FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1330.PDF
418 FLIGHT, 6 September 1957 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm News Transatlantic Valiant ^A VALIANT of No. 138 Sqn., returningfrom Canada to its base at Wittering, flew from Uplands Airport, Ottawa, toR.A.F. Marham—a distance of 3,300 miles —in 6 hr 4 min on August 25 at an averagespeed of over 540 m.p.h. Its time was 38 minutes faster than the official Ottawa-London record of 6 hr 42 min set up by a Canberra in June 1955; but the Valianttime does not qualify as a record because it was a routine flight and there were noobservers aboard. The aircraft was cap- tained by S/L. R. G. Collins. Senior AppointmentsF ROM January 1 next year Air ChiefMarshal Sir Walter L. Dawson, Inspec- tor-General of the R.A.F., is to be AirMember for Supply and Organization in succession to Air Chief Marshal Sir DonaldHardman, who will be retiring from the R.A.F. Sir Walter is to be succeeded asInspector-General by Air Marshal Sir Gilbert Nicholetts, at present A.O.C. Maltaand Deputy C-in-C. (Air) Allied Forces Mediterranean.Air Chief Marshal Dawson has been Inspector-General since July 31, 1956; hewas previously at SHAPE as Deputy Chief of Staff (Plans and Operations). He joinedthe R.A.F. as a boy entrant in February 1919 when not quite seventeen and a yearlater became the first boy entrant to win a cadetship to Cranwell. During the war hecommanded R.A.F. St. Eval in Cornwall from August 1942 to June 1943, then be-came Director of anti-U-boat operations at Air Ministry. While A.O.C. Levant, from1946 to 1948, he won the D.S.O. for dis- tinguished service in Palestine. Air Marshal Nicholetts has been A.O.C. Malta since September 1955. He joinedthe R.A.F. in 1921 and in pre-war years took part in several long-distance flights,including a record of 5,309 miles non-stop in 1933 from Cranwell to Walvis Bay inSouth-West Africa. For this he was awarded a Bar to the A.F.C. he had beenawarded in 1927. In 1942, when at A.H.Q., Far East, he was captured by the Japaneseand made a prisoner of war. R.C.A.F. Changes A T present C.A.S. of the R.C.A.F., Air**• Marshal C. R. Slemonhas been named as Deputy C-in-C. of the joint Canada-U.S. Air Defence Command, the creation of which was announced by the U.S.Defense Secretary and the Canadian Minis- ter of National Defence on August 1. Air Marshal Slemon will be taking up hisnew appointment—at Colorado Springs— in the near future, and he is being suc-ceeded as C.A.S. by Air Marshal H. L. Campbell, who since 1955 has been DeputyChief of Staff (Operations) at SHAPE. R.A.F. Promotion ON October 4 the world's fastest tor-toise, F/O. Elbert du Crosses, official mascot of No. 20 Sqn. at Oldenburg inGermany, is due to be promoted to flight lieutenant (on his third birthday) subjectto his passing a promotion examination in September. F/O. du Crosses became the first tor-toise to fly at supersonic speed in May 1955, aboard one of 20 Squadron's aircraft,and he has since done so thirteen times. His flying experience includes Vampires,Meteors, Hunters and Sabres; and his specially designed flying kit is a woodenbox with straw bedding to cushion super- A.V-M. C. E. Kay, Chief of Staff of the R.N.Z.A.F., inspecting a guard of honour mounted by the R.A.F. on his arrival at Northolt to attend the C.A.S.'s conference with Commonwealth Chiefs of Air Staff, which was held in London on August 27 and 28. Capt. P. D. Gick, captain of H.M.S. "Bulwark" (centre), and Cdr. D. B. Law, commander air, talking with Lt. de V. Mosneron Dupin, one of the five French pilots who took part in recent Fouga Magister deck-landing trials aboard the carrier (illustrated on page 286 last week). sonic stresses and the effects of g. He hashis own built-in bone dome and—although of German nationality—possesses a Form1250 officer's identity card. No. 69 Sqn. History A NEW history of No. 69 Sqn.—nowbased at Laarbruch in Germany—is being compiled, and the squadron wouldbe glad to hear from past members who have relevant information or photographs.Contributors (who are assured that photo- graphs will be returned to them "in 100per cent condition") are asked to contact the Adjutant, No. 69 Squadron, R.A.F.Laarbruch, B.F.P.O. 43. R.A.F.P. Dog TrialsT O encourage police-dog handlers in theR.A.F. to demonstrate personal initia- tive and to improve the efficiency of theirdogs, the first R.A.F. police dog champion- ship trials are being held on September 10and 11 at the R.A.F. Police Depot, Netheravon, Wilts, and they will be opento the public. The standard at the trials is to be basedon that of Alsatian Training Societies in the U.K. and there will be 24 entries, threeeach from the eight R.A.F. Police Districts. R.A.F. AppointmentsB ELOW is continued .a list of R.A.F. appointments which have recently been announced by Air Ministry:— G/C. J. A. Robinson to H.Q., 90 Group,for air staff duties. W/C. G. E. Burtenshaw to R.A.F. Coltis-hall, for technical duties; W/C. A. H. Dormer to H.Q., AAFCE, for staff duties; W/C. J. W.Grey to R.A.F. St. Athan, for administrative duties; W/C. R. A. S. Ritchie to H.Q., 2ndT.A.F., for administrative duties; W/C. W. E. Wolsey to Air Ministry Unit, to command(with the acting rank of group captain); W/C. W. J. Evans to H.Q., M.E.A.F., for adminis-trative staff duties; W/C. M. L. Formby to H.Q., Bomber Command, for technical staffduties; W/C. G. A. Bone to Air Ministry, for duty in the Department of the Chief of theAir Staff; W/C. P. G. M. Ridsdale to R.A.F. Halton, for administrative duties; W/C. R. j-Robinson to Air Ministry, for duty in the Department of the Air Member for Supplyand Organization; W/C. G. E. Robinson to Air Ministry, for duty in the Department ofthe Air Member for Supply and Organization; W/C. A. C. Smith to A.H.Q., Malta, for
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
