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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0993.PDF
15 July 1955 105 labour force grew to 5,000. Eleven monthsafter the work had started advance parties from the R.A.F. and Royal NedierlandsAir Force flying units began to install stores and equipment, administrative officesand transport parks, and about six weeks later the station opened for operationalflying. Because of its isolation Laarbruch iscompletely self-contained, providing its own services and amenities. It boasts themost efficient power house of any NATO station, not only generating all the elec-tricity, but heating all the water for the camp by the turbine gases. There are 400families' quarters, and one of the largest schools ever built on a R.A.F. station meetsthe needs of the 600 children. A large central store operated by N.A.A.F.I. issupplemented by mobile shops operated by German traders from nearby villages.There is a 300-seat cinema and a compre- hensive education block housing an artStudio, carpentry shop, photographic dark- room, modelling workshop and studyrooms. There are seven soccer pitches, four cricket pitches, rugby and hockeypitches and a running track. A swimming pool is under construction.Dutch and British mess together and are represented on all station committeesorganizing recreational and educational pursuits. President of these committees isthe Station Commander, G/C. G. W. Petre, D.F.C., A.F.C. In addition to hisoperational responsibilities he has to play the part of "mayor" to the internationaltownship, and a "corporation" including German representatives has been formedto assist with community relations. Reunion TTHE reunion dinner of No. 115 Squad-•*- ron Association will take place at 1900 hr on October 22nd at Gilmour Caterers,307 High Holborn, London, W.C. Tickets (14s 6d) and particulars from Mr. P.Williams, 71 Paulet Road, London, S.E.5. THE "ARIES" FLIGHTS "CURTHER details are now available-T concerning the recent Ottawa-London and trans-polar flights of the R.A.F.Flying College Canberra Aries IV. The Royal Aero Club has announcedthat, subject to official confirmation, the aircraft, piloted by S/L. I. G. Broom,D.S.O., D.F.C., flew from Ottawa to London, a distance of 3,330.41 miles, at aspeed of 496.8 m.p.h., in a time of 6 hours 42 minutes 12 seconds. The R.A.F.therefore claim to have set up a record for the Atlantic flight, for this is the first"capital-to-capital" jet crossing. Aries was met on the tarmac by theCommandant of the R.A.F. Flying College, A. Cdre. G. A. Walker, C.B.E., D.S.O.,D.F.C., who was the first to speak to the pilot after the aircraft had made radiocontact with the control tower at 0300 hr (BST), forty-eight minutes before itlanded. Also waiting to greet the crew wereA.V-M. G. E. Nicholetts, C.B.E., A.F.C., Senior Air Staff Officer, Flying TrainingCommand, and G/C. P. H. Hamley, A.F.C., the Commanding Officer of R.A.F.West Mailing, and members of the R.A.F. Flying College, who flew down earlierfrom Manby. (A.V-M. Nicholetts, as a flightlieutenant, himself helped set up a long- distance record, as co-pilot of the Fairey-Napier monoplane which flew from Cran- well to Walvis Bay, South Africa, adistance of 5,341 miles, in 52 hours 25 minutes in 1933.)Up to less than ten minutes before the landing, ground fog which had suddenlyblown in over the airfield threatened not only to make the landing process critical but even to interfere with the timing of theflight by R.Ae.C. officials. There was con- siderable tenseness in the control tower,for it soon appeared that not only the record attempt but the very safety of thecrew might be in jeopardy since, due to a fuel feed trouble, the aircraft had fuelfor only a few minutes should the landing not be possible at the estimated time ofarrival at West Mailing (3.40 a.m.). At 0300, when first radio contact wasmade, the runway was still fairly clear. By 0327 visibility was down to 100 yards,at 0334, however, the fog was fluctuating, and the pilot was warned to be preparedto overshoot if neaessary and land at Biggin Hill, 14 miles west. Followinga thinning of the fog, the final decision was made, to "feed the aircraft in" as quicklyas possible by G.C.A. to West Mailing. A minute later die machine was overhead,but S/L. Broom reported "negative" when asked if the airfield lights could be seen.However, the Canberra was then turned on to the approach for the let down, andmade a perfect landing in the mist. The touch down time was at 0347 hr plus43 seconds. A. Cdre. Walker's comments were: "Aremarkable feat—the final stages of the flight demanded the highest standard ofknowledge of the aircraft's capabilities, and crew and team work of the highestorder. It was a fine feat of pilotage to land in these conditions, for the aircraftwas being flown to very fine limits, and its a wonderful tribute to the aeroplaneand its engines. This actual Canberra— No. 699—has now broken the record toand from the Cape, flown to the North Pole and back from Norway, made the West Mailing at 0400 hr (left to right): G/C P. H. Hamley, A.V-M. G. E. Nicholetts, S/L R. A. Seymour, S/L. D. Bower, S/L I. G. Broom (apparently suffering from a little compression trouble), and A. Cdre. G. A. Walker. first trans-polar flight by a jet aircraft (onthe outward flight, over the North Pole to Alaska from Norway) and has now addedthis first capital-to-capital trans-Atlantic jet flight to its achievements." On stepping out of the aircraft, S/L.Broom said though they would have liked a little more fuel in hand, some unfor-tunately getting trapped in the tanks, thus making the margin a little tighter thanexpected, it was on the whole an uneventful flight. "We came over above the weather andwere at 49,000ft over the Irish coast and 50,000ft when approaching London, andhad a tailwind of 15 to 20 kt. As we were flying eastwards, into the sun, we were indarkness for only 2\ hours. There was not a ripple in the air the whole way." On landing the crew were presentedwith a basket of strawberries labelled "With the compliments of the North Pole"—the "North Pole" being a nearby inn, and the message being an allusion to thetrans-polar flight made by Aries. S/L. Bower and S/L. Seymour, thenavigators, had also flown in Aries on the trans-polar flight last week, when it waspiloted by W/C. M. D. Lyne, A.F.C. S/L. Bower said they were greeted bytheir own Hastings aircraft—flown ahead to Alaska to back up the flight—100 milesoff the coast of Alaska, and by U.S.A.F. fighters on approaching the landing groundat Ladd after the Polar flight. "The flight over the Pole was clear allthe way—we never saw so much of the Polar ice before. The problem of flyingover the Pole instead of up to it and back again was easier, for this avoided the 180deg turn otherwise necessary and the con- sequent upsetting of the gyros—--theaccuracy of which has to replace the ordinary compass in those regions. "The weather was good—and that atFairbanks extremely good, for the tempera- ture there was 75 degrees (warmer thanhere!)." The Commandant's final observationon the whole exercise was that, magnificent though this Adantic crossing was, the realachievement of the exercise from a naviga- tion point of view was the trans-Polarflight—an outstanding feat and the first trans-Polar flight by any jet aircraft.S/L. Broom added a tail-piece to the effect that, having crossed the Atlanticat extreme range with no trouble at all, and having the utmost confidence both inhis navigators' ability to get him to West Mailing exactly when and where estimated,and in the renowned reliability of the airfield's G.C.A. operators to get theaircraft down safely, the worst parr of 'the flight was the last 100 yards—on itheground. Then, while moving a little more than a walking pace, he was unsure wherehe was—having lost his position when trying to navigate round the perimeterof the track in the dense mist.
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