APRIL 2009 No.174 THE GUILD OF AIR PILOTS AND AIR NAVIGATORS Guild Diary APRIL 2009 7 1st Technical and Air Safety Committee Cobham House 91st General Purposes and Finance Committee Cobham House 14 Benevolent Fund Board of Management Cobham House 16 Pilot Aptitude Testing RAF Cranwell 25 Flyer Show Sofitel, Heathrow 29 Guild Luncheon Club RAF Club 29 Cobham Lecture Royal Aeronautical Society MAY 2009 12 1st Education and Training Committee Cobham House 14 2nd General Purposes and Finance Committee Cobham House 14 1st Court Meeting Cutlers’ Hall THE GUILD OF 27 Livery Dinner Drapers’ Hall AIR PILOTS AND JUNE 2009 AIR NAVIGATORS 22nd Technical and Air Safety Committee Cobham House rd PATRON: 11 3 General Purposes and Finance Committee Cobham House 11 New Members’ Briefing Cobham House His Royal Highness 11 Aptitude Assessment RAF Cranwell The Prince Philip 12-14 Aero Expo 2009 Wycombe Air Park Duke of Edinburgh KG KT 24 Election of Sheriffs Guildhall GRAND MASTER: JULY 2009 His Royal Highness 2 Trophies and Awards Committee Cobham House The Prince Andrew 7 Benevolent Fund Board of Management Cobham House Duke of York KG KCVO 14 2nd Education and Training Committee Cobham House 16 4th GP&F Committee Meeting Cobham House MASTER: 16 2nd Court Meeting Cutlers’ Hall Rear Admiral 26 Guild Sunday St Michael’s Cornhill C H D Cooke-Priest CB FRAeS AUGUST 2009 CLERK: 2 Garden Party Old Warden Military Pageant Paul J Tacon BA FCIS 6 Aptitude Assessment RAF Cranwell The Guild, founded in 1929, is a Livery SEPTEMBER 2009 Company of the City of London. 8 3rd Technical and Air Safety Committee Cobham House (Letters Patent 1956) 10 5th GP&F Committee Meeting Cobham House 10 3rd Court Meeting Cobham House PUBLISHED BY: 29 Election of Lord Mayor Guildhall The Guild of Air Pilots and Air 30 Guild Luncheon Club RAF Club Navigators, Cobham House, 9 Warwick Court, Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5DJ. 30 Sir Frederick Tymms Lecture Royal Aeronautical Society EDITOR: Guild Visits Programme Group Captain T Eeles BA FRAeS FUNCTION PHOTOGRAPHY: 22 April DHFS, Shawbury Gerald Sharp Photography 6 May Martin Baker, Denham View images and order prints on-line. TELEPHONE: 020 8599 5070 18-19 May Airbus, Toulouse EMAIL: [email protected] WEBSITE: www.sharpphoto.co.uk 4 June RNLI Poole PRINTED BY: 22 July RAF Brize Norton Printed Solutions Ltd 01494 478870 2 September Naval Strike Wing, RAF Cottesmore Except where specifically stated, none of the material in this issue is to be taken as expressing the opinion 15 September Brooklands Weybridge of the Court of the Guild. EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS: The copy deadline for the June 2009 Cover picture: The record breakers gather. Wing Commander Andy Green, edition of Guild News is 1 May 2009 and the Master, Richard Noble and Tony Ogilvy outside the Officer's Mess, should be sent to: The Editor, Guild SAAF Base Ysterplaat, prior to the Alex Henshaw Banquet. News, Cobham House, 9 Warwick Court, Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5DJ. TELEPHONE: 020 7404 4032 FAX NO: 020 7404 4035 EMAIL: [email protected] 2 WEBSITE: www.gapan.org In this edition of Guild News 4 News round up 10-11 Profile of the … missing New Master painting? 12-13 GAPAN Flying Club 5 The Master writes … 6 Clerk’s Column 7 Guild Visit to Dunlop Tyres 14 - 15 Gapan in South New Warden Africa Profile Alex Henshaw Commemorative Banquet 16 - 17 The Guild 8 - 9 AGM Report crosses the Atlantic 18 The Flying Fortress - Flying Bomb 19 Technical Briefing Gazette E & TC Report 20 Alex Henshaw - A Flying Legend 3 Introducing your new editor Can you help trace a missing Liveryman and Court Assistant Tom painting? Eeles has taken over as Honorary Editor of the Guild News from Jill Newton, PA to David Shepherd, has asked for help in tracing one of Liveryman Linda Jones. Tom’s David’s paintings that has gone previous editorial experience has been missing. Later this year David confined to producing the Buccaneer Shepherd will be having an exhibition Aircrew Association’s bi-annual at RAF Coningsby to raise funds for newsletter and in 2008 he had his the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight autobiography, ‘A Passion for Flying’, Fund. It will include many paintings published by Pen and Sword. He never before seen in public and he is states that the task of editing such a trying to track down one particular high quality publication as Guild one. It is a painting (reproduced on News is a daunting one, and hopes this page) of Westland Wyverns flying that Guild members will sharpen their over Mount Etna. It may still be in a pens or rush to their computers to military Mess or archive somewhere, produce a steady