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AirPilotJUNE 2015 ISSUE 9
Diary
THE HONOURABLECOMPANY OFAIR PILOTSincorporatingAir Navigators
PATRON:His Royal HighnessThe Prince Philip
Duke of Edinburgh KG KT
GRAND MASTER:His Royal HighnessThe Prince Andrew
Duke ofYork KG GCVO
MASTER:Squadron Leader Chris J Ford MBE
CLERK:Paul J Tacon BA FCIS
Incorporated by Royal Charter.A Livery Company of the City of London.
PUBLISHED BY:The Honourable Company of Air Pilots,
Cobham House, 9Warwick Court,Gray’s Inn, LondonWC1R 5DJ.
EDITOR:Group Captain T Eeles BA FRAeS
EMAIL: [email protected]@yahoo.com
FUNCTION PHOTOGRAPHY:Gerald Sharp Photography
View images and order prints on-line.TELEPHONE: 020 8599 5070EMAIL: [email protected]
WEBSITE: www.sharpphoto.co.uk
PRINTED BY:Printed Solutions Ltd 01494 478870
Except where specifically stated, none of the materialin this issue is to be taken as expressing the opinion
of the Court of the Company.
EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS:The copy deadline for the August 2015 edition ofAir Pilot is 1 July 2015 and should be sent to:
The Editor,Air Pilot, Cobham House, 9WarwickCourt, Gray’s Inn, LondonWC1R 5DJ.
TELEPHONE: 020 7404 4032FAX NO: 020 7404 4035EMAIL: [email protected]: www.airpilots.org
JUNE 201517 3rd General Purposes and Finance Committee Meeting Cobham House24 Election of Sheriffs Guildhall
JULY 20155 Garden Party North Moreton9 Trophies and Awards Committee Meeting Cobham House15 Benevolent Fund Board of Trustees Cobham House16 4th General Purposes and Finance Committee Meeting Cobham House16 2nd Court Meeting Cutlers' Hall22 Informal Supper Cutlers' Hall
SEPTEMBER 201517 5th General Purposes and Finance Committee Meeting Cobham House17 3rd Court Meeting Cobham House22 Luncheon Club RAF Club22 Sir Frederick Tymms Lecture Royal Aeronautical Society24 New Members Briefing Cobham House29 Election of Lord Mayor Guildhall
OCTOBER 201515 6th General Purposes and Finance Committee Meeting Cobham House22 Benevolent Fund Board of Trustees Meeting Cobham House29 Trophies and Awards Banquet Guildhall
VISITS PROGRAMMEPlease see the Flyers accompanying this issue of Air Pilot or contact Liveryman DavidCurgenven at [email protected] flyers can also be downloaded from the Company's website.June 26th Biggin HillJune tbc PiaggioJuly 1st RAF NortholtJuly 5th Garden Party, Melhuish Farm, North Moreton AirstripJuly 10th Flying Legends Practice Day, DuxfordJuly 14th LadiesVisit, London Air AmbulanceJuly 22nd Summer Supper, Cutlers' HallPlease check on Company website for visits that are to be confirmed.
FLYING CLUB EVENTSThe Company Flying Club has an extensive series of events, including visits, lunches,picnics, BBQs and social gatherings throughout June, July and August. Please check onCompany website diary for details, which are too numerous to list here.
GOLF CLUB EVENTSJune 18th Captain's Day (Open Event) HartleyWintney GCJuly 3rd Newson Smith Cup (Team Event) East Berks GCJuly 23rd Ray Jeff's Cup (Team Event) HartleyWintney GC
Cover photo:An idyllic view of sunset at the water section of Male Airport in theMaldive Islands. See page 14 of this issue for a fascinating description of commercialfloatplane operations in this tropical paradise
AIRPILOT
News Round Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
The Master’s Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Gazette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Visit to Flight Safety International at Farnborough . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Visit to Heathrow Control Tower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Australia Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12
Trans Maldivian Airways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14
Flying with Condors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16
Warneford VC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17
Britain’s First Aerial VC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19
The Last Dominie Flight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
HEAT courses for Mission Aviation Fellowship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
From the Desk of the DAA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24
Contents
A message fromyour Editor...Have you ever had your email hacked ? Theeditorial email, [email protected] washacked recently and it proved impossible torecover it.Therefore I have set up a newemail address of [email protected],hopefully protected by a more complexpassword that even I cannot remember.However, my preferred channel ofcommunication for items to be used in AirPilot is [email protected]. Please use thisas the primary way of contacting me.
I write this editorial just a few days beforethe General Election.Turbulence, somethingwe experience on a regular basis in the air, isabout to affect most of the population ofthis country including both civil, militaryand general aviation pilots and navigators. Inthis issue turbulent times in a different era ofaviation are well described in two articlesabout flying in the firstWorldWar, writtenby Past Master Arthur Thorning andLiveryman Stephen Slater.They describe theexploits of two aviators, one from theRNAS, the other from the RFC, who wonVCs in the early days of that war whenmilitary aviation was in its infancy and civilaviation had not yet begun. Risk assessmenthad also never been thought of ! LiverymanAir Marshal Phil Sturley provides somethingof a gentler nature with his description ofgliding in Chile, Chris Chown makes usenvious with his experience as a commercialfloat-plane pilot in the Maldive Islands andthe last flights of the RAF's Dominies, onceused as navigator and rear crew trainers, isreproduced courtesy of Peter March. Fromthe Australian Region we have a wonderfultribute to the life in military and civilaviation of Liveryman Captain GrahamJames Rice who has been a member of theCompany for over sixty years; can anyoneout there beat that ? Additionally there arereports on visits to the HeathrowTower andFlight Safety International at Farnborough.My grateful thanks go to all contributorswithout whose labours this would be a verythin publication.As the summer attracts usall away from our desks and into the air, mayI make a plea for more inputs ? I will beworking on the August issue as you read this- and the inbox is almost empty !
Liveryman Tom EelesHonorary Editor
News Round Up
4
LUNCHEONCLUB
The Luncheon Club met on 30th April
in the RAF Club. One hundred and
twenty five members and their guests, an
all-time record, sat down to an excellent
meal and were entertained afterwards by
Air Commodore Norman Bonner who
talked about his experiences as a
navigator flying in Handley PageVictors
in the V Bomber Force in the 1960s. In
particular, his stories of the Blue Steel
supersonic rocket-propelled stand-off
weapon were quite fascinating, the
weapon potentially posing more of a
threat to its operators than its potential
targets.
Today, with the only nuclear weapons in
the British armoury being Trident
missiles fielded by the Royal Navy, it is
hard to imagine the RAF's large strategic
and tactical nuclear capability that was
available in the 1960s.The Master gave a
vote of thanks for this fascinating story.
COBHAM LECTURE.
Later the same day the 2015 Cobham
Lecture took place in the Headquarters
of the Royal Aeronautical Society, 4
Hamilton Place. The subject was 'The
Life of Alex Henshaw' and the speaker
was Liveryman Tony Edwards, who was
introduced to the audience by the
Master, who also explained the
involvement of Sir Michael Cobham and
the Cobham family with the Honourable
Company.He also gave a warm welcome
to Lady Cobham who was in the
audience. In addition to the Company
members Masters and Clerks from 33
other City Livery Companies were also
present. Tony Edwards delivered a
fascinating story of a very impressive
individual, using live footage filmed with
Alex Henshaw before he died in 2007 as
well as contemporary newsreel film and
photographs.Alex Henshaw came from a
privileged background and became an
expert air racing pilot in the 1930s. His
record flight from London to CapeTown
and back in his Mew Gull in 1939 was
only recently broken.Turned away by the
RAF on the outbreak ofWW2 he joined
Vickers Supermarine as a production test
pilot, based for most of the war years at
the Castle Bromwich factory near
Birmingham, where he tested virtually
every Spitfire produced by this vast
factory, achieving a huge number of
flying hours in Spitfires. He also tested
Lancasters and apparently succeeded in
performing barrel rolls in them.
Inevitably accidents occurred and despite
a very hairy bale out and some forced
landings he survived the war unscathed.
After the war he never flew a Spitfire
again, and after working in South Africa
ultimately retired back to England. His
service in the war was only recognised by
the award of an MBE, which the speaker
considered an entirely inadequate
recognition for his contribution to the
war effort; attempts to gain him a
knighthood in the latter years of his life
were sadly unsuccessful. His great
strength of character was very evident in
the video footage taken by the speaker of
Alex Henshaw in his home describing
his experiences. The audience greeted
this intriguing description of aviation in
an era now almost forgotten with acclaim
and the Immediate Past Master, Dorothy
Saul-Pooley, gave a heartfelt vote of
thanks. A reception was held afterwards
on the terrace of 4 Hamilton Place.
MASTERS' LADIES LUNCHEON
ON BOARD HQSWELLINGTON
Sue Jones writes that some of you may
recall that I wrote an article last year on
my visit to HQS Wellington, the
Headquarters of the Master Mariners.
