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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1114.PDF
266 FLIGHT SOME RACY-CARRIAGE: After his recent flight in the Handley Page Victor, recorded on page 252, Mr. Harold E. Talbott remarked on the beautiful handling characteristics of the machine. It was, he said, "just as easy as a baby-carriage." He thought it would be very serviceable to either or both the R.A.F. and the US.A.F., and a point which particularly ap pealed to him was the side-by-side seating of the pilot and co-pilot. These two worthies, he thought, might play gin rummy in comfort. SERVICE AVIATION Exercise "Mariner" "THE NATO maritime exercise code- -*- named "Mariner" is due to begin on September 16th and will last, in various phases, for 19 days. It will involve the use of 300 ships and 1,000 aircraft. The whole of Coastal Command will be operating; one squadron being based in the United States and operating under the command of C-in-C. Western Atlantic while a U.S. Navy air squadron will operate from a base in Scotland. An R.C.A.F. Maritime squadron will be work ing from St. Eval in Cornwall. In his capacity as Air C-in-C. Eastern Atlantic, Maritime Air C-in-C. Channel and A.O.C-in-C. Coastal Command, Air Marshal Sir Alick C. Stevens will control more than 120 maritime reconnaissance aircraft. Other air commanders from the R.A.F. will be A.V-M. R. L. Ragg (A.O.C. No. 18 Group) as Air Commander Northern Sub Area; A.V-M. T. C. Traill (A.O.C. No. 19 Group) as Air Commander Central Sub Area and A. Cdre. W. H. Hutton (A.O.C. R.A.F. Element Chatham) as Commander Nore. The aircraft carriers Eagle, Illustrious, Implacable, Indefatigable of the Royal Navy will all take part and the Royal Canadian Navy is sending the Magnificent. The Americans are employing the carriers Bennington, Wasp and Siboney. A.V-M. W. A. D. Brook AT the inquest which followed the flying **• accident in which A.V-M. W. A. D. Brook lost his life, witnesses said that the Meteor he was flying appeared to loop and then hit the ground at an angle of 40 de grees. His instructor, F/L. L. Morley, who commands the Bomber Command Jet Conversion Flight at Coningsby. said that the air vice-marshal was absolutely com petent to fly solo, that he was on an exercise flight during which he should have climbed to 40,000ft and then returned, and that it appeared that A.V-M. Brook was carrying out manoeuvres which were not part of the exercise. A verdict of death by mis adventure was returned. Greenland Expedition Re-supply SHORT Sunderlands of No. 201 Squad ron, R.A.F. (S/L. R. A. N. McCready), have again carried stores from Young Sound to Britannia Lake to re-supply the British North Greenland Expedition, which now starts on its second and final year. The lift, involving some 65 tons of stores, was completed in only four days. No snags were experienced until the last flying boat was leaving, when floating ice and a strong gusty wind combined to force the boat ashore, causing damage to the hull. Temporary repairs with home-made col lision mats and cement enabled a return flight to base to be made. Forty Years' Service AFTER 40 years' service, W/O. S. R. Pegg, who joined the Military Wing of the R.F.C. in October, 1913, is retiring. During the First World War he served under Lord Trenchard, then a Major in the R.F.C., and Capt. Ball V.C. and saw service aboard H.M.S. Pegasus. R.A.F. Lincolns for Malaya TfO supplement the Royal Australian Air •*• Force Lincoln squadron, which has been operating in Malaya from the begin ning, almost, of the emergency, a squadron of R.A.F. Lincolns left Hemswell for Singa pore last week. On arrival they will operate from R.A.F. Station Tengah. Some of the ground crew are travelling in the Lincolns and the remainder will make the journey in three Yorks. An early task for two of the Lincolns will be to carry freight to the Cocos Islands, one of the staging posts in the forthcoming England-New Zealand air race. ( 1 MOMENTUM" WINDS UP THE second phase of exercise "Momen tum" took place between 1000 hr on August 19th and 0500 hr on August 20th. It differed from the first phase only in that the two Naval convoys were not there to be protected by Fighter Command and that Fleet Air Arm aircraft were not engaged. These were, however, once more to play a part in the final phase over the week-end August 22nd to 23rd. The Royal Observer Corps could not join Phase 2 until 1900 hr on August 19th. Operations began on the morning of the 19th with reports of P.R. Canberras from the Continent flying over Scotland, the Midlands and Southern England; syn chronized raids were made by small formations of Canberras on Southampton, Birmingham, Liverpool, Middlesbrough, Glasgow and Edinburgh. Fourteen inter ceptions by Meteors were claimed on these raids at heights up to 43,000ft, although the Canberras were said to be operating un restricted. A B-45 was also intercepted by Meteors at 40,000ft while heading for the industrial area of Scotland. Venoms inter cepted a formation of Canberras at 40,000ft over the nortfi-east coast, and Meteors caught two B-36s heading east wards over the Channel. During this high-level activity F-84s from 2nd and 4th A.T.A.F. also carried out dive-bombing attacks against airfields and other targets; R.A.F. Odiham was among the stations to receive such atten tion. After dark the night fighters took over, and a description of operations at West Mailing during the night appears on page 268. The final phase of the exercise opened last Friday night at 2100 hr and continued until 1800 hr on Sunday evening. Between 2300 hr and midnight Washingtons raided Harwich, Chatham, Dover and Folkestone, while Lincolns and Varsities had Southampton and Liverpool as their targets. Early on Saturday morning Aberdeen, Newcastle, Hull and Carlisle were targets for Lincolns, and towards 0400 hr Canberras in small formations simultaneously attacked Dundee, Edin burgh, Hull, Sheffield, Tilbury and Portsmouth. Shackletons of Coastal Command made low-level mine-laying sorties in the Firth of Forth and the Humber, and Meteors from bases in Scot land and N.E. England made interceptions. Fireflies and Sea Furies of the Fleet Air Arm attempted strikes on convoys off the East and South coasts, and were likewise engaged by Meteors. After first light, "enemy" activity in creased considerably and attacks were of five main types: (1) high-level raids by jet fighters simulating jet bombers; (2) jet fighter/bombers dive-bombing airfields and other military targets; (3) jet fighters and fighter/bombers making low-flying attacks against airfields; (4) Canberras, B-50s and B-45s attacking ports, airfields and industrial targets from high level; (5) attacks by the Fleet Air Arm on convoys in the Channel and off the East coast. Specifically, F-86s and Venoms from the Continent simulated high-level attacks on (among other centres) Liverpool, Hull, Birmingham and Bristol. F-84s dive- bombed Horsham St. Faith, Thornaby, Linton, Waterbeach, Wymeswold, Bent- waters, Lakenheath and Church Fenton; and West Mailing, Bentwaters and Tang- mere experienced low-level attacks by other F-84s. Canberras and B-50s operated against Aberdeen, Newcastle, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Dundee, Hull, Southampton, Harwich, Avonmoufh, the Humber, the Tees and the Firth of Forth. Sea Furies and Fireflies were in action against the two
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