Description
Object description
British officer served as second pilot with 297 Sqdn, RAF during Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949; pilot served with 88 Sqdn, RAF in Far East, 1950-1952; attended Flying Instructor's Course at Central Flying School, Little Rissington in GB, 1952- 1953; served as flying instructor with RAF in GB, 1953-1955; served with 61 Sqdn, RAF in GB and during Suez Crisis, 1955- 1957; served with Bomber Command Holding Unit at RAF Conningsby in GB, 1957-1959; served as Launch Control Officer on Thor missiles at RAF North Luffenham in GB, 1960-1963; served as test pilot with E (Transport Trials) Sqdn, Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down, GB, 1964-1969; served as instructor with 9 Sqdn, Royal Saudi Air Force, King Faisal Air Academy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 1969-1973; civilian test pilot with Britten-Norman Aircraft Ltd in GB, 1973-1977; pilot with Air Anglia and Air UK Ltd in GB, 1978-1986
Content description
REEL 1 Background in Leyton, London, GB, 1926-1939: family; education. Aspects of period as schoolchild in Leyton, London, GB, 1939-1945: fire watching duties; use of Anderson Shelter; damage to family home during German V1 attack, 9/1944; father's military service; repairs to family home; membership of Air Training Corps; education at Durham University, 1944-1945. Recollections of enlistment and training as Aircraftman with RAF in GB, 1945-1948: attitude to basic training; move to 19 Flying Training School, Cranwell; rank; first flight in De Havilland Tiger Moth; controls on De Havilland Tiger Moth; use of Gosport Tube for communication; soloing; move to RAF Tern Hill; character of North American Harvard; flying North American Harvard.
REEL 2 Continues: spinning; cross country flying; pattern of flying training; opinion of accommodation and rations; reasons for not obtaining commission and passing out as NCO pilot; attending Officer Cadet Training Unit; story of cadet's problem cleaning rifle; attitude to attending Officer Cadet Training Unit; reaction to passing out; conversion course to twin engined aircraft; question of problem landing Airspeed Oxford; flying Vickers Wellington Mk X; problem landing at RAF Swinderby.
REEL 3 Continues: posting to 295 Sqdn, RAF. Recollections of period as second pilot with 297 Sqdn, RAF during Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949: posting to squadron; move to Germany; squadron morale and conditions; schedule worked during airlift; characteristics of Handley Page Hastings; organisation of airlift and importance of timing; degree of interference from Russian aircraft; changes in schedule; attitude to participation in airlift; crew members; attitude of squadron to airlift; situation in Berlin; recreational breaks in Germany; economic situation in Germany; number of trips he made during airlift; contribution of French to airlift; blowing up of Russian radio mast near Tegel Airfield; raising of blockade, 1949; return to GB. Aspects of period on conversion course to Short Sunderland flying boats at RAF Calshot, GB, 1950: posting to course; method of turning Short Sunderland on water.
REEL 4 Continues: mooring aircraft to buoy; crew of Short Sunderland Mk V; opinion of Pratt and Witney engine; taking off and landing the sea in GB and tropical conditions; flying characteristics of Short Sunderland Mk V; incident of course member damaging aircraft. Recollections of period as pilot with 88 Sqdn, RAF in Far East, 1950-1952: posting to Hong Kong, 7/1950; lack of air sea rescue training; skill needed in manoeuvring aircraft to dinghy; three month detachments to Japan during Korean War; reconnaissance duties off Korea; accidental firing on aircraft by US Navy; clothing worn; amusing story of US fighter's interception of his aircraft; facilities aboard aircraft; operating from USS Salisbury; meterological flights; flying VIPs to Manila, Philippines; running classical music programme on radio station in Japan; spraying mosquitoes at base in Japan.
REEL 5 Continues: degree of contact with Japanese civilians; attitude of Japanese male civilians towards Allies; three month detachments to Singapore, Malaya; living conditions in Hong Kong including presence of spiders; reasons for return to GB. Aspects of period on Flying Instructor's Course at Central Flying School, Little Rissington in GB, 1952-1953: attending permanent commission board; opinion of Percival Prentice; problems encountered with condensation on Percival Prentice during night instruction; qualifying as flying instructor. Aspects of period as flying instructor in GB, 1953-1955: posting to Flying Training School, RAF in Northern Ireland, 1953-1955; weather in Northern Ireland; duties and number of students; problems with weather during flight to RAF Benson.
