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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0429.PDF
1 April 1955 Miss Jean Jolly, O.B.E., matron of the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, who performed the naming ceremony, with Capt. David Barclay, M.B.E., who is in charge of the ambulance flight. About 85 per cent of the calls are from the Kintyre peninsulaand the Western Isles, and accordingly it is from Renfrew that most of the flights are made, and to Glasgow hospitals that mostof the patients are brought. Renfrew-based aircraft also carry patients from the Hebridesto Stornoway and Inverness, and occasionally to Aberdeen and Edinburgh, and from the Orkneys, Shetlands and Wick to Aber-deen hospitals. The decision that a patient is to travel by air is made by thelocal practitioner, and frequently it is the first part of a patient's journey from some of the more isolated places, particularly in theWestern Isles, which is the longest and most difficult. It may start with a possibly rough crossing by rowing-boat, continuingby ambulance, or even a lorry, over many miles of heavy going to reach the airfield or airstrip. Such journeys, however, arerather the exception, and from villages or townships served by good roads transport is usually very quick.The doctor telephones in the first place to the mainland hos- pital to secure his patient's admission and then asks the localB.E.A. official at the airport concerned for an ambulance flight, giving particulars of the patient and a provisional diagnosis, sothat any special equipment can be prepared. He also indicates the degree of urgency, whether relatives or friends are travelling withthe patient and, finally, to which hospital the patient is to be taken. While the new aircraft were being named an urgent call came from Campbeltown and a Rapide and crew were despatched. Left to right: Capt. R. A. Curry, Sister M. S. Welsh and R/Off. W. V. Greatorex. B.E.A. are usually able to have the aircraft ready to fly withinan hour of receiving any call and during this time a car is sent to the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow to pick up a nurse,who might be any one of a number who have volunteered to hold themselves in readiness for these flights during their off-dutyperiods. They receive a small honorarium for each flight. The pilots, in many cases, fly in weather which normally wouldground other aircraft and much of the success of the operations is due, of course, to the skill of the radio officers. Dr. A. Buchanan Barbour, B.E.A.'s chief medical officer, hasprepared certain rules for pilots of ambulance aircraft. He has had very wide experience in aerial ambulance work and aviationmedicine. These rules are adapted to local conditions and recom- mend certain limitations for air ambulance cases. For example,a head-injury case should preferably be flown at under 5,OOOft; again, when flown out of rough airfields, fractures call for theshortest safe take-off runs. Whilst an aircraft is on its way back with a patient, St. Andrew'sAmbulance or the Red Cross are notified and an ambulance is despatched, to be on the tarmac awaiting the arrival of the aircraft.The names selected for the two Herons are very appropriate. John Hunter was the famous eighteenth-century Scottish anato-mist who is regarded as the founder of scientific surgery and Sir James Young Simpson (1811-1870) was the renowned pioneerin the use of chloroform as an anaesthetic in surgery. MR. GEORGE WATSONA SAD loss was suffered by Blackburn and General Aircraft,Ltd., with the sudden death on March 20th of 60-year-old Mr. George Watson, B.E.M., manager of their experimentaldepartment at Brough. He had been at work before the week-end, and his passing came as a great shock to Mr. Robert Blackburn,for Mr. Watson was his oldest employee. He joined the firm in 1909 and, apart from a period in the R.N.A.S. during the firstworld war, had served with them continuously. He was responsible for all experimental and development workat Brough. Eighteen months ago he received his second 21 years' service award from Mr. Blackburn, who always referred to himaffectionately as "my oldest apprentice." Mr. Watson was held in high esteem by his colleagues at Brough and he will be greatlymissed for, apart from his work, he was always consulted as the unofficial historian of the company. He leaves a wife, a son andtwo daughters. THUNDERSTREAK AUTOPILOT CONTRACT AN order has been placed by the U.S.A.F. with Lear, Inc., Santa• Monica, California, for a large number of MB-2 autopilots. They are all due to be installed in F-84F Thunderstreaks andRF-84F Thunderflashes, in accordance with Strategic Air Com- mand requirements, and production is already under way at thecompany's Grand Rapids, Michigan, Division. As mentioned in Flight of February 18th, the MB-2 is the mid-point in development between the F-5 (standard on F-84Gs and F-86D all-weather intercepted) and the advanced L-10 intendedfor supersonic aircraft. The MB-2 contract is for $6,662,700 (about £2,400,000). There are three Lear factories, at Santa Monica, Grand Rapidsand Elyria, Ohio. Principally, the company makes autopilots, flight instruments, radio communications and navigation equip-ment, guided missile components, aircraft and industrial pumps, and valves. Lear also carries out prototype engineering of aircraftmodifications and builds the Learstar twin-engined executive. N.Z. "TOP-DRESSING " REPORT READERS will recall that on March 18th we published anarticle on the operation of agricultural aircraft in New Zealand. Its author made the point that no aircraft in currentuse entirely met the often conflicting requirements of—in par- ticular—top-dressing operations, which form the bulk of theDominion farmer's aerial work. Now comes a report on the findings of a committee set up last year to investigate the supplyof aircraft for such purposes, and it largely bears out our con- tributor's contentions. The principal findings, as released bythe Minister in Charge of Civil Aviation, Mr. T. P. Shand, are that: — (1) Generally speaking, no standard aircraft in current pro-duction can comply fully with the established requirements. (2) The modification of standard aircraft cannot result in anentirely suitable top-dressing type. (3) The interest taken by three overseas manufacturers in thespecial needs of the industry in New Zealand should result in the production of aircraft which will satisfy the requirements ofoperators insofar as equipment of half-ton to three-quarter-ton capacity is concerned. (4) Efforts should be made by fertilizer manufacturers to ensurethe adequacy and continuity of superphosphate supplies suitable for aerial application. (5) Operators should study advantages to be gained fromstandardizing on acceptable types of aircraft. (6) Operators should recognize the importance of relating thecapacity of their combined fleets so far as practicable to the availability of fertilizer, otherwise uneconomic conditions maywell arise within the industry, with consequential repercussions on the operators and on the farming community. The committee also drew attention to the corrosive effect offertilizers on aircraft structures and engines, and recommended that the Civil Aviation Administration and the aircraft operatorsin collaboration should study that matter further and perhaps institute technical research into the general problem.
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