Volume 2 Number 54 December, 2019

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Shop (Peter Andrews) Museum Annual Christmas Dinner To be held on Saturday January 11th 2020, meeting at lunchtime 1:00 for 1:30, at the usual venue Heron on the Ford (previously Lands End), Twyford RG10 0UE. The cost varies:- 2 Courses £20 pp and 3 Courses £26 pp. Menu copies available at the museum or from my e-mail address. (at bottom of newsletter) ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ September Meeting (Keith Freeman) The Rank Organisation produced a series of short films, Look at Life, for showing in cinemas up and down the country in the 1960s. If my memory is correct (it has been known to lead me astray!) they were shown either before or after the adverts between the A and B films, Tonight we saw a compilation of six of these films with short introductions filmed at the Brooklands aircraft museum. AIR HOSTESS (Heathrow 1960) This quirky film follows an early “trolley dolly”, Pat, from her wake up call, through her bus ride to her arrival outside the Queen's building at “London Airport". A flight briefing from her Captain then follows, and then Pat goes to the stores to stock up on items such as “6 oxygen sets”, tea towels, Bovril and salad cream. Thereafter we follow her work on board a Vickers Viscount en route to North Africa. CONTROLLED LANDING (Heathrow 1961) Inside the control tower ATC talk down an incoming Comet in fog. This recreation has flaws but nonetheless shows what it was like inside the Heathrow control tower when radar was all valve- driven and sports jackets were the normal attire. Other views are inside the Comet and the flight deck of a simulator masquerading as the real thing. Lastly we have the “Blind Landing Experimental Unit” trying out the “Ghost Pilot” on a Vickers Viking. CITY OF THE AIR (Heathrow, Gatwick & Stansted 1963) This is a look at many aspects of “London Airport” in the BOAC and BEA era. The commentary speaks of the “£9 million turnover per year at Heathrow”. Many aspects are covered from the building of the M4 motorway to the flight catering centre to the BOAC medical centre. Then the action(?) moves down to Gatwick with its “1million passenger per year” and lastly a view of an undeveloped Stansted. FLYING TO WORK (Various 1964) Private planes and helicopters with air taxi services “springing up all over the country”. This film starts with Princess Alexandra boarding an Andover of the Queen's flight and Lord Robens boarding a Dove. Other features include Britain's first executive jet the which cost “£225,000”, the Beagle 206, Mr 's helicopter on its remote control launch pad and Battersea Heliport. There is even a “break for elevenses” at 5,000ft... THE SPIRIT OF BROOKLANDS (Weybridge 1965) Britain's at that time latest airliner the Super VC10 airliner is wheeled out in BOAC colours from the Vickers factory. There is a look back at the origins of the site from a 1960s perspective. High speed motor racing followed by aircraft manufacture starting with the Sopwith Camel in WW1. Then the journey of a VC10 from manufacturing to test flying is shown. THE BIG TAKE OFF (Farnborough, Filton, Bristol & Derby 1967) A look at the aviation industry. In 1967 the export TARGET was £200 million per annum! Prince Phillip arrives by helicopter to see Islanders, a Skyvan, 748, BAC 111 and a handful of military aircraft such as the Lightning. Then the film moves to the Rolls Royce factory at Derby to see various engines in production. Finally to Filton for the Olympus engine under test and the “140 seat” Concorde 002 in production. Nostalgic? Laughable? Neither and both I’d say – but worth the price of admission!

