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Aviation History
1954
1954 - 2188.PDF
I f ••.••••• / .1954 f\ PA / 163 QUICK TRIP: Lt. J. R. F. Overbury and—seen taking off from Bovingdon—the Hawker Sea Hawk F.B.3 in which, as related below, he established a new London-Amsterdam record. The aircraft flew at standard service loading, carrying all its fuel internally and ballast in place of ammunition. A week earlier, it had been carrying out trials from H.M.S. "Illustrious". London-Amsterdam Speed Records A LONDON-TO-AMSTERDAM speed record was set up (subject to F.A.I, confirmation) on July 29th when a Hawker Sea Hawk F.B.3, piloted by Lt. J. R. F. Overbury, flew from Bovingdon to Schiphol at a speed of 568 m.pii. Observers of the Royal Aero Club and die Dutch Aero Club-timed die flying start and flying finish at both airports; the tiare for the flight, corrected to the exact London-Amsterdam distance, was 23 min 39.7 sec. The requirements for an inter-capital speed record are that the airport at each end should be one in accepted use for the city concerned (permission fo^Lt. Overbury to use London Airport • or Nordiolt had beenjsefused), and that the aircraft's track should pass within 30 km jflr the centre of each city (the Sea Hawk's track passed 29J km f*6m the centre of London). The official observers having calculated the aircraft's speed between airports, this speed is applied to die city centre-city centre distance to obtain a "standard" time for purposes of comparison. F. T. Hearle Relinquishes D.H. Chair /~\NE of the founder-directors of die concern which has grown ^ into the de Havilland Enterprise, MjrrF. T. Hearle, C.B.E., F.R.Ae.S., M.I.P.E., has relinquishei.'fiis chairmanship of that organization. He is succeeded by MffW. E. Nixon, F.C.I.S., the present deputy chairman and managing director, while Mr. F. E. N. St. Barbe, deputy managing" director, becomes vice-chairman in addition. f Mr. Hearle retired on medical advice. His doctor's suggestion that he should do so was first made as long ago as 1944, and he Mr. Hearle. Mr. Nixon. then handed over the managing directorship to Mr. Nixon. Six years later, however, he accepted the chairmanship on the retire ment of Mr. A. S. Butler. Thede Havilland Aircraft Co. will not lose the benefit of Mr. Hearle's long experience, for he is to remain a member of the xf* anc* W^ CQJWinue to take part in its deliberations. Mr. Hearle wpg not only one of the five men who founded the company in ^920; he was in fact the first associate of Capt. Geoffrey (now Sir Geoffrey) de Havilland when, in 1908, they w?tVugave up their Positions in the Vanguard Motor Bus Co. at Walmamstow in order to collaborate in the building of a flying machine. From 1917 he was in charge of the experimental shop of the Aircraft Manufacturing Co., Ltd., at Hendon, where Capt. de Havilland was chief designer; and when the new de Havilland company was formed in September 1920 he became works manager, and later, general manager. He was fnade a director on April 6th, 1922, and managing director on November 15th, 1938. "There were many difficult decisions arid developments in de Havilland's formative years between the wars," states the com pany, "and in all of them Mr. Hearts judgment played a vital part. Witiiout a doubt, howeveryfte bore a greater load in the years 1940 to 1944 than at any cfflier time of his life, and as great a load as almost any top indjBtrial executive in Britain at that testing period." Mr. Nixon, the new cl»frman (who also continues as managing director), was secretary rf the company from its inception in 1920, and became a direqajF in 1931. He has managed the financial policy of the firnv*and its subsidiaries throughout their exist ence, and from 1£44 has also borne the full executive and produc tive responsibijjry of the parent company. He is chairman of de Havilland Propellers, Ltd., and a director of the de Havilland Engine Coj/Ltd., and of the Commonwealth D.H. companies. Mr. St. fiarbe is another of die five directors who were founders of the company. From its inception in 1920 he has built up and administered the sales organization, with its world-wide ramifica tions. He joined the Board in 1936 and is a director also of several of the associated companies. Anglo-U.S. Missile Co-operation TN a Parliamentary written reply on July JJSt Mr. Sandys, * Minister of Supply, announced the nKJcabiliry of "more positive collaboration" with the United*£¥ates in guided-missile development. He said that durinjf»*"fiis recent discussions in America he found that the AdjjBmistration fully shared British views on the desirability ofalwser technical collaboration. A list of projects which shouldjKgiven priority was agreed upon, and the arrangements hacLjmce been formally confirmed. This news is gratifying. In a leading article on June 11th Flight pleaded for jusJrsuch a pooling of resources, pointing out that each countrynad much to offer the other, and that duplication of expenditure on this costly—and non-commercially-competitive— work ought to be avoided wherever possible. The Chiltern Hills Rally THINNER of the Chiltern Hills Trophy Race at the bank holiday ™" meeting organized by the Vintage Aeroplane Club at Denham last weekend was Ron Paine, flying his Miles Hpwk Speed Six at an average speed of 186 m.p.h. Miss FreydirCeaf (Hawk Major) finished second, and G. R. I. Parker ti»*ira7 in the Messenger in which Tim Wood won this year's King's Cup. The results of the race have now brought MisAdhraF into top position in the 1954 British Air Racing Championship, with the Goodyear Trophy Race at ShorehanvX^ragust 28th) remaining. An account of the Denham meeting will appear in next week's issue. A "Dam Busters" Party T^O celebrate the completion of theshooting of die film The ••• Dam Busters, a party was held auiSerathfinder Club's London H.Q. on July 27th, when staj0»Tn the film met serving and ex-members of die R.A.F. S#tferal of the actors made the acquaint ance of the counterpartiiifiey portray—Michael Redgrave and Dr. Barnes Wallis providro an example. Three survivors/R W/C. Guy Gibson's squadron who managed to attend the party were "Hobby" Hobday, Geoffrey Rice and Douglas Webb, who are all now civilians.
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