This fascinating ship is situated atTemple
Stairs, by Waterloo Bridge, and was
originally a patrol ship based in New
Zealand. During WWII she became an
escort ship and was involved in several
rescue missions of survivors from sunken
vessels. When the war ended she was
transferred to the Reserve Fleet and was
laid up at Milford Haven for disposal but,
fortunately, in 1947, she was bought by
the Master Mariners and converted into
their Livery Hall. She has been berthed
at Temple Stairs since 1948.
I returned on 8 April for the Masters'
Ladies Lunch and tour which was hosted
by Mrs Maureen Judah, the Master
Mariner's Lady. As last year it proved to
be a fascinating visit with a tour of the
ship. Our guide was Captain Robin Batt
who was the font of all knowledge about
the ship and its history. One of the key
things that I had perhaps not quite
appreciated last year was the incredible
amount of work that the Master
Mariners do to educate the younger
generation about our navies, both
merchant and military, as well as
maritime business and history. The
enthusiasm with which members of the
Company spoke about providing this
5
invaluable education and training to
school children was evident throughout
our visit.
The Company is very lucky to have
Wellington as their Livery Hall and it is a
unique venue. The Master Mariner and
his Consort have the use of a cabin on
board which must make life so much
easier when attending functions in
London. No late train journeys home or
costly hotel bills! There is always a
member of the Company on board -
which is just as well from a security
perspective given the number of
beautiful items on display - models of
sailing and cargo ships as well as furniture
and paintings of members of the Royal
Family. Indeed a Buckingham Palace
official visits once a year to ensure that
one painting, which is owned by HQS
Wellington, is still there! The subject of
the painting is of a young Edward, Prince
of Wales who later became Duke of
Windsor.
After a welcome cup of coffee and the
tour we were invited on deck for a
champagne reception, followed by a
delicious lunch of roasted Mediterranean
vegetables, Halibut and lemon tartlet in
the dining room, which also doubles up
as the Company's Court Room. Some
of us remarked that the Wellington
reminded us of DrWho's Tardis. It looks
so much narrower from the outside, yet
inside it seems vast!
I have had 2 very memorable visits to
Wellington and have thoroughly enjoyed
my few hours exploring the ship and
sampling the excellent cuisine. If you
wish to view the ship online, Google
'HQS Wellington - Square Meal' and it
will take you on a virtual tour. However
if you ever get the chance to visit it, I
would thoroughly recommend it.
LIVERY DINNER
The Company's 2015 livery Dinner was
held at the Drapers' Hall on 28th May.At
a Court Meeting before the event 4 new
Liverymen were clothed and 4 Master
Air Pilot certificates were presented..The
Guest of Honour was Chief of Air Staff,
Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford
KCB CBE ADC RAF and the newly
elected Warden Malcolm White
welcomed the guests.The Master and the
Guest of Honour also spoke. The event
took place too close to the publication
date of this issue for a full report to be
included; there will be one in the August
issue.
80TH BIRTHDAY PARTY,
PAST MASTER CLIVE ELTON
Congratulations to Past Master Clive
Elton who recently celebrated his 80th
birthday. A lunch was held at the RAF
Club to celebrate this event. Past Master
Elton was joined by fifteen colleagues
from the Company when proceedings
were commenced by drinking his health
with the Company's label champagne.
Clive has been a member of the
Company for almost 50 years and was
Master in the period 1993 to 1994. He
has given a considerable amount of his
time to the Education and Training
Committee, including being Chairman,
and in particular was the founder of the
very successful pilot aptitude test
programme that is operated using the
facilities at the RAF Officer and Aircrew
Selection Centre at the RAF College
Cranwell. Clive is a well-respected
member of the Company and a great
supporter of all its activities.
Liveryman Phil Sturley soaring over the Andes in Chile.He describes this experience on page 16
6
Dare we say “the summer is here”? Forthe past few months the weather hasbeen set fair for aviation; the grass stripsare dry and the skies an inviting blue! Iwould like to think that those of youwho can have taken full advantage of thisspell of fine weather to dust off thecobwebs, revalidate licences and honeyour flying skills. Over the wintermonths we should have ensured the oldmaps were replaced with the newversions, updated the GPS downloadsand amended the Pooley's Guide! Fromthe ground upward good weather alwaysattracts flyers; the balloonists will riseearly and launch before the thermals startbuilding, when the gliders start to getairborne in the search of good lift. Thepara/hang gliders will search for theridges with updraughts.All these aviatorshave just as much right to the airspace asthose with powered flight and theydeserve respect. I am aware of a fewrecent incidents of both light aircraft andhelicopters transiting through winch-launched glider sites and along ridgesannotated as active for para/hang gliders.All too often the UKAB reviewsincidents of light aircraft joining thecircuit at various airfields with littleregard for the rules of the air. I would liketo think that we could all play a part inmaking flight safer by ensuring weimpart our knowledge and skills to otherclub pilots who, for whatever reason,maynot be as experienced as we are. Do youshare your planning techniques, your toptips for navigation and your knowledgeof meteorology with younger and lessexperienced pilots who may not havehad the advantage of receiving the solidgrounding that many of us have received?
Talking of sharing experiences … it isamazing what can be achieved with alittle help! Our small band of volunteersadds airmanship insights from theirexperience that improves the value ofSKYbrary articles and makes them muchmore pilot-friendly. Much of themotivation for this is in 'givingsomething back' - to educate oursuccessors to better understand and sharethe benefits of our experience.Sometimes we are asked to review anarticle which needs a particular specialistknowledge and when that happens theDAA takes even more care than usual toassign the articles appropriately.However, that does not mean you need
to be an aerodynamics expert or trainedtest pilot to contribute to our SKYbraryreview process. It is simply yourknowledge of flying and yourexperiences, which could make all thedifference. So please don't be shy incoming forward to share your knowledgeand views. If you have a little time spare,whether sitting at home or by the poolwhilst down route, please consideradding your name to the SKYbraryreviewer list; 'Your DAA needs YOU!'and he can be contacted [email protected] .
More importantly; I urge you to read theenclosed letter I have written to allCompany Members regarding the newstructure of the Professional Committeesthat will be implemented on the 1st July2015.The letter has also been distributedby e-mail to all. I trust that there will bea good response and we will be able toimprove our status in the Industry as aresult of the new initiative.
I am delighted to report that our first twoHigher Apprentices, who were awardedapprenticeships to train as FlightInstructors under the City LiveryApprenticeship Scheme, have nowcompleted the Flight Instructor course atShoreham Airport. Andy Burnham andSteve Pearson had been employed for sixmonths on the Ops Desk at Flying TimeAviation, an integrated ATPL school,before undertaking the FI course part-time at Pooleys Flying Instructor School.Andy passed his final Assessment ofCompetence in March and Steve passedhis in April. Both students had tocomplete the gruelling assessment withthe Immediate Past Master who is aFlight Instructor Examiner based atShoreham for over 15 years. They haveboth now commenced part-time flightinstruction and they hope that this willdevelop to full-time flying very quickly.We are very proud to see theapprenticeship scheme operating soeffectively within our profession andlook forward to further candidatesundertaking similar work-place training.
In my last message I referred to a longflight I took part in over the Dhofarregion of Oman. On returning to theUK from the Oman in 1976 I was postedto the Hercules base at RAF Lyneham.After my co-pilot's tour on 30 Sqn andthe Special Forces (SF) Flight of 47 Sqn I
gained my Captaincy on LXX Sqn.During 1982 I achieved many hoursflying south of Ascension Island. InitiallyI had been involved in short-range (1000miles from the Island) resupply drops tothe Fleet as it sailed south. I also assistedwith SF ops as an augmentee pilot onflights into the exclusion zone beforereturning to the UK to be trained in Airto Air refueling.