stream of articles for but if any members of GAPAN could publication. He can be contacted help track it down, David would be through the Guild office or direct by e hugely grateful. mail at [email protected]. UK Alex Henshaw Dinner New Affiliated Unit Visit to Red Arrows cancelled Following the cancellation of the UK No 4624 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary Air The inclement winter weather caused Alex Henshaw Dinner, Liveryman Force, has accepted the invitation from the Guild’s visit to the RAF Aerobatic Peter Adams Lord of Abbots - Hay the Guild to become an affiliated unit. Team, the Red Arrows, scheduled for hosted a private dinner at the RAF The squadron is based at RAF Brize 11th February, to be cancelled. The Club on 7th February to celebrate the Norton and is a busy air movements Red Arrows, one of the Guild’s life of Alex Henshaw. His 3 special organisation. Past Master Pooley has guests were Captain Eric (Winkle) agreed to be the liaison officer and affiliated units, are normally well into Brown, Wing Commanders Peter further details of the squadron’s work their winter pre-season work up by Ayerst and Ken Wallace, all of whom will be published in the June edition mid-February but this year the were friends of Alex Henshaw, Winkle of Guild News. unusually severe weather had delayed and Peter were also test pilots, like progress considerably. When the Alex Henshaw. Some 20 people Inter Livery Bridge Competition weather improves they will be attended the dinner, including Warrant Liveryman Arthur Creighton reports working very hard to catch up so that Officer Roy St C Finch, Freeman and that the 27th inter-Livery Bridge the granting of Public Display former Wellington pilot, Geoffrey competition was played on 2nd March Approval is not delayed . Lane, student pilot, Ken Tuson, Philip in Drapers’ Hall. A total of 64 pairs West, aviation artist, Melanie de Watt, participated in the two session News from Bahrain Ken Sawdy and Allan Bennett. Winkle Duplicate Bridge event. Since he was Liveryman Yvonne Trueman, Brown, Ken Wallace and Peter Ayerst the only player from GAPAN he was Governor Arabian Section, 99’s signed philatelic covers and prints that paired, with the assistance of the International Women’s Pilots will be used for fund raising within organisers, with a previous Master of Association, is reporting an increase in the Joint Services Consortium. A toast The Worshipful Company of Makers of numbers of lady pilots joining the was proposed by the host to the late, Playing Cards. They acquitted Arabian Section. She writes from great Alex Henshaw and all who themselves well by finishing in the top Bahrain: ‘My area stretches from attended were entertained by the twenty. It was a most pleasant evening various stories about him related by with good Bridge, in the wonderful Egypt down to Oman, a vast the 3 special guests. surroundings of Drapers’ Hall, pioneering area and seemingly many accompanied by a splendid dinner more ladies are taking to the skies. served during the interval. Hopefully Last year our Section only had 7 next year the Guild will be able to members. This year we have 17 lady enter more players in this event. If pilots, our Section is now larger than anyone would like to take part in an Austria, Brazil, Great Britain, evening of very relaxed and enjoyable Caribbean, Far East, Finland, India, Bridge, please contact the Clerk who Israel, Mexico, New Zealand and will send the details when they Norway. It is all very exciting’. become available. j 4 The Master writes … COLIN COOKE-PRIEST any him our gratitude and our take-up for the opportunity to spend a congratulations an outstanding year.In couple of days at sea in HMS Illustrious years many ways the foundation work to in the Spring was both instant and Mago a which I have just referred will shape overwhelming! Michael Glover’s PC wise old sailor our principal efforts for the coming was positively smoking and whilst gravely year. A number of Guild members those lucky enough to secure a place informed me have invested a considerable amount will undoubtedly have a fascinating that, like it or of precious time in conducting the insight into the special challenges of not, every ship Strategic Review and all of you have flying operations at sea, it will also reflected the had the chance to make an input. It is provide an excellent opportunity to personality of now important that we capitalise on all spread the word about the Guild and its captain. this effort and it is this next stage what it does. I would also like to draw With the arrogance of youth I which will effectively configure my your attention to our two lectures this aims for the year. In a word year.