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ October Meeting (Keith Freeman) Remember when you came home from an airport with your ears ringing from the sound of the Rolls-Royce Darts & Tynes? With the DVD shown we were reminded that in the 50s and 60s it sometimes seemed as though every other airliner was a Vickers product... The latest year of service of the Viscount and Vanguard were celebrated in the video along with material shot in the 80s and 90s. There was also a look further back in time with some expertly restored cine film from the 60s and 70s. Among the highlights on the video were shots of BEA, Cambrian and Northeast Viscounts, BEA, Invicta and Trans Canada Vanguards and the Parcel Force operation at Coventry with British World Viscounts and ABX/Hunting Vanguards. As well as the many external shots there were a few of flights in both Viscount and Vanguard aircraft operated by London European And British Air Ferries. Instant nostalgia (mixed with, perhaps, different feelings about that whine!) ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ November Meeting (Keith Freeman) The Black Arrows of Treble One Squadron were the RAF’s premier aerobatic display team between 1956 and 1960 (previously a different squadron was chosen each year) – flying their Hawker Hunters, and were said to be the best the world had seen. The double DVD, of which we saw the first one, was the result of two years research and includes interviews with 14 members of the Black Arrows including both team leaders, Roger Topp and Peter Latham as well as members of the ground crew. This, then was the real history of the team, told in their own words – and their words only (but, of course, backed up by many flying sequences). Treble One reformed, post war with Meteors and squadron were introduced to “break up the monotony”. Starting with individual aerobatics soon pairs and then even more became involved. When they replaced their Meteors with Hunters they had to self-convert on to it – there were no flying instructors. Once conversant with flying the Hunters the Squadron, again, turned to aerobatics (a public task they shared with the Hunters of 43 Squadron). Their title was, in fact, a French christening – but one they took great pride in. In 1958 they performed (very much with 43 Squadron) their very famous (and never performed by any other team) 22 aircraft loop. In the words (if you remember them) of the Saturday morning film shows we used to go to: “To be Continued”. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Historic (and other) Aviation News Jun 18: Squadron Leader John Hart DFC, one of the last surviving Battle of Britain veterans has died. A Canadian, born in 1916, and an engineer by trade, he learnt to fly at Halifax Flying Club in Canada before joining the RAF in January 1939. He flew Lysanders in the RAF Army Cooperation Command, Spitfires in the Battle of Britain, Hurricanes in Burma and Mustangs in Italy, leaving the RAF in 1946. ‘Sadly there are now only four of The Few still living. Jul 6: Westland built WA216 and she was delivered to the Royal Australian Navy (as N7-216) in April, 1963.Since being retired the Wessex has been on display at the Australian National Maritime Museum (ANMM). Her place at the ANMM has been taken by a Sikorsky S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter (retired in December, 2017). N7-216 will remain in the Australian War Memorial’s storage collection at Treloar Resource Centre for now, but will go on display once the museum completes its redevelopment plan in the coming years. Aug 22: Five years after its retirement from the French Armée de l’air, a Mirage F1B completed its maiden flight in the USA. It is one of a private fleet of 63 Dassault fighters acquired in 2017 by the Airborne Tactical Advantage Company, a subsidiary of Textron. They will be used to allow the USAF to train its Joint Terminal Attack Controller (JTAC) to designate targets for precision bombing and close air support. The USAF needs “more capability and they need more capacity. They can’t generate that internally any more,” according to ATAC chief executive Jeffrey Parker. ATAC also flies eleven Hawker Hunters, six IAI F-21 Kfirs, one Douglas A-4 Skyhawk and two Aero L-39 Albatross. Draken International has also acquired twenty former Mirage F1B & F1M for the same reasons. Aug 29: The French museum Aéroscopia, located in southern France near Toulouse, received the Airbus A380 MSN 002. The aircraft was simply towed to the museum as it is located next to the Airbus assembly complex. Aug 31: Two Tupolev Tu-2S bombers were re- cently received by the Novosibirsk State Technical University in Russia. These aircraft served with the Chinese air force before being stored in a museum and were later purchased by John MacGuire of the War Eagles Museum in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Staff at the University plan to get one of the two aircraft to airworthiness, following a three-year restoration. Sep 4: Or rather going! American Airlines has an- nounced that its final revenue flight on an MD-80, American Flight 80, is scheduled to depart Dallas- Fort Worth for O’Hare International Airport in Chicago. Then over 20 of the airline’s old MD-80s were flown from Dallas Fort-Worth, St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Tulsa International Airport and Chicago O’Hare International Airport to Roswell where they are going to rest after loyally serving American Airlines for over 30 years. Of course Delta Air Lines still operates the type but plans to retire them in 2020. Sep 17: The D-Day Squadron announced a partnership with the documentary film INTO FLIGHT ONCE MORE, produced by Sound Off Films, which is currently in production and raising completion funds for an anticipated 2020 release. The film commemorates the D-Day Squadron’s crossing of the Atlantic with 15 historic C-47 and DC-3 aircraft to honour the 75th anniversary of the invasion of Normandy. INTO FLIGHT ONCE MORE shares the incredible individual stories of veterans that flew with the D-Day Squadron from Oxford, Connecticut to Normandy, France—and in some cases jumped with them—while showcasing the many once-in-a-lifetime commemorations that took place in the U.K. and France. Sep 26: An Aermacchi MB-326K (construction number 6574, registered I-MBCK) flew again at Reggio Emilia near Bologna, Italy. The aircraft was built in the mid 1970s and was intended for the Zairian air force. Due to financial troubles in Zaire it was never delivered and no other buyer was ever found. Thus it ended up as a gate guard for many years. Sep 27: The RAF took delivery of the final Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4, part of the contract for 160 jets bought by the UK the first one was delivered in 2003. The RAF currently fields eight squadrons in the UK and a permanent detachment in the Falklands equipped with the Typhoon. The Typhoon is scheduled to be replaced by the Tempest starting from the 2040s but considering that the latter’s development is aiming for an operational capability by 2035, the two may need to fly together for some years. Sep 28: The Belgian Aviation Preservation Association recently added he most recent variant of the famous Stampe & Vertongen SV-4 : the SV4-RS to its collection, calling it a “classic aircraft from the future”! It is, actually, one of the prototypes that underwent and survived stress tests in order to obtain the type's certification in several countries.