My first sortie in command fromAscension to Port Stanley was a majorresponsibility. I was tasked with anoperational refuel for the first time.Theaircraft was loaded to its maximum 'wartime' weight with freight and maximumfuel (the aircraft had been modified tocarry 2 internal long range fuel tanks).The take-off and climb to cruisingaltitude of 16,000ft took 30 minutes.Four hours later, having eventuallycruise-climbed to 18-19,000ft we wereovertaken by aVictor Tanker descendingand maintaining 230kts. Our aircraftcould not, at heavy weights, maintainlevel flight during the refuelingprocedure so this 'toboggan' enabled usto accelerate, catch the tanker, formate onit to get our bearings and then move intoposition astern. Contact was achievedand fuel started flowing at between 16-18,000ft and the descent continuedwhilst taking on fuel. The wholeprocedure took about 20 minutes untilthe tanks were full and we had reachedthe end of the refueling bracket.We werenow down at 2-4,000 ft above the seaand the whole climb process startedagain. At 9 hours airborne a secondVictor appeared and the procedurerepeated. We were then alone andheading southbound to Port Stanley withan ETA of another 4 hours.The weatherwas regularly broadcast on HF and weheard the situation deteriorate to a lowcloud base and strong northerly winds.During the first few months of ouroperations in the South Atlantic the onlydiversion for Port Stanley was AscensionIsland! The RAF had installed a aPrecision Approach Radar (PAR) to thewesterly runway at Port Stanley so all
The Master’s MessageSQUADRON LEADER CHRISTOPHER FORD
The Master on arecent visit to the
Oman
7
would be fine. I had not seen the short,AM2 matting covered, runway beforeand had little idea of what to expect.Wedid though have a detailed map of theeastern edge of the Falkland Islands,which indicated no high ground close tothe airfield. By the time we arrived, theweather was well below limits BUThaving just flown for 3800 miles and 13hours we were not prepared to turnround and divert back to AscensionIsland without at least a go! Progressivelyreducing the height bug on the RadarAltimeter for each approach weeventually, after the 4th attempt, alloweddiscretion get the better of our valourand overshot for the final time still neverhaving seen the runway. It was withheavy hearts we cruise-climbed back up
to 18,000 ft. for the 11 hour transit backto Ascension.Those waiting for the mailto arrive and those looking forward to areturn to the UK were fed up, but laterthanked us for trying and reported thaton the 4th attempt they had seen theundercarriage popping out from thecloud as we overshot! This was not to bethe last long-range sortie or approach inpoor weather in which I was involved.However it did school me in thedisciplines of very careful fuel planning, aneed to ensure the terrain was safe, thenav equipment fully operational and thecrew up to the task and able to achievethe objective. Above all it taught me torespect the Safety Altitude. Perhaps wewere using CRM before it became thenorm!
The first few months of my tenure asMaster certainly seem to have 'flown by'at a hectic pace. My desire to keep abalance between our professional andsocial activities is often hard to achievefor the social events far exceed themeetings, committees or visits toIndustry.Whilst it was a disappointmentto me that we were unable to get a grouptogether to visit BAE Systems at WartonI fully understand that trips to the northare far harder to co-ordinate and take upmore of members' time. Sue and I havehad the pleasure of seeing many of youover the past 3 months and we both lookforward to meeting more of as thesummer unfolds.
GAZETTEAPPROVED BYTHE COURT 14 MAY 2015
ADMISSIONS
As Upper Freeman
John Michael DANIELS (NA)
Captain John DIGGORY
Captain Glenister John FRICKER
Captain Mark Maundrel INGRAM (OS)
Captain Adrian Joseph Robert KEENAN
Thomas Douglas MACHUM (NA)
Captain Christopher John PUDDY
Flight Lieutenant George Samuel Morris
WILLIAMS
Lieutenant JamesWOODS
As Freeman
Ian Robert DAVIES
Dr Paul Maxwell DARE (AUS)
Nicholas George HOWARD
Douglas Beaumont NANCARROW (AUS)
Mark Edward PORTER (HK)
As Associate
Benjamin Karl DURNFORD (AUS)
Esther Louise LISOWSKI
Maria Chan MILES-VINALL (HK)
Pilot Officer Lachlan Kenneth SCOTT (AUS)
ThomasYUEN (HK)
ACKNOWLEDGED BYTHE COURT
14 MAY 2015
REGRADE
To Livery
David Ian FIDLER (OS)
Peter Anthony HOLSTEIN (AUS)
Ray Linley MIDDLETON (HK)
REINSTATEMENT
To Upper Freeman
Squadron Leader (ret'd) Jeffrey Philip
TRAPPETT (AUS)
DECEASED
Sir Maurice FLANAGAN
Neville GRADY (AUS)
George GRAY
Patrick MASTERS
Richard MUMMERY
DanTHOMAS
RESIGNATIONS
Peter ACKERLEY
Nigel BEST (HK)
Rodney BRACEFIELD (NZ)
Robin COX
Shaun DAVIS (HK)
Ruth DOWNEY
Sidney EDWARDS
Edward HUNKIN (NZ)
Andrew McWILLIAM (NZ)
Patrick ROOFE
Karl SMYE
Timothy STEELE (NZ)
Emma SINNOTT (NZ)
FORFEIT ALL BENEFITS
Thomas BALDOCK
Simon BARR
Dean FOULDS
Sarah GANGOLI
James HAMMETT
Rhydian HARRIS
Barnaby KERR
Iain LAWRENCE
Andrew MILLER
Mark MURPHY
Mark NELSON
Matthew PLUMRIDGE
Christopher RADFORD
Roger SAWYER
Gabriella SOMERVILLE
Christopher STATHAM
Eric SWAFFER
8
Visit to Flight Safety International at FarnboroughASSISTANT RICHIE PIPER
Flight Safety International are celebratingtheir 10th anniversary at Farnboroughand kindly welcomed theAir Pilots as thefirst visitors as part of these celebrations.Freeman Graham Powell had organised astrong team which was led by the Master,who was on his 14th official visit of theweek.The visit was further enhanced bythe good offices of Past Master WallyEpton who had arranged with TAGAviation to look after those memberswho wished to fly in for the visit,including courtesy transport from theEast Apron.
Flight Safety's purpose built facilityfollows their well proven design and isarranged to provide a very comfortableand well equipped learning environment,which continues to be updated with thelatest technology. Even the drinksmachines show a video of theconstruction of a simulator cab as yourcoffee is prepared!
Paul Hewitt, Flight Safety London-Farnborough Centre Manager, who isalso a Liveryman of the Company,provided a warm welcome and briefingfor the visit This included an explanationof the long connection with theCompany, including the first visit to thesite 10 years ago. One visitor eventhought he was wearing the sametrousers when the visit photo wasinspected later! One thing that wasimmediately clear was that a lot of peoplehad made themselves available to
conduct multiple tours in a number ofsmall groups. This would include theclassrooms, Graphical Flight Simulators(GFS) and technical support areas as wellas a number of Full Motion Simulators(FMS).
Flight Safety's prime purpose is flighttraining rather than simulator provision.The simulator is perhaps the ultimatetraining tool and close relationships withthe aircraft manufacturers mean thatactual cockpit equipment is used inbuilding the simulator. This, togetherwith full certification by CAA, EASAand FAA, mean “zero flight time'' ratingscan achieved. It is interesting to note
some components receive much greaterwear due the higher number of cyclesperformed in the training rather than liveflying environment, a key example beingthe gear retraction lever
The training programmes use interactiveclassrooms for initial system andprocedure training, with computerscreens providing flat cockpitrepresentations for both students andtutors. Once the basics have beenmastered, the next stage is the GFSwhich provides the next level of realismby the use of a much larger number ofcomputer screens mounted on a frame torepresent the physical layout of the
The Company visitors at Flight Safety International
TAG Aviation looked after those members who flew in
9
cockpit. Students can further developnormal and emergency procedures witha greater element of “muscle memory”being developed.
In today's highly sophisticated andautomated flying environment, it wassobering to hear that in the helicopterGFS, if all systems fail including thebackups and crew have to resort to thestandby instruments, it is typically 20seconds before the aircraft is lost. Asobering thought before moving ontothe FMS.
There are three large halls containing thesimulators, many with 36 inch motionand some with 60 inch motion. Changesin technology have led to a move toelectrical movement rather than thetraditional hydraulics, resulting in only10% of the power being required to runthe machines. This was perhaps the partthat most people looked forward to andour hosts provided a generous amount oftime and number of simulators includingthe Sikorsky 92, Cessna Bravo andHawker 750.With a group on board itwas not safe to have the full motionrunning as not everyone could bestrapped in. However the quality ofgraphics together with sound was prettyconvincing although fortunately thecrashes were not! Where the group wassmall enough, the full motion could beenabled. Naturally those in themonitoring positions were shown howto lower the cloudbase for those flyingthe approaches!
The objective is to have the simulatorsoperating as much as possible and targetis from 04:00 to 24:00 each day, leavingonly 4 hours for the engineering team tocarry out maintenance and repairs, andeven this window can be eaten into with
01:00 finishes.The technicians have theirmaintenance office and workshop nextdoor to the massive server room.Here simulator schedules, plannedmaintenance and fault trends can beanalysed to ensure maximum availability.An interesting human factors point arosewhere the status and work whiteboardhad lights above the column for eachsimulator to show it was running. In thepilot world we are conditioned to see redas bad; as the running light was redperhaps technicians see that as bad as theycan't work on it!
Our host kindly provided an extensivebuffet lunch which was greatlyappreciated by all. This was followed bythe Master, Chris Ford, expressing ourthanks for such an enlightening visit witha such generous of amount simulatortime. The Master presented a newCompany shield as update to that whichhad been presented on a previous visit toreflect the Company's change in status aswell as title.Our thanks go to all at FlightSafety, especially Gillian Carmichael who
worked together with Graham PowellandWally Epton organising the visit.
TAG Aviation also took time to assurethe flying community that whatever theoutcome of the controlled airspaceconsultation for Farnborough, therewould be no reduction of the LowAltitude Radar Service (LARS) theyprovide.