REEL 6 Continues: attitude to instructing; conversion onto Percival Provost at RAF Hullavington; incident of student who was removed from course; background to posting as instructor to Bomber Command at RAF Bassingbourne; attitude to instructing on English Electric Canberra. Aspects of period as pilot with 61 Sqdn, RAF in GB and during Suez Crisis, 1955- 1957: posting to squadron flying English Electric Canberra Mk II; amusing story of practice bombing of vicars' tea party; move to Cyprus during Suez Crisis; reasons for failure of attack on radio station in Cairo; attack on marshalling yards at Ismailia, Egypt; incident of pilot's court maritialling for failing to carry out mission; attitude to end of Suez campaign. Aspects of period as flight commander with Bomber Command Holding Unit at RAF Conningsby in GB, 1957-1959: incident of problem with undercarriage wheel; incident of English Electric Canberra Mk B 2 wheels catching fire; incident bogging down of his aircraft on grass during heavy rain.
REEL 7 Continues: Aspects of operations as pilot with 61 Sqdn, RAF in GB and during Suez Crisis, 1955-1957: move to Cyprus during Suez Crisis; tented accommodation; briefing for operations; formation flown; low level raid on radio station in Cairo, Egypt; raids flown against other targets; lack of fighter escort; incident of pilot deliberately retracting his undercarriage and being court martialled; return to RAF Upwood, late 1956; training trials for blind and radar bombing. Aspects of period as flight commander with Bomber Command Holding Unit at RAF Conningsby in GB, 1957-1959: attitude to flying in cramped cockpit of English Electric Canberra T 4. Aspect of training period as Launch Control Officer on WS 315A Thor missile in US, 1959: voyage to US; pattern of training on Thor missile; opinion of WS 315 A Thor missile; attitude to using Thor missile; sight of launch of Thor missile; precise character of Thor missile. Aspects of period as Launch Control Officer on Thor missiles at RAF North Luffenham in GB, 1960-1963: composition of crew; shift pattern worked; initiation for launch sequence.
REEL 8 Continues: changing target co-ordinates; liaison with US officer at site; potential threat of leaking tanks; receiving coded messages to launch; defence of RAF North Luffenham; removal of missiles and disbandment of squadron, 1963. Recollections of period as test pilot with E (Transport Trials) Sqdn at Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down, GB, 1964-1969: role of E Sqdn; character of Blackburn Beverley and Armstong Whitworth Argosy; crew on board Blackburn Beverley; landing capability of Blackburn Beverley; variation in work; flying Gloster Meteor; flying photographic chases on BAe TSR 2 in Gloster Meteor; opinion of BAe TSR 2.
REEL 9 Continues: supply dropping trials; training on Westland Whirlwind helicopter; flying Handley Page Hastings; work as senior instrument rating examiner; character of BAC Andover; flying Beagle Bassett in GB and Middle East; flights in De Havilland Comet Mk 4 C; cold weather trials in Canada and Greenland.
REEL 10 Continues: sight of Sir Francis Chichester in Atlantic, 1967; witnessing high speed sleight trials in US; use of De Havilland Comet Mk 4 C for navigation tests; crew in De Havilland Comet Mk 4 C; reasons for round the world trips; story of stop over in Alaska; story of problems during take off for navigational trial to Sweden in poor weather and return to Boscombe Down, 1969; taking retirement from RAF, 1969. Recollections of period as instructor with 9 Sqdn, Royal Saudi Air Force at King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia, 1969-1973: obtaining employment with Airworks; arrival in Saudi Arabia; organisation of flying course; instructional duties.
REEL 11 Continues: promotion to flight commander and squadron commander; relations with Pakistani superiors; soloing of his first two students; problems with students and their inability to lose face; story of arrest for taking photographs in Riyadh; contrast between BAC 167 Strikemaster and BAC Jet Provost; difficulties of working with Saudis; incident of student ejecting from aircraft shortly after take off; passing out parade attending by King Faisal; topping up of swimming pool with water; visit by family to Saudi Arabia; leaving Saudi Arabia, 1973.
REEL 12 Continues: Aspects of period as civilian test pilot with Britten-Norman Aircraft Company in GB, 1973- 1977: obtaining employment with company; flying duties with company; problems with grass airstrip at Bembridge; flying to Bembridge in bad weather. Aspects of period as pilto with Air Anglia and Air UK Ltd in GB, 1978-1986: obtaining employment with company; flying Piper PA 21 aircraft; studying for commercial pilot's licence and passing examination; attitude to work as first officer on Fokker F 27 aircraft; obtaining captaincy; lack of effects of amalgamation of Air Anglia with Air UK Ltd; retirement in 1986; reasons for not flying after retirement in 1986.