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Aviation History
1958
1958-1- - 0489.PDF
FLIGHT, 19 September 1958 Parade of Victors Eight Victors of No. 10 Sqn. lined up at their base at Cottesmore. Above, two of them in formation below the photographic Beyer ley. No. 10 SQN. AT R.A.F. COTTESMORE YET another great white bomber, the Handley Page Victor, isnow established in squadron service. No. 10 Sqn. is at fullstrength, No. 232 O.C.U. at Gaydon is training crews, No. 15 Sqn. is forming, and some Victors have already joined a reconnaissance unit at Wyton. Delivery of Victor B.ls from the factory continues; and the Conway-powered B.2s will later follow them. A refuelling probe and underwing tanks, as seen at Farnborough, will soon be fitted to B.ls. No. 10 Sqn. last week received the Press at its base at Cottes- more, Rutland, and showed off its new equipment and installations with very justifiable pride. Many of the pilots have flown one or both of the other V-bombers and some, including the com- mander, W/C. C Owen, have served tours with U.S.A.F. Strategic Air Command. It is clear that the Victor is as well liked as any other V-bomber and that its performance is considered to be superior to that of foreign bombers—the B-52 included—in all respects except range. Indeed, at its operational height, the Victor is said to be capable of outflying and outmanoeuvring any fighter in squadron service—certainly any fighter in R.A.F. service. As more and more Victors become operationa!, Valiants will be increasingly applied to other roles, such as that of tanker. The Victor naturally has a better chance of getting to and from a defended target. The particular technique of attack which has been developed as a result of the advent of nuclear weapons means that each V-bomber would go to its target alone and that the crew would be largely responsible for planning their own tactics and choosing their own approach. This places a heavy burden on the crew and makes training and independence of outside assistance of prime importance. There is, in fact, very strong emphasis on individual crew training and initiative and qualities of captaincy are regarded as even more important than actual flying ability. Training of V-bomber crews is much more extensive than for any earlier type. Because of the length of training and because real bombing accuracy requires practice over a period of years, it is intended that V-bomber crews shall serve together for at ILLUSTRATED WITH "FLIGHT" PHOTOGRAPHS
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