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ALONG THE SKYWAYS PROGRESS IN AVIATION

BRITISH AIR POWER j FORMATION OVER LONDON. J 150 WARPLANES SALUTE THE KING (From a Correspondent.) LONDON. June 29. ' Twenty-five squadrons of the Royal Air Force —250 aeroplanes spread over half a square mile of sky—provided the supreme moment of all air pageants at Hendon aerodrome recently. Watched by King George VI. and a more numerous multitude than attended the Royal Air Force display In any previous year, the great armada, I which Is much the largest formation sver assembled over this country, filled the air with the thunder of tOO,OOO horse-power and 300 airscrews. The earth shook with the beat of the tremendous parade. Below, the men, women and children on the aerodrome were stilled. As the formation drew near, coming from the north-west, conversation stopped ind all faces looked upwards. It crosged the boundary of the aerodrome, and for one minute the warplanes covered tile sky. South of the aerodrome, in the neighbourhood of Hyde Park, its constituent columns began to break up for the return flights to their home ■tatlons, leaving an Indelible Impression of the power that resides in this new arm of the air. | The formation was rectangular in ghape, measuring approximately 1300 | yards In length and 1000 yards In breadth. It was oomposed of five parallel columns, each made up of jflve squadrons aligned In “ flights pastern.” In each column 50 aeroplanes kept perfect station, their pilots Juggling delicately with engine and flying controls to maintain their ’ordained position. Every flight of five Aircraft —the smallest unit Involved—• new In the classical vee-formatlon, practiced Instinctively by the wild ceese and now universally adopted by fee world's air forces. The leading night, heading the centre column, was poheduled to fly at a height of 2000 jftoL Behind it the squadrons were blepped down in stages to 1350 feet at fttM rear. This arrangement simpliIfied flying conditions for the pilot/s. (Flights ahreast of the leader and to [tho roar of the leading line were each Flopped down 50 feet. Bombers and Fighters. Oeneral reconnaissance monoplanes Avro-Anson twin-engined craft A»-inad6 up the centre column. Inner roolumn to port consisted of five Ffquadrons of Hawker Hind light I bombers, modern version of the reI ©owned Hart and capable of 200 miles \ On hour. Inner column to starboard

[ had five more Hind squadrons. A * squadron of the new Handley Page I Harrow heavy bomber monoplanes—■ largest bombers yet commissioned for service with the Royal Air Force—- ! comprised the afterguard. In Its le'adi ing machine flew the commander of the flight; at every moment he was , in direct two-way radio touch with command headquarters and with Hendon. On the flanks flew the fighter squadrons—nine squadrons of Gloster Gauntlets and one of Gloster Gladiator four-gun fighters. The Gladiator is the fastest fighter yet in service with the squadrons, attaining a maximum level speed of 225 miles an hour. Jt carires exceptionally heavy armament and other military load, including oxygen-breathing apparatus, radio, and navigational lights for night flying. ! Its service ceiling, where the rate of climb has fallen to 100 feet a minute. Is no le’ss than 35,500 feet with full load on board, or more than 6000 feet higher than the summit of Mount Everest. Planning and execution of this great -serial parade demanded much thought and forward organisation and great skill on the part of pilots and navigators. None of the constituent squadrons operated from Hendon aerodrome. They were based on aerodromes in the home counties and the southern midlands; many of the squadrons were transferred for the occasion from their normal stations. Many practice flights, culminating in full-scale rehearsals, were made. On the day, each group of five squadrons assembled In the astern” formation near Its operational centre at a predetermined ‘‘zero hour.” The centre column, backbone of the parade, was ordered to fly to Northampton and to fly on a direct course to Hendon at a standard speed of 130 miles an hour. One degree error In that course would have meant missing Hendon aerodrome by a mile. Approaching Newport Pagnell the Inner port and starboard columns Joined the fleet, and over Dunstable the ten fighter squadrons completed the formation. The afterguard squadron, Jn the prevailing mist, chose to remain off the main route, and the formation commander performed his task by radio. Power of the Warplane. The fly-past possessed great tac- | tical significance. During the minute occupied by the formation in passing over Hendon aerodrome each aeroplane might have dropped a bomb-load so precisely Judged and aimed with modern devices that every missile fell i within the limits of the flying field. Alternatively, the reelase of salvoes 1 might be so timed as to make a pattern of destruction on the aerodrome, obliterating every part. Substitute for the aerodrome a munitions factory, a railhead occupied by enemy transport, even a great warship, and the

