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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0570.PDF
570 FLIGHT,29 April 1955 • • SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm News Exercise Sky High DURING this week the Canberras ofBomber Command have been (and in later phases still are) taking part in a majorexercise called Sky High. From Monday till yesterday they have been attacking tar-gets in West Germany, Northern France, the Low Countries, and Southern Norway,with interceptions by fighters of 2nd and 4th A.T.A.F.S and the Royal NorwegianAir Force. The bombers were practising their role in support of S.H.A.P.E. Afterthe end of the exercise proper, Bomber Command is due to continue bombingpractice on ranges in England and Ger- many until tomorrow, and Fighter Com-mand will make interceptions. Also taking part are aircraft of the 49th (tactical) and7th (strategic) Air Divisions, U.S.A.F. During the first phase night intrudersorties were also to be flown against bomber bases; P.R. Canberras were to beactive and Lincolns were to simulate minelaying. Fighter Command and theControl and Reporting organization are to be active in this last phase, and bomberstations have held airfield defence exer- cises. Good ShootingF OR the ninth year in succession theR.A.F. has won the Inter-Services Rifle Competition, and set up a record score toboot. They gained 7,937 out of a possible 8,000, beating their previous record byeight points and the runners-up, Terri- torial Army, by 22. Hunters in Germany ONE of the 2nd T.A.F. squadrons atjever, in Germany, is the first to receive Hunters. Its pilots are at presentconverting on to Hunter 4s, which they will fly in the same dual-purpose inter-ception/ground-attack role as the Venoms and Sabres flown by other squadrons. New Honorary A. Cdre. IT is announced that A. Cdre. FinlayCrerar, C.B.E., A.D.C., is to be hon- orary air commodore of No. 612 (Countyof Aberdeen) Sqn., R.Aux.A.F., and of the associated units, No. 2612 L.A.A. RegimentSqn. and No. 3612 F.C.U. Sqn. A. Cdre. Finlay Crerar was the first com-manding officer of No. 612 Sqn., from 1937 until 1939; he was previously a member ofthe City of Aberdeen Anti-Aircraft Com- pany, R.E. (T.A.), and during the war wasappointed Commandant of the Royal Ob- server Corps. In 1950 he became Inspec-tor of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, a post which he relinquished in 1951. Manning Appointment IT is announced that A. Cdre. W. C.Sheen, C.B., D.S.O., O.B.E., has been appointed Director-General of Manning.He will assume the acting rank of air vice-marshal. Since January 1952, A. Cdre. Sheen hasbeen Assistant Commandant at the R.A.F. Staff College and he attended the 1951course at the Imperial Defence College. During the early part of the last war hecommanded Nos. 106, 49 and 61 Squad- rons and it was while serving with No. 61that he was awarded the D.S.O. Spitfire JMR THE Spitfire 16 (JMR, serial SL 721),flown by Air Chief Marshal Sir James Robb before he retired in 1951, has beenacquired by Mr. F. M. Wilcock and is to be permanently on display on the fore-court of Swandean Garage, Durrington, Sussex. The new owner of the Spitfire isa member of the Veteran Car Club and it is therefore to be expected that he will fullyappreciate the historic value of his aeronautical acquisition. H.M.S. "Leopard" THE third of the new-type anti-aircraftfrigates, H.M.S. Leopard is to be launched by Princess Marie Louise atPortsmouth on May 23rd. These anti-aircraft frigates are designedfor the protection of convoys and are armed with four 4.5in guns, two small additionalguns and a Squid anti-submarine mortar. The gunnery control and gun mountingsare similar to those fitted in the Daring class ships. Australian Naval Air Re-equipment THREE squadrons of the Royal Aus-tralian Navy's Fleet Air Arm are to be re-formed in the United Kingdom this year.They are No. 808, which will replace its Sea Furies with Sea Venoms, and Nos. 816and 817, which will receive Gannets instead of Fireflies. The new fighter squadronwill work up at R.N.A.S., Yeovilton, and the anti-submarine squadrons at Culdroseand Eglinton. When ready, the units will embark in the new R.A.N. carrier H.M.A.S.Melbourne which is now being converted and is to be commissioned in November.Melbourne will have the angled deck and Air Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst, C-in-C. 2nd T.A.F., presents the Duncan Trophy for air-to-air gunnery training to S/L. W. J. T. Henderson, commanding officer of No. 266 (Rhodesia) Squadron, the winning unit. Characteristically nose-down, a Valiant B.I (the first B.I was WP199) is seen here about half-way along its take-off run. With over 40,000 Ib of Avon-thrust available, Valiants can operate from any normal-length runway. mirror landing aid, and is expected to arrive in Australia next May. The present R.A.N. carrier Vengeance,which is on loan from the Royal Navy, wili leave Sydney for England on June 16th,and when she is returned to the Navy her Australian crew will take over Melbourne. New Darwin Airfield (CONSTRUCTION work is soon to start^-/ on a new air base at Darwin in the Northern Territory of Australia. It willbe the largest in Australia, will take two years to build, and will be constructed bythe Works Squadron of the R.A.A.F. which has just completed a runway at William-town, N.S.W. The cost is estimated at £A3,000,000. R.A.F. Yacht Club PURTHER details of the R.A.F. Yacht-* Club's open Firefly meeting on August 13th-14th have been announced. Tankardswill be presented to the helmsman first home in the following categories: univer-sity students (including Service cadets); boys and girls at schools with sailingclubs; and other boys and girls. Details are obtainable from The Secretary, R.A.F.Yacht Club, Riverside House, Hamble, Southampton. Reunion ..- .T HE annual reunion of No. 619 Squad-ron, to be held on May 14th, will again be at the "Magpie and Stump," 18 OldBailey, London, E.C.4. Particulars from Mr. P. S. Osborne, c/o. A. R. Heathcoteand Company, Ltd., Bernard Works, Sylvester Gardens, Sheffield 1.
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