FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1957
1957 - 1465.PDF
PLIGHT, 4. October 1957 555 SERVICE AVIATION • Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm News The R.A.F.'s Future SPEAKING on The Future of theR.A.F. at a meeting of the R.Ae.S. Graduates' and Students' Section onSeptember 26, the Under-Secretary of State for Air, Mr. Charles Orr-Ewing, saidthat the R.A.F. received 34.3 per cent of the total defence expenditure, the Army28.2 and the Royal Navy 22.2 This figure for the R.A.F. was reassuring and relatedto the Government's decision that the "nuclear deterrent" was the main forceby which any future war might be pre- vented. To date, deterrent power in this countryhad lain in the hands of the U.S. Strategic Air Command, but it was now passing tothe V-bombers and Canberras of Bomber Command. When a potential threatchanged from manned bombers (which could be countered by manned fighters) toIRBMs as well, it would be necessary to use such "extreme techniques" as dispers-ing the deterrent force overseas, keeping some aircraft continually in the air (as isdone by the S.A.C.) or "scrambling" V-bombers after a warning of ballisticmissiles had been received. Vulcan to Vesuvius AN Avro Vulcan flew from Waddington• to Naples—a distance of 1,121 miles —in one hour 50 minutes on September 23at an average speed of 615 m.p.h. It was captained by W/C. F. L. Dodd with theA.O.C-in-C. Bomber Command, Air Chief Marshal Sir Harry Broadhurst, as co-pilot.The Vulcan left Waddington at 2.40 p.m. and arrived over Capodichino Airfield at4.30 p.m., landing there at 4.37 p.m. W/C. Dodd commands No. 230 OperationalConversion Unit, the work of which was described in Flight last week (pages502-505). Senior Medical Appointment A PPOINTED Principal Medical Officer•**• at Home Command as from October 22, with the acting rank of air vice-marshal,A. Cdre. James Hill has been P.M.O. at Technical Training Command since 1954and prior to that held a similar appoint- ment with Coastal Command. He joined the R.A.F. in 1927 aftergraduating from Glasgow University and training at Glasgow Western Infirmary.Prior to the war he served in the Middle and Far East and during it was S.M.O. atNo. 5 Group, Bomber Command, before joining the Directorate of Medical Servicesat Air Ministry and later (1943-45) serving again in the Far East, as Air MedicalAdviser to the Supreme Commander, S.E. Asia. Mentioned in dispatches in 1941 and1942, he was appointed C.B.E. in 1957. Comets' Atlantic Crossing '"TWO Comet 2s of No. 216 Squadron,•*• Transport Command, flew the Atlantic non-stop from east to west on Septem-ber 25. The first took off from Aldergrove at 0245 G.M.T. and landed at Gander,Newfoundland, at 0811; the second, air- borne exactly an hour later, landed atGander at 0909. Both aircraft were on their way to Pinecastle A.F.B., Fla, carry-ing ground crews to service the Bomber Command Vulcans and Valiants takingpart in the Strategic Air Command bomb- ing competition later this month. R.N.A.S. and H.P. ReunionT HIS year's annual dinner of Nos. 7 and14 R.N.A.S. Squadrons and the R.A.F. Handley Page Squadrons' Association willbe held at the Horse Shoe Hotel, Totten- ham Court Road, London, on October 12,at 6.30 for 7 p.m. Those interested should contact the hon. secretary, G. Conley, 62Nightingale Lane, London, S.W.I2 (tel. Battersea 6173). IN BRIEF R.A.F. Aldergrove is to be presented tomorrow, October 5, with the freedom of Belfast. ***** At R.A.F. Medmenham last Friday thefinal of No. 90 Group catering competition was won by R.A.F. Digby. Medmenhamwas second, Norton (Sheffield) third and Watton fourth. ***** Valiants and Shackletons from Maltahave been taking part in the NATO exer- cise "Deepwater," which began onSeptember 24 (and is referred to in a news- item on page 530). ***** An award of £500 has been made onthe authority of theAir Council to Off /Cdt. Air Chief Marshal Sir Douglas Evill, who com- manded No. 202 Sqn. in 1916 (when it was No. 2 Sqn., R.N.A.S.), inspecting the parade at R.A.F. Aldergrove on September 6 when he presented a standard to No. 202. Victor Rose for devising an inspectionlamp which permits checks of Derwent diffuser rings without the engine havingto be stripped. He made the prototype lamp last year when a flight sergeant atNo. 60 M.U., Rufforth. The C.A.S., Air Chief Marshal Sir Dermot Boyle, who on the Queen's behalf presented his personal clerk, F/Sgt. J. Morrison, with the B.E.M. at Air Ministry recently, congratulates him after the ceremony. W/C. R. G. W. Oakley (who commands No. 138 Sqn.) is seen to the right with W/C. A. D. Frank (CO. of No. 83 Sqn.) and Maj. D. Clark (centre), captain of one of the B-47s against which their Valiants and Vulcans will be competing in the S.A.C. bombing contest at Pine- castle A.F.B., Fla. Below, three captains of the Vulcans in the Bomber Command team enjoying a less arduous form of competition. From left to right, W/C. A. D. Frank, S/L. D. R. Howard and W/C. C. C. Colder.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