lesson Is the same; from above might easily be launched a rain of high explosive sufficient to work great havoc. Yet Saturday's parade engaged but a fraction of the striking force cf Britain’s air arm. At least four such attacking fleets could be put Into the air to-day; Jn twelve months from now there could be more, using new high-performance bombing aircraft able to carry much bigger loads at higher speeds than are generally attained to-day and making their Journeys at considerably greater heights, where anti-aircraft gunnery and interceptor fighters work under severe handicaps. For the air tactician, the parade indicated that the Air Staff is now able to plan bombing operations on a big scale. A few years ago a demonstration of the kind would have involved putting almost all of the service’s first-line bombers in the air

together, an operation which plainly no air commander oould undertake. Now the Royal Air Force disposes of more ample resources, which are being augmented daily, and is equipped to conduct counter-attack on any scale that may be required. Aorobatlo Perfection Beside the majesty of the fly-past the rest of the display was dwarfed. Nevertheless event after event touched high levels of skill and spectacle, and held the attention during nearly six hours of flying. The combined aerobatics in “box” formation, done by four Hawker Fury single-seater fighters which moved together as if held rigidly on Invisible bonds, were a miracle of air mastery. I have never seen more nearly perfect flying, tribute to the extraordinary qualities of the young pilots and to the docility and swift power of their machines. They half-rolled, rolled off the top of the loop, stall-turned, and rooket-looped in perfect unison. The youthful pilotofficer In the “box,” dlreotly behind the leader, gave a display of positionkeeping that made, expert watchers marvel; not many months ago the youngster was still at school. Appropriately they belong to No. i (Fighter) Squadron of the Royal Air Force; Squadron Leader Swain, till recently holder for Great Britain of the world height record with a flight to 50,000 feet above sea-level, declares that ills other pilots are equally good. The new types of aeroplane shown in the special Park and flown over the aerodrome during the afternoon, attracted, as usual, the keen interest of the technically-minded among the visitors. Especially impressive was the de Ilavilland Albatross, the fourengined monoplane designed for transocean airmail experiments. Its perfectly streamlined body and wings, with the four 12-cylinder air-cooled engine hidden in silvery cowls, spoke eloquently of speed. Carrying at least 10001 b of payload, the Albatross is designed to cruise for some 4000 miles non-stop at 2JO miles per hour. Its cruising height is 10,000 feet. From tip to tip its cantilever wings span 105 feet. It is 71J feet long and nearly 20 feet high on the ground. In flight the wheels are completely retracted within recesses in the under surfaces of ..the wings. Its enginedrive constant-speed airscrews, the modern form of controllable-pilch airscrew which provides ideal working conditions for the engine in all stages of flight. Another de Ilavilland product In the Park was the Don I trainer monoplane for which the Air Ministry lias placed a substantial order. Powered with the Gipsyking I. engine, stated to give 430 horse-power at 8000 feel, the Don 1. reaches a maximum speed of 223 miles per hour, and cruises at 100 miles per hour, it is intended for I lie training of military aviators in Hie flying anJ navigation of monoplane service craf! “blind" flying, radio, aerial photography, bombing and air gunnery. There is a fixed gun forward, worked from the pilot's seat, and an enclosed cupola-shaped turret aft of the wings The undercarriage is retractile ami split ’ wing-flaps facilitate talce-off and landing; each is operated hydraulically. Engine cooling is similar to the system in the Albatross; inflow duels are located in the leading edge of the wings on either side or the fuselage. Ihe air flows forward past the air-cooled engine, which is comPleMy cowled, and is exhausted thro ugh controllable scoops below the Light Bomber Monoplane. The presence of the Hawker Henley gave visitors tljeir first view of the light, bomber which may lake 'lnn plane of the Mind biplanes In next year's mass formation flight. This is an extremely fast mid wing monoplane, carrying large military load In the holly of the fuselage, and powered with the Molls-lloyco Merlin 1000 horse-power liquid-cooled engine. It is going Into -series production at once for the Service. The' Airspeed Oxford which, like the Don k, was finished externally the vivid yellow that experience has shown to be most easily discernible in the air. Is stated to reach a maximum level -speed of 195 miles per hour at n ‘ height of 8000 feet. U cruises at 170 miles per hour at 10,000 feet. Like Hie Don monoplane, it lias been ordered in considerable numbers for Servico training and carries comprehensive navigational and military equipment. It is built entirely in wood, with stressed-skin covering „f plywood on the wings. Hydraulically retraction mechanism are installed.

Permanent link to this item
Hononga pūmau ki tēnei tūemi

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/WT19370828.2.123.38

Bibliographic details
Ngā taipitopito pukapuka

Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20284, 28 August 1937, Page 24 (Supplement)

Word count
Tapeke kupu
1,660

ALONG THE SKYWAYS PROGRESS IN AVIATION Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20284, 28 August 1937, Page 24 (Supplement)

ALONG THE SKYWAYS PROGRESS IN AVIATION Waikato Times, Volume 121, Issue 20284, 28 August 1937, Page 24 (Supplement)

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