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Aviation History
1960
1960 - 2067.PDF
"•'• '•: :-•'•'' •-'.' Flight, 23 September 1960 On a Lone Ranger flight to Nairobi and back, a Vulcan of 617 Squadron cover nearly 10,000 miles—and never be more than a few seconds out on its E.T.A. It gives some idea of the level of 6i7's flying when this performance is regarded as nothing out of the ordinary, especially if the crew is classified as Select Star. A crew—pilot, co-pilot, navigator- plotter, navigator-radar and air electronics officer —starts as Unclassified and, as it improves, moves up to Combat, Select or—the very top flight —Select Star. The members always fly together as a team and the idea behind the Lone Ranger trips, and the Western Ranger trips to North America, is to familiarise them with the Vulcan, with new routes—usually without aids from the ground—new airfields and, perhaps most impor- tant, with each other. By the time a crew has become Select Star every member can do his own job under any conditions and he also knows exactly how everybody else works. On a bombing exercise they get their aircraft over target dead on time and simulate an attack with an accuracy more than adequate for any type of weapon. These modern exercises are complicated affairs and a whole day is spent de-briefing, when any mistakes are thoroughly analysed. This is the bread-and-butter work of 617. The jam comes in such special missions as the Las Vegas trip to put the Vulcan through its paces at the World Congress of Flight and the highly successful round-the-world flight several Vulcans of 617 did in 1959. This year 617 was one of three squadrons chosen to appear at Farnborough in a demonstra- tion of Bomber Command's latest " scramble " techniques. 617 never flies as a complete squadron; this may sound remarkable but a part of the squadron must always be ready on the ground whilst other aircraft of the squadron are away on exercises. But it isn't all work for members of 617. There is a fine atmosphere about their station at Scampton, Lincolnshire. There is the best sort of rivalry between the crews and this becomes more serious on the local golf course. Golf is the big thing at the moment and you are more likely to hear about cutting down a handicap than the flying time from Goose Bay. It's a good life in the R.A.F. today. TODAY'S TOP JOB IS THE R.A.F. The Air Force 37-year-old Wing Commander L. G. Bastard assumed command of 617 this year. A really experienced pilot, he has flown 22 types of aircraft from the smallest to the largest in both piston-engines and jets—Hurricanes to Halifaxes, Hunters to Vulcans. He joined up in 1941 at 18; was commissioned at 20 and did 25 operations in Halifaxes in the war; 1946, food-drops in Dakotas,—Burma and India; 1948, 300 sorties in Berlin air-lift; 1954, West African Royal Tour in Canberras; 1955, anti-terrorist operations in Malaya. 19-year-old Squadron Leader R. A. Streatfeild is the captain of a Vulcan. Went direct from Eton to Cranwell and had experience on Vampires (he was an instructor) and Canberras (target-marking duties) before joining 617 in 1958. His trips include Las Vegas and Karachi, Western Ranger to Omaha, Lone Rangers to Nairobi and Oslo. He is unmarried and lives on the station where he is Station Careers Officer and Deputy Mess President. Plays cricket, squash, golf and has a taste in classical music ranging from Bach to Britten. 25-year-old Flying Officer R. J. Swift was educated at Dd Grammar School and joined the R.A.F. in 1956. He came to 61; Squadron in 1959 as an Air Electronics Officer, a new type q commission for the specialists wh deal with the vast amount of electrical and electronic equipme, a modern bomber carries. He has been on a Western Ranger flight Goose Bay, Labrador and also— the highlight of his flying career date—on the round-the-world tr, in 1959. Unmarried, his leisure i pretty active—sailing his own di; pot-holing, driving go-carts. 2.6-year-old Flight Lieutenant R. J. Turner did his navigator training at Prince Edward Island, Canada. First posting was Search and Rescue with H.Q. 19 Group, then to Canberra squadrons—102 in Germany, 35 in the U.K. on detachments to Malta. Joined 617 in 1958 and has already done plenty of globe-trotting —Germany, Malaya, Southern Rhodesia—plus the round-the-world trip in 1959. Married with a daughter of 3 \ and a son of 3 months, he and his family live in married quarters. Car rallies, golf and photography account for most of his leisure. The R.A.F. still needs men like these. You can find out more about aircrew careers by writing to:— Group Captain J. N. Ogle, A.F.C., A.F.M., Air Ministry (FR 130), Mastral House, London, W.C.I.
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