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Aviation History
1955
1955 - 0630.PDF
630 FLIGHT, May 13 1955 Avro Vulcan B.I prototype (R.A.F.). Handley Page Victor B.I prototype (R.A.F.). Gloster Meteor F.R.9 and P.R.10 (R.A.F.) with F-84 (Belgian A.F.). English Electric Canberra P.R.7 (R.A.F.). (Below) Avro Shackleton M.R.2 (R.A.F.). THE WORLD'S AIR FORCES . . . Technique, which is based at Hullavington.Cranwell is the college to which ofl&cer students go who intend to make the R.A.F. their life career. Both General Duties andSecretarial and Equipment Branches are catered for. Having graduated at Cranwell, a General Duties cadet leaves the Collegealready in possession of his Wings. The Flying College has a variety of functions and was,originally, a combination of the Empire Air Armament School, the Empire Air Navigation School and the Empire Flying School.At the conclusion of each course the students make a series of world-wide flights, some going to polar regions, others to theUnited States of America and others to the Far East. Central Flying School—which was the first unit of the RoyalFlying Corps—is perhaps the most famous Service unit in the world. Pilots from a great many nations have attended it toobtain their instructors' tickets. In addition to its function of instructing instructors, C.F.S. also operates an Examining Wingwhich visits every flying unit of the R.A.F., no matter where in the world it may be stationed. The objects of the Wing are tocheck standards of flying and to evolve new pilot techniques where necessary. During its travels the Wing also visits, byinvitation, a number of other air forces. The Central Navigation and Control School at Shawburygives navigators specialized post-graduate training and also instructs flying-control officers in their duties.As would be expected, both Central Flying School and the Flying College operate a variety of aircraft; C.F.S. has one ofalmost every type in service with the R.A.F. Technical Training Command, of which Air Marshal SirVictor E. Groom is A.O.C-in-C, is responsible for all ground training; its units include the R.A.F. Technical College atHenlow and Debden. The command operates No. 22, 24 and 27 Groups. H.Q. are at Brampton, Huntingdon. It has a greater variety of units than any other command. Ofparticular importance are the two establishments—No. 1 School of Technical Training at Halton and No. 1 School of Radio atLocking—where apprentices are trained for their selected trades. Another main unit is No. 2 School of Technical Training atCosford, for boy entrants to the Services. Other units include the School of Administration; the Women'sRoyal Air Force Depot at Hawkinge; two cookery schools; the School of Physical Training; the School of Training Organiza-tion and Method; the School of Education, for training education officers; the School of Firefighting and Rescue; the School ofPhotography; the Chaplains' School; the R.A.F. Regiment's L.A.A. Gunnery School at Watchet; radio schools at Yatesburyand Compton Bassett; and the Police Depot at Netheravon. Technical Training Command also administers the R.A.F. Regi-ment Depot at Catterick. Maintenance Command, with headquarters at Andover,operates Nos. 40,41,42 and 43 Groups. The present A.O.C-in-C. is Air Marshal L. G. Harvey. Work of the Command is sec-tionalized in the following manner: No. 40 Group is responsible for all ground and aircraft equipment; No. 41 Group is devotedalmost entirely to aircraft storage; No. 42 Group has on charge all ammunition and other explosives and fuel; and No. 43 Groupis concerned exclusively with repair and salvage. For adminis- tration only, the Staff College at Andover comes underMaintenance Command. Home Command, under Air Marshal Sir Harold T. Lydford,operates through six regional groups: No. 61 (Eastern), No. 62 (Southern), No. 63 (Western and Welsh), No. 64 (Northern), No.66 (Scottish) and No. 67 (Northern Ireland). The chief duties of the Command (whose H.Q. are at WhiteWaltham, near Maidenhead) are recruiting and the administra- tion of all reserves, which includes the University Air Squadronsand the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, although, as was pointed out in an earlier section, a proportion of the latter comes under theoperational control of Fighter Command. The R.Aux.A.F. is composed of 20 fighter squadrons, 28 fighter control and radarreporting units, five A.O.P. squadrons and 12 R.Aux.A.F. Regiment squadrons. Home Command is directly responsiblefor the Air Training Corps and the R.A.F. sections of the Combined Cadet Force. No. 62 (Southern) Group administers the Staff College atAndover, which comes physically within the Group's area but, apart from providing necessities, has no responsibility for thework of the college. In a like manner, No. 63 (Western and Welsh) Group looks after the R.A.F. element at the Ministryof Supply's guided weapon testing ground at Aberporth. The medical services, too, are directed by the Air Ministry butadministered by Home Command. These units include all the hospitals, the Institute of Aviation Medicine at Farnboroughand the Central Medical Establishment. Small units within the Command include the Record Office atInnsworth, Gloucester, and the Movements School, which teaches its students how to move personnel and material by air, land and
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