Simulator Hall Back to school.....
Wally Epton triesout the SikorskyS92 simulator
Our host kindly provided an extensive buffet lunch
10
Company visit to Heathrow Control TowerLIVERYMAN ALAN JACKSON
On 17 March, again thanks to DavidCurgenven, a group of twelve Air Pilots,led by our newly installed Master, met atHeathrow Terminal 3 for a visit toHeathrow's control tower. Our NATShost for the day, Nadine D'Austin,shepherded us through security, and upto our briefing by Ady Dolan. Ady hasbeen a controller at Heathrow for fifteenyears, and took us through the salientstatistics for the airport. Richard Piperdetailed many of these in his article onthe Guild visit in the June 2013 issue ofGuild News, so they are not repeatedhere. Heathrow was pretty much fullthen, and remains so today; and the statsand procedures remain much the same.One interesting change will be theimpending switch to time-basedseparation of approaching aircraft; thiswill result in shorter distances betweenaircraft where there is a strong headwind,and longer distances where occasionallythere is a tailwind.
In addition to taking us through theATCfacts,Ady gave us an excellent feeling forwhat the switch from old tower to newinApril 2007 had been like. The decisionwas made to switch over a single night.This sounded like the sort of challenge
which might easily have gone horriblywrong! In fact an immense trainingprogramme made sure that it did not. Apurpose-built 360° simulator was set upat a cost of two million pounds, exactlyreplicating the new tower's layout. In thiseach controller trained for a minimum offifty hours. In the event the transitionwas smooth, with the only concession tothe change being some flow control for aday or two afterwards. So smooth wasthe transition that a number of airlinesenquired after the event when thechange was to take place.
We were given an interesting insight intosome of the difficulties faced byHeathrow controllers. The 1992 Treatyon Open Skies, which came into force in2002, gives treaty signatories the right toconduct unarmed aerial surveillanceflights on seventy-two hours' notice overthe territory of other state parties. Fromtime to time other treaty states havefound it necessary to conduct theseflights within the London TMA, withpredictable consequences for Heathrowtraffic! In terms of air traffic movements,we noted from one of Ady's slides that in2010 Heathrow with its two runways hadhandled more flights than Schiphol withits six runways or Dallas (Fort Worth)with seven. Ady also commented on theincreasing number of Airbus A380movements, now thirty-six daily. Whilstfrom a controller's perspective theirairborne performance is good, theirground manoeuvring is slow; each A380movement is seen by NATS asconsuming capacity equivalent to tworunway slots.
Heathrow tower's considerable height isstill insufficient to provide a direct viewof all manoeuvring areas, even the tails ofsmaller types being invisible to the east ofTerminal 1. That said, on occasions it istoo high; a cloud-base below the 'Cab'(the operating level of the tower, at 275feet) leaves controllers with no visibility,
A view of the working area
Looking up at the Tower
11
but may exceed the decision height for
arriving aircraft. In these circumstances
separation of arrivals is increased. The
tower was built by bringing the Cab onto
the site, and then jacking it up to insert
the next pre-fabricated sections of the
tower in succession until the full height
was achieved.
We were interested to hear that
evacuation of the tower is rehearsed
regularly - unsurprisingly, at night.
Aircraft in the approach would be
advised by broadcast to land visually if
possible, but otherwise to climb straight
ahead and revert to their previous
frequency. Meanwhile control would
pass as speedily as possible to a virtual
control facility located at an undisclosed
location a few miles from Heathrow.
Short of the need for evacuation, a
technical failure seems unlikely to
interrupt operations. The tower has the
IT backup and stand-by power facilities
that you would expect; so far reliability
has been high, and automatic fail-over to
back-up systems has not as yet been
triggered.
After this very interesting presentation
we were joined by Steve Lambert,
described by Ady as 'perhaps the most
experienced air traffic controller on the
planet!' We then visited the gallery,
which is close to the top of the tower, in
two groups. For operational reasons it
was not possible on this occasion to visit
the working levels, which are
immediately above the gallery. We were
however able to see screens showing the
same information as those in use above;
and of course to enjoy the superlative
view.
Our thanks again to David, to NATS, and
to our hosts on the day;Nadine D'Austin
(ably assisted by a colleague acting as
'whipper-in'), together with controllers
Ady Dolan and Steve Lambert, for a very
absorbing visit.
The view from theTower is impressive
Company visitors and hosts
12
Australia Region - 60Years in the CompanyLIVERYMAN JOHN HOWIE
Liveryman Captain Graham James RiceDFC MAP,was born atWoburn Sands inthe UK, on 8 August 1922.
In his mid teens, he injured his leg andwas attended by the Duchess of Bedford,Mary Russell. She became interested inflying at the age of 63 and had her ownaeroplane, a DH 60 Moth. She askedGraham what he wanted to do afterfinishing school and he replied that hewanted to fly. With that, she bundledhim into her Rolls Royce and took himto the airfield to show him her aeroplane.Graham said he really enjoyed it but wasfrustrated that he couldn't get into thecockpit due to his leg being bandagedup. Three weeks later, she was flying herMoth Major and never returned. Theaircraft crashed into the North Sea andher body was never recovered.
When war broke out, Grahamimmediately enlisted into the RAFVR atthe age of seventeen. Initially he wasrejected on medical ground as he had losta number of teeth during a rather roughrugby game, and at that time, RAF pilotapplicants were not permitted to weardentures. However, four days later, thisrestriction was lifted and Graham joinedthe RAFVR, training as a pilot.
After graduation, Graham was posted toa Spitfire OTU, but was then diverted to
fly the Blenheim, which was used as anight fighter. Graham was posted to thefirst Night Fighter unit near Yorkshire.He remembers one evening during histraining when he was flying night circuitsand he was advised that there was aGerman raid approaching and for all theaircraft to disperse. He headed off overthe North Sea when suddenly a line oftracer narrowly missed his aircraft, thenall went quiet. He wasn't sure if this washis first taste of action, as he couldn'tverify if the attacker was German orBritish!! He returned to base a littleshaken but unscathed.
He was then posted to MiddleWallop tofly the first of the Beaufighters, again as anight fighter. When asked about theBeaufighter OTU, he laughed and said inthose early days, someone gave you thetake-off, cruise and landing speeds andthat was it. The same happened whenGraham had to ferry some Bostonbombers to an airfield used by Frenchsquadrons. He said that was interestingbecause it was the first aircraft he hadflown with a nose gear. He said theweather was atrocious for the ferry, therunway was slippery and he managed tostop the aeroplane just as it ran into ahedge at the end of the runway, butfortunately no damage. However, hisCommanding Officer damaged theundercarriage of his aeroplane when he
skidded off the runway!
He was then attached to a unitexperimenting with the Havoc(converted Boston Bombers), which hada 2.7 million-candela searchlight in thenose. It also had an early airborne radarfitted. The Havoc would take off with aHurricane on each wing (the wing hadformation lights fitted) be guided byground radar to the general area, then theairborne radar would be used to close inon the enemy and when within range,the searchlight was illuminated and theHurricanes would then attack. On oneof his early flights, he flew up throughthick cloud and when he broke out ofthe cloud at 14,000ft, there was no signof the Hurricanes! He said the theorysounded good, but the experiment wasnot very successful. InterestinglyWinston Churchill thought it was a greatidea.
In 1942 he was “rested” from operationsand was posted to 54 OTU at CharterHall in Scotland as a flying instructor.There were a lot of Beaufighter trainingaccidents at the OTU due to the massiveswing on take-off caused by the powerfulengines. The base Group Captainmanaged to get six Beaufort bombersmodified with dual controls. Initialtraining would be carried out on theBeaufort,which dramatically reduced theaccident rate before converting onto the
Graham 1940 RAFVR
Graham in 2015
13
Beaufighter and Mosquito.
He was then posted to 151 Squadron atMiddle Wallop, tasked with defendingLondon and the South Coast.
Graham also spent some time with 10Group working with Coastal Commandprotecting aircraft flying in to the Bay ofBiscay on anti shipping and submarineoperations. He was based at Predannack.One night he was scrambled to interceptsome German intruders, and on return,the airfield was closed due to fog.Graham was aware of how the fog movedup the coast so at 0200 and low on fuel,he flew directly to Exeter where theconditions were marginal but hemanaged to land. The followingmorning he was invited to join a groupphotograph with some of the officers(from the three Polish Spitfire Squadronbased there) with the Duke of Kent whowas visiting the base. Sadly, three monthslater the Duke was killed in an accidentin Scotland.
In November 1943 Graham volunteeredfor 141 Squadron, which was a part of100 Group. This Group was tasked togive direct support to night bombing byattacking enemy night-fighter aircraft inthe air or on the ground and to employairborne and radio counter-measuresequipment to deceive or jam enemyradio navigational aids, radar systems andcertain wireless signals.
