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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0866.PDF
388 FLIGHT FROM ALL QUARTERS .. New Test Pilot for Airwork THE appointment is announced of S/L. J. P. Tyszko, M.C., A.F.C., as chief test pilot to Air-work, Ltd. He succeeds Claude Trusk, who was the company's test pilot for many years, and who died after an illness last August. "Joe" Tyszko served with the Polish Air Force from 1938 and came to the United Kingdom in 1940, when he served with No. 301 (Polish) Bomber Sqn. From 1942 he was with No. 24 Commonwealth Sqn., engaged in V.I .P. com munication duties. In 1951 he completed No. 10 E.T.P.S. course at Farnborough and since then has been test-flying bombers at the A. and A.E.E., Boscombe Down. Among the more recent of the many aircraft types that figure in his log-book are the Canberra, Vulcan and Victor. Sir Nelson Johnson WE learn with regret of the death, in hospital on March 23rd, of Sir Nelson Johnson, K.C.B., D.Sc, A.R.C.S., who was Director of the Meteorological Office, Air Ministry, from 1938 until last autumn. He was 61 years of age. Before the First World War Nelson King Johnson was assistant to Sir Norman Lockyer at the Hill Observatory, Sidmouth, and in 1915 he joined the Royal Flying Corps, serving as a pilot until 1919. During this period he suffered a serious crash S/L. Tyszko. as a result of a flight in bad visibility, and it was said that this caused him to devote much of his ability, from that time onwards, to the study of weather phenomena in particular relation to flying. After the war he joined the Meteorological Office, and was there until 1928, when he was seconded to the War Office for duty at the Chemical Defence Research Establishment, Porton, of which he subsequendy became chief superintendent. In 1938, on the retirement of Sir George Simpson as Director of the Meteorologi cal Office, he was appointed to the post. No one whose duties in the Second World War brought them into contact with his organization can fail to recall the efficiency with which he performed diverse and arduous duties. It would be no exaggeration to say that during the war period the lives of thousands in the flying Services depended on die efficiency of the forecasts for which his department was responsible. The culminating achievement in this work was undoubtedly the accurate forecasting of the weather for the Normandy invasion. From 1946 to 1951 Sir Nelson Johnson was president of the International Meteorological Committee, and in 1951 he was elected president of the World Meteorological Association. He leaves a widow and a son and daughter. Dowty Reorganization ANNOUNCEMENT was made last week, by Mr. George • Dowty, of an important reorganization in the group of ten companies, here and abroad, which he controls. Dowty Equip ment, Ltd., are to form a new holding company, to be known as Dowty Group, Ltd., and it is intended to offer shareholders three fully-paid 10s shares for each 5s share held in die existing parent company. A further issue is likely to be made on com pletion of the scheme. It is believed that the new arrangement will further enhance the group's efficiency, and plans for two new factories are in hand. When trading results for last year are disclosed, it is believed, the group will show a profit of over £lm; in 1945 the figure was £33,000. A dividend of 33 per cent, tax-free, as against 22 per cent last year, has already been announced. Five thousand of the group's employees are to receive a £12 bonus. ROYAL AERO CLUB A.G.M. A YEAR of successful and varied activities was reviewed by **• Mr. S. Kenneth Davies (chairman of the Royal Aero Club) in his report for 1953 at the club's annual general meeting on March 24th. Among the year's major events had been the Eng land to New Zealand air race, the celebrations marking the 50th anniversary of powered flight, and the establishment by British pilots of a total of 30 world records. Of these records, he con tinued, four principal ones deserved special mention; these were the world altitude record by W/C. W. F. Gibb (63,668ft), the world speed records over the 3-km straight course and 100-km closed circuit by S/L. Neville Duke (727.6 and 709.2 m.p.h. respectively), and the world speed record over the 3-km course by Lt. Cdr. M. J. Lithgow (735.7 m.p.h.). The club's membership now comprised 1,539 full members, 414 overseas members and 1,921 associate members. Of the 112 new members who had joined that year, 35 had entered under the special arrangement applying to those below 25 years of age. There was an overall surplus for the year of just under £400. After referring to the R.Ae.C. Aviation Centre at Londonderry House and describing the activities of the various organizations there, the chairman gave an account of the good work performed by the Kemsley Flying Trust. "The Trust made available the prize money for the design competition and was implicated with the finances of the successful National Air Races of 1953," Mr. Davis said. "While interest in the light aeroplane clubs remains at a low level," he continued, "the trustees are not able to do as much as they would like to help towards an extension of the flying club movement. On the other hand, the growing interest in gliding has called for a great deal of assistance from the fund, which has been readily afforded and produced most excellent and encouraging results. Because the Trust will guarantee the initial expenditure relating to the organization of the world championships in gliding, the British Gliding Association was able to make an acceptable offer to hold the contests in England in 1954, an occasion which must add to die prestige of the United Kingdom in sporting flying." For 1954, the major events in sporting flying would be the world gliding championships, the national air races and the national air touring competition. It was hoped that the Alcock and Brown memorial at London Airport would be unveiled about the middle of the year, and in September the club was organizing an international air rally to repay some of the hospitality received from the flying clubs of other countries. Nine vacancies on the club committee, Col. R. L. Preston (secretary-general) then announced, had been filled by: Lt. Col. Lord Brabazon presents an R.Ae.C. Silver Medal to W/C. R. H. tSclntosh, chief pilot of Airwork, Ltd., and CO. of No. 522 R.Aux.A.F. Transport Sqn. C. F. H. Gough, Eric S. Greenwood, Capt. A. G. Lamplugh, Major R. H. Mayo, G/C. C. S. Morice, Major R. E. Nicoll, Major H. A. Petre, Major J. Stewart, and Lawrence Swan. On the recommendation of the committee, the president of the club, Lord Brabazon of Tara, was re-elected for another year, as were the vice-presidents (Capt. Sir Geoffrey de Havilland, Lord Gorell, Sir Francis K. McClean, Sir Frederick Handley Page, Whitney W. Straight, and the Duke of Sutherland) with the addition of Viscount Kemsley of Dropmore. Following the meeting, Lord Brabazon presented the club's Silver Medal to W/C. R. H. Mcintosh, D.F.C., A.F.C., for his services to British aviation over a period of 34 years. Lord Brabazon referred to W/C. Mcintosh's impressive record dating from R.F.C. days and which involved both British commercial aviation and air racing. His total of flying hours was 23,O0C and he had flown 111 different types of aircraft.
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