Hrcmltffiffi

nBlwffi rysH ifs't'H8

Foirey SwordfishMore than any other aircraft, theSwordfish typifies the heroism of theFleec Air Arm in WW2. Of course,this fabric-covered biplane torpedobomber, first flown in April 1934 and

which came into use with the Fleet

AirArm in l936,was outmodedwhen war brol<e out, but this made

its feats all the more notable.Themost famous Swordfish exploits are

well-l<nown, but worth repeating

- in November 1940, 2l aircraftflying from HMS lllustrious inflictedserious damage on ltalian Navy

ships atTaranto,while a May

I 94 I strike launched from Ark

Royo/ and Victorious disabled theGerman battleship Bismorck

and rendered its destructionall but unavoidable. February1942's'Channel Dash' attacl< on

German warships, during whichall six Swordfish involved wereshot down, showed the type's vulnerability,but it continued to prove most effective, especially in the anti-submarine

role. Shown here are just four of the 2,392 Swordfish produced, these aircraft, photographed in 1942,

hailing from 785 Squadron at Crail.

Supermorine SpitfireSurely, the Spitfire is the mosr famous British aircraft ofthem all. Few other fighters can match its undisputedbeauty, nor its symbolism, not to mention its service record.The last Griffon-engined F24s produced afterWW2 werevery, very different beasts to the initial Merlin-poweredprototype that flew from Eastleigh on 5 March 1936, sofar-reaching was the development that proved possible ofR.J. Mitchell's original design, and the starisrics tell their ownstory.A Spitfire l, as flown by the RAF early in the war, hadl,030hp at its disposal, a top speed of 355mph and weighed5,3321b; a Spitfire F24 developed 2,050hp, could reach454mph and weighed 9,900lb.When rhe rype arrived withNo l9 Squadron at Duxford during l938,it was far frombeing the outstanding fighter it later became, but problemswere soon ironed out and successive marl<s proved morethan a match for the Luftwaffe'sBfl09s and,thanks to furtherdevelopment, Fw 190s. Serving in

all theatres, and in roles such as

ground attack, army co-operationand photo recce as well as being a

fighter, the Spitfire's place in historywas assured.The three aircraftpictured on an interception patroloverTunisia in early 1943 areled by the'personal' SpitfireVb(AB502) ofWg Cdr lan Gleed,CO of 244Wing.

lin A/tan lrb,ary

Hqwker HurriconeAt the time of its maiden flight, fromBrool<lands on 6 November 1935, Hawl<er's

new monoplane fighter offered a quantum

leap over the RAFs biplanes, but by its

service entry with No I I I Squadron in

December 1937 (some of 'Treble One's'

Hurricanes are shown in the accompanying

image from 1938) it was already clear thatthe Spitfire would surpass its performance.

Nonetheless, the Hurricane's conservative

construction and excellent flying

characteristics offered advantages - it was

easier and quicker to produce, hence the

type's numerical superiority at the timeof the Battle of Britain, it could take a lotof punishment,was easy to maintain and

proved a splendidly stable gun platform

for such roles as army co-operation and

ground attack. Perhaps outdated as a day

fighter by the end of I 940, Hurricanes then

gave outstanding service as night fighters,fighter-bombers and cannon-armed ground

attack aircraft. Rarely has an aircraft been

more unfairly overlooked in favour ofanother than the Hurricane in relation tothe Spitfire, but this will never diminish the

contribution the Hawker aircraft made tothe Allied victory.

,,.,,;:;,;;,;,,,;,;;: : '. :-' '' "l''

Vickers WellingtonAt the start of WW2, in the absence of four-engined equipment,

theWellington spearheaded RAF Bomber Command's initial

daylight offensive against Germany.As casualties mounted, itbecame clear that a switch to night operations was desirable,

andWellingtons were able to mal<e a much more effective

contribution to the war effort. Notable about the Wellington, the

inaugural flight of which occurred in June 1936, was the use ofthe geodetic construction method devised by BarnesWallis,the

immensely strong metal 'latticework' meaning that the aircraft

could survive battle damage that would have downed many

other types. Production, which totalled over I 1,000, continued

throughout hostilities, and especially notable variants of the

basic bomber marl<s (which tool< in aircraft using a variety ofpowerplants, mainly including the Bristol Pegasus, Rolls-Royce

