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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0383.PDF
FLIGHT, 12 February 1954 179 MANTLE OF SAFETY we were on. We could only say we were about 50 miles north of So-and-so and about 70 miles south-west of some other place. There was no way of pin-pointing our locality because the names in that area had never got on the maps. "The Flying Doctor and pilot came out. It's always O.K. with Woolcock. He kept in touch with me from the plane and described the places passed over. I would reply, 'We are still north of that place.' He was able to judge that he was getting closer by the increasing strength of my signals. At last he travelled over, and described, a creek I knew to be ten miles east of us. I directed him to turn and follow a certain watercourse, and at last was able to report, 'Now I can see you coming straight towards us.' "With our earth-moving equipment we had improvised a run way and he came in and made a perfect landing." A recent flight made from the Alice Springs Base in Central Australia to the Hermannsburg Mission (a Lutheran aboriginal mission) was made in almost impossible flying conditions. Gen eral dust-haze had reduced visibility to less than one mile and actual dust and sand blowing locally gave visibilities of from nil to 200 yards at Alice Springs and Hermannsburg and other points in between. Surface winds of 50 m.p.h., and gusting higher, threatened to render landing, taxying and take-off even more difficult. But the flight was made (and with success) because it was considered that the patient would have died if he were not brought in immediately. Much of the work of the doctors is, of course, less hazardous and may consist of diagnosing a child's cold or measles by radio telephone. All of them are skilled in long-range diagnosis and sometimes a minor operation has been "performed" by remote control. Dr. John Woods, then stationed at the Broken Hill base, once set a dislocated shoulder 400 miles away. A workmate of the patient followed the doctor's instructions step by step; and just after the last of a series of orders, Dr. Woods heard the voice from the other end say, "The bone has just clicked back, doctor!" How is the service financed? By grants from Federal and State Governments and private gifts, and by revenue. In one recent year, the New South Wales section cost £A11,300 to operate. Its total revenue was short of that amount by about £A1,800. An important source of revenue at all base stations are the radio- telegrams received from people in the outback and relayed to the outside world. In that year, the New South Wales section re ceived about £A1,000 from telegrams. Patients are not charged for medical flights, but, as the cost of a long flight can amount to £A70 or £A80, those who can afford to contribute are asked to do so; some outposts donate the proceeds from the sale of stock. The Reverend John Flynn, who had seen his dream come true in his lifetime, retired from the Australian Inland Mission in 1950, after a ministry that had lasted for 40 years. Six months later, at the age of 71, he died. His body was cremated and the ashes taken to the Central Australia he had served so well. He sleeps under Mount Gillan near Alice Springs. Over the grave is an eight-ton round stone brought from 250 miles away. It is one of the huge granite monoliths, almost perfectly spherical, at which the traveller marvels as he passes up the Great North Road between Alice Springs and Tennant Creek. John Flynn passed "The Devil's Marbles," as these monoliths were called, many times; they were one of his favourite camping spots. A bronze tablet, set in the plinth, bears this inscription: — Beneath this stone rests the ashes of "Flynn of the Inland" 1880-1951 THE VERY REVEREND JOHN FLYNN O.B.E., D.D. First Superintendent of the Australian Inland Mission 1912-1951 Founder of the Flying Doctor Service Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church 1939-42 "He brought gladness and rejoicing to the wilderness and solitary places." PRIZES FOR FARNBOROUGH STUDENTS AS briefly recorded in our columns last week, Sir William S. Farren, president of the Royal Aeronautical Society, pre->• sented the prizes at the Royal Aircraft Establishment Technical College on February 1st. Sir William, who was intro duced to the large audience by Mr. A. A. Hall, Director of the R.A.E., said it was ten years ago that he last undertook the task of presenting the prizes at this College. At that time few indeed could have foreseen that the College would make such tremendous progress. Its reputation in the world of aeronautics was extremely high, and he felt some sense of personal pride in the fact that he had been a member of the first committee formed to guide the future of the College. Sir William spoke modestly of his own contribution, saying that much of the credit for the far-sighted early planning should go to three men whose names all began with the letter "P"—Professor A. G. Pugsley, Mr. W. G. A. Perring and Mr. R. D. Peggs. Professor Pugsley was the first chairman of the committee, Mr. Perring the Director of the R.A.E., and Mr. Peggs the Principal of the College. The speaker said he felt, too, that they had gained much from the support of Sir Archibald Rowlands [Permanent Secretary, M.o.S., 1946-52]. Speaking of education generally, Sir William thought that to teach a trainee really to like work was more important than trying to teach a multitude of subjects. He himself had always enjoyed work, and because of his fondness for it had trained himself as an engineer at an early age. His first intention had been to become a good electrical engineer; it was not for some years that he began to take an interest in aeronautics. He disagreed with the idea that one should make up one's mind about a chosen career early in life and stick to that career: work should be interesting and -xciting and cover a very wide platform. When a love of work was in evidence the question of whether it was hand or brain work no longer loomed important. The fiftieth year of flight had wrought to mind the Wright brothers, who were the perfect answer to all who would argue on this question, for they had ombined both types of work with outstanding success. Presenting his report on the year's work, Mr. R. D. Peggs, rmcipal of the College, gave a brief summary of examination 1 :sulrs. These included: Twelve B.Sc.(Eng.) Final; 12 B.Sc.(Eng.) Part 1; 31 Higher National *"• William Farren presents a prize to student J. Thwaite. Seated near '«eend of the table is Sir Frederick Handley Page. Standing, left to n9m, are Mr. R. E. Smith (Vice-Principal), Mr R. D. Peggs (Principal) cno Miss A. J. M. Stewart. At the extreme right is Mr. A. A. Hall. Certificates in mechanical engineering; 14 endorsements to H.N.C. in mechanical engineering; 18 completely exempt from A.M.I.Mech.E. examinations; 22 H.N.C.s in electrical engineering; 12 H.N.C.s in pro duction engineering; 13 Ordinary National Certificates in mechanical engineering, and 25 endorsements; 10 O.N.C.s in electrical engineering, and 19 endorsements; 44 Final City and Guilds, 1st class; 46 Final C. and G., 2nd class; 12 Intermediate C. and G., 1st class; 43 Inter. C. and G., 2nd class; three first places in Final C. and G.; four C. and G. prizes in aero engineering; five Higher National Certificate Institution prizes; a King George VI Memorial Fellowship to U.S.A., valued at 2,500 dollars plus tuition and travelling; and two reserve candidates for this Fellowship. In addition, there were three M.o.S. post-graduate scholarships, nine local education authority post-graduate scholarships and two technical State scholarships. The Llewellyn-Howell Memorial Trophy was awarded to the College by the Worshipful Company of Turners. At the conclusion of the proceedings Mr. A. J. Robinson, presi dent of the R.A.E. Technical College Students' Union, presented a gold watch to Mr. Peggs. A token of the regard of past and present students and apprentices, it marked the tenth year of Mr. Peggs' office as principal of the College.
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