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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0337.PDF
338 FLIGHT, 23 March 195 THE INDUSTRY In the Bag AS readers of Flight will be aware, the air element of the Hunting•Aerosurveys expedition to the Graham Land Peninsula includes two S-51 helicopters owned by Autair, Ltd. The two aircraftmade the 8,000-mile voyage in the expedition vessel Oluf Sven (which has a helicopter flight deck), and an interesting system ofpackaging was employed to make certain that the S-51s were pro- tected from corrosion en route. R. and J. Park, Ltd., the London firm of packers and shippers,and British Visqueen, Ltd., an I.C.I, subsidiary company, were responsible. The helicopters were broken down into four principalcomponent units and wrapped in "Visqueen" polythene film. The film was heat-sealed to ensure that the bags would be free fromhumidity, and the parts were then crated. About 2,000 sq ft of film was used for each helicopter. The wrapping was completedduring a period of about four days. One of the helicopters is now flying members of the surveyteam from the ship to the mainland—often over 3OOft-high ice cliffs which would be otherwise impassable. It will be re-sealedin "Visqueen" for the return sea trip. The second aircraft is remaining in its container throughout the operation as a reservemachine and, it is hoped, will not be unpacked until the survey expedition returns to England in May or June. Appointed to H.P. Sales Staff NEWLY appointed to the salesstaff of Handley Page, Ltd., is W/C. H. W. H. Fisher, D.F.C.,who has joined the company after 17 years' service in the Royal AirForce. Educated at Wesley Col- lege in Western Australia, hestudied mining engineering be- fore entering the Service, inwhich he was commissioned in 1939. During the war he servedin Bomber Command on Hamp- dens and Lancasters and com-manded No. 57 Squadron. Later he became chief flying instructorat Cranwell. After the war he was appointed Inspector of theRoyal Iraqi Air Force and was subsequently in the office of theDeputy Director of Air Foreign Liaison at the Air Ministry. W/C. Fisher was later givencommand of the Arab Legion Air Force, and was pilot to three kings and to the royal family of Jordan. For his services in thisconnection he was decorated with the Order of Independence. He retired from the R.A.F. at his own request to take up his newappointment. Joining Shell-Mex AS briefly announced in our "Industry" page last week, Mr.• V. C. Varcoe, O.B.E., has been appointed aviation sales manager, head office, Shell-Mex and B.P., Ltd., in succession toMr. J. C. C. Taylor, M.B.E., who retired from the company at the end of last month. Mr. Var-coe, who is particularly well known throughout the aviationindustry, has had long experi- ence in the aeronautical world.Born at Croydon and educated privately, he was apprenticed toClement-Talbot, the famous car firm. In the 1914-18 war helearnt to fly at Northolt and served with the Royal FlyingCorps, and subsequently the Royal Air Force. He was a pilotwith the Independent Air Force, which bombed German townswith 120-lb and 250-lb bombs, dropped from D.H.9s andD.H.9As. At the end of the war he was with 99 Squadron, whichtook over the task of flying mail between Folkestone and Cologne—the forerunners of civil aviation.After five years of motor engineering in India Mr. Varcoe joined Shell-Mex, Ltd., as a superintendent at Horsham in 1925, con-tinuing after the merger with the old British Petroleum Com- W/C. Fisher. Mr. V. C. Varcoe. Three members of a team which is to form the nucleus of a ^ unit at the Winnipeg factory of Bristol Aircraft (Western), Ltd., Canada: (I. to r.) W. E. Robinson (chief engineer), V. Dutton (dynamics engineer) and S. Henshaw, a draughtsman hitherto engaged on heli- copter work at Bristol's London drawing office. pany as assistant to the manager of the motor oils department.By 1939 he was assistant manager, London South branch. In the 1939-45 war Mr. Varcoe had a particularly distinguishedR.A.F. career. Attached to Bomber Command Headquarters Intelligence staff, he had the task throughout the war of co-ordinating information about enemy air defences. He had the rank of wing commander, was appointed O.B.E. and was men-tioned in despatches. On returning to Shell-Mex and B.P. he was made an assistant manager in the aviation department, hismain concern being marketing to the aircraft industry, aero clubs and air racing organizations. He has become well-known as thepilot of Miles Messenger G-AKKG, in which he averages more than 300 hours a year. Shortly he is to take over a new Miles Aries.Altogether Mr. Varcoe has more than 4,000 flying hours in his log book. He is a member of the Royal Air Force Club and RoyalAero Club and is an associate of the Royal Aeronautical Society? and the Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators. \ M.L. Aviation Appointmentsr ' is announced that Mr. R. W. J. S. Parsons has been appointedto the position of chief development engineer of the M.L. Aviation Co., Ltd., of White Waltham. He joined M.L. Aviation(formerly R. Malcolm, Ltd.) in 1941, since when he has held the post of chief draughtsman. His new duties will be to introducethe firm's new products into the aircraft and armaments industries and to maintain close liaison with the Services in relation to!equipment already in use. Mr. Parsons was educated at The College, Swindon, and servedhis apprenticeship at the Swindon works of the Great Western Railway.Mr. A. J. Shirley, who has been assistant chief draughtsman to the firm for many years, has been promoted to the post of chief;draughtsman. Veteran Chief Inspector's Retirement ENDING an association withthe aircraft industry that has lasted unbroken for nearly 50years, Mr. C. W. Johns has re- tired at the age of 65 from thepost of chief inspector of Vickers- Armstrongs (Aircraft), Ltd.,Supermarine Works. He has been chief inspector for the past26 years, and this is believed to be the longest period for whichsuch a post has been held any- where in the industry. As ayouth, Mr. Johns worked with Howard Saunders at Brooklandsin 1909, and three years later joined the Martinsyde company.He went to Supermarine in 1922. In recognition of his services toaviation, Mr. Johns was ap- pointed M.B.E. in 1947. Mr. Johns.
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