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Aviation History
1963
1963 - 1282.PDF
110 This study, "Beachcomber," of a Shackleton T.I of the Maritime Operational Training Unit, won a prize for M/SigB. R. Powis of RAF Kinloss in the recent Coastal Command Photographic Competition SERVICE AVIATION Air Force, Naval and Army Flying News Waddington to Perth THREE RAF VULCANS flew non-stop from the United Kingdom to Australia last week on a refuelling exercise. The aircraft, which were from 101 Sqn, took off in the evening of July 8 and landed at Perth just over 18hr later. Fit Lt J. R. Ward and Wg Cdr A. Griffiths were first away, taking off at 2040hr BST and covering the 9,625 miles in 18hr 6min and 18hr 18min respectively. The third aircraft, captained by Sqn Ldr A. M. Laidlaw, departed at 2050hr BST and took 18hr 16min. The aircraft were refuelled by Valiants over El Adem (Libya), Aden and Gan (Maldive Islands). Fit Lt Ward said after landing at Perth, where there was a crowd of some 5,000 people to greet the crews, that his only problem had been refuelling over Gan, when he had had to descend from 34,000 to 23,000ft because of cloud. The Vulcans averaged 540 m.p.h. and reached their top speed on the last leg from Gan when they picked up tailwinds and reached 720 m.p.h. The record for an England - Perth flight is held by an RAF Canberra, which in 1953 covered the distance in a time of 17hr 25min. RAF Germany SASO THE NEW SENIOR AIR STAFF OFFICER at HQ RAF Germany is to be Air Cdre H. N. G. Wheeler, CBE, DSO, DFC, AFC, who takes over on September 30 with the acting rank of air vice-marshal. During the war he served on bomber, photographic reconnaissance and anti-shipping operations, successively with 207 Sqn (for the first six months of the war), on PRU Spitfires at Heston and Naval line-up at RNAS Yeovilton when a fly-past was held recently for foreign naval attaches. From right to left may be discerned a Sea Vixen, Buccaneer, Scimitar, Hunter, Qannet, Seo Prince, Swordfish, Wessex and Dragonfly FLIGHT International, 18 July 1963 Benson, and with 236 Sqn (Coastal Com mand Beaufighters) at North Coates. He led the Beaufighter wing in numerous suc cessful attacks, gaining the DSO and a Bar to the DFC he had won on PR Spit fires. He was awarded the AFC in 1954, when in charge of flying at RAF Marham. Since January this year he has been Air Member of the Defence Research Policy Staff. Belgian 2ATAF Commander FOR THE FIRST TIME, the 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force has a non-British Commander, Lt Gen Franz Furniaux of Belgium having taken over this post on July 3. His appoint ment was referred to in Flight International for April 11. Gen Furniaux succeeds Air Marshal Sir John Grandy, who from September 1 is to be AOC-in-C Bomber Command (this page, June 20). V-force to VClOs? AIR MARSHAL SIR KENNETH CROSS is to be the next AOC-in-C Transport Command, according to the air forces correspondent of The Daily Telegraph, who stated on Wednesday of last week that his appoint ment would be "announced shortly." Sir Kenneth has been AOC-in-C Bomber Com mand since 1959 and during his tenure of office "has built up a new conception of speedy retaliation for heavy bombers." He is being succeeded in this post, from the beginning of September, by Air Marshal Sir John Grandy, who recently relinquished the post of Commander-in-Chief, 2nd Allied Tactical Air Force (see news item above). Gnomes at Work DESCRIBING THE ACTIVITIES OF 225 SQN, Bristol Siddeley Engines Ltd—whose Gnomes power the unit's Whirlwind Mk 10 helicopters—say that "the exceptionally hard weather in England early this year provided the Squadron with many oppor tunities to display its versatility. It carried out rescue and snow relief operations in Devon, South Wales, Salisbury Plain, East Anglia and Northumberland; it fed hun dreds of horses and cattle and thousands of sheep; it carried everything from tractor wheels, coal and oil to hay and explosives, and rescued babies and old people. It carried pressmen reporting blizzard damage and dropped ropes over high tension cables to free them from ice. "While the squadron usually works with the Army, it could equally well co-operate with the Navy—indeed, it has already done so on several occasions. In fact the squad ron operates in support of Britain's Strat egic Reserve wherever it may be required, and this might well include, for example* working from an aircraft carrier transport ing and supplying the Royal Marine Com mandos." Wasps on Trial WESTLAND WASP DEVELOPMENT TRIALS are "well advanced," it was stated by the Civu Lord of the Admiralty, Mr John Hay, m a Parliamentary answer on July 3. He adde that intensive Service trials had started a
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