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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0008.PDF
FLIGHT, 4 January 1957 REMAINING RARITIES Some Thoughts on Obsolescent Service Aircraft and Their Ultimate Preservation By DAVID F. OGELVY THE withdrawal of the last Lancaster from R.A.F. service,the delivery of a batch of Beaufighters for active duty in theMiddle East, the collection of a Spitfire to add to the fleet of a flying club and the resale from civilian sources of a numberof Tiger Moths to the Royal Navy; these sharply contrasting events, all of which have taken place within the last few months,seem to call for comment on the present position of last-war aeroplanes in general. From time to time we hear of the last sortie flown by a particulartype, or occasionally we read that a certain machine has been preserved at the behest of the Air Ministry Air Historical Branchor, more likely, by some private organization; sometimes we learn that a specimen of some obsolete type has found its way to Halton,or another training establishment, to be hacked and harried by apprentices learning the peculiarities of their trade. But all suchnews comes in dribs and drabs, and unless we collate it carefully it is difficult to discover exactly what is still flying and what hasfound a permanent home in the graveyard. Though military-aircraft types are sometimes withdrawn fromcomparatively large-scale service almost overnight, the present picture is not so depressing as we might expect; and now is thetime to paint it before any further drastic axe-slashing takes place. A recent visit to a well-known maintenance unit reminded thewriter of how rapidly a seemingly serviceable aeroplane is trans- formed into a heap of saleable metal on a scrap-merchant's lorry. For example, let us consider the Lancaster. Towards the endof October, the last one, RF325, was ceremonially withdrawn from service with the Maritime Reconnaissance School at St.Mawgan; yet fewer than three weeks previously I had seen six lined up and ready to roar into the air to go about their dailyduties. I am told that they are now being broken up; yet when, in 1953, No. 82 Squadron disposed of Bomber Command's lastLane, PA474, we heard a similar tale—and at the time of writing, more than three years later, this machine is as fit as ever and flyingfor the benefit of the boffins at Cranfleld. In addition, several Lancaster variants are flying in the hands of the Ministry ofSupply—NX739 on photographic work at Blackbushe, and two on loan to Rolls-Royce and Armstrong-Siddeley respectively foruse as engine test-beds. Some are in service widi die French Air Force and others in Canada. Other "heavies" in their retirement have performed an oddvariety of duties. A few Halifaxes entered civil service for a short while after the war, while the R.A.F. relegated a number tosecondary roles on met. flights and work for the airborne forces. Two were still flying alongside the youthful Shackletons atGibraltar in 1952, and Beaulieu used a few for dropping various items of equipment overboard; but possibly the last to survivewas a Mark 9 used for parachute training at Henlow—it was certainly still active only a little over a year ago. The Stirling,on the other hand, died about ten years ago as far as service in this country was concerned. A few were sold to the Low Coun-tries for civilian use and a bomber-transport squadron of the Egyptian Air Force had them on strength last year. Sunderlands, of course, remain on active service both at Pem-broke Dock and in the Far East; but unless a replacement is laid on the drawing boards soon there will be no military flying-boatsafloat, for before many years have passed the twenty or so in use must be forced to retire through the sheer effects of physical oldage. At the moment they manage to retain some measure of perpetual youth, for each machine has been returned to its makersevery three years, where it has been largely reskinned and generally rejuvenated. Down the weight-scale we have the "cloth bomber." After thewar Swinderby used Wellingtons for conversion training and Thorney Island taught navieation with them. But we had a rudeshock in September 1953, when the remaining airworthy Wimpey, MF628, toured several stations to show its last legs to the publicat that year's Battle of Britain Displays. After that it lay for many months in the open at St. Athan, but as a result of complexnegotiation was saved from destruction by Vickers-Armstrongs. Final Service journey: Lancaster RF325 departs from St. Mawgan for the maintenance unit at Wroughton. It is not airworthy, but at least it is intact and was on static showat the Royal Aeronautical Society's Garden Party, held earlier this year at Wisley.The last Whitley was used by Armstrong Whitworth for towing the A.W. 52G tailless glider from Baginton, but it wasretired about six years ago. On the other hand, a Hampden that had probably not flown since the middle of the war and which hadbeen granted temporary preservation by the Air Ministry Air Historical Branch, was broken by the axe only last year. The last Beaufighters to operate in diis country suffered thecustomary fate of obsolescent operational types and, working for civil anti-aircraft co-operational units, towed drogues for die A.A.gunners; but the last stations to use them, Exeter and Hornchurch, abandoned them three years ago. However, the Beau has not diedcompletely, for a batch of half-a-dozen has lately been recondi- tioned and reskinned by Short and Harland at Rochester. Thesehave now returned to the Middle East, allegedly for a further five years of touring; so the Beau may outlive all the other wartimestalwarts and be seen flying with Royal Air Force roundels even in 1961! Aldiough a mark of Meteor specifically modified for towingpurposes has entered service on some units, our old wooden friend the Mosquito still holds its own very firmly. A large batch ofB.35s was converted by Brooklands Aviation at Sywell and these operate regularly from the C.A.A.C.U.s at Hornchurch, Exeter,Langar and Llanbedr, while others are used on Service-operated tug flights. A few of the much lighter T.3s operate in Germany,and two still serve for pilot-checking purposes with Home Com- mand Examining Unit at White Waltham. Nine remain in storageat various maintenance units, together with two or three dozen B.35s, T.T.35s and P.R.34s. Odiers have been exported to Canadaand America for civilian air-survey duties, often to replace aged P-38s. Of the communications types, the Dominie and Proctor havebeen officially withdrawn and even the Oxford has only a few months of further survival; but the Anson soldiers on and in itslater marks fulfils its own duties and those of the other machines, with the help of only a small number of surplus Training Com-mand Prentices. The Royal Navy has even a few Anson Is still in service. Many followers of the activities of military aviation will besurprised at the thought of Tempests flying from home bases in 1956, yet as recently as last summer a target-towing flight replacedthese potent piston-powered fighters with Mosquitoes. I had the saddening experience of seeing the last two on their final(alas, road-borne) journeys to the breaker's yard. Two Hurricanes are in flying trim. G-AMAU lives at Dunsfoldand, much too infrequently, appears at displays in its Hawker house colours of dark blue and gold; and the last survivingR.A.F. specimen, LF363, has recently returned from the manu- facturers after an extensive major overhaul. I am not certainwhether this latest rejuvenation has reverted it to original standard, but a year ago it was flying in slightly hybrid form, using Spitfiremainwheels and an Oxford tailwheel. Two other complete but apparendy unairworthy Hurricanes live at St. Adian, and, inaddition to serving as apprentices' guinea-pigs, they may well be the machines used for official static shows. One wonders if one of (.Concluded at foot of page 10)
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