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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0898.PDF
410 FLIGHT, 2 April 1954 CORRESPONDENCE . . . some old Wellesleys; widi these, the squadron was able to keep one flight active on anti-sub patrols until March 1943, by which time a full complement of Beauforts allowed the squadron to be reconstituted. So, in 1944, the Mosquitos of 47 were put into a pool to re-equip Nos. 45 and 82 Sqns. All three units had been due for Mossies, but a large number of them were found to be defective, and it was decided to go ahead with 45 and 82, which had had Vengeance dive-bombers, and to let 47 revert to Beaus again. The old T.F. 10 Beaus came back, had their A.S.V. removed and rocket racks installed, and were then used for night trips in support of the Irrawaddy bridgeheads, shooting up Jap artillery positions, transport (was this the transport support?) and roads, dropping leaflets and fire-crackers. The poor T.F. 10 did not take kindly to being asked to climb over die Chin Hills, and efforts were made to lighten the aircraft by removing the D/F. loops, remote controls, A.S.V. racks, etc. Eventually "A" Flight was re-equipped with Mossies, which were used for daylight rocket attacks on oil-well installations, etc. For a time "B" Flight re tained its Beaus, but at the end of die war in August the squadron was completely Mossie-equipped. Not until after die end of die war was die unit re-formed as a transport squadron. Your series of articles on famous aircraft is grand and I only wish it were possible for them to appear more frequendy. How ever, their accuracy is such mat more rapid preparation must be out of the question. Tangier, Morocco. R. R. OLLETT. Cdmt. Bouderie Returns to France R EADERS will recall the letter written joindy by G/C. J. Jeffs and Capt. A. G. Lamplugh suggesting a small presentation to me on die occasion of my retirement after 34^ years as repre sentative of Cie. Messageries Aeriennes, Air Union and Air France in this country. Unfortunately, immediately after that letter ap peared I became very ill and this delayed, until a few days ago, the informal presentation to me of die most beautiful silver salver with an inscription, the combined effect of which touches me profoundly. Having made a good recovery I plan to return to France for a time in the early part of April and before leaving I would like to take this opportunity of thanking my very dear old friends for their kind thought, which will always remind me of the happiest years of my life. I shall be returning periodically, and on these occasions I hope to meet many of my old friends. Sunbury-on-Thames. EMILE BOUDERIE. For the Record I N your issue of March 12di it is stated mat the Sikorsky XHR2S is the first helicopter in the world to have a retractable under carriage. This is not so; the Landgraf helicopter of about 1948-1949 was fitted with a retractable undercarriage and, incidentally, was powered by a Pobjoy engine driving twin rotors carried on outriggers. I also have a suspicion that one or two American "one-off" helicopters have had retractable undercarriages, but am unable to verify this, since my information files are not available. On a rather different subject, the Lancaster, despite assertions to the contrary that have appeared in your columns, is still in service in the R.A.F. Lancasters are used for training at Coastal Command's School of Maritime Reconnaissance, where I have been a staff captain for the last two-and-a-half years, and I can assure you that the Lancaster is very far from being dead, never mind lying down! In fact, tiiose aircraft are giving a very good utilization rate, despite the inevitable shortage of certain spares (they are now being fitted widi Wesdand Welkin exhaust stubs); FORTHCOMING EVENTS April 2. Scientific Instrument Manufacturers Association: Annual dinner and dance. April 2-5. Institution of Production Engineers: Conference on Production Information, College of Aeronautics, Cranfield (jointly with A.S.L.I.B. Aeronautical and Engineering Groups). April 3. Radar Association: Annual dinner and dance. April 3. British Interplanetary Society: Film show. April 6. R.Ae.S. Section