Oct 1: In their first deployment to North America since 2008 the have gone from coast to coast. They have performed nearly 20 aerobatic displays, several iconic flypasts and 100 separate ground engagement activities. Today they reached San Francisco and saluted, in their inimitable way, the Golden Gate Bridge.

Oct 2: A World War II B- 17,”Nine-O- Nine” (N93012), operated by the Collings Foundation, crashed at the end of Runway 6 while attempting to land at Bradley International Airport (BDL). There were three crewmembers and ten passengers onboard the aircraft - seven people were killed and seven others (in- cluding one person on the ground) injured. The pilots indicated to the tower that they were experiencing a problem with the No.4 engine. Approximately five minutes after take-off from BDL. The aircraft was observed not to be gaining altitude. It made a right hand circuit to land where it lost control after touchdown when it struck the ILS equipment located near the runway. The impact caused the aircraft to veer to the right and cross the grass surfaces and taxiway next to the runway before colliding with de-icing facilities. The aircraft was on the foundation’s Wings of Freedom tour and was scheduled to be at the airport until Oct 3. The US Navy’s (USN's) last Boeing F/A-18C Hornet made its final active-duty flight at NAS Oceana in Virginia Beach. The aircraft, had been flying since completing its first USN acceptance check flight in, 1988. Coincidentally its pilot. on the final flight, was also born in 1988. Oct 5: For 20 years, Langley played a substantial role in Britain’s aviation history. The Airfields of Britain Conserva- tion Trust fully sponsored a carved granite memorial, unveiled today at Harvey Park, Tamar Way, Langley, SL3 8TA on what is left of the original airfield. (Doug Rough’s much fuller write up is appended at the bottom) Oct 7: Today KLM becomes the first airline to celebrate its genuine 100th birthday. The first commercial flight was, surprisingly, from Croydon to Amsterdam using a leased deHavilland DH-16.

Work on the BBMF Mk.IIa P7350 was completed under contract by The Spitfire Company (Biggin Hill). It now wears a fresh scheme representing Spitfire Mk.I R6895/KL-B, KIWI III as flown by New Zealander Alan Deere. Oct 18: The port engine of an Atlantic Air Cargo DC-3 (N437GB) failed during the approach to Lynden Pindling International Airport, Nassau, Bahamas. The approach was continued but, it would seem, the aircraft was unable to reach the runway and the pilot elected to ditch about 4km short of the airfield. The two crew were not injured and managed to escape from the aircraft before it sank. The aircraft was operating a flight from Opa Locka, Florida. (There are so many DC3s flying it hardly seems worthwhile to report the loss of one... but their number’s are (very slowly, I’m glad to say) diminishing). Nov 1: The pilot was killed in the crash (unknown cause) of Grumman OV-1D Mohawk N10VD at the Witham Field airport in Stuart, Florida. He was alone on board and was rehearsing for the Stuart airshow, which was to begin that evening and continue the next day. Nov 4: The world's only airworthy Fouga CM.175 Zéphyr, a French naval jet trainer which first flew in 1959 and served until 1994, was damaged in a runway excursion. Nobody was hurt in the accident, but the right main gear struck an obstacle and the aircraft was damaged. The right wing will need to be replaced, but it is hoped that the right landing gear can be repaired. Zéphyr 28, which restored and operates the aircraft, hopes to be able to fly the aircraft again next year. Nov 5: Miles Magister, LV-XSG, languished in Mendoza, Argentina for many years. In January Richard Santus re-vealed (to Peter Amos) he’d bought it and, today, revealed it was cleared through customs and offloaded from a container at our place (Podhorany Airport) in the Czech Republic. He plans to do some flying starting Sunday Nov 10 to make sure aircraft is safe to fly to the UK. Then he hopes, before the end of November, to fly it to Henstridge for LAA certification and thereafter to Vintage Fabrics for new paint.

