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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0839.PDF
'.FLIGHT, 15 June 1961 849 \f,c<-Admiral D. P. Dreyer, newly appointed Flag Officer Air (Home), tokng tne salute at RNAS Culdrose at the recent wings presentation to pitas of No 44 helicopter specialist pilots' course. On the admiral's right is Capt C. L F. Webb, captain of HMS "Seahawk" SERVICE AVIATION Air Force, Naval and Army Flying News Sir Walter PromotedA MEMBER of the Air Council since April I960, Air Marshal Sir Walter H.Mcrton, KCB, OBE, has been promoted to Air Chief Marshal. A Canadian, he wasformerly Chief of Staff, Allied Air Forces Central Europe; and in one of his previousposts had for two and a half years been Chief of the Air Staff, RNZAF. FAA Re-equipmentA REPORT which first appeared in the Sunday Telegraph on June 4, thatthe Royal Navy was to have three new 50,000-ton aircraft carriers costing £60meach, evoked an official denial from the Admiralty. The report stated that thefirst of these carriers "could be ready in five to six years" and said that there wouldbe standardization between the Royal Air Force and Fleet Air Arm in radar andweapon systems, with the surmise that future RAF strike aircraft would beequipped to take-off from and land on the new carriers. VIP VictorTWO Victors of No XV Sqn are accom- panying the AOC-in-C Bomber Com-mand, Air Marshal Sir Kenneth Cross, on his current visit to Australia. The C-in-C,who left Cottesmore last Saturday in one of the Victors, is to have talks with theMinisters of Defence and Air, the Chief of Staff and CAS, and will visit the WeaponsResearch Establishment at Salisbury and the Woomera rocket range. He returns tothe UK by Victor on July 3. Air Firing ContestF OR the first time, German. Italian andNorwegian units are joining Nether- lands, Danish, Belgian and Canadian teamsin the Allied Air Forces Central Europe air-to-air firing competition for the Guyne-mer Trophy, which is being held from June 26 Air Chief Marshal Sir Walter H. Merton (below left), whose recent promotion from air marshal is recorded above; and Air Marshal Sir Hugh Constantine, who as briefly recorded in "Flight" last week is to be Commandant of the Imperial Defence College to July 7, at the Royal Netherlands AirForce base at Leeuwarden. The RAF are not participating.In an announcement last week about the competition the AAFCE Commander, AirChief Marshal the Earl of Bandon, said that next year the competition was to be remodel-led and would take the form of a fighter- bomber meet between the two Allied TacticalAir Forces under A1RCENT on similar lines to the Royal Flush reconnaissance competi-tion. The air gunnery competition involvesselected air and ground crews from the par- ticipating air forces and is designed to testpilot-ability, team efficiency and the oper- ational effectiveness of supporting groundunits. The Guynemer Trophy for which the teams are competing has been won for threeyears in succession by Canadian teams from RCAF bases in Europe. V-bombers to FloridaT WO Vulcans of No 617 Sqn went toFlorida last weekend to take part with USAF aircraft in a "Golden Anniversary ofNaval Aviation" display at Pensacola air base on June 10. All naval aircrew whotrained there during the war, including British aircrew, received invitations toattend. One of the Vulcans, flown by Sqn Ldr D. B. D. Hamley, put on a demonstra-tion; the other, piloted to Pensacola by Fit Lt R. S. Trigg, was on static display. TheVulcans reached Florida on June 8 and were due to return last Monday. Visiting the USAF AIRCRAFT from Fighter, Bomber andL Flying Training Commands are takingpart in displays next Saturday (June 17) at USAF bases when these are open to thepublic for