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Aviation History
1958
1958 - 0891.PDF
27 June 1958 909 SERVICE AVIATION Royal Air Force and Naval Flying News m FORD'S SWAN-SONG AMONG stations shortly to be closed/\ down is R.N.A.S. Ford (Captain •L -m. A. H. Abrams, D.S.C., R.N.), so theannual air day held at this pleasantly situated Sussex airfield on Saturday wasits last. More was the pity, therefore, that bad weather marred the proceedings. Withtypical perversity, a heavy storm-cloud approached soon after flying began, dis-gorged itself during the principal events, and drifted away just as die programmeended. Though it sent all but the keenest spec-tators scuttling for the hangers which housed the excellent static show, it madelittle apparent difference to the flying, but the pilots, particularly those of thehigh-speed aircraft, had an exceedingly tricky task. Yet with perfect discipline theyfitted themselves into what was almost a split-second schedule, and the whole pro-gramme of twenty events was jun through without a hitch in the advertised hour andfifty-five minutes. High-spot of the afternoon was un-questionably the appearance of four Scimitars, two from No. #3 Sqn., soon tobe operational in H.M.J. Victorious, and two from No. 700, the Trials Squadron atFord. After a series jf take-offs that set the keynote, with «sch big aircraft blast-ing great sheets o-' spray from the stream- ing wet runvay the quartet proceeded toperform some-rnpressive evolutions in the tightest of bo- formations. One pilot thenbroke away Pr an independent demonstra- tion, whicboegan witn a low Pass at Per-haps 600 h shock-waves flickering round the aircrj* m th? best Farnborough Showtraditior Most impressive was an upward roll to* cloud-base that fortunately re- mained reasonably high throughout theproceedings. The four pilots were Lt-Cdr. Lamb (leader), Lt-Cdr. Leece (the soloperformer) and Lts. Anson and Middleton. At some risk of seeming to make in-vidious comparisons, four other items may be singled out for mention here. Therewas a fine history-book contribution by a trio of vintage aircraft: the venerableSwordfish, flown by Cdr. Thompson, the Commander (Air) at Lee-on-Solent;Fulmar G-AIBE, piloted (though scarcely at F.D.2 speed) by Peter Twiss; and theSpitfire, with which Jeffrey Quill gave an aerobatic demonstration that was a modelof what such performances should be. Lt. Conklin, a U.S. Navy officer on attach-ment, performed Sea Hawk aerobatics in the tradition established by that master ofthe an, the late Lt-Cdr. D. P. W. Kelly. Lt-Cdr. Brett-Knowles, Lee-on-Solent'smet. officer, gave as pretty a display of sail- plane aerobatics in a Slingsby Prefect as wehave ever seen, ending with a dive to the deck and, startlingly, a tight loop straightoff it. Four Sea Hawks of No. 804 Sqn., led by the squadron CO., Lt-Cdr. Perkins,went through an elaborate aerobatic routine with the unanimity of a single aeroplane. Visiting aircraft demonstrated includeda Sea Vixen, handled with verve by D.H. test pilot Chris Capper, who did a carriertouch-and-go on the runway at the height of the rainstorm; and a Folland Gnat,nimble and pretty as ever in the hands of Mike Oliver. A variety of jet-propelled witches andother curious manifestations suspended from Dragonflies and Whirlwinds providedlight relief at various points in the pro- gramme. A secon of the Ford crowd watches a demonstration by instructors of the Junior Officers' Air Course with a Sea Prince, Sea Vampire T.22s and Sea Balliol T.21s. "Flight" photograph The Scimitar foursome which put on an out- standing show at Ford's final Naval air day. -*r~ "Flight" photograph Ford formation: Sea Hawks and Sea Venoms. Royal Visit A LL three types of V-bomber—Valiant.**• Vulcan and Victor—were due to be inspected by the Duke of Edinburgh dur-ing a visit to R.A.F. station Wyton last Tuesday. From there His Royal Highnesswas going by helicopter to the Central Reconnaissance Establishment at Bramp-ton, then returning for a flight in a Vulcan. Tangmere Farewell AT a ceremony at R.A.F. Tangmere lastk Monday, attended by the A.O.C-in-C. Fighter Command, Air Chief Marshal SirThomas Pike, the last operational fighter squadrons to be based at the station—No. 1(equipped with Hunter 5s) and. No. 25 (Meteor N.F. 12 and 14s)—handed overtheir Standards to Nos. 263 and 153 Sqns. respectively. These two squadrons, basedat Stradishall and Waterbeach, will at a later date assume the numbers 1 and25. No. 263 Sqn. is equipped with Hunter 6s, and No. 153 with Meteor N.F. 12s and14s. The future of Tangmere is not yet decided, but Sir Thomas stated that it wasno longer suitable, because of its location, to form part of the defence of the UnitedKingdom. No. 1 Sqn. Posted HomeL INCOLNS of No. 1 Sqn., R.A.A.F.,are to make their last operational flight against Malayan terrorists on July 2 andthe squadron is due to be back in Australia on July 17—eight years to the day since itarrived in Malaya, where it has been based at Tengah on Singapore Island. It will bereplaced in Malaya by No. 2 Sqn., R.A.A.F., equipped with Canberras, whichis to be based at Butterworth, an all- Australian station commanded by A. CdnK. R. Parsons (Flight, June 6). No. 1 Sqn. was the first Commonwey-
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