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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1328.PDF
484 FLIGHT, 2 October 1953 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm News Tour by Deputy C.A.S. DEPUTY CHIEF of the Air Staff, and Vice-Chief of the Air Staff designate, Air Marshal Sir Ronald Ivelaw-Chapman, was due to leave London on September 29th for discussions with Commonwealth Air Force authorities in New Zealand and Australia. He will pay a short visit to Ceylon on the outward journey, and, when he is in New Zealand, will see the end of the London-Christchurch Air Race. On the return journey he will visit R.A.F. units in the Far East and Middle East, and will call to see the Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Air Force and the Commander- in-Chief of the Royal Pakistan Air Force. The tour will involve flying about 25,000 miles in a Hastings of No. 24 (Com monwealth) Squadron, R.A.F. Transport Command. Sir Ronald, in addition to his discussions with officers of Common wealth Air Forces, plans to visit isolated units of the Middle East Air Force and the Far East Air Force where small R.A.F. detachments are stationed. Among these will be staging posts for the R.A.F. Valiant and Canberras competing in the New Zealand Air Race at Negombo (Ceylon), the Cocos Islands and Perth (Western Australia). On the return journey he will visit such small and little- known R.A.F. detachments as those at Car Nicobar, in the Indian Ocean, and Mesirah, off the South Arabia coast. He is due to return on November 4th. Technical Cadets Graduate A PASSING-OUT parade at Henlow •^*- on Friday last, September 25th, marked the completion of the first phase of the new scheme for training technical cadets for the Royal Air Force. Last October the first entries of Technical Cadets (University) went to the R.A.F. Technical College, Henlow, and Friday's parade marked the graduation of 20 candidates. The reviewing officer was Air Chief Marshal Sir John Whitworth Jones, Air Member for Supply and Organiza tion. At the time when the new scheme was being considered Sir John was A.O.C- in-C. Technical Training Command. The prize winners were: Tech.Cdt. D. J. Pugh—The Norton Sword and Science Prize. Tech-Cdt. C. A. Cooper—The Franks Trophy. Tech.Cdt. J. K. Pettifer —Mathematics Prize. In his address at the graduation cere mony the Commandant, A. Cdre. H. D. Spreckley, gave details of the cadets further training. Of the 31 cadets reviewed, 11 stay at Henlow for a further two years training and the other 20 go to Universities for three years to qualify for an honours degree in engineering. At the end of the three years they return to Henlow for six mondis to familiarize themselves with the actual equipment with which they will be dealing in the Service. While they are at the Univer sities, reports from their tutors, and from the commanding officers of the Univer sity Air Squadrons, will be sent to the Commandant. A. Cdre. Spreckley also emphasized that one of the aims was to prepare the Univer sity cadets for qualifying examinations for the Mechanical Sciences Tripos of the University of Cambridge. In this the college had been very successful, result ing in 17 cadets passing with high marks. Air Chief Marshal Sir John Whitworth Jones in his address referred to the com plexity of the world's material civilization and went on to say: "British engineers and scientists are rightly acclaimed for dieir pre-eminence in the fie'd of basic research and the ability to see how the results of such research can be turned to practical use. Our craftsmen are famous for their skill. These qualities enable us to set very high standards in engineering and point die way to further advances. They do not, however, enable us to fill the ever- changing needs of vast and growing demand of a mechanized world. For this we nsed some numbers of very high-grade technicians and production and main tenance engineers. This is a field in which our American friends excel, so I make no apology for borrowing an American phrase to describe them as the 'know how' msn. This country urgently needs many more 'know how' men." Sir John then went to great length to show the subtle difference between a good technician and a good technical officer, pointing out the need for an officer not only to have high technical ability, but also to have great qualities of leadership and desire to serve others as well. New R.O.C. Commandant ON relinquishing his post as S.A.S.O. No. 22 Group, Technical Training Command next March, A. Cdre. J. H. T. Simpson, D.C.O., A.F.C., is to become Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps. A. Cdre. Simpson entered the R.A.F. in 1927, with a short-service commission. Most of his wartime service was in the Middle East, where he commanded No. 70 Squadron and No. 236 Wins. He became S.A.S.O. to, and later A.O.C. No. 205 Group. t No. 600 Squadron Association TT has been decided to form an associa- •*- tion for past and present members of No. 600 (City of London) Squadron, R.Aux.A.F., of which the Queen Mother is the Honorary Air Commodore. A general meeting has been convened for today, Friday, October 2nd, at Fins- bury Barracks, City Road, E.C.I, at 7.30 p.m. The bar will open from 6 p.m. to give old friends an opportunity for an informal chat before the formal meeting. G/C. P. G. Stewart, one of the very early members of the squadron, is chairman of the existing committee. The R.A.F. Quarterly STARTING with the issue for October, the R.A.F. Quarterly and Common wealth Air Forces Journal will in future bear the title Air Power, The Air Fcr es Quarterly. The change has been made in view of the much extended field cf the subject matter. Reunions THE reunion of No. 164 Squadron is being held on Saturday, October 24th, at the "Rose and Crown," Sloane Street, London, S.W.I, at 6.30 p.m. Particulars from L. Plows, 8 Talbot Road, Bayswater, London, W.2. We are requested to warn all ex- members of No. 69 Squadron to stand by for a reunion to take place in London on the second or third Saturday in November. The eighth annual reunion of No. 85 Squadron will be held at the Ambassadors Hotel, London, on Saturday, November 7th. Tickets, 17s 6d each, from J. Roberts, 14 Carisbrook Close, Enfield, Middlesex. TECHNICAL GRADUATION: Below, Air Chief Marshal Sir John Whitworth Jones inspecting the cadets at last Friday's passing-out parade at Henlow and, on the right, handing the Norton Sword to Tech.Cdt. D. J. Pugh. Top right are two more prize winners, Tech.Cdt. C. A. Cooper and Tech.Cdt. J. K. Pettifer. "Flight" photographs
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