Armed Forces Day. The royal blue Hunters of No 92 Sqn will be atBentwaters and Wethersfield; Lightnings of 74 Sqn at Mildenhall and Sculthorpe; andJet Provosts from the Central Flying School at Alconbury (where there is to be a para-chute drop by aircraft and personnel from No 1 Parachute Training School at Abing-don) and Mildenhall. A Victor and a Vulcan are to fly over al! five "open house"USAF bases. A note on the bases to be open appeared on page 782 of last week's issue. Gp Capt Merifield ANOT ABLE record as a reconnaissancepilot marked the wartime career ofGp Capt J. R. H. Merifield, who lost his life in a helicopter accident near Upavon onJune 1. He was awarded the DFC in June 1942, the DSO in February 1944 and a Barto his DFC eight months later. In 1945 he set up transatlantic speed records in aMosquito, flying westward to Newfound- land in 6hr 58min and eastward back toCornwall in 5hr lOmin; in the Korean War, attached to a USAF Sabre wing, he won theAir Medal. Aged 41, he had only recently joined the Transport Command air staffafter returning from Aden, where he com- manded RAF Khormaksar. VTOL for the RAF IN the House of Commons recently theUnder-Secretary of State for Air, MrW. J. Taylor, said that an operational requirement had been drawn up for a VTOLground-attack aircraft. He was answering a question addressed to the Air Minister,asking what further consideration had been given to the development of vertical take-off and landing fighter-bombers and long- range bombers for the Royal Air Force.Mr Taylor said that following the Minister of Defence's recent meeting with the Ger-man Minister of Defence, there was to be joint development of an aircraft based uponthe Hawker P.I 127. There were no plans to introduce a VTOL long-range bomber. Birthday HonoursD ETAILS of the highest-ranking RAFawards in the Queen's Birthday Honours are given on page 820. The namesbelow are of RAF personnel and members of its allied Services who have receivedhonours and awards from the OBE and AFC onwards. ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE Knight Commander: Acting Air MarshalJ. Grandy, CB, DSO. Dame Commander: Air Cmdt A. Stephens, MBE, ADC. WRAF.Commanders: Air Cdre R. C. Ay ling, OBE; Air Cdre E. M. T. Howell; Air Cdre G. H. Morley, OBE. QHS. FRCS. LRCP; Acting Air CdreD. G. Smallwood, DSO, MBE, DFC, ADC; Gp Capt J. Barraclough, DFC, AFC; Gp CaptR. T. Frogley, OBE, DFC; Gp Capt I. D. N. Lawson, DFC; Gp Capt A. A. N. Nicholson;Gp Capt A. M. Ruston, DFC; Gp Capt T. P. Seymour; Gp Capt I. S. Smith, OBE, DFC. 'Officers: Wg Cdr G. M. Beer; Wg CdrJ. I. R. Bowring, MBE; Wg Cdr M. Driscoll; Wg Cdr R. C. Everson. AFC; Wg Cdr C. M.Gibbs, DFC; Wg Cdr M. F. Hatton; Wg Cdr J. T. Lawrence, AFC; Wg Off B. G. Martin,WRAF; Wg Cdr E. H. Roberts, MBE., RAF (Retd); Wg Cdr C. K. Saxelby, DFC, AFC;Wg Cdr J. P. Spillane, AMiMechE. AFRAes, DCAe; Wg Cdr G. J. Storey, AFC; Wg CdrP. H. Waterkeyn, DFC, Acting Wg Cdr W. A. Beaumont, MA, RAUXAF; Acting Wg Cdr M.Jones; Acting Wg Cdr D. F. Perrens, DSO, DFC, RAuxAF; Acting Wg Cdr J. C. Robert-son, MA, RAuxAF; Acting Wg Cdr E. H. H. Stenning, RAFVR; Sqn Ldr D. I. Fryer,MB, BS, BSC; Sqn Ldr E. G. A. Hart. Members: Sqn Ldr J. P. Balfour, DFC;Sqn Ldr C. C. Bevan, DFC; Sqn Ldr F. Binns; Sqn Ldr F. T. Bishop; Sqn Ldr P. F.Christopher, DFC; Sqn Ldr G. Curry, DFM; Sqn Ldr D. S. Dickins, AFC; Sqn Ldr D.Fitzgerald, DFC; Sqn Ldr C. Higgins; Sqn Ldr F. W. Hubbard; Sqn Ldr P. H. Hudgell;Sqn Ldr C. King; Sqn Ldr P. D. Lee, RAF Regt; Sqn Ldr R. S. Mason; Sqn Ldr F. H. E.Nunwick; Sqn Ldr R. D. S. Orchard; Sqn Ldr E. H. O'Toole; The Rev. D. E. W. H.Sheppard; Sqn Ldr M. Short, AFC; Sqn Ldr C. Sinclair; Sqn Ldr K. E. Woolridge; Acting
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