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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1231.PDF
FLIGHT, II September 1953 387 MEMBERSHIP of the Pathfinder Club, operated by the Pathfinder Association at 115, Mount Street, London, W.1, is open to all serving and ex- Service members of the R.A.F. and Commonwealth and Allied Air Forces. Pilots visiting London for the S.B.A.C. Display are invited to become guest members and to use the dub rooms illustrated above (F/L. G. A. Thome, D.S.O., D.F.C., the secretary, is seen near the bar). New residential premises for members were officially opened at 118, Mount Street, last week. SERVICE AVIATION . . . BATTLE OF BRITAIN FLY-PAST AND "AT HOMES" A HURRICANE and a Spitfire, sym- **• bolizing the fighters of 1940, will fly over Whitehall at 1230 hr next Tues day, September 15th, to herald the first all-jet fly-past in commemoration of the Battle of Britain. Following the two veterans will be formations of Meteors, Sabres, Canberras and Seahawks, comprising in all 252 air craft. The U.S.A.F. is providing one formation of Sabres at the invitation off the R.A.F. The Hurricane and Spitfire will fly in line abreast at 184 m.p.h., at a height of 1,000ft. The modern fighters and bombers, in eleven formations spaced at half-minute intervals, will fly at 345 m.p.h., with alternate formations at 1,700ft and 1,200ft. First will be six formations each of 24 Meteors of Fighter Command, fol lowed by 12 Seahawks of the Fleet Air Arm; then two formations each of 24 Sabres of the Royal Canadian and the United States Air Forces; and, finally, there will be two formations, each of 24 Canberras of Bomber Command. The fly-past route is from Southend Pier to Whitehall, a distance of 35 miles. The aircraft will pass over Canvey Island; Stanford-le-Hope; to the south of South Ockendon and Rainham; over the Royal Albert and Victoria Docks; Poplar; and London Bridge Station. They will make their final approach over County Hall, and fly over the Westminster end of White hall. The Spitfire and Hurricane, operating from R.A.F. Station North Weald, will join the route at Stanford-le- Hope. In the event of unsuitable weather, the fly-past will be postponed until 1700 hr, and, if conditions do not improve, until September 16th, at 1230 hr or 1700 hr. Several rehearsals by formation leaders and deputy leaders have taken place during the past fortnight. Full-scale rehearsal flights have dispersed at Hornchurch. The fly-past is being controlled by A.V-M. the Earl of Bandon, C.B., C.V.O., D.S.O., A.O.C. No. 11 Group, Fighter Command. No fewer than 70 R.A.F. stations will be "at home" on Saturday, September 19th. This will be the ninth year in which these open days have been held and it is hoped to attain a record attend ance. Last year's attendance was itself a record, when 966,000 visitors were enter tained all over the United Kingdom; but this year, with fine weather and even more stations open to the public, it is hoped that the million mark will be passed. In order to show how the R.A.F. lives, works and plays, displays and demon strations of all types are being organized on airfields. These will include flying displays by both jet and piston-engined aircraft, ground demonstrations and static exhibitions. Stations will again inter change equipment and aircraft so that each station will be able to exhibit and demonstrate a large variety of aircraft. Eighteen of the stations "at home" are those from which aircraft took off for the great fly-past during the Queen's review of the R.A.F. at Odiham in July. At Technical Training Command stations, visi tors will be able to inspect the classrooms and methods of training us well as the accommodation and facilities enjoyed by trainees. At the score of stations where members of the Women's Royal Air Force are stationed, the care of younger visitors will become their responsibility. Admission to stations is free, but pro ceeds from car parks, sale of programmes and any other charges will go to R.A.F. charities. Last year these benefited to the extent of £20,942; this was £7,000 more than the previous year. As before, special travel concessions will be made on the railways for travel from places within a 30-mile radius of each of these air stations. Cheap day-return tickets will be available, equivalent in price to one and one-half single fares. The following is a full list of the stations which will be "at home" on September 19th, arranged according to their geo graphical location and with the nearest town indicated where appropriate. Those marked with an asterisk were not "at home" last year. Bedfordshire : Cardington (Bedford), Hen-low (Hitchin). Berkshire : Abingdon (Oxford). Buckinghamshire : Halton (Aylesbury). Cam bridgeshire : Duxford (Cambridge), Oakington (Cambridge). Cheshire : Hawarden, West Kirby (Birkenhead), Hooton Park. Cornwall : St. Mawgan. Devon: Chivenor. Essex: Debden (Saffron Waldon), Hornchurch (Rom ford and Hornchurch). Gloucestershire : Filton, Little Rissington (Cheltenham), Aston Down, South Cerney (Cirencester). Hamp shire : Andover (Andover), Thorney Island (Portsmouth). Huntingdon: *Wyton (Huntingdon). Kent: West Mailing (Maidstone), Biggin Hill. Lancashire : Woodvale, Kirkham (Pres ton). Lincolnshire: Binbrook (Grimsby), Coningsby (Boston), Hemswell (Gains borough), Manby (Louth), *Scampton. Middlesex: Hendon (Hendon). Norfolk: Horsham St. Faith (Norwich), Feltwell (Thet-ford), *Marham (King's Lynn). Northumber land : *Ouston. Nottinghamshire: Newton. Oxford : Benson (Reading). Rutland : North Luffenham (R.C.A.F.) (Oakham). Shropshire : Ternhill (Newcastle-under-Lyme), Shawbury (Shrewsbury), Bridgnorth (Bridgnorth). Somer set : Merryfield, *Weston Zoyland, *Locking (Weston-Super-Mare). Staffordshire: Cosford (Wolverhampton). Suffolk: *Wattisham. Surrey: Headley Court. Sussex: Tangmere (Chichester). War wickshire : Castle Bromwich (Birmingham), Wellesbourne Mounrford (Stratford-on-Avon). Wiltshire: Colerne (Bath), Hullavington (Chippenham), Melksham (Melksham). Wor cestershire : *Pershore (Worcester). Yorkshire : Catterick (Richmond), Dishforth (Harrogate), *Finningley (Doncaster), *Linton-on-Ouse (York), *Sutton-on-Hull (Kingston-upon-Hull), Thornaby, Norton. Scotland: Dum fries, *Dyce, *Kinloss, Lcuchars (Dundee), Turnhouse, West Freugh. Wales : *Pembrey (Llanelly), St. Athan (Cardiff), Valley. Northern Ireland: Aldergrove (Belfast). GG
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