Nov 12: A Lockheed P-38 Lightning crashed off the north Wales coast in Sept 1942 and is the best preserved military aircraft crash site in Wales. It is buried around two metres below the sands. It has been uncovered three times since it crashed - first in the 1970s, then in 2007 and most recently in 2014. Now the site is the first legally designated military aircraft crash site protected for its historic and archaeological interest in the UK. The designation is from Cadw, the Welsh Government’s historic environment service. Nov 17: Last summer, the Imperial War Museums announced the availability for disposal of Eurofighter Typhoon DA4 (ZH590) as part of a review of its extensive aviation collection. Newark Air Museum trustees have entered into an agreement to accept the aircraft and preparations are underway to move DA4 to the museum situated at the former RAF Winthorpe site. Nov 21: In 1783, Pilâtre de Rozier and his assistant, the Marquis d'Arlandes, were finally authorized to carry out a manned flight. Their aircraft was an aerostat of 13 meters in diameter, 21 meters high, made of cloth and paper. Hot air was produced by burning dry hay. In the courtyard of the château de La Muette, west of Paris, the two men took off, under the eyes of the Dauphin de France and his entourage, as well as several witnesses of the Royal Academy… including a certain Benjamin Franklin. They reached 1,000 meters in altitude and landed on the Butte- aux-Cailles, a hill in the south of the city. For the first time in history, two men overcame gravity for more than twenty minutes. ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Dates for your Diary January 4/5 Donnington Grove Country Club on the North West edge of Newbury - Icicle Refrozen Balloon Meet 7 MBA Meeting – Black Arrows (pt 2) February 4 MBA Meeting - “Airymouse” - Steve Slater March 3 MBA Meeting – Tales of XL563 & IAM Centrifuge ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Editorial (Keith Freeman) To those of you who missed “The Engineering Report”, my apologies... I forgot to ask Geoff for an update! I’m sure, despite the weather we’ve been having, ‘The Wednesday Boys’ (© Jean) have been continuing their excellent work. As Peter Andrews’ squib about the Christmas Dinner (Saturday 11th January) was right at the front I thought I’d remind you before you threw the newsletter into the wpb! (Electronic version wpb=Shift/Delete!) The library – yes, the library! Did you know the museum had nearly a thousand publications and, apart from those marked “Reference” they can be borrowed. (The reference ones can be read at the museum but not taken out). What I’m going to do is fit as many as I can in the coming newsletters (including additions and amendments) – filling out the newsletter (of course) and giving you (eventually) a full listing... Just how I’m going to list them I don’t know – but I’m about to find out! PS – There’s another Extra below Dough’s write up... ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Tail End Charlie Nov 18: Customers flying from Heathrow Terminal 5 can expect a faster getaway as British Airways em- ploys latest artificial intelligence and wearable tech for staff preparing aircraft to depart. Intelligent soft- ware captures every moment from when aircraft arrive at the airport until they depart to help spot areas to improve punctuality Nov 21: British Airways international flights into London airports suffered delays due to a technical problem. I’m sure it’s just a coincidence... ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Library Listing – Part One 194 Squadron - F/L Douglas Williams 2 Group RAF; A Complete History, 1936/1945 - Michael J.F. Bowyer 40 years at Farnborough, SBAC's International Aviation Showcase - John Blake &M. Hooks (1990) 40 years of the 43 Squadron:’A History of the Fighting Cocks’ - J. Beedle 9th Air Force in WW II, The - Kenn C. Rust A-4 Skyhawk - Lindsay Peacock A.B.A.C. Manual of Flying & Ground Training Aces High (Vol 1) - Christopher Shores & Clive Williams Aces High: Volume 2 - Christopher Shores Aces, Erks & Backroom Boys - Edward Smithies Achievement in British Aircraft - S.E. Veale Action Stations 1. Military airfields East Anglia - Michael J. F. Bowyer Action Stations 2. Military airfields of Lincolnshire and the East Midlands - Bruce Barrymore Halpenny Action Stations 3. Military airfields of Wales and the North/West - David J. Smith Action Stations 4. Military airfields of Yorkshire - Bruce Barrymore Halpenny Action Stations 5. Military airfields South/West - Chris Ashworth Action Stations 6. Military airfields Cotswolds & Central Midlands - Michael J. F. Bowyer Action Stations 7. Military airfields of Scotland, the North/East