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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1674.PDF
828 FLIGHT FROM ALL QUARTERS The London Commemorative Dinner t ON December 17th, die fiftieth anniversary of powered, con trolled flight.was commemorated at a dinner given jointly by the Royal Aeronautical Society and the Royal Aero Club at the Dorchester Hotel, London. The Presidents of the two organ izations, Sir William Farren and Lord Brabazon of Tara, received the 890 guests, who later watched the Shell film The Story of the Century, recording the growth of flying and its impact on twentieth-century civilization. Each of the 89 dinner tables had as a centrepiece a model of an aircraft and the scene was one of memorable brilliance. After the loyal toast Sir William Farren proposed "The memory of the Wright brothers," and Mr. Lennox-Boyd, Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation, "The first generation." The reply was by Lord Brabazon. Messages were received from Her Majesty the Queen and from America's Institute of the Aeronautical Sciences. Of the latter, Sir William Farren remarked how we in this country valued "the good opinion of our fellow craftsmen." The Wrights he described as "scientists, engineers, artists and airmen." In Lord Brabazon's words, one will find their equivalent in any provincial town— "people who sell bicycles and gramophones." As boys, the brothers made better kites than their companions, and sold them. Among the guests who accepted invitations were Lord and Lady De L'Isle and Dudley, Viscount and Viscountess Trenchard, Air Chief Marshal Sir William F. Dickson (Chief of the Air Staff), Air Chief Marshal Sir John Baker (Controller of Aircraft, M.o.S.) and Lady Baker, Vice-Admiral Sir Edmund Anstice, Sir Alliot Verdon-Roe and Brig.-Gen. J. M. Stirling (the newly appointed American Air Attache). A report will appear in our next issue. Cape Town Record by Canberra ACANBERRA has provisionally been timed between London and Cape Town at 12 hr 21 min 3-8 sec—representing a speed of 486-6 m.p.h. for the 6,009 statute miles. The aircraft, a B.2 piloted by W/C. G. G. Petty and navigated by S/Ls T. P. McGarry and J. McD. Craig, left London Airport at 0001 hr G.M.T. on December 17th and reached Cape Town at 1222 G.M.T., stopping at Castel Idris (18 min) and Brazzaville (23 min). Take-off for the return flight (with W/C. A. H. Humphrey, S/L. D. Bower and S/L. R. F. B. Powell as crew) was delayed by fog at London Airport. Also on December 17th, the winning New Zealand Race crew flew their P.R.3 Canberra to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where they took part in the 50th anniversary celebrations. Dutch Aircraft Output THE way will shortly be cleared for production in Holland of *• the 460 Hunters ordered "off-shore" there. Fokker, at their factory at Schiphol, are completing their orders for 330 Meteors, die last units now being in the jigs. Of this total, the odd thirty were for supply as components to Avions Fairey in Belgium. Hunter production will be shared to some extent with the Aviolanda and de Schelde companies. It may be recalled that the Fokker company, since the war under State control, has now been returned to private ownership. New M.o.S. Guided-Weapons Posts TNDICATIVE of the constantly increasing volume of guided- -*- weapon work in the Ministry of Supply is the establishment of new senior posts, announced last week by the Minister, Mr. Duncan Sandys. The existing post of Principal Director of Guided Weapons is abolished and is replaced by two new posts: - the occupant of one will be designated Principal Director of Scientific Research (Guided Weapons and Electronics); of the other, Director-General of Guided Weapons. Dr. R. Cockburn Mr. J. £. Serby The Principal Director will be responsible to the Controller of Guided Weapons for the general overseeing of research and techni cal assessment in guided-weapon and electronic work, but in specifically research matters he will be responsible to the Chief Scientist. The Director-General will attend to general co-ordina tion of the current research and development programme. Selected to fill the post of Principal Director is Dr. R. Cockburn, C.B., O.B.E., who is at present Scientific Adviser to the Air Ministry. The Director-General will be Mr. J. E. Serby, C.B.E., now Deputy Director of the Royal Aircraft Establishment. He will be succeeded at Farnborough by Mr. M. B. Morgan, the present head of the R.A.E.'s guided-weapon department. The Production Conference T^HE second conference of the Institution of Production -*• Engineers was held at the University of Southampton from December 18th to 19th. The subject this year was "Problems of Aircraft Production" and three papers were read, entitled Trend of Design, Production Problems Arising from the Trend of Design, and User Problems Affecting Industry. Summaries will appear in a forthcoming issue of Flight. ROYAL DAKOTA: Interior views of the R.N.Z.A.F. Dakota in which the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh will make six flights during their tour of New Zealand. The Queen's dressing-room (left) has two built-in wardrobes and a full-length mirror. In Her Majesty's cabin (right), the fittings of which are based on those of a Queen's Flight Viking, much use is made of native woods.
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