Merlin and Bristol Hercules) included radar-equipped derivatives

for Coastal Command.

r)t,d,l

Short SunderlondShort Brothers became famed for its flying boats duringthe inter-war years. lts C-Class, or Empire, flying boats builtfor lmperial Airways were designed to linl< Britain and thecolonies, carrying passengers and mail, and from the first ofthem, the S23, was born a new machine for the RAF. Firsrtaking to the air on l6 October 1937 (the aircraft shown here,K4774,was the first prototype), the Sunderland came intoservice the following summer. lt was a Sunderland that carriedout Coastal Command\ first U-boat sinl<ing, and the aircraftperformed outstandingly in all its roles - anti-submarinewarfare, rescue, convoy escort, transport and more. Butalthough remaining Sunderland squadrons were very activein the Berlin Airlift and KoreanWar, the age of the RAF flyingboats soon drew to a close.When No 205 Squadron at Seletar,Singapore, retired its last two Sunderlands in May 1959, an eratruly ended.

"1:-s9aa '

S.r'

BW

-9.d{ti*,.

i,,iB.otla:i

Ar.a'o. '-.o^."o_

Hondley Poge HqlifqxProduction of the Halifax and its supply to squadrons were hastened by the

urgent need for four-engined heavy bombers after the outbreak of hostilities.

The first prototype's inaugural flight took place on 25 October 1939; itwas followed by the first production example just under a year later, and

No 35 Squadron received initial deliveries in November 1940. March 194 I

saw Halifaxes becoming the first four-engined RAF aircraft to bomb targets

in Germany, and, along with the Lancaster, the type was at the forefront ofBomber Command's offensive for the rest of the war, both in Merlin and

Hercules-powered versions. However,the Halifax also earned its spurs withinCoastal Command and as a glider tug,amongst other specialised roles. In

peacetime, ex-RAF examples became civilian workhorses on the Berlin Airlift.

-:1r

Brislol BeoufighterThe Beaufighter's predecessoras a night fighter, the BristolBlenheim, fought stoically in theearly years of WW2 but was

really too slow and vulnerable.

The Beaufighter addressed bothof these shortcomings. lts firstflight was on l7 July 1939, and

the Beaufighter lf was ready forservice entry in the late summerof I 940, taking advantage ofthe newly-developed Airbornelnterception (Al) radar and posing

a potent threat to Luftwaffe nightraiders.Yet it was also effective as

a day fighter in theWestern Desertand the Mediterranean, and as a

long-range fighter with Coastal Command.The latter later also employed rocket and

torpedo-armed BeaufighterVls and Xs togreat effect. lt was, meanwhile, in the Far

East where the exploits of Beaufighters

gained the type its best-l<nown nickname,

the Japanese dubbing it the'WhisperingDeath'.A total of 52 RAF squadrons flewBeaufighters; the rocket-equipped aircraft in

the accompanying image hailed from No 30

Squadron, Royal Australian Air Force.

Howker TyphoonThe Typhoon got off to something of a 'falsestart' in service. lntended as a standard fighter,and first flown on 24 February 1940, it tool<some time for production machines to becomeavailable.When they did, initially to No 56Squadron at Duxford in August-SeptemberI 94 I, they

- or, rather, the type's Napier Sabreengine - proved highly troublesome.The advantages of having 400mphperformance in an RAF fighter for thefirst time were negated by the Sabreslacl< of reliability and poor high-altitudeperformance. But things got better as

time went on, and using the Typhoonas a fighter-bomber and ground attacl<aircraft proved far more successful.Typhoons played a substantial partin theAllied offensive across Europebefore and after D-Day, later armedwith bombs of up to 2,0001b androcl<ets. lt did not last long in service

- in fact, not beyond I 945 - buttheTyphoon had proved a classicexample of mal<ing a sill< purseout of a sow's ear. Being refuelledand re-armed in the photo is an

invasion-striped No 257 Squadronairc raft.

q{l

{ t,,'tt'*

lili,::1'l:'1':Sriiii'.. ii.

n .l;i,Itjirlit'

de Hqvillond MosquiloIt is surprising how many greataeroplanes began as private ventures,theMosquito being one such.An all-woodenlight bomber whose speed would be

its only defensive weapon might have

seemed an odd concept, but the aircraft!qualities soon struck home when thefirst example, which took to the airfrom Hatfield on 25 November 1940,

was demonstrated. lts Merlin-enginedperformance was astounding, and morethan .justified the initial RAF order placed

earlier that year.Just a year later, No 105

Squadron took on its initial Mosquito lVs.