and Northern Ireland - David J. Smith Action Stations 8. Military airfields Greater London - Bruce Barrymore Halpenny Action Stations 9. Military airfields Central South & South/East - Chris Ashworth Action Stations 10. Supplement & Index - Ed. By Bruce Quarrie Action Stations Overseas. - Sqdn Ldr Tony Fairbairn Admiralty Navigation Manual, Volume II, 1938 Adventure with Fate - Harald Penrose Adventure with Fate: An Autobiography - Harald Penrose Aerial Wonders of our Time, Volume One - Ed. Sir John Hammerton Aerial Wonders of our Time, Volume Two - Ed. Sir John Hammerton Aero Engineering; Parts 1-13: (32 weekly parts) - S/Ldr H. Nelson Aero Engineering; Volumes I, II & III, Maintenance & Overhaul (c. 1935) - S/Ldr H. Nelson * Reference Aero Engines (Reprint 1938) - H.S. Glyde Aero Engines: Inspection of Before Flight (“C” Licence) (1941) - R.F. Barlow * Reference Aero Engines: Inspection of During Manufacture, Overhaul & Test (“D” Licence) (1941) - A.N. Barrett * Reference Aeronautical Engineering - R.A. Beaumont * Reference Aeronautical Engineering Vol II Structures - J.D. Haddon Aeronautics (Magazine), Vol.3 (bound volumes Aug 1940 – Jan 1941) - Ed. Oliver Stewart Aeronautics (Magazine), Vol.5 (bound volumes Aug 1941 – Jan 1942) - Ed. Oliver Stewart Aeroplane Carburettors (Part 2) - Ed. E. Molloy * Reference Aeroplane Carburettors (Part I) Aeroplane Maintenance and Operation Series. - Ed. E. Malloy Aeroplane Carburettors (Part II) Aeroplane Maintenance and Operation Series. - Ed. E. Malloy Aeroplane Directory of British Aviation (1967) Aeroplane Hydraulic Equipment Aeroplane Maintenance and Operation Series. - Ed. E. Malloy Aeroplane Instruments (Part I) Aeroplane Maintenance and Operation Series. - Ed. E. Malloy Aeroplane Instruments (Part II) Aeroplane Maintenance and Operation Series. - Ed. E. Malloy Aeroplane Maintenance & Operation Series, Vol. 1: Carburettors (Part 1) - Ed. E. Molloy Aeroplane Maintenance & Operation Series, Vol. 16: Fuel and Oil Systems - Ed. E. Molloy Aeroplane Maintenance & Operation Series, Vol. 18: Aeroplane Carburettors (Part 2) - Ed. E. Molloy Aeroplane Maintenance & Operation Series, Vol. 2: Instruments (Part 1) - Ed. E. Molloy Aeroplane Maintenance & Operation Series, Vol. 3: Landing Legs, Wheels and Brakes - Ed. E. Molloy Aeroplane Maintenance & Operation Series, Vol. 4: Airscrews (Part 1) - Ed. E. Molloy Aeroplane Maintenance & Operation Series, Vol. 6: Airframes (Part 1) - Ed. E. Molloy Aeroplane Maintenance & Operation Series: Engines (Part 6) - Ed. E. Molloy Aeroplane Maintenance & Operation: (5 Volume Set) - Ed. E.W. Knott Aeroplane Monthly Dec 1988 (Miles Freighters) - Ed. Richard T. Riding Aeroplane Monthly Jan 1988 (Miles Messenger) - Ed. Richard T. Riding Aeroplane Monthly May 1994 (Miles Messenger) - Ed. Richard T. Riding Aeroplane Monthly Nov 1993 (Miles Magisters) - Ed. Richard T. Riding Aeroplane Monthly Oct 1993 (Blossom & George Miles) - Ed. Richard T. Riding Aeroplane Monthly Oct 1997 (Miles Magisters) - Ed. Richard T. Riding Aeroplane Radio Equipment Aeroplane Maintenance and Operation Series. - Ed. E. Malloy Aeroplane Structural Design (1920) - T.H. Jones & J.D. Faber Aeroplane Structure (1942), The - A.C.Kermode * Reference Against all Odds: Battle of Britain 50th Anniversary Appeal - Various Air Aces - Christopher Shores Air Annual of the British Empire 1929, The - Ed. S/Ldr C.G. Burge Air Britain Digest: 1983 on… Journal of The International Association of Aviation Historians - Ed. J.C. Cook Air Combat Paintings of Robert Taylor, The - Robert Weston & Robert Taylor Air Crash, The Clues in Wreckage - Fred Jones Air Force Poetry (Poems 1933/1943) - Ed. John Pudney & Henry Treece Air Navigation (1942) - Air Ministry Air Navigation (1944) - Air Ministry Air Photography Applied to Surveying - C.A. Hart * Reference Air Pictorial & Air Reserve Gazette July 1951 - December 1956 Air Road to the Isles - Capt E.E. Fresson Air Touring Flight Guide (April 1972): UK & Ireland - Robert Pooley Air Transport Auxiliary (Contemporary c.1945) Air Transport Auxiliary (The Lost Child) - A.J. Walters Air/Sea Rescue (WW2) - Ministry of Information Airborne - Neil Williams Aircraft Archive: Aircraft of World War One, Vol. 1, 2 & 3 Aircraft Engines of the World 1947 - Paul H. Wilkinson Aircraft Engines, Vol. 1 (1942) - A.W. Judge * Reference Aircraft Engines, Vol. 2 (1942) - A.W. Judge * Reference Aircraft Hydraulic Equipment (1940) - R.H Bound Aircraft Hydraulic Equipment (1940) - R.H Bound Aircraft Jet Engines - J.F. Coplin Aircraft Mechanics' Handbook (1931), The - I.W. Miller Aircraft Museums & Collections of the World, 2:Great Britain & Ireland - Bob Ogden ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