Generally, the night fighters woulddepart about an hour after the mainbomber stream, catch up with them andthen fly on their flanks and above them -Graham said there is no way he wouldwant to be down amongst the bomberstream - aeroplanes everywhere! He saidthat he visited Hamburg and Berlin a fewtimes.
The following April, Graham waspromoted to the rank of SquadronLeader and was appointed the A FlightCommander.
He also did a few flights up to the BalticSea to intercept German mine layingaircraft.
In 1945 he was seconded to TransportCommand in Cairo and was involvedwith pilot training.
During his service career he shot downsix aircraft and damaged several more.
He was awarded the Distinguished FlyingCross for his exploits.
In 1946 Graham joined British EuropeanAirways,who at that stage had 310 pilots.His first aircraft was the DC3 andapproximately eighteen months later hewas promoted to Captain on the Rapide.He later flew theViscount, BAC 111 andthe Trident. He remained with BEA,which became British Airways until hehad to retire at age 55 in 1977. Duringthis time he was a Base Training Captainon the BAC 111 and also a FlightManager Operations. Apart fromLondon, he spent quite considerable timeat Jersey and Manchester.
In 1979 he moved to Victoria Point inQueensland,Australia where he still lives.Despite being 92, Graham and Dianaenjoy a very busy and active life.
Graham joined the then Guild of AirPilots and Air Navigators on 7 October1954, a little over 60 years ago! Grahamwas admitted into the Livery on 6th July1967.
Flight Operations Manager Manchester 1977
Graham at the controlsof a BEAViscount
Graham with Duke of Kentand Polish Officers
(first on left in first standing row)
14
The Maldives is a north-south orientatedisland nation situated in the IndianOcean, with the 2.2 square mile capital,Male', located about 4° or circa 240 milesnorth of the equator. The approximately1,200 islands of the Maldives make uponly 1% of the country by area; waterforms an incredible 99%. The averageelevation of 1.5 metres makes theMaldives the lowest country in theworld.
This somewhat unique combination oftopographical make-up and its popularityas an unspoilt, inimitable holidaydestination has meant that a seaplaneoperation is an essential service in theMaldives.
Trans MaldivianAirways (TMA) providesthis service using the very popular twin-engine Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-powered 15-seat De Havilland DHC-6Twin Otter, of which there are 45 allfitted withWipline 13000 floats, to carrythe almost 1 million passengers per year;TMA is both the world's largest seaplaneoperator and largestTwin Otter operator.The majority of the 120,000 flights ayear (or nearly 300 flights per day)transport guests and resort staff to andfrom Ibrahim Nasir InternationalAirport, adjacent to the capital Male', tothe approximately 60 resorts served bythe airline; additional services are offeredin the form of photo flights, charters, andMedevac flights.
The daily operation is run from theTMAseaplane base next to the international
airport, which is a shortbus ride from the mainairport terminal. Theseaplane operation is aDay-VFR multi-crew(two flight-deck crew,and one cabin crew)operation which runsthroughout the year;the first flights of theday usually departaround 6.00 am, and aircraft have to beback on the water at the very latest by a“grounding” time, which is typicallybetween 6 and 6.30 pm. This operationalarrangement means that flight crews canundertake a duty time that covers thecomplete daily flying programme, andcan typically operate around 14 sectors aday, with a regulatory maximum of eighthours flying in one day. Flight crew areusually notified of their report time andschedule the evening before the nextday's operation; however due to weather,passenger changes, new charter requests,late international flights, and a plethora ofother factors, this schedule is liable tochange - several times! The sectorlengths vary from as short as threeminutes to as long as over one hour, andeach round trip that departs Male' canrange from a “there-and-back”, to a tripconsisting of a number stops for guestdrop-offs and pick-ups around theislands. The number of sectors flown ina day combined with the short sectorlengths can make for very busy daysflying up and down the atolls of the
Maldives!
Once check-in for a particular flight isclosed, the trip is “released” for departurefrom Male', notification of which isreceived by the crew via a text messagesent by the dispatch team, that includesthe basic flight details; a paper Day-VFRoperational flight plan is then collectedfrom Dispatch. This release then enablesa fuel figure to be passed to the fuellers,and loading of baggage to be completed.Once fuelled, and with bags onboard andcrew present at the aircraft, the passengersare escorted to the aircraft for boarding.With doors closed (or almost closed, asthe cabin crew has to “jump” back ontothe float and into the aircraft onceundocked!), the cabin crew member andcaptain coordinate the unfastening of theropes during the engine start and un-docking procedure. A VFR departureclearance is obtained, and off we go!
The airport at Male', which is radarcontrolled using a combination ofapproach and tower facilities, has specificdemarcated water runways in the lagoonlocated to the east of the main 18/36orientated paved runway; the islandshowever do not, and it is up to the flightcrew to determine the most appropriate
Trans Maldivian AirwaysCHRIS CHOWN, DHC-6 FIRST OFFICER
Working from a beach
Captain Chris Chown awaits his passengers
Twin Otter alongside a pontoon
15
area and direction in which to land basedon the wind, water conditions, tide, sun,and other considerations. Most resortislands have either a fixed jetty platformat the island, or a floating platformlocated close to the island for dockingthe seaplane, from which passengersdisembark onto a speedboat or local“dhoni” boat to reach the island. Whendisembarking and collecting passengers atoutstations, (very!) short turnaroundtimes, in the region of ten minutes, arenormal - times that low-cost carrierswould be proud of!
Some charter flights and Medevac flightsare often flown to islands which do nottypically have a seaplane service, and soan absence of a docking platformnecessitates a “beaching”, which involvesreversing the seaplane onto the beachand using ropes to secure the floats eitherto stakes bought for the purpose ofbeaching, or to any suitable pole or treeavailable on the beach - sometimesimprovisation is required in seaplaneflying!
The length and number of sectors flowneach day, the variation in scenarios metwith different places flown to, and theoperation of the seaplane, are amongstthe aspects of the operation that makesfor a uniquely interesting flyingexperience!
More information can be found bysearching “Maldives Water AerodromeDocumentary” onYouTube.
The water runway, Male International Airport
Maldivian sunset
Twin Otters in their element, Maldive Islands
16
Phil Sturley is a former fast jet pilot in theRAF, who now owns his own highperformance glider, and is an instructor withover 2500 hours gliding and all 3 Diamondsin the sport.
I first became hooked on gliding in theAndes when I had the privilege to takepart in the gliding exchange betweenRAF glider pilots and Chilean Air Forcepilots which has been going on for 20years, and I have revisited this glidingparadise many times since.
Modern gliders are very sophisticatedmachines.A typical 18 meter span glidersuch as my ASH26E has a glide angle of
over 50 to 1, circles in thermals at about100kph and can run the ridges at wellover 200kph. It is very comfortable, andequipped with GPS flight computer,moving map, FLARM collisionavoidance, and precise variometers todetect and exploit the best lift. In themountains, all the main forms of lift areavailable to gliders: ridge lift due to windand rising air against the rock face,thermal lift where large bubbles of airrise from the ground, and mountain waveformed at altitude downwind of largeridges. In the Andes, all these types of liftare available in abundance, and used in
combination enable daily flights of over 5hours, and distances of over 500km.Thisyear a flight of over 1100 km wasachieved in under 10 hours, but this isexceptional.Also, it is possible to exploreareas inaccessible to SEP type aircraft dueto the lack of landable terrain, while aglider can simply follow the valleys downto lower ground.
Chile really is an amazing country - along strip of land some 4300km long,averaging just 175km wide, with theAndes mountain range on the east andthe Pacific Ocean to the west - boastingthe driest place on Earth in the north and
Flying with CondorsLIVERYMAN AIR MARSHAL PHILIP STURLEY CB MBE RAF RETD
A glider in her element A glider's instrument panel A most unusual glider site
17
the wettest place in the south. Thepopulation is approx 18 million, a thirdof whom live in the capital, Santiago inthe Central Valley. There are very fewgliding clubs in Chile, but the largest isthe one I visit at Vitacura airfield on thenorth side of Santiago. This is the mostunusual site I have operated from, with ariver and motorway on one edge andsurrounded by the suburban sprawl ofthe big city.
The Andes form a formidable mountainrange, running the length of the country,and including large numbers ofvolcanoes, glaciers and high mountainsup to the 22800ft Mt Aconcagua, justover the border in Argentina, which isthe highest mountain in the southernand western hemispheres.
