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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 0894.PDF
906 FLIGHT, 29 June 1961 Copperplate Trip IN the longest nonstop flight ever madeby the RAF a Vulcan of BomberCommand last week flew from the United Kingdom to Australia—from RAF Scamp-ton to RAAF Richmond (near Sydney)—in 20hr 3 min. The aircraft's average speedfor the 11,500-mile flight—which crossed France, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey,Iran, Pakistan, India, Malaya, Singapore, Indonesia and the Timor Sea—was 573 m.p.h.It was captained by Sqn Ldr M. G. Beavis of 617 Sqn, who with his crew won the bomb-ing and navigation award in the annual Bomber Command competition last April.He had previously made long-distance nonstop flights to Nairobi, Gan andKarachi. On the way to Australia the Vulcan—a B.la powered by four Mk 100Series Bristol Siddeley Olympus engines, which Sqn Ldr Beavis commented "per-formed splendidly throughout the flight"— was refuelled by Valiant tankers of 214 Sqnflying from Cyprus, Karachi and Singapore. The crew were met on the tarmac at Rich-mond by Air Marshal Sir Kenneth Cross, AOC-in-C Bomber Command, who wasvisiting Australia. In a comment on the flight Sqn Ldr Beavis said it had been "acopperplate trip." Most of the journey was covered at an altitude of more than60,000ft. The Vulcan took off from Scampton at 1135 BST on June 20 andarrived over Sydney at 0738 the following day. Its ETA, planned months before, was0740. Flying Training C-in-C AFTER two-and-a-half years as chiefinformation officer at Air Ministry,AVM G. A. ("Gus") Walker, CB, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC, is going to Flying TrainingCommand in September as AOC-in-C with the acting rank of air marshal. He succeedsAir Marshal Sir Hugh Constantine, KBE, CB, DSO, whose appointment as Com- SERVICE AVIATION Air Force, Naval and Army Flying News A Sea Vixen of 890 Naval Air Sqn, based in HMS "Hermes," firing a salvo of 2in rocket projectiles during the recent Shopwindow 1961 demonstration (thispage, June 15) mandant of the Imperial Defence Collegewas announced earlier this month Flight, June 8). "Gus" Walker, who is 49, had a dis-tinguished war record with Bomber Com- mand, winning the DSO and DFC with No50 Sqn. While station commander at Syerston he lost his right arm in a gallantattempt to rescue the crew of a burning Lancaster. He is also distinguished as arugby footballer, having played for England in 1939, previously captaining the RAF XV AVM G. A. ("Gus") Walker, who is to be AOC-in-C Flying Training Command from September 24 with the acting rank of air marshal (see news-item, this page) (1936-39). He was an ADC to KingGeorge VI from 1943 to 1952 and to Queen Elizabeth from 1952 to 1956. Coachmakers and Comets AT their Court and Livery Dinner inTallow Chandlers' Hall on June 20the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness Makers officiallyadopted No 216 Sqn, the Comet squadron of RAF Transport Command. There asguests to mark the occasion were the Air Minister, Mr Julian Amery; the CAS, AirChief Marshal Sir Thomas Pike; and the AOC-in-C Transport Command, Air Mar-shal Sir Denis Barnett. The former CAS, Marshal of the RAF Sir Dermot Boyle,was also present; and 216 Sqn was repre- sented by its commanding officer, Wg CdrN. E. Hoad, and two of the Comet captains, Fg Off J. Byrne and Fg Off G. de Looze. The Master, Sir Reginald Verdon Smith,who is chairman and managing director of the Bristol Aeroplane Co Ltd, presided atthe dinner; and Sir Aubrey Burke, deputy managing director of the Hawker SiddeleyGroup, proposed a toast to the RAF in which he paid tribute to 216 Sqn for itswork in convincing the world that modifica- tions applied to the Comets after thedisasters of 1954 were satisfactory, and to the squadron's fine record of passengersafety. In his reply, Mr Amery referred particularly to the RAF's maintenanceof a deterrent, saying that owing to a few hundred young men of the V-force, "as wesit around this table I believe we are safe from premeditated attack." This is the company's second Serviceadoption. Some years ago they adopted the aircraft carrier HMS Centaur. Yeovilton's 21st V^EOVILTON held its Air Day on JuneI 17, a special occasion because this was the 21st anniversary of the first commission-ing of HMS Heron as the Naval Air Fighter School (on June 18, 1940). The station'scurrent role is that of land base for all- weather fighter squadrons equipped withSea Vixen FAW.ls. It also flies the flag of FOFT and houses the InstrumentExamining Board (Hunter T.8s), the civi- lian-manned Radar Instruction Flight(which recently moved from Brawdy) and the P.531-equipped 700H Sqn. A low cloudbase (1,200ft) prevented afirst public display of aerobatics by Sea Vixens of 899 Sqn, both the Vixens and800 Sqn Scimitars having to give a "flat" performance. Among other items were acavalcade of Naval aircraft (Sea Vixen, Sea Venom, Sea Hawk, Gannet, Sea Fury andSwordfish); a helicopter demonstration staged by Westland Aircraft (Belvedere,Wessex and Gnome Whirlwind); and a dummy frigate landing by a torpedo-equipped P.531 of 700H. In the static display was a Grumman Martlet, recentlyrestored at Yeovilton after a long stay at Loughborough College. It is unlikely thatthis aircraft will ever be able to fly again as the fuselage is slightly bent and a numberof parts are missing. To mark HMS Heron's, birthday a large"cake" with 21 candles was flown onto the airfield attached to a Whirlwind. When itlanded an attractive Wren emerged to distribute pieces of real birthday cake. ThisAir Day marked the final appearance of Sea Venoms as front-line Naval aircraft:the last squadron is being disbanded on July 1. At HtAS "Heron's" Air Day (see "Yeovil- ton's 21st"): low- level sharp-shooting from a Swordfish, and (at right) the recently restored Grumman Martlet with a canvas cover replacing its missing canopy
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