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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0597.PDF
8 May 1953 591 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Naval Aviation News Queen Mother at R.Aux.A.F. Ball IT has been announced that Queen Eliza beth the Queen Mother has accepted an invitation to attend the Royal Auxiliary Air Foice Officers' Coronation dinner and ball at the Savoy Hotel on May 29th. The Queen Mother is the Honorary Air Com modore of No. 600 (City of London) Squadron, R.Aux.A.F. Harvard Bombers A REPORT from Nairobi states that on April 30th the Royal Air Force took part for the first time in the campaign against Mau Mau activities, when three Harvards attacked a suspected hide-out in the Aberdare mountains. The Harvards each dropped eight 20 lb bombs and machine-gunned the target area, which was at an altitude of 10,000ft. Korean Honours BOTH R.A.F. and Army personnel appear in a recently published special Korean honours list. The period covered is from July 1st to December 31st, 1952. The D.S.O. is awarded to Major J .M. H. Hailes, R.A., who has been in command of an Independent A.O.P. flight since last July. He joined the flight at a time when enemy resistance was considerable, but by inspired leadership, efficiency and courage "his magnificent example" (to quote from the citation) "was a great inspiration to the more experienced pilots and filled the younger ones with unshakeable con fidence." He has personally flown 125 sorties and conducted 166 shoots with the Divisional and Corps artillery. F/L. V. Bergman, R.A.F., who has received the award of a Bar to the D.F.C. is a Czechoslovakian by birth and has com manded the Flying Boat Wing Detachment at Iwakuni for two periods during the past year. Out of a total of 3,770 hours flown, 506 have been on operations in Korea. For his work as a navigator on maritime reconnaissance operations, F/O. R. M. Lee, R.A.F., is awarded the D.F.C. Altogether he has flown over 800 hours on Korean operations and during the period under review flew 323 hours in 23 sorties. Two other awards of the Distinguished Flying Cross are to officers of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, who are both pilots in A.O.P. flights. They are Capt. G. W. C. Joyce, who has controlled 210 shoots and who consistently volunteered to try out new fly-lines and to do low-level photo graphic work over enemy territory, and Capt. J. A. Crawshaw, who has controlled no fewer than 300 artillery shoots. The citation states that on one occasion Capt. Crawshaw "was engaging an enemy gun position which was causing casualties to our own troops when he, in turn, was engaged by light anti-aircraft fire. In spite of the fact that his aircraft had been hit, he persisted in remaining in the area until he had finished dealing with the guns." An air gunner on Sunderland flying- boats, F/Sgt. J. M. Reilly, has been awarded the D.F.M. for his service in operations over Korean waters during the past two years, during which period he has participated in 72 operational sorties. Sgt. R. W. Carr, an n.c.o. in charge of ground crew, receives the B.E.M. for his keen and conscientious work and the fol lowing are Mentioned in Despatches: S/L. P. F. Eames, F/L. L. C. Swalwell, F/L. R. Craig, D.F.C., F/O. R. P. H. Rose, F/O. T. P. O'Brien, M.Gnr. W. Sanderson, F/Sgt. P. E. D'Santos, F/Sgt. A. Ibbotson, F/Sgt. W. I. Tedman, Sgt. J. A. Lever, Sgt. D. M. Dodge, Sgt. F. McK. Cunning ham, Sgt. J. P. Killelea, R.I.F., and Sen. A/C. W. A. Gorringe. Sabre and Mig T HE following comments are extracts from a report by W/C. J. H. R. Meri- field, D.S.O., D.F.C., who was selected with F/Ls. A. Jenkins, J. Nicholls and D. Dunlop, also from Fighter Command, to fly a tour of duty with American Sabre Wings in Korea. The party left Britain in April last year and spent the first six weeks at an O.T.U. in Nevada, U.S.A. On the characteristics of the Sabre W/C. Merifield comments : "We found it a delightful aeroplane to fly. It has no vices and practically no flying limitations. It will go through what is popularly called the sound barrier with no trouble, and the controls, which are power-operated, are beautifully balanced at all speeds." After describing how the small differ ences in operational procedure were over come and how political and territorial con- APPREOATIVE AUDIENCE: Air Marshal Sir Basil Embry, until recently A.O.C-in-C. Fighter Command, is now visiting Australia and New Zealand. He is seen demonstrating the points of a Vickers-Armstrongs' Swift to cadets of the R.A.A.F. College at Point Cook. On his retirement from the Royal Air Force Sir Basil intends to settle in New Zealand. siderations prevented United Nations' air craft from passing over the Yalu River, the Wing Commander's report goes on : "So what we do is to patrol south of the Yalu River at heights ranging from 45,000ft downwards and wait for them to come across. "The Migs have considerable advan tages over us at this point. They are operating over their own territory and close to their own bases. They have an efficient radar warning system. We on the other hand are two hundred miles from our bases and at this range can get very little help from our own radar. We have to keep always enough fuel in reserve to engage in combat, which means operating at full power with very heavy fuel consumption, and then to take us back home with enough in hand to cope with any unforeseen delays in landing. "The Mig-15, too, is in many ways a better fighter than the Sabre. It is faster, has better acceleration, climbs faster and has a higher ceiling. They can climb to their best height in perfect safety north of the Yalu and attack us at any time they choose from the quarter most favourable to them. In spite of all this we are still knock ing them down at a ratio of better than eleven to one in our favour." Another interesting sidelight in the report deals with the fore-and-aft stability of the Mig-15. "When the Mig pilot tightens up his turn a bit too enthusiastic ally his aircraft is liable to snap-roll and spin, and there have been several cases observed of Migs spinning into the ground without having been hit at all. There is no doubt, though, that the enemy pilots on the whole are benefiting from their en counter with us, and unless the perform ance of the Sabre is considerably improved or a new type introduced, the tide could turn in the enemy's favour." A final comment in the report deals not with the Sabre or the Mig but with the air rescue service. "When operations are going on," W/C. Merifield says, "helicopter and amphibian aircraft are at readiness to go to the help of anyone in trouble and, in addition, flights of fighters are normally airborne in order to deal with any enemy interference with rescue operations. I have seen a helicopter waiting underneath a member of my flight descending by para chute more than 100 miles north of our base. In this case he came down in the sea and spent approximately 30 seconds in the water. The helicopter pilots are held in the highest esteem." Coronation Naval Review THE aircraft carriers taking part in the Coronation Naval Review at Spithead on June 15th are : H.M.S. Eagle (flagship of Vice-Admiral J. Hughes-Hallett, C.B., D.S.O., Flag Officer, Heavy Squadron, Home Fleet), Illustrious, Implacable (flag ship of Vice-Admiral J. F. Stevens, C.B., C.B.E., Flag Officer Training Squadron), Indefatigable, Indomitable, Perseus, Theseus, H.M.C.S. Magnificent (flying the broad pendant of Commodore H. S. Rayner, D.S.C., CD., R.C.N.), and H.M.A.S. Sydney. The first five are all of the fleet type and the remaining four are of the light-fleet type. Other ships of aeronautical interest are the aircraft direction vessel H.M.S. Boxer and the aircraft tender H.M.S. Blackburn. About 300 naval aircraft will take part in the fly-past, which is being led by Rear- Admiral W. T. Couchman, D.S.O., O.B.E., Flag Officer Flying Training, in the Vam pire of the Admiral's Flight. Eight Dragon fly helicopters are being flown by No. 705 Squadron and 18 squadrons are each send ing eight Fireflies. Three of these units are
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