This was a true'multi-role' aircraftbefore the term entered commonusage - as a bomber, it tormented theLuftwaffe with its pace and agility at high

and low levels, could carry bombs up toand including the 4,0001b'blockbuster',and was famed for the pinpoint attacks

it could prosecute, but the Mosquito, ofwhich more than 7,700 were produced,was also an outstanding night fighter,target-marker, anti-shipping strikbplatform and photo recce aircraft. ln thephoto can be seen two Mosquito lVs ofNo 105 Squadron.

Aviatron images com

Avro lqncosterHad theAvro Manchester been a success,there mightwell have been no Lancaster.

As it was, the twin-engined, Rolls-RoyceVulture-powered Manchester was a disaster,

so it was back to the drawing board forAvrol design team headed by Roy Chadwick.With its four proven Merlins, the Lancaster was rid of most of the problems thatbeset its predecessor, and 7,377 would go on to be built, beginning with a prototypethat flew on 9 January 194 l. No 44 Squadron atWaddington became the firstLancaster operator in early 1942, followed by No 97 Squadron, and their low-level

daylight raid on the MAN Diesel works inAugsburg that March was the first of the

heroic exploits by'Lancs' and their crews.There followed August 19421 first ever

Pathfinder Force operation,the attack on the Mohne and Eder dams by No 617

Squadron in May 1943, and the sinking of the Tirpitz in November l944,to name but

three. By the end of the war, I 0 Lancaster crew members had been awarded theVictoria Cross, and the aircraft itself had been developed to carry bombs as large as

the 22,0001b'Grand Slam'. Some enjoyed a productive second career with Coastal

Command, soldiering on until I 954, while the Royal Canadian Air Force kept its

maritime patrollers up to 1963.

w vt vt. a i r c r a ftut a g a z i n e - c a. u k

. ,.""!":t"{w,/ \':'.i'..i.,t.).tM

':::ta.tt t:tWWlY.

Glosiet MeleorTwo'firsts' were achieved by the Meteor - it was the RAF's

first jet aircraft, and the first (and only) Allied jet that saw accion

before the end ofWW2.The experimental Gloster E28l39 had

helped prove the concept of a British jet aircraft when it began

tests in l94l,though the Meteor would be a very different beast,

requiring the extra power of a twin configuration. Numerouspowerplants were used, the first of the F9l40 prototypes to fly,

on 5 March 1943, using Halford H ls, though the Rolls-Royce

Welland I equipped the Meteor ls that entered service withNo 616 Squadron in july l944.These aircraft began by being used

againstV I flying bombs, downing I 3 of them. From the improvedMeteor lll onwards, the Rolls-Royce Derwent became the type'sstandard engine, this being gradually uprated for the major F4

and F8 production single-seaters, and variants thereof such as theNFI I to NFl4 night fighters. Meanwhile,theTT had become theRAF's first jet trainer upon service entry in I 948, reflecting theonward march of the jet. lt was also flown by l6 overseas nations.The aircraft in the photo is Meteor F8YZ440,the first of that

marl< to go to the RAF, specifically No 43 Squadron,

in August 1949.

de Hovillond VqmpireAlthough it flew not long after the Meteor, in September 1943,

theVampire Fl had to wait until the war was over ro starr irsoperational RAF service, doing so with No 247 Squadron.TheF I and F3 variants did not last long before being supersededby the FB5 fighter-bomber,which became the most numerousmarl< of all, and spearheaded the growth of the RAF's front-line presence in Germany during the early 1950s. Units based

in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and Far Easc also tookonVampires as their initial jet equipment.Two-seatVampiresstarted out with the NF l0 night fighter of 1949, theVampireTrainer, designated T I I by the RAI following in 1950 and

heralding a new dawn for the RAF pilot training scheme. Now,pilots would gain their'wings' on jets at FlyingTraining Schoolsbefore moving on to their Operational Conversion Units.Vampires also saw service with l6 other nations, the Swiss AirForce being the last to retire the type, doing so in l990.Twoof its FB6s are shown here.