A typical sortie is to launch onto thelocal hill, Manquehue (higher than anymountain in the UK) which by 1400hours has a reliable thermal to 6000ftwhich allows a run north by ridge andthermals to Las Lagunas, where a climbabove 12000ft on oxygen allows entry tothe high mountains along the Chile/Argentine border, marked by highpeaks and volcanoes. A decision is thenmade whether to go 200km to the northto the copper mine at Pelambres,
passing ridges and mountains oozingwith minerals, or to cross the Junchalglacier into the spectacular Olivaresvalley to the south and fly a tour of theglaciers and volcanoes to Tinguiriricasome 200 km to the south of base usinga mix of thermal, ridge lift and mountainwave up to 23000ft. On a good day, youcan do both! One of the delights is toshare thermals with Condors, who arenatural experts at finding the best lift, andhave often helped me on my way. Theyare quite placid, and with their 10ft
wingspan and economy of effort seem toview us pilots with an air of superiority.This type of flying is great fun, and I findthat it uses every aspect of airmanshipand flying skill that I have experienced inmy long flying career. My most lastingimpression of Chile, however, is thepeople who are extremely hospitable,with a strong historical bond to the UK.Vitacura Gliding Club welcomes visitors,so for more information on this soaringparadise, visit the website atwww.planeadores.cl.
Reginald Alexander JohnWarneford,VC
(15 October 1891 - 17 June 1915) was a
Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) Flight
Sub-Lieutenant who received the
Victoria Cross, the highest and most
prestigious award for gallantry in the face
of the enemy that can be awarded to
British and Commonwealth forces. His
life of fame was brief -within 10 days of
his victory over the Zeppelin, he died in
a flying accident
Warneford was born in Darjeeling, India,
the son of an engineer on the Indian
Railways and known to his family as
'Rex'. He was brought to England as a
small boy and educated at King Edward
VI School, Stratford-upon-Avon but
when his family returned to India he
continued his education at the English
College, Simla. He then joined the
British-India Steam Navigation
Company.At the time of the outbreak of
World War I, he was in Canada awaiting
return to India. Instead, he sailed then to
Great Britain, joining the Army but soon
transferred to the Royal Navy Air
Service for pilot training.
Warneford's flying training took place at
Hendon and then Upavon, completed on
25 February 1915. During the course of
training, the Commander of Naval Air
Stations was quoted as saying: "This
youngster will either do big things or kill
himself." Warneford's flying instructor at
the time noted his skills as a pilot but had
to make special arrangements to ensure
that his perceived over-confidence and
lack of discipline did not bar him from
attaining a commission.
Warneford was initially posted to 2Wing
on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent but was
quickly (7 May 1915) posted to an
Warneford VCThe first British pilot to destroy a Zeppelin airship,one hundred years ago in June 1915PAST MASTER ARTHURTHORNING
TheTinguirivca volcano Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Andes
18
operational unit with 1 Wing at Veurne
on the Belgian coast. Over the next few
weeks,Warneford was involved in attacks
on German troops and guns, as well as
actions against enemy aircraft. His
aggressiveness and effectiveness led to his
being given his own aircraft and a roving
commission. On 17 May 1915,
Warneford encountered Zeppelin airship
LZ 39 setting out on a raid over the UK.
He attacked LZ39 with machine gun fire
but the airship was able to ascend out of
range by jettisoning ballast.
On 7 June 1915 at Ghent, Belgium,
Warneford, flying a Morane-Saulnier
Type L, attacked the German airship LZ
37. His report of this action speaks for
itself:
I left Furnes (Veurne) at 1:00 am on 7th
June 1915 on Morane No. 3253 under
orders to look for Zeppelins and attack
the Berchem St Agathe Airship Shed
with six 20 lb bombs.
On arriving at Dixmude at 1:15 am, I
observed a Zeppelin apparently over
Ostend and proceeded in chase of the
same. I arrived at close quarters a few
miles past Bruges at 1:50 am and the
Airship opened heavy maxim fire, so I
retreated to gain height and the Airship
turned and followed me.
At 2:15 am it stopped firing and 2:25 am
I came behind, but well above the
Zeppelin; height then 11,000 feet, and
switched off my engine to descend on
top of him. When close above him at
7,000 feet altitude I dropped my bombs,
and, whilst releasing the last, there was an
explosion which lifted my machine and
turned it over.The aeroplane was out of
control for a short period, went into a
nose dive, but control was regained. I
then saw the Zeppelin was on the
ground in flames.
The joint on my petrol pipe and pump
from the back tank was broken and at
about 2:40 am I was forced to land in
enemy territory to repair my pump. I
made preparations to set the machine on
fire, but was not observed, so was able to
effect a repair of the aircraft and after
considerable difficulty in starting my
engine single handed,was able to take off
and head in a SouthWesterly direction.
I tried several times to find my
whereabouts but was unable to do so, so
I eventually landed and discovered I was
at Cape Gris Nez, where I was given
petrol by French soldiers. When the
weather cleared I was able to proceed and
arrived back at my Aerodrome about
10:30 am.
On the same day as ReginaldWarneford
wrote his report, 8th June 1915, he
received a telegram from King GeorgeV
conferring the Victoria Cross on him.
The official publication of the award was
made in the 'London Gazette' on 11
June::
Over Ghent, Belgium, 7 June 1915,
Flight Sub-Lieutenant Reginald
Alexander John Warneford, Royal Navy
(1 Squadron, Royal Naval Air Service ).
For most conspicuous bravery on the 7th
June 1915, when he attacked and, single-
handed, completely destroyed a Zeppelin
in mid-air.
This brilliant achievement was
accomplished after chasing the Zeppelin
from the coast of Flanders to Ghent,
where he succeeded in dropping his
bombs on to it from a height of only one
or two hundred feet.One of these bombs
caused a terrific explosion which set the
Zeppelin on fire from end to end, but at
the same time overturned his Aeroplane
and stopped the engine.
In spite of this he succeeded in landing
safely in hostile country, and after 15
minutes started his engine and returned
to his base without damage.
Instead of returning to England
Warneford travelled to Paris to be
awarded the Legion of Honour and
whilst there agreed to take up an
American journalist for a flight over the
city.
At the end of the flight at 2,000 feet
Warneford banked to start his landing
approach, or so it seemed to those on the
ground. Suddenly the plane began to go
into a spin, dived steeply, then pulled out
flinging up its tail which snapped off and
caught the propellor, shearing part of it
away.At 700 feet the aeroplane started to
roll and turned upside down throwing
Warneford and the journalist out as they
were not strapped in.
The journalist was killed instantly and
Reginald Warneford died later in the
British Military Hospital in the Trianon
Palace Hotel atVersailles.
The Government decided that he should
be buried at Brompton Cemetery,
London on 21 June 1915 in a ceremony
attended by thousands of mourners and a
Royal Navy Guard of Honour. The
threat to the British population from the
German airships was a cause of great
concern. The cost of the monument was
subscribed by readers of the Daily
Express newspaper - it was restored in
2009 to repair the ravages of pollution in
London. Pathe Newsreel footage of the
funeral can be found on the web.
HisVictoria Cross is displayed at the Fleet
Air Arm Museum nearYeovil, Somerset.
R.A.J.Warneford,V.C. standing in front of aMaurice Farman Shorthorn
19
Perhaps overshadowed by centennial
commemorations surrounding Gallipoli,
spring 2015 marked the anniversary of
the first-ever award of Britain's highest
honour for gallantry to an airman. On
May 22, 1915, William Rhodes-
Moorhouse of No 2 Sqn RFC was
posthumously awarded theVictoria Cross
for “most conspicuous bravery”.
Twenty seven year-old Rhodes-
Moorhouse earned the decoration for a
low-level bombing raid on enemy troop
and munitions trains on April 26th 1914,
at the strategically vital railway junction
at Courtrai in Belgium.The single 112-
lb bomb dropped from his BE-2 aircraft
disrupted movements to such an extent
that his mission was described by British
commander Field Marshal Sir John
French, as “the most important bomb
dropped during the war so far”.
The low level of his attack had meant
that Rhodes-Moorhouse was subjected
to withering ground fire. Despite being
mortally wounded, he returned to base at
Merville where he insisted on providing
his combat report as his wounds were
dressed in the squadron office, before
being transferred to a medical station,
where the following day he died.
SO,WHOWASWILLAM RHODES-MOOREHOUSE?
The son of New Zealand parents,Rhodes-Moorehouse was born inLondon in 1887. He was educated atHarrow andTrinity College, Cambridge,but neglected his studies because of hispassion for engineering, racingmotorcycles and cars, and subsequentlyaeroplanes. By 1911, Rhodes-Moorhouse was one of Britain's newgeneration of pioneer pilots, attractinglarge crowds when he flew a Bleriot froma field near Huntingdon inCambridgeshire, then he assisted indemonstrations in the United States,before in 1912, making a record-settingcross-channel flight.
In August 1914, although he had notflown for nearly two years, Rhodes-Moorhouse volunteered for the RoyalFlying Corps and on March 21, 1915,was posted to 2 Squadron at Merville inFrance, carrying out reconnaissance,artillery spotting and light bombingmissions with BE-2 aircraft. On April 22,1915, the Germans unleashed their firstgas attack on the Western Front in thebattle ofYpres and on April 26, the RFCwas ordered to bomb the enemy's railwaynetwork to prevent reinforcements andsupplies reaching the front lines.
