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Aviation History
1957
1957 - 0643.PDF
10 May 1957 647 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm News Timetable to TokyoW HEN the Duke of Edinburgh visitedthe R.A.F. Flying College at Manby on May 2 he was given details of ExerciseBig Top—the projected flight by the Can- berra P.R.7 Aries V from London Airportto Tokyo and return in a total elapsed time already worked out at 38 hr 20 min. This flight will be made over the Arcticregions and its purpose is to investigate navigational aids and meteorological con-ditions over the Northern route. The Can- berra is due to leave London Airport at0810 hr on May 23 and to arrive at Tokyo at 0205 on May 24. Stops will be madeat Keflavik (Iceland) and Fairbanks (Alaska). The last stage will be a distance of 3,617miles and the total elapsed time for the outward flight is fixed at 18 hr 55 minfor the 7,936 miles with flying time of 17 hr 5 min, at an average speed of464 m.p.h. Long stages will be flown at between 40,000ft and 50,000ft and shorterones at slightly under 40,000ft. The aircraft will be at Tokyo for2 hr 40 min before starting its return flight. It is to call at Fairbanks—now adistance of 3,800 miles—for one hour and then fly straight to R.A.F. West Mailing,arriving there at 2230 on May 24. Its elapsed time for the return flight of8,011 miles will be 16 hr 45 min, giving a flying time of 15 hr 45 min at an averagespeed of 510 m.p.h. The Canberra is expected to set up a record for the flight,which will take 32 hr 50 min at an average speed of 510 m.p.h. On the outward flight the crew will beW/C. R. F. Harman (captain), S/L. B. Hamilton (navigator), F/L. H. Hopkinson(second pilot); and on the return flight W/C. W. Hoy, F/L. J. L. Denis and F/L.P. J. Lagesen. Comet's American Visit NEXT Friday a Comet 2 of R.A.F.Transport Command is due to leave Lyneham for North America, carryingspecialist navigation personnel from the R.A.F. Flying College at Manby on a 17-day tour of R.C.A.F. and U.S.A.F. units. The aircraft has been selected for this pur-pose by Flying Training Command and it will be the first visit to America by aComet of the R.A.F. Sponsored by A.V-M. Harvey, A.C.A.S.(Training), the flight is designed for economy as well as prestige reasons; for itwill not only give an opportunity of demonstrating the R.A.F. Comet beforehigh-ranking officers and experts in Canada and the U.S.A., but it win also save dollars.Previous annual visits to America by R.A.F. navigation specialists have beenundertaken in several aircraft. Both time and money will be saved by the wholeparty travelling in the Comet. The flight will involve a 12,000-mileoutward journey via Goose Bay (Labrador) and Keflavik (Iceland). One of thepassengers will be Air Marshal Sir Richard Atcherley, A.O.C-in-C. Flying TrainingCommand, who is going to Washington H.R.H. the Duke of Edinburgh with officers of the R.A.F. Flying College during his visit to Manby. On the right is the Canberra "Aries V" which is due to make the return flight to Tokyo described above. on a liaison mission to the U.S.A.F. andthe Pentagon. Visits are being paid to—among otherestablishments—the R.C.A.F. Central Navigation School at Winnipeg and theU.S.A.F. Air Development Center at Wright Patterson. The return flight is dueto be made via Bermuda and the Azores, arriving at Lyneham on June 3. C.A.S. Criticizes "Speculation"I N his speech at the Royal AcademyBanquet on May 1 the C.A.S., Air Chief Marshal Sir Dermot Boyle, said he wel-comed public discussion of the changes brought about by the Defence White Paperbut regretted that there had been "a spate of wild and uninformed speculation bythose who prefer to think in terms of revolution rather than evolution."Adding that there had been "prophecies which bear no relation whatever to thefacts and which cannot but have a pro- foundly discouraging effect on those nowserving and on the future recruiting prospects of the Services," the C.A.S. con-tinued : "I cannot believe that those who are responsible for these speculations areaware of the damage which they are doing to the Armed Forces and therefore to thecountry, and indeed to the new defence plans which themselves depend for successon obtaining sufficient regular recruits." Birmingham U.A.S. Dinner G ENEROUS praise for the Universityof Birmingham, and a warm tribute to the R.A.F., were the order of the even-ing when the University Air Squadron held its annual dinner at Edgbaston onApril 30. In a thoughtful speech A.V-M. H. V. Satterly, A.O.C. of No. 64 Group,said he considered the University to be one of outstanding importance in thiscountry's scientific and industrial life; he had nothing but praise for the people whoestablished it; and with the R.A.F.'s grow- ing demand for scientists and technicianshe believed it would play an increasing part in the defence of this country.Continuing the theme in his reply, the Vice-Principal, Professor A. P. Thomson,said that the University owed a great debt to the R.A.F. and he wished he knew themagic by which it had been able to acquire so great a tradition in such a short time and Air Chief Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst, A.O.C-in-C. Bomber Command, presenting the Standard to No. 111 Squadron—which he com- manded early in the last war, scoring its first victory—at North Weald on April 30. the spirit (as he put it) "of finding some-thing greater than yourselves to serve." Foreign visitors to Birmingham, he added,thought that it was there the course of life on this planet had been changed—by theapplication of power to industry. And he recalled Boulton's famous remark to Bos-well : "Sir, I have here what all men desire —power." There was a meed of praise, too, for thesquadron from A.V-M. A. D. Gillmore, S.A.S.O., Home Command, who saidreports showed it to be "as flourishing as ever"—although last year's Hack Trophysuccess had not been repeated and there had been a slight falling-off in strengthof the Airfield Construction Flight. The majority of members were in their first orsecond year at the University; five former members had gained R.A.F. commissionssince last August, four of them as pilots;
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