.: Ninth British Commonwealth and Empire Lecture, "Problems in Development of Air Transport in West Africa," by Sir Hubert Walker, C.B.E. June 14. R.Ae.S.: Garden Party, Hatfield. June 16. I.C.A.O.: Opening of Seventh Assembly, Brighton.
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