Swiss i{d

Vickers ViscountFor a long time, no British airliner proved as commerciallysuccessful as theViscount. lt was also a pioneer, being the firstturboprop-powered machine to enter commercial service.

The Rolls-Royce Dart-poweredViscount prototype flewfor the first time in July l948.This initialType 630 version,which started flying for BEA two years later, was far fromperfect - as a 32-seater and possessing less-than-impressive

performance, the operating economics didnt work. But theimproved Type 700, accommodating up to 53 seats, was farmore impressive,the prototype (G-AMAV pictured here)proving fastest in the transport class of the I 953 air race

between London and Christchurch, New Zealand,whileanother stretch produced the 7 I -seatType 800. By then,it was truly a success, even breaking into the US domesticmarket.The 445th and lastViscount rolled offthe line in1964 - not until the BAe Jetstream beat it in 1990 wouldanother British airliner exceed that total.

wvl w. <z i rcr a fu n ago;r ine. ctl. rrk

Alratlcn lilagc! 'oril

English Electric CqnberroThere can be no doubt that the Canberra deserves a place in the pantheon oftruly great aeroplanes - and not just truly great British aeroplanes.The twinRolls-RoyceAvon-powered jet bomber was a quantum leap over everythingthat had gone before, being fast, high-flying, agile, versatile and able to deliveran impressive punch. lt was clearly outstanding when the English ElectricAlprototype got air under its wheels in Roland Beamont's hands on l3 May 1949,proved so obviously capable in testing rhar rhe USAF ordered it as an all-weatherinterdictor even before RAF service entry of the Canberra 82 in May 195 l,andremained a valuable RAF asset right up until the retirement of its last CanberraPR9s in the summer of 2006.Just over 900 were built in the UK, plus 48 inAustralia, and the type served with l5 nations as well as the UK and, in B-57 form, theUSA. Of course, the Canberra had its idiosyncrasies, but 60 years after its first flight it is

still remembered with enormous affection.Those in the accompanying photograph are B6s

of Nos I 09 and I 39 Squadrons, based at Binbrook in I 956.

t\ \/ I I

de Hqvillond ComelThe uncharitable might say that few aircraft sum up Britain's lostlead in post-war aircraft development better than the DH 106

Comet.All seemed rosy when the prototype took to the air on27 )uly l949,thus becoming the world's first jet airliner to fly, andthe Comet I's entry into service with BOAC in May 1952 was a

matter of considerable pride. But there then followed the series offatal accidents, the latter two in 1954 the result of metal fatigue, thatkilled off its hopes.The aircraft leading the formation shown, G-ALYBwas involved in the first of the fatigue-related disasters. Not untilthe Comet 4 came along in I 958 did the type begin to make any

further inroads intothe global marl<et, butby then the Boeing707 and DouglasDC-8 had begun toclean up.The Comethas lived on,though,in the RAFi Nimrodmaritime patrol and

ISTAR aircraft, and it is incredible that,60 years after the DH 106prototype's maiden flight, rhe RAF is waiting to tal<e delivery of thelatest variant of this line, the Nimrod MRA4.

L \E

ffiew

vt v"' w. * i r t r a iin a g t:: ;: i n e. t:r:. u ! t

Howker HunterThe most beautiful iet aircraft ever builtlVery

.. .......-...: .': '" possibly.The Hunter certainly looked right,

.,-' ' '' d and, after early teething troubles, it flew right,

#l #{: powered P 1 067 prototype up for the first

."6't i'. -,s time on 20 July 195 I, though the need for

"d{--: further development delayed the arrival of' -Y d'G{fr the first Hunter F ls with No 43 Squadron

,.i 'L'*

{, .r

"fr

iq;

*t{nf until July 1954, and even then the first mark

{$n was a troubled machine, unable to fire its

\ tt,7' gun at high altitudes or high speeds for fear

of causing a flameout.As an interim measure

;,"*.:*' there followed the F2, with an Armstrong,.d:' Siddeley Sapphire turbojet, but then it

was back to theAvon - in improved# versions - and Hunter marks that could

;$ at last fulfil the design's potential, with

. ;v,i.t good performance and longer range'Ther'ut .r& main production Hunter for the RAF was

,,,:,111:1','.t,": ::, the F6, on which were based the ground

attack FGA9 and fighter/recce FRl0.Two-seatTTs served the RAF from I 958

fi

.:w-wM

$

r

until l994.The Hunter also proved a

great export success, being flown by 2 I

u other nations - indeed, Lebanon has

just returned its to service! Pictured

':. is a four-ship of FGA9s from No 208d Squadron, RAF, going vertical with

. Mount Kilimaniaro in the bacl<ground.

