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Aviation History
1983
1983 - 0114.PDF
STRAIGHT AND LEVEL Nearly 40 years after this meeting between a Luftwaffe Me323 and an RAF Marauder. . . . . . comes this meeting between the British and German pilots involved (see first story) • In Flight for February 14, 1981, ex-Me323 pilot Walter Honig wanted to hear from the RAF Beaufighter pilot who shot down his giant six- engined Messerschmitt troop transport on the northern tip of Corsica on July 30, 1943. All the occupants survived. A reader sent a photograph of the engagement, published in our March 21, 1981, issue. It was from an RAF official photograph of an Me323 under attack by a Marauder (not a Beaufighter) of No 14 Sqn RAF, flown by a Wg Cdr Richard Mavdwell. In our May 2, 1981, issue Ron Gellatly gave more details, including a local fisherman's report that the German pilot "was extremely annoyed". Wg Cdr (later Gp Capt) Maydwell now lives at Penselwood in Somerset. The sequel was that the two old adversaries met. Maydwell was Honig's weekend guest at the Sportflieger Club Leonberg. After exchanging gifts—Dick gave Walter a pro peller tip from the 323 wreck (which he visited in 1944) and Walter reciprocated with a pewter plate—they climbed into a Grob 109 and went off for an hour's joyride. According to my German correspondent nephew "there followed an evening of recollections, aided by old logbooks and pictures, with us youngsters listening to and believing every word." Nice story. • Sky Hook is the name of a new British invention, designed to give small ships Sea Harriers. The aircraft is swung over the side like a lifeboat, and Pegasus does the rest. For recovery the procedure is reversed: the Sea Harrier hovers under the gyrostabilised optically grappling hook and can be refuelled without switching off the ignition. For re- munitioning the Sky Hook swings the aircraft aboard. You can have as many hooks as you've got space to swing a Sea Harrier, without cluttering up the captain's Lynx pad. It's going to bring the fun Just how low can you get? (series of 1,000,000): In response to my photograph of the Red A rraws Hawk at Biggin Hill comes t his u nretouched shot of a -Jaguar in Oman by a nameless former member of the SOAF • ••- # .....,•....-.•«.«,«= . -* .-.. .J*-...' •^^ms^sm'mm'' • li: • :• K8E- :il JlSllli|;^^B3^ fKi3|KE*Iifc-lStf^l^^ffi^^ •••: 1 if: • ' Iff! • ^$Pfi r, «>*;.•!*. •! back into flying—the sort of fun those 1930s test pilots had hooking little Rupert Bear fighters on and off airship tra pezes. The US Navy airship USS Macon did some trials over New Jersey in 1933 with a couple of Curtiss F9C-2 Sparrowhawks. There will be no NIH (Not Invented Here) problems if the US Navy wants small ships to pack AV-8Bs: the trapeze on Macon was called Sky Hook. • In America since 1970 "mis- fuelling" has been responsible for 54 general-aviation acci dents. What happens, for in stance, is that somebody puts Jet A kerosene into the half- full avgas tanks of a cabin- class twin which has TURBO on the side and . . . vroom smoke splutter glide crash. You still see big cabin-class twins called TURBO in the hangars at St Albans Inter national. I had wondered why their owners would rather die than wipe it off, until I saw an ad on tellv for a new after shave called TURBO. It's obviously Macho to be Turbo. Next Week: Flying the Macho Moth on after shave. • Nephew Derek James writes about my recent picture of Air Minister George Ward observing the lady observers at West Mailing (December 4 issue). "I bet you don't know what colour socks Mr Ward was wearing that hot day in 1958," writes Derek. "Dark blue. His hat was black. How's that for recall after 25 years?" To think that the full truth about that minister has been covered up until this day. I wonder what most of us can remember about a visiting ^Theaircraiit, witn IU passengers anai two crew on board, was flying to Aberdeen from a North Sea rig when one engine had to be shot down. It| continued on its remaining engine and Aberdeen Press & Journal, December 21 minister, even one we saw 25 minutes ago. Incidentally, George Ward flew his own Chipmunk to West Mailing. This fact was also covered up, probably in case somebody immediately appointed him minister of agriculture or something. • From Aeronautical Informa tion Circular 1A/82 issued by the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority, Cairo Inter national Airport: "Any air- traffic control incident report reaching this administration beyond 15 days from the date of the incident will be over looked". An airline captain nephew who uses Cairo comments: "The post takes a week and my crew could be 'on the road' for a similar period—and nothing would be done any way, to go by the repetition of incidents in the air and on the ground at Cairo. When are the airlines going to overlook this airport?" • LBC interviewer: There's a report out today that the Queen is going to have the British Aerospace 146. Here in the studio is our air cor respondent. Tell me, does the Queen need the 146? LBC air correspondent: No, but the 146 needs the Queen. FLIGHT International, 15 January 19Sr J
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