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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 1398.PDF
510 FLIGHT BATTLE OF BRITAIN WEEK Record Crowds Watch "At Home' Day Displays THOUGH ten fewer R.A.F. stations were "at home" to thepublic this year for the fifteenth anniversary of the Battleof Britain—46 as against 56—over 100,000 more people attended the displays. The grand total was more than 1,300,000.The largest attendance was at Biggin Hill. This was on Saturday; and on the following day there werethe usual more solemn observances, including a thanksgiving service in Westminster Abbey and the laying of a wreath at theR.A.F. Memorial on Victoria Embankment by the Chief of the Air Staff, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir William Dickson. During the week, on the Thursday, the now traditional fly-pastover London had taken place according to plan at 12.30 p.m. With the exception of the leaders—the anonymously piloted Spitfire andHurricane—all the aircraft taking part were jet fighters. The spec- tacle was thus impressive but brief, since the six formations flewby in quick succession at 460 m.p.h. Each formation consisted of 12 aircraft in three boxes of four. First came 12 Hunters fromNos. 1 and 41 Squadrons, Tangmere, led by W/C. P. J. Simpson, D.S.O., D.F.C. The next Hunter formation came from Nos. 257and 263 Squadrons, Wattisham, and was led by W/C. J. A. Sowrey, D.F.C., whose aircraft was seen to be fitted with link-collector boxes. W/C. J, H. S. Broughton, D.F.C., A.F.C., led the 12 Hunters of Nos. 54 and 247 Squadrons, Odiham, and the finalHunter formation—representing Nos. 56 and 111 Squadrons, Waterbeach—was led by W/C. K. C. M. Giddings, O.B.E.,D.F.C., A.F.C. The 12 Naval Sea Hawks from No. 811 Squadron, Ford, led by Lt. Cdr. R. H. Reynolds, D.S.C., A.F.C., appearedto be feeling the effects of the moderately turbulent air more than the swept-wing fighters preceding them; or perhaps slipstreamwas responsible. Last of all, making their first official appearance in a fly-pastover London, came 12 F-86D Sabres of the U.S.A.F.'s No. 406 Wing, Manston, led by Col. W. S. Harrell. The Secretary of State for Air, Lord De L'Isle and Dudley, theChief of the Air Staff, Marshal of the R.A.F. Sir William Dickson, and Lord Trenchard [picture, p. 537] were among those watchingthe fly-past from Whitehall. Notes on the "At Home" Day displays at various airfields follow. Biggin Hill. The name and location of Biggin Hill always makeit a popular station for Battle of Britain "at homes"; and, expecting a large crowd, the Air Ministry and the station usually lay on acomprehensive show. This year was no exception, and 275,001 people are estimated to have ranged themselves in the enclosuresalong the main runway to watch a remarkably varied and concen- trated programme. Shackletons, Neptunes, a Sunderland, a Valiantand five F-86Ds flew past from other airfields during the after- noon, but the main demonstrations were based on Biggin Hill it- self. Performing in public for the first time were the Hunter F.5sof No. 41 Sqn., showing their manoeuvrability in an individual demonstration and their precision formation flying with all thesquadron's aircraft. The old-timers were well represented by a Spitfire from Duxford and a Hurricane, while a Bristol Fighterand the recently reconstructed Avro 504 had a splendid dog-fight over an area little larger than a football pitch. The Army was there in strength, with two groups of parachutistsjumping from a captive balloon, and artillery, armoured cars and tanks fighting a pitched battle at the "missile launching site"which formed the set-piece. While the action was in progress 12 Meteors of Nos. 600 (City of London) and 615 (County of Surrey)Sqns. dive-bombed the guns in the face of volleys of break-up shot. The last aircraft then came in again and "dropped" anatomic bomb which was simulated by the explosion of a large quantity of lethal matter in some waste ground on the edge of theairfield. The resulting mushroom of smoke drifted away just as the Meteors came back to land. S/L. Fifield brought the Martin-Baker Meteor 7/8 over andsuccessfully ejected a dummy at very low altitude, and the Hunter Two-seater showed its redoubtable paces. But the highlights ofthe show were aerobatic demonstrations given by F/L. Oliver in a Meteor, by a Chipmunk and by Ranald Porteous in the AusterAiglet; and in formation by Sea Venoms of the Australian Fleet Air Arm squadron which is soon to embark in H.M.A.S.Melbourne; by three Meteors of No. 615 Sqn.; and by the four Hunters of No. 54 Sqn. The last named put up a performancewell up to their best standards of showmanship and precision. Their performances are still improving, despite die fact that theyare already of international standing. The afternoon's flying had been opened by the arrival of a SilverCity Superfreighter, which then unloaded two Evening News vans and a Hillman convertible carrying Jack Hawkins and family.During the afternoon a helicopter brought in the latest edition of the newspaper, and Rotorfilms, Ltd., displayed a familiar adver-tisement from their Agusta-Bell 47. The static park contained a large number of aircraft of all types,both Service and civil, and numerous items of armament were on show. Children could fire the cannons of a Meteor into the stopbutts and have their photograph taken while doing it; and a full- scale fun-fair was raging on the southern boundary of the airfield.When the show ended the crowds were let loose on the airfield, but an hour later the traffic on the roads back to London was oncemore almost normal, after careful police work and assistance from a F.A.A. Dragonfly helicopter piloted by Lt-Cdr. Sproule, fromFord. At Tangmere, the well-known Fighter Command Station nearChichester in Sussex, the emphasis was on new equipment. Apart from the fact that Tangmere has its ownHunter squadron, there were visiting "turns" representing almost every type incurrent service, plus several "new and ex- perimentals" from M.o.S. or makers' air-fields. And this variety was not limited to the flying display; lined up on the tarmac for theedification of the thousands of visitors of all ages were a Hunter F.5, Meteors Mk 7 and 8,Venom, Vampire, Canberra, Shackleton, Valetta T.3, Anson, Provost, Balliol andChipmunk. These aircraft were not roped off, and never before can so many inquisitiveheads, old and young, have been poked inside so many jetpipes and wheel-wells.Fortunately, there were airmen on guard to discourage the more destructive varieties ofstroking and prodding. Only some of the high-spots of the flyingprogramme can be mentioned here, for, in- cluding formation and stream take-offs andlandings, there were 40 separate items. Proceedings were opened in noisy and A tine general impression of the scene at Biggin Hill on Saturday. Hunters are breaking for a stream landing; near the paratroop balloon a Dragonfly is taking off for a scoop-net demon- stration, and on the ground is an Agusta-Bell helicopter. The big tail on the left belongs to a Neptune of Coastal Command.
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