FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0382.PDF
384 . Ark's Day . . . the flight-deck breeze was rippling the "goonskin" weathersuitsof the yellow-vested directors, under whose signals the aircraft would be taxied to the catapults. "Stand by to start up Skyraider and Wyverns . . .""Stand clear of propellers and jetpipes ..." "Start up Skyraider and Wyverns."The helicopter had taken off now, and was tilting round to its port-beam position, where it would remain, formating on theship, during the launching period. "Plane-guard" was the simple title of the chopper's duty. If an aircraft crashed into the sea, theWhirlwind would be over the spot in a matter of seconds, trained aircrewman and winch at the ready. "Stand by to start up Sea Hawks . . ." "Stand clear of jet-pipes . . ." Little F pushed down his window and extended his arm to finger-signal the seconds as he went on to call "Five, four,three, two, one—start." His signals were repeated by the Pilot's Mate at the nose of each Hawk. After a brief pause, the charac-teristic plumes of smoke hissed up from each machine and the Nenes whined into life. All engines were now running. The Wyverns' contra-props andthe Skyraider's propeller-disc were glinting in the sun, and the Hawks were warming the island with their Avcat-smelling breath.Beneath each aircraft two figures lay full length, clasping the mainwheel chocks. Maintenance personnel, armourers, the men with portable fire-fighting equipment and those with starter trolleys for the Wyverns and Skyraider had now disappeared from the deck, leaving itclear, once chocks were removed, for the aircraft directors, and for the huddled group at the catapult position. First to move upfor launching were the Hawks, passed from one director to the next until the first two aircraft were positioned on the catapults.The ship completed her wide curve into wind. Flag "Foxtrot," previously at half-mast, was fully hoisted, indicating that flying wasin progress; the Flight Deck Officer raised his green flag, "wound up" the Hawk on the port catapult and whipped the flag down;and the aircraft shot forward along the groove. It was exactly 0815. Little time was wasted as the remaining Hawks taxied forward,were positioned on the catapults, alternately port and starboard, and launched. After an adjustment of the aircraft attachmentpoints on the catapult, the Wyverns followed. Finally, from the after end of the deck, the pilot of the Skyraider opened up hisCyclone to begin a free take-off along the "angled" centre-line. Satisfied that all was well, the helicopter pilot brought his machinein to a smart landing near the forward lift, just six minutes after the first launch. The day's flying had begun. The programme itself was anintensive one, though typical of carrier flying. It was based on a launch-to-launch time of one hour five minutes. This meantthat, at 0920, the second detail of 10-18 aircraft would be launched, followed immediately by the landing-on (or "recovery") of the firstdetail. At 1025 the third detail would be launched and the second would land-on, and so on. This cycle of one hour and five "Stand by to start up Sea Hawks . . . five, four, three, two, one . . ." FLIGHT, 22 March 1957 \ ""«••• "The flight-deck air was a rushing force: men had to lean into it minutes was to be repeated throughout the day and, in slightlymodified form, during the night flying which was to continue until the last land-on at 2320. A long day indeed, but one whichfollowed a familiar, routine pattern for Ark Royal's aviators. Only teamwork made possible a programme like this. A com-plicated, magnificent teamwork which involved specialists in scores of different trades, from those watching the radar scopes ofthe Aircraft Direction Room to those watching sausages in the infra-red grill of the aircrew refreshment bar. Perhaps, by lookingaround, we may gain some idea of what is involved. One basic problem is that of aircraft movements while aboard theship. When one's airfield measures only 800ft x 110ft, and passage of aircraft between hangars and runway is possible only at threepoints, and there only in a vertical direction, these movements need to be planned with exactness and certainty. This is theresponsibility of the Aircraft Control Room Officer, who reigns with an urbane sanity amid the confused bedlam that is theA.C.R. He is concerned basically with knowing where each aircraft ison board and whether it is serviceable. The serviceability state is displayed on a wall board, while aircraft positions are exhibitedby means of silhouette models on three long, glass-topped trays representing deck and hangars. From this information he decideswhich aircraft are to be moved where, and how; and attempts to reconcile conflicting (or just awkward) requirements. It is notvery helpful, for example, if an aircraft needed on deck is separated from the nearest lift by two unserviceable machines. As well as three-dimensional space, the time factor is a majorconsideration. The A.C.R.O. must know—and must know imme- diately, from his own experience—how long to the nearest secondit takes for a Hawk to be launched, a Venom to land-on and be ranged. The planned movements, and several alternative plansto cover likely snags, must be fitted into the precise time-scale that is the basis of carrier flying. And they must be fitted in mentally,immediately. One would hesitate to challenge the A.C.R.O. at chess. Thus it was his job when, for instance, "6HK, 4VE, 4GA," wasspecified on the flying programme as the 0920 launch, to make sure that six Sea Hawks, four Sea Venoms and four Gannets wereready in position on the deck at the appropriate time. The aircraft would then come under the overall control of Lt-Cdr. (Flying)until, after launching, they left the ship's local R/T frequency and began their respective exercises. During the time they wereaway from the ship, control of the aircraft, or at least a check of their position, would be in the hands of the Aircraft DirectionRoom or the Operations Room. Similarly, on returning to the ship, A.D.R. or Ops would pass control over to Little F, who inturn transfers responsibility to A.C.R.O. when all aircraft have been recovered. The aircraft themselves, the eyes and punch of the ship (and,indeed, its very raison d'etre), belonged to six squadrons, each a self-contained unit in many ways yet attaining full effectivenessonly in conjunction with the other squadrons and with the ship. The anti-submarine role was filled by the Gannets of 815Squadron, and it was in one of their machines, flown by the CO., that I received my first impressions of flying from and landingon the deck. It was to be a gentle introduction, for the Gannets were employing free take-offs. The most alarming sensation was that of insecurity when
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