'ffiBristol BritqnnioThe Britannia finally came along with its Bristol Proreusturboprops when airlines were looking for jets forlong-range services, endured a protracted developmentprogramme punctuated by various problems, and couldhave sent its manufacturer into banl<ruptcy.The firstBritannia (G-ALBO, pictured in BOAC marl<ings) flewin August 1952, but BOAC service entry didn't takeplace for anorher five years. ln December 1957, it didhowever become the first turbine-powered aircraft tooperate services across the North Atlantic. Productionwas propped up by RAF orders and a few small dealswith overseas carriers - alas, it was never going to beenough.At least the Britannia en.joyed a long life withBritish charter operators, one of which, of course, evennamed itself after the type!

'^ffiilffi]

Avro VulconThe huge public interest in XH558 today proves theVulcan! enduringstatus as an icon of the ColdWar and of British aviation.The second ofthe triumvirate of 'V-bombers' to fly, doing so on 30 August I 952, the deltawing configuration was chosen by designer Roy Chadwick as a means ofmaximising the aircraft's weapons load, speed and range.That firstAvro

Type 698 got airborne initially under the power of four Avons, thoughproduction examples, deliveries of which to No 230 OperationalConversion Unit commenced atWaddington in February 1957, woulduse Bristol Olympus engines. More powerful units were employedon theVulcan 82,which also had a wing of greater span and chord,affording a bigger weapons payload and longer range.The type's rolealtered substantially over the years, starting out as part of the UK!nuclear deterrent, and finishing up near the end of its service lifeperforming conventional attacks against port Stanley during theFalklands War'Blacl< Bucl<' missions - the only time, thanl<fully,Vulcans were ever used'in anger'.The K2 tanl<ers of No 50Squadron were the last in service, being phased out in 1984. Shownis the first production B I, XA889.

tt+"tw. o i ;: tr *l7szt ti ;1ti ti n c.cc. t i k^

English EleclricLightningTo the Lightning goes thehonour of being the RAF's

first fighter able to go

supersonic in level flight

- a level of performancethat demanded rigorousaerodynamic testing. Roland

Beamont made the rnaiden

flight of the English ElectricPIA prototype, then with two Sapphire engines,

on 4 August I 954, though the subsequent P I Bs

would be far closer to production configuration

- the first of thern became the first British

aircraft to reach Mach 2, in November l958.The

Central Fighter Establislrment at Coltishall got

its first Lightning F ls late in 1959, and No 74

Squadron in July 1960 - -a new era for the RAF's

fighter force had begun.Thc Lightning's main

handicap remained its short range, despite the

extra fuel tanl<age on thc latcr F3 and F6 marlcs,

but pilots loved its outstanding performance

whatever the shortcomings.June 1988 saw No I I

Squadron relinquishing its last Lightnings at

Binbrool< - it was a sad day, and theTornado F3 could never hope to be viewed withsuch excitement. Pictured here is a Lightning F2

ofNo l9Squadron.

/'\ 'rr f,,rrr.r|rr a-1r arl!,'

Blockbutn BuccqneerA Fleet Air Arm requirement (NA39, by which

designation the prototypes were known)

for a carrier-borne low-level stril<e aircraf!produced the Buccaneer.What Blacl<burn came

up with was an innovative design, involving

such elements as the use of boundary layer

control and a rotating bomb bay. Upon service

entry with the FAA in 1962, it was clear thatthe Buccaneer S I i Gyron Junior engines were

inadequate, but the Rolls-Royce Speys of the

52, which arrived in 1965, cured this failing and

unlocked the type's potential.The RAF decided

to adopt the Buccaneer when its F- I I I K

order was cancelled,

buying some for itselfand tal<ing on ex- FAA

aircraft. Alreadydeemed obsolescent,

the type saw combatwith the RAF in the199 I Gulf War - three

years later, No 208

Squadron retired its last'Buccs'.The aircraft in

this shot is an S I aboutto be fired from the bowcatapult on HMS Hermes

in 1962.

AIRFIX