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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1037.PDF
29 July 1955 149 From PUP to D.H.110 A LMOST rained-out last year, H.M.S. Peregrine's annual airf\ day was favoured last Saturday with all that could be •*- -*- wished for in the way of sunshine; from the adjacentSussex seaside resorts holidaymakers converged on Ford Airfield in their thousands. From the pilots' point of view, perhaps, theconditions were less perfect, for there was a concomitant heat- mist that must on occasions have made positioning difficult. The visitors certainly had their moneysworth, for in additionto a static show that included such modern equipment as the deck-landing mirror (the Service Trials Unit is at Ford) theywere able to see some three hours of flying which, if at times a little repetitious, gave a remarkably complete picture ofmodern Fleet Air Arm activities. H.M.S. Peregrine, which is commanded by Capt. L. E. D.Walthall, has as its Commander (Air) Cdr. G. C. Baldwin, who, with Cdr. D. A. Shaw as Executive Officer, was responsible forthe day's organization. The display had been given the S.B.A.C.'s blessing, which meant that several new aircraft could bedemonstrated by their makers' test pilots. There was a spectacular send-off to the display when, simul-taneously with the launching of 50 coloured rockets, the starter- cartridges were fired in 24 Sea Hawks of Nos. 803, 806 and764 Squadrons, the aircraft—led by Lt-Cdr. T. Innes, C.O. of 803—then proceeding to a stream take-off from the main E-W.runway fronting the long public enclosure. Now followed brief demonstrations by a Wyvern (Lt-Cdr.S. C. Farquhar) and a Gannet (Lt-Cdr. F. E. Cowtan), showing their capabilities both fast and slow, and the Gannet openingits bomb-doors and extending its radar bin. Then two Dragonflies (located near opposite ends of the enclosure, sothat everybody had a fair view) demonstrated rescue techniques, first by strop and then by Sproule scoop; Lt-Cdr. J. S. Sproule,inventor of the latter valuable device, flew one of the two. The Sea Hawks came back in two formations, four fromNo. 803 breaking away to give one of their now familiar but always stimulating formation aerobatic shows. We understand,incidentally, that the team does not always consist of the same four pilots; any of 803's or 806's pilots may be selected for aquartet, and any one of them can act as formation leader. As the first of four light-hearted interludes, an improbable-looking "aerial cyclist" passed at speed along the enclosure, suspended within 10ft or so of the ground on a long winch-cablefrom a Dragonfly. The other three turns, seen at intervals later, were Eros (no bicycle, but a small drogue for stability in yaw),a most convincing broomstick witch, and a gentleman in a bed, the drogue in this case being of a familiar domestic shape.Next, Lt-Cdr. D. F. W. Kelly, 806's CO., went through his amazing solo aerobatic repertoire, complete with low invertedpass the length of the runway, a slow loop with die Sea Hawk "standing on its jet," and a superb eight-point roll. If we werenot the victims of an optical illusion, his recovery from his final loop took him between two trees. Aerobatics without benefit of engine were next contributedby Sub-Lt. C. Hughes in an Olympia borrowed from South- down Gliding Club and released from a Tiger Moth, whichpresently bore the sailplane off post-haste for Lasham; and then it was time for brief but nostalgia-generating displays by fourhistoric aircraft, three of them handled by test pilots—the Sword- fish (Lt-Cdr. M. W. Rudorf); Fulmar (civil-registered G-AIBE,and actually the original prototype, flown by Peter Twiss); Spitfire (the well-known "Battle of Britain" replica, flown by"Chunky" Home; and the Shuttleworth Collection's Sopwith Pup. This last veteran was most nimbly handled by Vickers-Supermarine sales manager Jeffrey Quill, flying it for only the second time.The Martin-Baker company's "Meteor 7±," flown by Capt. J. E. G. Scott at under 200ft, gave a dummy ejection-seatdemonstration, the vital sequence happening with bewildering speed but the main canopy fully developing.After an efficient ambulance display by a Bristol Sycamore flown by "Sox" Hosegood it was the turn of the new typesFirst was the Seamew, showing pronounced aerobatic proclivi- ties in the hands of Wally Runciman; then came the Midge,flown fast, slow and fast by Dick Whittington and looking as pretty as ever; and finally the D.H.110 (Jock Elliott), giving amuch less inhibited display than it had at Lee-on-Solent a fort- night earlier, for the experimental "barn door" air brake underthe nose was now fully retractable. "And could those be weapon rails under the wings?" observed Cdr. G. Baldwin, who wasproviding the admirably informative loudspeaker commentary. Eight Firefly 6s of the Channel Air Division, R.N.V.R., led byCdr. N. A. Bovey, now took the air in succession, the last four using take-off rockets that seemed less noisy, less smoky, shorter-burning and less spectacular than usual. These were followed "Flight" photograph Lt-Cdr. Kelly performs one of his inverted passes in the Sea Hawk, with the Sopwith Pup providing chronological contrast. "Flight" photograph Saved from a grassy grave by a Dragonfly equipped with scoop net. by stream take-offs of Sea Vampires and Sea Hawks of 764 Sqn.(Lt-Cdr. D. Battison) and Sea Venoms of No. 891 (Lt-Cdr. M. A. Birrell), the last-named four aircraft then contributing abrief aerobatic demonstration in opposed pairs from opposite directions; the four concluded with a "bomb-burst" breakaway,during which one of them demonstrated fuel-jettisoning from its tip tanks.The Fireflies and Sea Vampires returned to make a low-level attack on a "terrorist stronghold"—a small oasis of brushwoodwhich erupted, somewhat unconvincingly, a succession of pops, bangs and coloured smoke puffs, to be finally subdued by troopsdeposited by S-55s (which arrived and departed in spectacular style, making steep turns at zero feet) and reinforcements para-chuted down from a balloon "simulating aircraft of R.A.F. Transport Command."Eight Sea Hawks of No. 806, flying four in a box and two in pairs, provided an excellent aerobatic grand finale. The four- some concluded with a spectacular "bomb burst" in which each aircraft broke away in an upward roll. (Below) Three squadron C.O.s: Lt-Cdr. D. F. W. Kelly, No. 806; Lt-Cdr. D. F. Battison, No. 764; and Lt-Cdr. T. C. Innes, No. 803.
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