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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 1960.PDF
UJGHT, 2 July 1954 The pilots of this quartet ofN.F.14s are those listed on the following page. ALL-WEATHER DEFENDERS The Latest Meteor in Service with the Royal Air Force IT was rather more than two years ago that we visited two of the first night-fighter squadrons of Fighter Command to convert from Mosquito N.F.36s and 38s to jet air craft. One of these units had then just rc-equipped with de Havilland Vampire NJF.lOs; the other—85 Squadron—had received Meteor N.F.lls. Since that visit, the N.F.I 1 has served No. 85 very well; these Derwent-powered grey-and-green two - seaters, resplendent in red and black squadron dicing, have ranged far and wide, and they flew past Her Majesty at Odiham on that memorable Royal Review one year ago. But no aircraft is so good that it cannot be bettered, and 85 shortly found themselves re-equipping with the considerably revised Meteor N.F.12. Now, not only has the last N.F.I 1 long since departed, but the squadron is progressively trading its 12s for a still better Meteor—the shapely N.F.14, depicted on these pages. Before discussing their new equipment, some notes on the unit itself will not be out of place. The squadron was formed during the 1914-18 war, and saw much action on the Western Front. In fact, one of the most famous of all photographs of squadrons "in the line" is an air-to-ground shot of a line-up of S.E.5As of 85 Squadron, and a close-up of an 85-squadron machine appeared at the head of Mr. J. M. Brace's history of the S.E.5, in our issue of July 17th last year. A point of particular interest is that the squadron's World War I insignia, a white hexagon painted on die fuselage, is still found, in modified form, on the tail fins of their present a'rcraft. This may be a unique feature. During the 1939-45 war, No. 85 more than pulled their weight. Beginning the conflict with Hurricanes, they later received Defiants—which they operated with conspicuous success—and thus teamed up in two-man crews for the first time. From then °n, it was a long struggle by night and day, on offensive patrols and intruding over enemy territory; the aircraft that bore the white hexagon were, in succession, Douglas Havocs and de Havilland Mosquitoes. The unit worked through several marks of Mosquito, both in war and peace, before converting to their first jets, as already recorded. At the time of the conversion, the CO. was S/L. J. D. Hawkins, A.F.C; the present commander is S/L. B. J. Scandrett, A.F.C. Attention may now be turned to the squadron's aircraft. Fourteen is a respectable mark number for any aircraft, and it is worm noting that me last eleven marks of Meteor have been developed in peace-time. By about 1948, the Meteor position was as follows: the standard fighters were the Mk 4 and the new Mk 8; the longer T.7 trainer was just entering full service, and P/0. C. L. Fitch (left) with his navigator, F/0. M. Vaughan. The Meteor 14's landing lights are mounted on the nose-wheel door.
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