Lecture: "A Review from the Design Aspect of Materials used in Rocket Motors," by G. O. Jones. April 7. Radar Association: "Radar and the Weather," by P. A. L. Harris. April 6-8. Radio and Electronic Components Exhibition: Grosvenor House, London. April 8-13. Physical Society: Exhibition of scientific instruments and appar atus, Imperial College of Science and Technology, London. April 8. R.Ae.S. Main Lecture: "Practical Experience of Airline En gineering," by R. C. Morgan, O.B.E., F.R.Ae.S. (at Chester). April 8. Society of Instrument Technology (Control Section): Dis cussion on "Rationalization of Units for Electrically Operated Servos." April 9. Helicopter Association: "Navigation of Helicopters," by D. M. Davies. April 10-13. Air display and show, Rhine-Main Airport, Frankfurt. April 10. British Interplanetary Society (Midlands Branch): Film show, "Destination Moon." April 10. British Interplanetary Society (Provisional Yorkshire Branch): "Life on Other Planets," by G. Holiis. April 13. R.Ae.S. Section Lecture: "Aspects of Modern Aircraft Materials," by Dr. H. Sutton, C.B.E., F.R.Ae.S. April 14. Royal United Service Institution: "Air Power and the Future of War," by Marshal of the R.A.F. Sir John Slessor, G.C.B., D.S.O., M.C. April 22. R.Ae.S. Main Lecture: "Diesel Compound Engines," by E. E. Chatterton, B.Sc, A.M.I.Mech.E., F.R.Ae.S. April 22. Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators: Annual general meeting. R.Ae.S. Branch Fixtures (to April 23): April 2, Leicester, "Supersonic Bangs," by G. M. Lilley. April 5, Derby, "Aspects of Airline Flying with Jet Aircraft," by Capt. W. G. Johnson. April 6, Belfast, "Engineering Problems of Airline Opera tion," by B. S. Shenstone; Glasgow, "The Piston Engine and the Develop ment Engineer," by J. M.Marshall. Apri 17, Bristol, annual general meeting, and film show; Weybridge, brains trust; Luton, "Guided Weapons," by W. H. Stephens. April 8, Chester, Main Lecture (see above). April 13, Belfast, annual general meeting; April 14, Glasgow, annual general meeting; Hatfield, discussion evening; Preston, annual general meeting and film show. April 15, Gloucester and Cheltenham,^ annual general meeting. April 23, Hatfield, annual dinner. there are sufficient Lancasters scattered round die countryside to keep them going for some time, on a cannibalization basis if necessary. Having been flying Lancasters for the past five-and-a-half years, I feel rather strongly about this premature dismissal of a very fine aircraft, the more so as it is now the sole survivor, in any role, of die wartime bombers, and as such deserves honourable mention in your otherwise excellent magazine. Of course, the Lancaster is still in service widi the French Naval Air Arm, and in several versions with die R.C.A.F. Inci dentally, there was at Blackbushe in the middle of January a Lancaster Mk 7 in freshly-applied Bomber Command black-and- grey, though what its antecedents may have been is more than I can say. The confusion, of course, originated in die fact that the Air Ministry statement referred to Lancasters in Bomber Command. After all, the S. of M.R. did send four Lancasters to Odiham for the Royal Review, and they were visible on numerous photographs of the static display, despite the insistence by a certain group captain that the Lancasters flown by him during the war looked nothing like those on display—this to a high-ranking Naval officer in the hearing of the captain of one of the Lancasters, who had just been asked by die group captain what the aircraft was! R.A.F., Dishforth. A. W. HAY, F/L. "^~^E»-. ^ ^ngpjj '# :*-». * -^~. ™% ••'• SSBy*""»i«i"' ?•*«••»• FffWS 'WV-|^":U|- .:.$ i MU^^imm^Mi^m^^^ •••••• f / \ /' it J •MM . c' ...••.— % '.•••:j • ::-.:j j ' •j- SHORT HOP FOR COMET A Comet of the Royal Canadian Air Force is moved from the de Havil- land plant at Toronto to the company's new over haul bay a mile away. The aircraft is a Series 1A, with Ghost 50 Mk 2 turbojets and a fuel capacity of 7,000 Im perial gallons. The R.C.A.F. uses its two Comets—delivered in the summer of last year—for transport duties and for fighter and radar affilia tion exercises.
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