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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0092.PDF
92 FLIGHT, 21 January 1955 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm News New Canberras for Malaya TpOUR of a recent version of the Can--•- berra are to spend three months undergoing operational trials with the FarEast Air Force. They are B.6s of the No. 101 Squadron (S/L. W. D. Robertson),and are expected to leave on February 7th. The Canberra B.6 is more powerful andhas greater range than the B.2, which it is superseding in some of the bombersquadrons. No. 101 Squadron, which was the first to receive the original B.2s to-wards the end of 1951, was also the first unit to have the B.6. The four Canberras will fly by way ofIdris (Libya), Habbaniya (Iraq), Mauri- pur (Pakistan) and Negombo (Ceylon) toTengah, Singapore, which will be their base. They will undertake a comprehen-sive series of operational trials in the hot and humid climate of Malaya, and specialstudy will be made of such characteristics as take-off and general handling perform-ance, and the behaviour of the electrical and other installations in the aircraft.Aspects affecting the crews physiologically will also be studied, including the per-formance of the cockpit cooling system and the new air-ventilated flying clothing. This will be the first time that R.A.F.jet bombers have been based in the Far East. A Bomber Command staff officerwill accompany the detachment, and in addition to the 18 aircrew members—crews for the four aircraft, plus two reserve crews—a ground servicing partyof 50, headed by an engineer officer and an equipment officer, will also go toMalaya. The ground party and the re- serve crews will fly in two Hastings ofTransport Command. « R.A.N. To Train Own Airmen THE Royal Australian Navy will infuture train its own Fleet Air Arm observers and aircrew, the AustralianMinister for the Navy, Mr. J. Francis, re- ported recently. The training will takeplace at the naval air station at Nowra, New Here and at the foot of the page are two of the first air-to-ah photo- graphs of No. 101 Squad- ron's new B.6 Canberras, four of which they_ are shortly taking to Singa- pore for three months. South Wales, and is tobe conducted on lines similar to those of theRoyal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy. Untilnow, Australia's Fleet Air Arm observers andaircrew have been trained with the RoyalNavy in Britain. The first observertrainees will enter the Nowra school in Feb-ruary. They will be officers and ratings whohave transferred to the Fleet Air Arm, to-gether with a few entrants from civilian life. The observers will fly in de HavillandSea Venoms and Fairey Gannets. The Gannets will be brought fromEngland in the new aircraft carrier Melbourne at the end of this year. Australia, incidentally, will have onlyone aircraft carrier on active duty for most of the year. H.M.A.S. Sydney will ceaseflying operations to become a training ship at the end of April. H.M.A.S. Vengeance,which has been on training duties, will at the same time start preparations at thetime for her return to England. Two Shackletons Lost "TJESPITE a long and careful search in•L' the area in which they were lost, up to last week-end there had been no furthertrace of the two Shackletons from St. Eval, Cornwall, which had been missing sinceTuesday 11th. They were last heard of 50 miles south-west of Fastnet Rock. Badweather interfered with the search operations. The two crews were: F/Os. G. Board,K. G. Richards, G. Rogers, B. H. Webb, N. Horrocks, C. Molyneux, P/O. L. W.Woods, M/Sig. I. O. Cathcart, F/Sgt. M. G. Rae and Sgts. J. Goodwin, L. R. Swarm,E. J. Morgan, G. Thompson, H. Davies, D. Male, R. E. Ridgers, L. W. Cooper andC. W. Scott. Fighter O.C.U. FormedI N New Zealand operational training offighter/ground attack pilots is now to be performed by a fighter operational conver-sion unit at R.N.Z.A.F. Station, Ohakea. The unit will be responsible for conversionof fighter/ground attack pilots to jet air- craft, their initial operational training, theirinstrument rating on jet aircraft, and their jet familiarization as required. This task was formerly undertaken byNo. 75 Sqn., which, in the interests of efficiency, has been relieved of the respon-sibility for initial operational training. A. Cdre. Langdon Retires A FAREWELL guest-night was held atAndover on January 5th in honour of A. Cdre. Langdon, C.B.E., who has retiredafter 40 years. The function was attended by a large number of senior officers andA. Cdre. D. W. Lane, C.B.E., Comman- dant of the Staff College, was president. Reunions A REUNION of R.A.F. officers and air-crew who fought in Korea is being held at H.Q. Fighter Command, BentleyPriory, Stanmore, Middlesex, on February 5th. The president is G/C. J. E. Johnson,D.S.O., D.F.C. Particulars from F/L. I. L. M. Johnston, H.Q. No. 42 Group,R.A.F. Kidlington, Oxon. A reunion for all ranks who served inthe R.A.F. in Aden and outstations during 1939-45 will be held at the Cock Tavern,Fleet Street, London, E.C.4., on Saturday, February 19th at 6.30 p.m. Details fromW. Brackenbury, The Bungalow, 9a, Rowan Road, London, S.W.16.
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