Contacts Chairman & Curator Ken Fostekew ken fostekew @ gmail.com Treasurer: Mrs Lavinia Fillingham [email protected] Engineering: Geoff Etridge [email protected] Museum Manning: Jean & Ken Fostekew [email protected] Membership & Newsletter Editor: Keith Freeman museum b [email protected] or phone: 0118 9666142 Shop: Peter Andrews [email protected] ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬

All that remains is to wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and, like the proverbial bad penny, I hope to be back in 2020 with the March Newsletter!

▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ Published by The Museum of Berkshire Aviation, Mohawk Way, Woodley, Reading, Berkshire, RG5 4UE Web Site: http:// museumofberkshireaviation.co.uk/ Official recognition of Langley airfield, WW2 home of Co. Ltd. ******************************************************************

Seeing BBMF Hurricane LF363 flying into WW on 3rd September 2019), and WLAC Members Day on 7th, reminded me of something which may be of interest to some. LF363 was built at Langley Airfield situated close to Heathrow where multitudes of Hurricanes were built (c 7,000) and later Tempests, Sea Furies etc and, Yes!, Hunters. Even civil Yorks, Tudors, Lancasters, Wellingtons and Vikings flew from there before the airfield closed in 1959. Hawkers then concentrated their work at Kingston & Dunsfold. Douglas A Rough On 5th October 2019 (at 1100hrs) , a memorial plaque to the airfield was unveiled by the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust. Unfortunately the BBMF wasn’t able to do a “fly by” because as of 28th September all the BBMF fleet commenced winter maintenance [email protected] ….and now details of the actual ceremony at Langley on Saturday 5th October 2019 at 1100 hrs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sat. 5th Oct. 2019 ~ LANGLEY AIRFIELD ~ Sat. 5th Oct. 2019 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~1100 hrs ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On time and at the entrance of Harvey Park (centre of the airfield as was) and south of Parlaunt Road and west of Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Centre, alongside Tamar Road (postcode SL3 8TA) the following Indian Marble plinth was unveiled. Doing the honours were Kenneth Bannerman founder (in 2006) of the Airfields of Britain Conservation Trust (ABCT) and currently Director General. Alongside him was Peter Trafford who has researched the history of the airfield to the “n’th” degree. ABCT has currently erected some 200 memorials. Peter was the prime mover in achieving the plinth.

