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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0309.PDF
5 February 1954 143 A Hundred Provosts A CEREMONY at the works of Percival Aircraft last Monday marked the handing-over of the hundredth production Provost trainer to the C-in-C. Flying Training Command, Air Vice- Marshal L. F. Pendred, C.B., M.B.E., D.F.C. Also present were the A.O.C. No. 23 Group, A.V-M. G. D. Harvey, C.B.E., D.F.C.; Director of Flying Training, Air Ministry, A. Cdre. R. C. Mead, C.B.E., D.F.C., A.F.C.; the S.T.S.O. of Flying Training Com mand, A. Cdre. J. R. Mutch, C.B.; and Mr. H. E. Hancocke, O.B.E., Director of Aircraft Production at the M.o.S. The air craft was flown by F/L. B. A. Lea to No. 6 F.T.S. The Provost started its training career in October 1953. The first course actually opened on September 1st, but already at that time there were several machines at Boscombe Down and South Cerney. The two schools at present equipped are Ternhill (No. 6) and Syerston (No. 22); two more to receive Provosts are Felrwell (No. 3) and Cluntoe, Northern Ireland (No. 2). At a luncheon, with Mr. P. Hunting in the chair, A.V-M. Pendred was introduced by Mr. W. A. Summers. He said that the flying instructors in his Command were "absolutely delighted" with the Provost: "You have given us a trainer which is exacdy what we wanted, and I really believe that we got more than we hoped for. You will be glad to hear that it is now proved that my students can go solo in the Provost after less than 12 hours dual, and that is a very great advantage indeed because, as you also know, your Provost is capable of allowing students to carry out more advanced exercises which have hitherto been done on Harvards and Balliols. So the Provost is a dual-purpose trainer with great advantages, and we all love it." He also made a short broadcast to those who had been building the Provost: "I think it is very right," he said, "that you who are making this delightful aircraft should know how pleased we all are who have to teach flying on it." He hoped that hundreds more Provosts would come off the lines up to time, and as beautifully made as the ones they already had. At lunch he said that members of the first course on Provosts were in the nature of "lucky guinea pigs." If they did not transfer easily to Vampire Trainers, he added, it would be the fault of the syllabus, not of the Provost. Thanking the C-in-C. for his visit, Mr. Hunting also said that the company always welcomed any Service criticisms of its products. Two Jet Provost prototypes, with Viper engines, are taking shape well at Luton. Incidentally we can confirm positively that this type will not be named the Primus. Five Comet 3s for B.O.A.C. TT was officially announced last Monday that Sir Miles Thomas, A B.O.A.C. chairman, has signed a firm order for five Comet 3s. As long ago as November 1952 the Corporation stated that it had acquired an option on ten Comet 3s, and in November 1953 de Havillands announced B.O.A.C.'s "initial order" for five of these aircraft. The prototype Comet 3 is due to fly this summer and deliveries to B.O.A.C. and P.A.W.A. (who have ordered three) will begin in 1955. With 58 first-class passengers, the Comet 3 will operate stage-lengths of 2,600 miles. U.S.A.F. Bases in Britain A CCORDING to a decision of the American House Appropria- **> tions Committee, published on February 1st, the United States is in future to pay a major share of the expenses of con struction of U.S.A.F. bases in Britain. So far, 15 of the 19 bases here are partly or fully operational, leaving only those at Elving- ton, Stansted, Chelveston and Bruntingthorpe inoperative. Of the costs, the United States will contribute $276m (£98m) in cash and $22m (near £8m) in labour, while Britain will pay $S3 (£22m) in cash and provide the land and $209m (£74m) in facilities. The U.S.A.F. will also have the use of a 400-mile wartime pipeline. All this does not imply that Britain's share of expenditure has been reduced; as the State Department admitted last Monday, it is bigger than was originally envisaged. "Wings" Ball in Switzerland TTOMORROW, Saturday, February 6th, another "Wings" Ball A organized by the Royal Air Forces Association is to be held in Switzerland—at the Palace Hotel, St. Moritz. This morning, Friday, a Dakota chartered from Silver City Airways is due to leave for Zurich carrying a load of a highly "V.I.P." nature: it will include Marshal of the Royal Air Force Lord Tedder, Lady Tedder, test pilots Neville Duke, Michael Lithpow and Leslie Colquhoun, actress Marie Burke and the R.A.F. Dance Band. The choice of St. Moritz is appropriate, for the ball is to raise funds to provide comforts for ex-Service patients now receiving treatment in Swiss sanatoria. Such treatment is often a lengthy business, and the R.A.F.A. wants to make the patients as com fortable as possible during their absence from Britain, especially as some can receive little help of this kind from home. THE HUNDREDTH PROVOST: This group was photographed at the Luton handing-over ceremony described on this page. Left to right: Mr. L. G. Friese (Percivals), A. Cdre. R. C. Mead, F/L B. A. Lea, A. Cdre. J. R. Mutch, A. V-M. G. D. Harvey, A. V-M. L. F. Pendred, Mr. P. L. Hunting (Chairman, Hunting Aviation Group), and Mr. W. A. Summers (Managing Director, Percivals), Mr. H. E. Hancocke (M.o.S.) and K. 0. Morgan (Percivals). R.Ae.C. Award Winners AS recorded on page 166 of this issue, winners of Royal Aero Club Trophies and Gold and Silver Medals for 1953 were briefly announced at the Club dinner in honour of S/L. Jimmy Rush. The recipients, whose portraits appear below, are as follows: The Britannia Trophy for 1953 has been awarded to S/L. R. L. E. Burton and F/L. D. H. Gannon, winners in their Canberra of the speed section of the England-New Zealand Air Race. Royal Aero Club Gold Medals are awarded to W/C. W. F. Gibb, who established a height record of 63,668ft in an Olympus-powered Canberra in May; to S/L. Neville Duke, for his world speed record at Litdehampton in the Hawker Hunter on September 7th (727.6 m.p.h.) and his speed record over a 100 km closed circuit at Dunsfold on September 19th (709.2 m.p.h.); and to Lt. Cdr. M. J. Lithgow, for his world speed record in the Supermarine Swift in Libya on September 25th (735.7 m.p.h.). A Royal Aero Club Silver Medal is awarded to W/C. R. Mcintosh for his contribution to civil and sporting aviation over a period of 35 years. The Geoffrey de Havilland Trophy is awarded to Lt. Cdr. Lithgow for his speed record. (This Trophy goes to the British pilot who in each year achieves the highest speed in any official race or record attempt.) The Gold Medals and the Geoffrey de Havilland Trophy are to be presented on February 24th and the Britannia Trophy on March 31st. BRITANNIA TROPHY RECIPI ENTS for 1953 (as recorded in a paragraph above) are (top) Lt. Cdr. M. J. Lithgow (Vickers Supermarine) and W/C. W. F. Gibb (Bristol); (centre) S/L Neville Duke (Hawker) and W/C. R. Mcintosh (Airwork); and—last in the gallery—F/L D. H. Gannon (left) and S/L. R. L. E. Burton.
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