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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1561.PDF
688 FLIGHT, 28 May 1954 Fleet Air Arm Entertains 12,000 at Yeovillon The three Fairey Gannets fly by with flaps, hooks and under carriages up and with bomb doors and radomes down. "Flight" photographs AIR DISPLAY SEASON OPENS THE first Naval air day of the year, held at Yeovilton (H.M.S. Heron) last Saturday, was a distinctly mixed bag. Aircraft manufacturers' support had been prom ised, but there were last-minute cancellations—some at the behest of the Ministry of Supply—and the weather put a truly wet blanket over the whole show. Despite the threatening sky, however, the spectators began to stream in as soon as the gates opened at 12.30 p.m. Soon, in the static shows in the hangars, questions asked in Somerset's burr were being answered in Naval parlance. There was plenty to be seen in the two hours between the opening of the gates and the starting of the flying programme. In No. 5 hangar, where the industry had been invited to display its products, Faireys were showing a set of models ranging from the F2 fighter of 1917 to die Gannet, F.D.I and Rotodyne of the present day. A particularly fine model of the Flycatcher of 1923 brought back memories of the days of Courageous and Glorious, when the Flycatchers used to take off straight from the forward hangar and over the forecastle. Bristols were showing their exquisitely finished sectioned Proteus encased in Perspex. This was very revealing, every detail being available for inspection. A non-sectioned Olympus was shown alongside. Cheek-by-jowl with models of the Handley Page Victor and H.P.97 were models of the Nulli Secundus airship (1907) and a man-lifting kite as used by S. F. Cody. Occupying the centre of the hangar were a complete A.S. Double Mamba, a sectioned Rolls-Royce Dart, a rocket device of extreme fineness-ratio (non-committally labelled "bifuel research test vehicle"), a very complete radar exhibition, a Rotax under carriage actuator, a Martin-Baker ejection seat and a sectioned Bristol Theseus. Alvis were showing bodi helicopter and fixed-wing Leonides in sectioned form and Dunlops demonstrated the Maxaret braking system: Westlands and Normalair, as the local inhabitants, had a joint stand; Westlands displayed a series of models and an exhibi tion rotor-head, and Normalair some of the multiplicity of instru ments connected with cabin pressurization; these included the new Type D pressure-controller and discharge valve for the Comet 3. On the Vickers-Armstrongs stand a large and much-admired model of the Swift overshadowed smaller versions of the Attacker, Seagull, Seafire and 508. De Havillands showed the beautifully sectioned example of the Ghost, as displayed at Farnborough, and this was flanked by a sectioned Sprite, a model of the D.H.110 (as now being developed for the Navy) and a Hydromatic airscrew. Perhaps the most interesting exhibition in the whole display, however, was the hitherto secret 30 mm Aden gun, which was on show with a clip of representative ammunition alongside its earlier 20 mm and 0.303in confreres. The station exhibit in No. 6 Hangar included the huge model of H.M.S. Triumph—with aircraft ranged on deck—and five full- scale aircraft, the Wyvern S.4, Sea Fury FB.ll, Seafire 17, Attacker FB.l and Sea Venom FAW.20; the older types were stripped for inspection. Flanking the doors were a Skyraider AEW.l (Airborne Early Warning) and a Percival Provost. When the flying programme opened, Cdr. Lamb, the announcer, had some apologies to make for changes in, and absentees from, the programme. His first regret was the non-appearance of the Britannia. In connection with this aircraft he pointed out The 898 Squadron Sea Hawk show, in three parts: Taxying down the runway while lowering wings; take-off down wind in vie with "one in the box"; and a low slow roll in front of the crowd in the same formation. HT I sSSnHBwm iritftifr -irfniUMT
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