Officiating

Present at the ceremony were about 70 people including old Hawker employees and locals whose family members had worked there. Inevitably many enthusiasts and curious residents wondering what was going on! The memorial was unveiled by The Mayor of Slough, Councillor Avtar Kaur Cheema whose father had served in the British Army.

The Langley Potted History

Councillor Cheema said she was proud to be doing the unveiling and Mr. Bannerman gave a succinct account of what ABCT was all about. Peter Trafford gave a concise summary of the history of Langley Airfield as of 1939 when Hawker moved in to build nearly 7,000 Hurricanes and later types like Typhoon, Tempest and Sea Fury followed by Hunter jet fighters. Post WW2 a number of airlines also made use of Langley as their Maintenance Base as no hangar facilities were available at the new London (Heathrow) Airport. Main users were British South American Airways (BSAA) with Avro Yorks & Tudors and Airwork General Trading Co. Ltd. who did much aircraft testing and maintenance. Flying ostensibly ceased in 1955 but non-flying aviation activities continued until 1959 with the

controversial plans to sell Hawker Hunters to Fidel Castro’s Cuba (Cuba was operating Langley-built Sea Fury fighter-bombers at the time). Surplus Sea Furies and Hunters were stored at Langley until the Cuban contract came to nothing and the aircraft were dispersed or scrapped by late1959. A new c1960 resident at Langley was Hawker Siddeley Nuclear Power Co. Ltd developing the “Jason” reactor for the UK’s nuclear submarine fleet. This came to an end circa March 1962. Other Personalities at the Unveiling

There were a small number of former Hawker employees mostly with Dunsfold & Kingston connections. Dunsfold was Hawker’s Test Airfield after Langley and Kingston became the main manufacturing factory and Company HQ. To try and keep interest in Hawker alive, there is The Hawker Association (which was very involved in achieving the memorial) and representatives were present in the line-up behind the plinth. With them in the photo and dressed in maroon + regalia is The Mayor of Slough (see earlier reference).

Other notables present were Angela Bailey (below left) the daughter of the famous Hawker Test Pilot, Frank Murphy who carried out much Test Flying at Langley. His daughter has created a series of profusely illustrated and highly informative publications about her father’s activities. Noreen Cooper (below right) is a totally charming person.

She is the daughter of the very charismatic and controversial Australian aviator known as Don Bennett. His connection with Langley was as of 1945 when he was appointed as Chief Executive of British South American Airways (BSAA) mentioned earlier. BSAA’s maintenance and operations HQ were based at Langley. He had altercations with the BSAA Board and eventually resigned. “Don B” later formed a successful company named Airflight Ltd using two Avro Tudors.

Conclusion

The ceremony went off without hitches and more than a few locals left far more educated than when they arrived. One very elderly lady said her Dad had worked on Huricanes at Langley during the war and she had learned a lot that morning…and wished to convey her “Thanks” to everybody before she shuffled off.

The final photo is of a painting by Geoff Beckett showing an Anson of the ATA at Langley dropping off Ferry Pilots no doubt to whisk new-build Hurricanes off to operational squadrons.

The painting is in The Maidenhead Heritage Centre which is also worth a visit as is the Langley Memorial if you’ve not yet visited either.

Douglas A . Rough 9th October 2019 *******************************The End******************************** -EXTRA-

Top ten light attack aircraft Light attack aircraft play a crucial role in attacking hostile targets during low-intensity conflicts. Airforce Technology lists the top ten light attack/combat aircraft, based on the weapons carried, payload capacity, and performance. To my surprise (and annoyance) there’s no British entry – have we given up on this lucrative market?

No Christmas competition – but can you identify these, the top ten light attack aircraft:

2 1

4 3

5 6

7 8

9 10