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Aviation History
1961
1961 - 1857.PDF
971 FLIGHT, 21 December 1961 One of the five D.H. Comet 4Cs due to enter RAF Transport Command service next year Final SaluteH AWKINGE closed down on December8 as an RAF station when Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir William F. Dick-son, who was at one time station commander there and CO of 25 Sqn in 3935, took thesalute when the Last Post was sounded and the RAF ensign lowered. The station wasan RFC base in the First World War and in the second a Battle of Britain airfield. "Victorious" Home AFTER nearly one year's service east ofSuez, HMS Victorious was returningto Portsmouth last Tuesday for Christmas leave. Since departing from England lastJanuary the carrier, commanded by Capt J. M. D Gray, has steamed 83.000 milesand spent 222 of her 333 days away at sea. For three months she stood by for theKuwait emergency, steaming 30,000 miles in the extreme heat of a Persian Gulfsummer: she has taken part in several SEATO and joint UK/US exercises in theFar East; and on her way home was di- verted to Mombasa for Kenya flood reliefwork Ocean Weather Ship TODAY (December 21) the UnderSecretary of State for Air, Mr W. J.Taylor, was to land by helicopter at Green- ock docks to rename the RN frigate RuslienCastle as Weather Surveyor: she is to go to station "India" on December 27 to com-plete the weather ship fleet which pro- vides meteorological information from theNorth Atlantic. These weather ships, whose positions are depicted in the map onthis page, are converted RN corvettes and frigates of between 900 and 1,200 tons.Each one is responsible for an area of some 400 sq miles and while their primary dutiesare meteorological they also provide navigational aids and air-sea rescue servicesif necessary. Four of the ships (on stations B, C, D & E) are operated by the UnitedStates, the other five jointly by the United SERVICE AVIATION Army Flying News Air Force, Naval and Kingdom, France, the Netherlands andNorway. Setting-up of the ocean weather ship service stemmed from an internationalconference held in London in 1946, follow- ing the growth of trans-Atlantic air trafficduring the war and the need to provide on-the-spot weather information Commemorating 21 years of friendship between HMS "Heron" (RNAS Yeovilton) and the town of Yeovil, a silver heron is presented by the captain, Capt W. C. Simpson, to the mayor. Aid J. P. Kelly Staff College AmenitiesI N a ceremony marking the first occasionwhen the new dining-room and lecture hall at the RAF Staff College. Bracknell,had been put to use, the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Thomas Pike,unveiled a portrait of the Queen by Norman Positions of the ocean weather stationswhich lie between America and Europe and are maintained by users of the Atlantic air routes —the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the Nether- lands and Norway. See "Ocean Weather Ship" (above) Hepple, RA, on Wednesday of last week.This was the first time this new painting had been seen publicly. The lecture hall, like the dining-room, canseat 200. In addition to the portrait of the Queen it is to have on display a paintingby John Yale of Treble-one Sqn in aero- batic posture. A feature of the dining-roomdecor is badges of all the RAF commands. Kenya's Gratitude • A BSOLUTELY magnificent," was ther\ way in which the Governor of Kenya, Sir Patrick Renison, described theassistance given recently by the RAF in flood relief operations. Visiting RAFEastleigh to meet 38 Group crews of Bever- leys and Sycamores shortly before theirreturn to the United Kingdom, Sir Patrick commented: "The work you have done herein Kenya has been one of the most exciting achievements in the whole of my service.Without you there is no doubt that thou- sands would have died. You have alsotaught people what friendship and help the Serviceman can give." Sir Patrick wasaccompanied by the AOC, Air Forces Middle East, AVM F. E. Rosier. The 38 Group detachment of Beverleysof Nos 47 and 53 Sqns was flown out to Kenya to supplement the transport forcebased there. The Beverleys, each carrying a Sycamore helicopter, arrived at Nairobion November 18 and food-dropping opera- tions began as soon as the helicopters wereunloaded. The Beverleys dropped a total of 1.600,0001b of food; the Sycamores (from225 Sqn) made 185 sorties, landed 1,5001b of medical supplies and evacuated 21 peoplefor medical attention. Air-to-ground relief operations are still continuing in Kenya,being carried out by Valettas of 223 Sqn, operating in the Juba River area on theSomali-Kenya border. IN BRIEF No 1 Air Navigation School has moved from Topcliffe to Stradishall. The appointment ofGp Capl E. W. Tacon,CBE. DSO. MVO, DFC, AFC. as Commander. RAF Persian Gulf, was recently announced by AirMinistry. Air Cdre H. Hawkins, CBE. AFC, ADS.Deputy Chief of Air Staff. Royal Rhodesian Air Force, has been appointed an Air ADC tothe Queen. A Chipmunk of No 1 Flying TrainingSchool which force-landed in a field near Malton, Yorkshire, was airlifted by Belvedereof 66 Sqn back to its base at Linton-on-Ouse on December 10. Three RAF squadrons. Nos 24, 99. 114 and511. were presented with plaques on behalf of the Ghana armed forces in London recentlyby the Ghana High Commissioner. Mr Kwesi Armah. They were being given "in gratefulrecognition of the support given by these transport squadrons during operations in theCongo." 36 Sqn, which was also involved, had previously been presented with a similarplaque in Accra.
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