LOW LEVEL ATTACK
In the earliest days of bombing sightingwas merely by eye and for his attack onthe railway junction at Courtrai, despitehaving been instructed to release thebomb from just below cloud level heelected to descend to just 300 feet toensure a direct hit. In addition to placinghim within range of dense rifle andmachine-gun ground fire, he was so lowthat when it exploded, fragments fromhis own bomb ripped through the wingsand tailplane of the BE-2 aircraft.
Rhodes-Moorehouse limped back toMerville, where he was reported to havenarrowly cleared a hedge, but switchedoff the engine and made a perfectlanding.Two officers lifted him from thebattered aircraft, which had 95 bullet andshrapnel holes. He was taken to a nearbyoffice, where he insisted on filing hisreport while his wounds were tended.
Rhodes-Moorhouse was then moved toa casualty clearing station, where it soonbecame apparent that he was dying.Rhodes-Moorhouse showed his flightcommander, Lt. Maurice Blake, aphotograph of his wife and son, andasked him to write to them and to hismother. After a short doze, he said: “It'sstrange dying, Blake, old boy - unlikeanything one has ever done before, likeone's first solo flight.”At 2.25pm, with arecently delivered letter from his wife onhis pillow and Maurice Blake at his side,Rhodes-Moorhouse died.
Rhodes-Moorhouse's award, for “mostconspicuous bravery”,was announced onMay 22, 1915, less than a month after hisdeath. At his own request, Rhodes-Moorhouse's body was returned toBritain where he was given a funeralwith full military honours. He is buriedclose to his family estate at Parnham nearBeaminster in Devon. Interred alongsidehim is his son, who was four months oldat the time of his father's death. WillieRhodes-Moorhouse became a Battle ofBritain pilot and served from May 1940,at Merville, France, where his father hadbeen killed in action 25 years earlier.After claiming 12 combat victories andbeing awarded the DFC, his Hurricanewas shot down over Kent on September6, 1940.
Britain’s First Aerial VCLIVERYMAN STEPHEN SLATER
20
REMEMBERINGRHODES MOOREHOUSE
In late April commemorative stones werelaid both in London and the family estatein Beaminster, which along with aspecial commemorative weekend atanother former home at Spratton in
Northamptonshire, to mark thecentenary of Rhodes-Moorehouse'sheroic action. In addition, this summer,the Biggles Biplane BE-2 replicaoperated by myself and MatthewBoddington will play its part, carryingthe tailcode 687 of his original aircraft at
air displays across the UK, as well as
flying to France to take part in an air
display at Lille as well as overflying the
places where Rhodes-Moorhouse flew
in 1915.
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On Friday 20 February 2015 Past MasterWally Epton made the last ever flight byan HS125 Series-2 DominieT1 when hetook the black and white-paintedN19UK (formerly XS739) fromCotswold Airport/Kemble toHumberside Airport. This was just over50 years since XS709, the first of theseRAF jet navigation trainers, made itsmaiden flight on 30 December 1964.N19UK was preceded by a similaraircraft, N19CQ (XS712), both destinedfor an active ground training role withthe BAE Systems Aircraft MaintenanceAcademy just established at the airport.
Delivered to the RAF between August1965 and June 1966, the 20 Hawarden-built Dominies (XS709-714, XS726-739) saw service with No 1 AirNavigation School at RAF Stradishalluntil 1970; No 6 Flying Training Schoolat RAF Finningley (1970-95) and No 3FTS/No 55 (R) Sqn at RAF CollegeCranwell for the last 16 years. Half adozen were also flown by the College ofAir Warfare at RAF Manby. In 1975 theDominies underwent a major cabinlayout change to accommodate practicalair signaller and air engineer flighttraining previously provided on VickersVarsities that were retired from RAFservice that same year. Between 1993 and1996 eleven of the Dominies were givena further major upgrade to equip themfor the still wider role of providing flighttraining for weapon systems officers andoperators, through to 2012.This was cutshort in the autumn of 2010 by the
Strategic Defence andSecurity Review(SDSR) announcingthat the Dominiewould be retired fromservice as soon as thecurrent course hadbeen completed. Withgraduation of thesestudents at Cranwell on19 January 2011 there was a final flypastby six of No 55 (R) Sqn's nine Dominiesthe following day, bringing an end tonearly 45 years RAF service.
Of these last airworthy aircraft, XS709(the 'prototype') flew to Cosford for theRAF Museum, XS713 went to the Firesection at RAF Shawbury, XS727 stayedat Cranwell on display and the remainingsix (XS712, 728, 730, 731, 737 and 739)were acquired by Executive Jet Support(EJS), the company owned by SimonBrowse, who facilitated their purchasefrom the MoD.The Dominies were putonto the FAA 'N' register and flown toKemble in May 2011 by Wally Eptonformer RAF Dominie SquadronCommander along with Phil Woodleyalso ex-Dominie Squadron, both veryexperienced HS125 pilots. (See GuildNews August 2011).
EJS had anticipated sale of the Dominiesto the USA, but this was not to be. In2012 two of the aircraft(N19CQ/XS712 and N19UK/XS739)were hangared at Kemble and maintained
by C2 Aviation for another possible UScustomer. In Autumn 2014 these twoDominies were purchased by ResourceGroup's Aviation Technical Trainingbusiness (LRTT Ltd) at Kemble for thenew Aircraft Maintenance Academy thatthe company is establishing atHumberside Airport. The fuselage of athird Dominie (N19XY/XS731) wastransported to a company atMarlborough,Wilts in December 2014.The three un-sold Dominies(N19CU/XS728, N19EK/XS737 andN19UG/XS730) remain at Kemble.Twoare to be used to provide spares to enablethe Humberside aircraft to fulfil theirground training functions whilst one willbe utilised to train Resource Groupapprentices for their various airlineclients.
After careful preparation by the team atC2 Aviation to meet the FAA'srequirements for a single, VFR ferryflight, the two Dominies were ready togo on 19 February. Unfortunately theweather wasn't - heavy rain and lowcloud precluded the flight. Friday 20February was much improved and WallyEpton with co-pilot Richard Lloyd flew
The Last Dominie FlightWORDS AND PHOTOS BY KIND PERMISSION OFPETER R MARCH
The Domine flies through at Kemble
DavidTalbot accepts the Domine fromWally Epton En route to Humberside
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N19CQ to Humberside and returned toKemble to make the final Dominie flightin N19UK. This aircraft (XS739) hadbeen the last of the 20 Dominiesdelivered to the RAF on 1 June 1966 andwas the penultimate Dominie to landback at Cranwell after the final RAFflight on 20 January 2011.
I was pleased to have been invited to joinWally and Richard as a supernumerarycrew member on this last flight and it wasby a strange coincidence that XS739 wasthe first Dominie that I had flown in, atStradishall in October 1966.The cockpitand cabin was superficially very littledifferent from when it made its last flightat Cranwell on 20 January 2011,although only the basic avionics were'live'. After an 'on-time' start at 14.30,
Wally taxied out to Kemble's runway 26,completed the necessary pre-takeoffchecks, powered up the lightly loadedDominie and we were quickly airborne.He flew a 'confidence circuit' for a visualcheck from the ground before settingcourse north-east towards Humberside.Flying at 4,000ft with good 20 kmvisibility Richard was able to pinpointour position accurately as we routed toLeicester, Rutland Water, Newark andwest of Scampton, until the coastline ofthe Humber Estuary came into view.
Ending this 40-minute, 150-mile lastflight from KembleWally touched downat Humberside to bring the HS DominieT1's flying career to an end. DavidTalbot,Head of the BAE Systems AircraftMaintenance Academy received N19UK
after it had joined N19CQ and fourHawks in Hangar 9, the academy'stemporary home.The aircraft will moveinto the new £5 million R J MitchellAircraft MaintenanceAcademy when it iscompleted in the autumn. 60 apprenticesa year will be trained at the academy witha one year full-time training coursefollowed by one year work placement,leading to a NVQ in aviationmaintenance. Individuals will go on tofull time employment servicing theRAF's fast jets (Hawk, Tornado andTyphoon) and international contracts.Although XS739 will not add to its19,465 flying hours, it will continue tohave an important training role bothinside the hangar and on the flight line.
Hostile Environment Awareness Training(HEAT)Courses for Mission Aviation FellowshipOLIVER NUNN,MISSION AVIATION FELLOWSHIP
Editor's Note: Company members may beaware that theAir PilotsTrust and theAirSafety Trust jointly support the MissionAviation Fellowship (MAF) and itsoperations, particularly the enhancing ofsafety or training activities. This articleillustrates the tangible result of theircharitable donations. Since 1995 theCompany has donated a total of £43,999to MAF; in 2014 £7,820 was donated tofund HEAT courses in the Africa Region.
The MAF began its work in unchartedterritory 70 years ago, it now covers 25countries and is still pioneering and
helping the world's remotest communities.It deploys a fleet of over 130 light aircraftto bring practical help and hope tothousands of remote communities injungles, deserts, swamps and mountainregions. Through partnership, diligentplanning and technical expertise MAFmakes the inaccessible accessible and withthat comes hope. MAF's flying is alifeline, not a luxury.
