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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0953.PDF
FLIGHT, 9 April 1954 425 CORRESPONDENCE The Editor of "Flight" does not hold himself responsible for the views expressed by correspondents in these columns; the names and addresses of the writers, not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters. Over-powered Pups From Lord Balfour of Inchrye, P.C., M.C. f" READ with nostalgic pleasure the recent letters about the * 1914-18 Sopwith Pup. These old aircraft possess a fascina tion for those who flew and who tended them. Are your readers aware that in 1917 a few Pups were gloriously (even if inefficiently) over-engined by being with 100 h.p. "Mono" Gnome motors? Each flight commander at Gosport School of Special Flying under the late Col. Smith-Barry had one allotted to him as a private plaything to let off steam on. One day Major Bell-Irving, M.C., and I fetched two from Farnborough. The "clock" could be got to 100 m.p.h. with nose held down, hedge hopping. On arrival at Gosport, Bell-Irving did a climbing turn, stalled and spun, badly crashing his legs and ankles. Another over-engined aircraft was a Bristol Scout, with the 80 Gnome replaced by a 110 h.p. Clerget, which I flew in the old Test Flight, pre-runner of Martlesham, in August 1916. Our fleet included a side-by-side Clerget Bristol and a "one off" Clerget Avro two-seater fighter, built on the lines of the 1^- strutter. She was a brute to handle and finally killed her pilot, the well-known scientist Captain Garnett, who spun her in from 2,000ft. The two nicest aircraft to fly then were the Bristol monoplane and a little 80 le Rhone Vickers pusher scout built to the same specification as the F.E.8 pusher scout. I wonder how many of your readers remember the A.W. quadruplane we had? In early 1916 at Gosport I looked in the log-book of an 80 Gnome-Grahame-White Morane I flew and found it was Hamel's old pre-war aeroplane on which he gave his Windsor Castle display. London, S.W.I. BALFOUR OF INCHRYE. Reserve School Recollections I READ with interest the article [March 19th] written by Mr. C. Nepean Bishop dealing with "Reserve School Recollec tions," and I feel that one interesting piece of news was left out, e.g., the time when a Magister was stolen from Carlisle by two escaped German prisoners-of-war. At that time I was the staff officer at Headquarters, No. 51 Group, who had to deal with the subject; and it would be interesting to hear, from the School's point of view, their version of the incident. At the time it caused a certain amount of consternation, but, upon reflection, was extremely amusing. DE HAVILLAND RESULTS RESULTS of 1953 (to September 30th) trading by the de Havilland companies were announced last week. Net surplus of the group, after providing for all changes except U.K. and Dominion taxation, was £2,639,193 (1952, £1,678,043). Taxation absorbs £1,799,112 (£1,053,175), leaving £840,081 (£624,868). The Board has decided to recommend a dividend of 1\ per cent on £4,385,459 Ordinary stock, and at a quarter of that rate on the Ordinary stock issued in June last year. VICKERS TEST-PILOT APPOINTMENT NOW on the test-pilot staff of Vickers-Armstrongs Weybridge works is S/L. B. G. Aston, D.F.C. His R.A.F. career dates from the time when he was granted a short-service commission in 1939, his first operational fly ing being with No. 500 Sqn. at Detling, Kent, in 1940. He was subsequently posted to No. 280 Sqn., and later flew Spitfires and Mosquitoes on long-range photo graphic sorties. It was during one of these operations, in January 1944, that he was taken prisoner after his flash-bombs had burst inside the Mosquito at 25,000ft. On return to England in 1945 he resumed duty with P.R.U. units, and on demobiliza tion in 1946 he joined Scottish Airlines as a captain. A year later he returned to the Service with S/L Aston- Dealing with another subject, before the war Air Ministry gave a certain number of decorations to the then Reserve Flying Schools, but post-war nothing has come their way at all. It would be a pleasant gesture on the part of the Royal Air Force to give a number of decorations to the members of the staffs of these schools as a token of appreciation for the hard work carried out over the post-war years. Sutton Coldfield, Warwickshire. AVIATOR. Royal Air Force Club Membership From A. Cdre. W. P. G. Pretty, C.B.E. \I7ITH reference to the letter from the Officer Commanding ~* No. 601 (County of London) Squadron contained in your issue dated March 26th I am pleased to inform you that at the annual general meeting of the Royal Air Force Club which was held on Thursday, March 25th, it was agreed that serving officers of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force should be offered membership on the same terms and at the same rates of subscription as serving officers of the Royal Air Force. This decision is effective from April 1st, and the subscription rates are being amended accordingly. London, W.l. WALTER P. G. PRETTY, Chairman, Royal Air Force Club. T SYMPATHIZE with S/L. McCarthy-Jones [March 26th] in -*- his disappointment that the "concessions" in subscription rates to the R.A.F. Club do not apply to R.Aux.A.F. officers. But I have an even greater fellow-feeling for the club secretary, who has probably been bound rigid by the complaints from different sections of his members since the new rates were introduced. The more a club varies its subscriptions in an effort to attract members the more discontent there will be—and there is a certain amount of justification for all the grouses. One can even state a reasonable case for or against the customary difference in town and country membership rates. Country members can contend that, as they cannot use the facilities of a club as often as town members, they should not be called upon to pay the same sub scription. Town members can say (and do say) that it is their support which swells the trading profits without which the club could not carry on, so why should they be penalized by having to pay a higher subscription? As someone once said—you can't please everybody. London, W.l. G. A. THORNE, Secretary, The Pathfinder Club. a permanent commission, and passed the day fighter leader course on Meteors at C.F.E. From 1950 until last year he was at Bos- combe Down, and during this period became the first R.A.F. officer to fly a jet aircraft—a "hooked" Meteor 3—from a carrier. At the A. and A.E.E., in September 1951, he took part in the initial handling trials of the Valiant. In S/L. Aston's log-book are 4,000 hours on 127 different types. FORTHCOMING EVENTS April "Navigation of Helicopters," by April 1 April April April April 10. 13. 14. 22. 22. 9. Helicopter Association: D. M. Davies. 0-13. Air display and show, Rhine-Main Airport. Frankfurt. 10. British Interplanetary Society (Midlands branch): Film show, "Destination Moon." British Interplanetary Society (Provisional Yorkshire branch): "Life on Other Planets," by G. Hollis. R.Ae.S. Section Lecture: "Aspects of Modern Aircraft Materials," by Dr. H. Sutton, C.B.E., F.R.Ae.S. 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. Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators: A. G. M. R.Ae.S. Main Lecture: "Diesel Compound Engines," by E. E. Chatterton, B.Sc, A.M.I.Mech.E., F.R.Ae.S. 24. British Interplanetary Society (North-west branch): Film show. 24. British Interplanetary Society (Provisional Western branch): Exhibition and film show. April 27. R.Ae.S. Section Lecture: "Aerodynamic and Aeroelastic Characteristics of the Crescent Wing," by G. H. Lee, B.Sc, D.I.C., A.R.C.S., F.R.Ae.S. May 6. R.Ae.C: Annual general meeting. May 9-16. Soar Aero Club: International gliding contest and rally. R.Ae.S. Branch Fixtures (to April 23) 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. April April April April
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