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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 1782.PDF
: 11.Ill fc 894 FLIGHT, 7 December 196 SERVICE AVIATIOTN y4/> Force, Naval and Army Flying New Aden SASOI N a recently announced appointmentAir Cdre P. H. Cribb, CBE, DSO, DFC, is to become Senior Air Staff Officer, AirForces Middle East, Aden, on December 8. Since April he has been Director of AirStaff Briefing at Air Ministry. He flew with the Pathfinder Force almost constantlyfrom its formation in 1942 and commanded the PFF base of Lancasters and Mosquitosat Little Staughton, Beds. Mission CompletedA FTER completing its three-yearmission, the RCAF Advisory Group to the West German Air Force left Olden-burg recently. It has flown more than 8,000hr and assisted in the training of over200 West German pilots to operational flying standards without a single fatality orserious accident. The unit, which numbered 40, was formed in 1958 after the GermanAir Force had obtained 300 Canadian- built Sabres; its job was to advise andassist in carrying out advanced training on the aircraft and in the running of theoperational training unit. The advisory group was originally to operate for a yearand a half but its existence was three times extended at the request of the GAF.Expenses of the RCAF unit have been paid by the Germans. 815 Seaborne INTENSIVE flying trials in the Medit-terranean area are being carried out by815 Sqn, which with its Westland Wessex Mk 1 helicopters recently joined HMSArk Royal at Plymouth. The trials are designed to cover the role of the Wessex 1in every aspect and to familiarize the ship's company with this new addition to theRoyal Navy. Powered by a Napier Gazelle NGa.13 and fitted with automatic pilot topermit all-weather operation, the Wessex is capable of both search and strike actionagainst enemy submarines. Commissioning of 815, the first Wessex squadron, wasdescribed in Flight for January 13. The unit is commanded by Lt Cdr TonySkinner. Non-combatant Air Force DESCRIBED as "probably uniqueamong world air forces in being anon-combatant air force," the Royal Malayan Air Force is playing an increasingpart in Malaya's defence problems with its air transport support operations. Equippedmainly with Pioneers and Twin Pioneers, the RMAF transports troops and suppliesto jungle forts. It plans eventually to take over supply dropping by parachute atpresent done by Valettas of 52 Sqn RAF based at Butterworth. At present 62 per cent of the personnelof the RMAF, which is commanded by Gp Capt John Stacey, are seconded from Reverley supply-drop- ping in Kenya: a close-up of operations, in which aircraft of 47 and 53 Sqns, nor- mally at Abingdon, 30 Sqn (Eastleigh, Nairobi) and 84 Sqn (Aden) are taking part the RAF; but it is expected that by 1965 over 90 per cent of the officers will be Malayan. Total aircraft strength is 20— four Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneers, five Pioneers, two Cessna 310Fs, three D.H. Doves and six DHC Chipmunks. By June 1962 another ten Pioneers will have been added, and six piston-engined Provosts are expected during the year. Top RAAF Changes /CHANGES in higher RAAF appoint- Vw^ ments were announced recently by the Australian Minister of Defence, Mr Athol Townlcy. AVM C. D. Candy, CBE, is to be AOC Support Command; he Air Cdre C. T. Hannah, CB, CBE, who from December 11 is to be Deputy Chief of the Air Staff, RAAF. He has been Director-General of Plans and Policy in the Department of Air succeeds AVM A. L. Walters, CB, CBE.AFC, who is retiring in May next year. AVM F. Headlam, CBE, is to becomeAOC 224 Group, RAF Malaya, in July next year under an arrangement with theBritish Ministry of Defence whereby the posts of AOC 224 Group and SASO, FarEast Air Force, are held alternately by RAF and RAAF officers. AVM A. M.Murdoch, CB, CBE, is to be AOC Opera- tional Command from June next year insuccession to AVM Headlam. Transport Operations DirectorA NEW post has been announced fcAir Cdre B. R. Macnamara, CBI, DSO, a former Battle of Britain pilot wh •has been taking this year's Imperial Defent • College course. He is to be Director <'"Operations (Air Transport) at Air Ministr from December 20. His last appointmem.before going to IDC, was that of Group Captain (Organization), British Force:.Arabian Peninsula. Primer for CommandersF ROM issuing Master Orders to keepingwives happy with Scottish country dancing and films, from displaying leader-ship to seeing that the airmen are well fed. there is a lot to be thought about in runningan RAF station. Gp Capt K. R. C. Slater, who until his recent retirement from theService commanded Hemswell, has not only given the matter much thought butcommitted his thoughts to paper. The result is a useful little primer for stationcommanders*, covering the organization of an operational base and giving some helpfuladvice (especially in the appendices) on how things work in practice. From his experi-ence, Gp Capt Slater is able to say that "commanding a station is largely a matterof common sense." But he adds: "on the other hand, what is plainly evident to onemay not be immediately apparent to another; consequently, when deciding whatto include and what to leave out on this score, I have thought it better to err on theside of completeness rather than brevity." This comprehensiveness he has achievedwithout sacrificing brevity of style. His book carries a foreword by Marshal of theRAF Sir John Slessor. IN BRIEF Valettas of 233 Sqn from Aden and aDakota of the Royal Rhodesian Air Force have been dropping supplies of rice, grain andsugar to communities isolated by the floods in the banana plantations in the SomaliRepublic. They have been operating from Mogadishu. Two aircrew members of 60 Sqn, based atTengah, Singapore, and flying Javelin FAW.9s. Fit Lt Peter Gooding (pilot) and Fit Lt AllanMeredith (navigator), have been selected to help in collecting data on high-level falloutover South-East Asia. They have been briefed by Dr Mahfuzul Huq, who is incharge of the Univerity of Malaya cosmic radiation and physics investigations, and whohimself flew with the Pakistan Air Force at Mauripur. * Notes On Running An Operational RoyalAir Force Station. By Gp Capt K. R. C. Slater, CBE, AFC, AMIEE. Gale & Polden Ltd.Aldershot. 15s. Air Marshal Sir John Grandy, C-in-C RAF Germany, presenting the Sassoon Trophy to Wg Cdr D.G.Walker, CO of 17 Sqn (this page, last week)
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