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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0361.PDF
22 March 1957 From Admiral Sir Caspar John, K.C.B., LATELY FLAG OFFICER AIR (HOME) 363 I AM very pleased to contribute a message for this issue of Flight, the publication of which coincides with the end of my present appointment as Flag Officer Air (Home). This official commands the Home Air Command, which consists of all Naval air stations and air establishments in the United Kingdom. It is a Command with responsibility direct to the Admiralty. Its task is to provide the aircraft carriers of the Fleet and all Naval air stations with their air components; that is to say, trained aircrew, up-to-date aircraft, and officers and ratings trained to maintain and operate those aircraft. The Command is subdivided into three sections, one concerned primarily with opera- tional flying training of both individuals and squadrons; a second concerned with training artificers, mechanics and the wide variety of trades required for modern aircraft; and a third concerned with the whole range of aircraft supply, repair and overhaul—from factory to Fleet. None of these jobs could be done so well, if at all, afloat, and although most of us would rather serve at sea we realize the necessity for an efficient and flexible shore organization to support the operational part of the Fleet Air Arm. We have a host of amicable connections with the Army and the Royal Air Force and Civil Defence, and we are closely integrated with their activities where there is practical common ground. I can sum up our task as one of providing the human and material ingredients of a versatile and mobile Fleet Air Arm, whose demands range world-wide and keep us very much on the alert and flexibly-minded. We would consider we had failed if we did not match the requirements of the aircraft carrier's great mobility. This issue of Flight also happens to coincide with my personally severing a close connection of some 32 years with the Fleet Air Arm. With infrequent breaks, I have been directly associated with its development from a very tender plant to today's sturdy growth. I have never known the Fleet Air Arm in better heart or better shape than it is today and I judge it to be relatively a far more effective weapon system than ever it has been. From Vice-Admiral M. L. Power, C.B., C.B.E., D.S.O., FLAG OFFICER AIRCRAFT CARRIERS THE Flag Officer Aircraft Carriers has the privilege of commanding the spearhead of the Navy, and included within that is, of course, the higher privilege of commanding the fine body of officers and men who fly from and man the ships. I therefore welcome this opportunity of saying something of the work and role of the aircraft carriers. Much has been done, by British inventiveness, to ease the difficulties of flying high- performance aircraft from and to the deck; nevertheless, carrier flying remains a specially skilled and inherently hazardous operation demanding a very high standard of discipline and training from aircrew and a very high standard of maintenance in ships and aircraft. These high standards are forthcoming in the air squadrons provided for me by the Home Air Command and in the ships by intensive training of their companies by their individual captains. It is perhaps worth stressing that the aircraft carrier contains within her probably the highest level of teamwork that can ever be met. The end product is the aircraft performing its task in the air; but behind that lies a most complex organization interlocking at all points and involving everything from the domestic needs of thousands cramped within a small space through seamen, engineers, electricians, armourers, communications, a direction organization equivalent to a sector operations room to, finally, that epitome of co-ordinated drill—the flight-deck and hangar organization. Now where does all this lead and what is it for? The aircraft carrier or carriers (for they should work in pairs or more) combines the tactical mobility of the aircraft with the strategic mobility of the ship. She can provide an operational airfield where and when it is required. Her task, whether in attack or defence, is primarily offensive. Her aircraft seek out the enemy, whether in defence of the Fleet against bombers or submarines, or whether in attack against enemy ships, bases or airfields. She is the essential core of the modern Navy upon which the continued nourishment of our nation depends in major war. It is to be hoped they will not be called upon again to prove their worth in that; but in the uneasy peace which prevails in our time, local or limited wars are an ever-present danger. The moment danger threatens, the carriers are called upon. In Korea virtually the entire British air effort was carrier-borne and maintained over three years. Their per- formance was outstanding. In the Egyptian incident the Anglo-French carrier force bore a generous fifty per cent of the whole Allied air effort and provided all the ground support of troops. They are ready at short notice now to do likewise in any part of the world where they may be called upon to act. Our responsibilities remain world-wide. Our bases, alas, are no longer so. The carriers fill the gap. As Kipling said, "It is not the big stick that counts, it is the liftable stick."
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