The HEAT courses have been goingahead successfully, with individuals beingreleased to attend as operationalrequirements have allowed. The courses
are designed to prepare and equip thestaff for the challenges of working inremote, insecure locations. Sadly,many ofthe places where MAF operates aresubject to lawlessness, banditry, and evenfull-blown military conflict. Because ofthis, it is essential that staff members areproperly trained to avoid, defuse, orescape dangerous and hostile situations.
So far, a total of seven pilots and otherremotely based MAF staff members haveattended the HEAT courses, andbenefited from this very importanttraining.The feedback from attendees has
Take off from Kemble Wally Epton at the controls
23
been very positive, with one Uganda-based pilot quoted as saying:
''The day spent on first aid and major traumafield dressing was useful and I learnt a lot.Theday of simulated exercises was good from thepoint of knowing the appropriate ways to reactand act, and having an awareness of the typesof power dynamics that occur. Overall I foundthe course very useful.''
One Kenya-based MAF staff memberdescribed the training as:
''...a good reminder of the actual dangers Iwould most likely encounter....and mostimportantly, how to respond to them.Thingslike how to help the injured, how to react tocrossfire or a thrown grenade, how to recognisemine fields, how to protect yourself fromartillery, etc.The most effective part was the
practical application through an afternoonsimulation, and later an all-day simulation.As a team we had to determine what the bestcourse of action would be for the safety ofeveryone. It included everything fromaggressive roadblock soldiers to getting caughtin cross-fire, to being kidnapped by rebels.''
The lessons learnt from the HEATcourse have already been put intopractice by one staff member,whose roleas a roving communications officersometimes places her in particularlyvulnerable situations. In one incident,whilst visiting Renk, in the far north ofSouth Sudan, she was caught in themiddle of an artillery exchange betweenGovernment and Opposition forces. Shereports:
'' For me, it was the closest I've ever been tocontinuous shelling. The HEAT coursetraining kept running through my head - thesafest position to be in (you can hear themortar before it hits), staying out of view ofsoldiers, keeping a low profile, staying away
from windows and glass, etc, etc. I'm gratefulthat MAF was able to send me to the trainingas both a reminder of how to behave andtraining on how to stay safe during a securityincident.''
In a second incident in East Africa, thesame staff member was detained byairport security staff at an airport:
''I was recording an interview with a MAFpassenger while we stood in the long, slowsecurity line to get into the waiting area.Unfortunately, the two airport security menchecking passports and tickets pulled me out ofline. I was loudly accused of recording themand other various accusations, then escorted tothe Security Office to be interrogated. Themost important action I took, and somethingtaught in the training, was to remain perfectlycalm through the entire incident, withoutarguing or raising my voice. I believe that thesituation was greatly diffused by doing this.''
The skills and techniques learned duringthe HEAT courses are already helpingMAF's staff to stay safe in potentiallydangerous and challenging situations. Afurther eleven pilots from MAF'sprogrammes in Chad, Kenya, SouthSudan and Uganda are due to attendthese courses during 2015 - training thathas only been made possible by thegenerosity of the Honourable Companyof Air Pilots. Please accept MAF'ssincerest thanks for the Company'songoing support and partnership withus.
MAF recruits skilled pilots, aircraftengineers and management professionalsfor its overseas programmes; moreinformation is available at:
www.maf-uk.org/get-involved/work-with-us
A HEAT training group in Africa
A house hit by mortar
Taking anti-shrapnel measures at Renk
A shelling training scenario
Course members receive a weapons briefing
Landing and unloading at Renk, Kenya.
INTRODUCTION
As you will see from elsewhere in thisedition,we are changing the way we do somethings. Nonetheless, some things remainexactly the same, including our objectives,which are to:
1. establish and maintain the highest standardsof air safety through the promotion ofgood airmanship
2. maintain a liaison with all Authoritiesconnected with licensing, training andlegislation affecting pilot or navigatorwhether private, professional, civil ormilitary.
3. constitute a body of experienced airmenavailable for advice and consultationand to facilitate the exchange ofinformation
4. assist air pilots and air navigators in needthrough the Benevolent Fund
5. promote the Company as an activeLivery Company of the City of London
SKYBRARY
By the beginning of June our members willhave completed over 200 separate reviews ofSKYbrary articles, including re-reviews ofarticles we refused to endorse originally untilSKYbrary brought them to a suitablestandard. We have changed, usually of aminor way but occasionally quite majorly, allthe articles we have endorsed by addingairmanship and other advice based on ourreviewers' experiences. This goes some waytowards progressing objectives 1, 3 and 5above. To achieve this, 27 of our membershave devoted varying amounts of their timewith the articles they review reflecting theiraviation background and their availability;some have completed just a single reviewwhile others have been able to completefourteen or more. Having said that, this is nota contest but rather an opportunity for us togive something back to others in the aviationcommunity. It can be challenging sometimesbut it is also stimulating to tackle topics inareas where we take the extent of ourknowledge for granted but where ourcomments/amendments need to be clear andconcise while still conveying those importantairmanship and experience messages. Wehave a number of working CAT pilots andinstructors within our group, includingrepresentatives from North America andHong Kong. (Where are you Australia andNew Zealand?) Recently we established acore of rotary wing experience within the
group and have reviewed four helicopter-specific articles so lack of fixed wingexperience is no longer barrier toparticipation!
I anticipate our SKYbrary reviews willquickly interleave with our new structure forprofessional work (see below) as futurearticles pose questions of what is and is notbest practice; we might even see workinggroups form specifically to address sometopics and articles. Five new reviewers, whowill no doubt also play a part in the newcommittee structure, have joined the groupsince March but there will always be room formore.
We do everything by email and you canreview articles wherever/whenever you havetime and a laptop/iPad. If you'd like to takepart, let me know at [email protected]
UK PROFESSIONAL COMMITTEES
UK Environment (EnvC), Education &Training (E&TC) and Technical & Air Safety(TASC) Committees are reaching the end oftheir lives but their issues remain topical.EnvC has working groups on “Air Pilots'Good Neighbors Initiative” (to investigatebest practice in keeping the local communityon-side with airports & aircraft and share bestpractice across the membership) and“Transport Environmental Budgets” (to showthe real environmental impacts of travel byroad, rail and air and to help membersunderstand whether an environmental reportis correct or deliberately miss-leading) thatwill remain active and be subsumed withinthe new structure, as will management ofE&TC activities such as scholarships andbursaries and the UK-specific FlyingInstructors Sub-Group.
The penultimate TASC considered theimplications of the Germanwings accidentthat illustrated once again how aviation issues(in this case flight deck door procedures andthe release of medical information) can varyin different parts of the world.Without goinginto specifics of this accident, I continue tobelieve that if something is being done inmore than one way, then one of those wayswill be more effective/safer than the otherand everyone should implement the betterway. There will always be an exception wherelocal conditions require a different approachbut those exceptions should only exist wherethey are clearly justified; justifiable exceptionsapart, regulations, SOPs (standard operatingprocedures), crew training and practice
should all be done the 'better way'. Weanticipate that the reorganization will help usbring new influence and energy to tacklingtopics such as these as well as (e.g.) geo-referenced height and heading and LOC-I .
NEW PROFESSIONALWORKINGSTRUCTURE
We have explained to all the UK committeesthe process involved in reaching an approvednew structure for the Company's professionalwork (as endorsed at the February Courtmeeting) and confirmed that the new systemwill be operational from 1 September; theLearned Clerk also emailed all UKcommittee members, ex-officio members andconsultant members, outlining the newstructure and providing the terms ofreference under which it will operate. Wetold those who would be most quicklyaffected first and now this issue of Air Pilotgives everyone all the information.
The benefits have already started. On hearingabout the plan to re-structure ourprofessional activities to include a moreinternational element, the UK LaserWorkingGroup, comprising several UK military,government (health and transport) and policerepresentatives, asked for the Air Pilots to berepresented specifically to provide the Groupwith an opportunity for internationalengagement. The group has been re-instatedfollowing possible eye damage to two pilots,one flying into Heathrow. I attended in Apriland an initial outcome will be a survey ofmembers (using SurveyMonkey) to seewhether laser attacks on aircraft/aircrew aremore frequent than official reports suggest.
I have had expressions of interest already frommembers wishing be part of the futureworking group; I have received suggestedtopics for the new working groups too. Thisevolution will allow you, whether you live orwork close to, or on the other side of theworld from, London (or anywhere inbetween) to participate towards the objectivesI listed at the start of this article. As DAA, Ilook forward to being completely over-worked in ensuring that you can play thefullest part that you are able under the newarrangements. I look forward to hearing fromyou soon through my email [email protected].
From the desk of theDirector Aviation AffairsLIVERYMAN JOHN TURNER
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