T H E G U I L D O F A I R P I L O T S A N D A I R N AV I G AT O R S

A P R I L 2 0 0 9 N o . 1 7 4

PUBLISHED BY:The Guild of Air Pilots and AirNavigators, Cobham House, 9 WarwickCourt, Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5DJ.

EDITOR:Group Captain T Eeles BA FRAeS

FUNCTION PHOTOGRAPHY: Gerald Sharp Photography

View images and order prints on-line.TELEPHONE: 020 8599 5070

EMAIL: info@sharpphoto.co.ukWEBSITE: www.sharpphoto.co.uk

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Except where specifically stated, none of the materialin this issue is to be taken as expressing the opinionof the Court of the Guild.

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS:The copy deadline for the June 2009edition of Guild News is 1 May 2009 andshould be sent to: The Editor, GuildNews, Cobham House, 9 Warwick Court,Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5DJ.

TELEPHONE: 020 7404 4032 FAX NO: 020 7404 4035

EMAIL: gapan@gapan.orgWEBSITE: www.gapan.org 2

Guild DiaryAPRIL 20097 1st Technical and Air Safety Committee Cobham House9 1st General Purposes and Finance Committee Cobham House14 Benevolent Fund Board of Management Cobham House16 Pilot Aptitude Testing RAF Cranwell25 Flyer Show Sofitel, Heathrow29 Guild Luncheon Club RAF Club29 Cobham Lecture Royal Aeronautical Society

MAY 200912 1st Education and Training Committee Cobham House14 2nd General Purposes and Finance Committee Cobham House14 1st Court Meeting Cutlers’ Hall27 Livery Dinner Drapers’ Hall

JUNE 20092 2nd Technical and Air Safety Committee Cobham House11 3rd General Purposes and Finance Committee Cobham House11 New Members’ Briefing Cobham House11 Aptitude Assessment RAF Cranwell12-14 Aero Expo 2009 Wycombe Air Park24 Election of Sheriffs Guildhall

JULY 20092 Trophies and Awards Committee Cobham House7 Benevolent Fund Board of Management Cobham House14 2nd Education and Training Committee Cobham House16 4th GP&F Committee Meeting Cobham House16 2nd Court Meeting Cutlers’ Hall26 Guild Sunday St Michael’s Cornhill

AUGUST 20092 Garden Party Old Warden Military Pageant6 Aptitude Assessment RAF Cranwell

SEPTEMBER 20098 3rd Technical and Air Safety Committee Cobham House10 5th GP&F Committee Meeting Cobham House10 3rd Court Meeting Cobham House29 Election of Lord Mayor Guildhall30 Guild Luncheon Club RAF Club30 Sir Frederick Tymms Lecture Royal Aeronautical Society

Guild Visits Programme

22 April DHFS, Shawbury

6 May Martin Baker, Denham

18-19 May Airbus, Toulouse

4 June RNLI Poole

22 July RAF Brize Norton

2 September Naval Strike Wing, RAF Cottesmore

15 September Brooklands Weybridge

Cover picture: The record breakers gather. Wing Commander Andy Green,the Master, Richard Noble and Tony Ogilvy outside the Officer's Mess,SAAF Base Ysterplaat, prior to the Alex Henshaw Banquet.

THE GUILD OF AIR PILOTS AND AIR NAVIGATORS

PATRON:His Royal Highness The Prince Philip

Duke of Edinburgh KG KT

GRAND MASTER:His Royal Highness The Prince Andrew

Duke of York KG KCVO

MASTER:Rear Admiral

C H D Cooke-PriestCB FRAeS

CLERK: Paul J Tacon BA FCIS

The Guild, founded in 1929, is a LiveryCompany of the City of London.

(Letters Patent 1956)

In this edition of Guild News

4 News round up… missingpainting?

5 The Master writes …

6 Clerk’s Column

7 Guild Visit toDunlop Tyres

New WardenProfile

8 - 9 AGM Report

10-11 Profile of theNew Master

12-13 GAPAN Flying Club

14 - 15Gapan in SouthAfricaAlex HenshawCommemorativeBanquet

16 - 17The Guildcrosses theAtlantic

18 The Flying Fortress - Flying Bomb

19 Technical BriefingGazetteE & TC Report

20 Alex Henshaw - A Flying Legend3

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Introducing your new editorLiveryman and Court Assistant TomEeles has taken over as HonoraryEditor of the Guild News fromLiveryman Linda Jones. Tom’sprevious editorial experience has beenconfined to producing the BuccaneerAircrew Association’s bi-annualnewsletter and in 2008 he had hisautobiography, ‘A Passion for Flying’,published by Pen and Sword. Hestates that the task of editing such ahigh quality publication as GuildNews is a daunting one, and hopesthat Guild members will sharpen theirpens or rush to their computers toproduce a steady stream of articles forpublication. He can be contactedthrough the Guild office or direct by email at teeleseditor@hotmail.co.uk.

Visit to Red Arrows cancelledThe inclement winter weather causedthe Guild’s visit to the RAF AerobaticTeam, the Red Arrows, scheduled for11th February, to be cancelled. TheRed Arrows, one of the Guild’saffiliated units, are normally well intotheir winter pre-season work up bymid-February but this year theunusually severe weather had delayedprogress considerably. When theweather improves they will beworking very hard to catch up so thatthe granting of Public DisplayApproval is not delayed .

News from BahrainLiveryman Yvonne Trueman,Governor Arabian Section, 99’sInternational Women’s PilotsAssociation, is reporting an increase innumbers of lady pilots joining theArabian Section. She writes fromBahrain: ‘My area stretches fromEgypt down to Oman, a vastpioneering area and seemingly manymore ladies are taking to the skies.Last year our Section only had 7members. This year we have 17 ladypilots, our Section is now larger thanAustria, Brazil, Great Britain,Caribbean, Far East, Finland, India,Israel, Mexico, New Zealand andNorway. It is all very exciting’.

UK Alex Henshaw DinnerFollowing the cancellation of the UKAlex Henshaw Dinner, LiverymanPeter Adams Lord of Abbots - Hayhosted a private dinner at the RAFClub on 7th February to celebrate thelife of Alex Henshaw. His 3 specialguests were Captain Eric (Winkle)Brown, Wing Commanders PeterAyerst and Ken Wallace, all of whomwere friends of Alex Henshaw, Winkleand Peter were also test pilots, likeAlex Henshaw. Some 20 peopleattended the dinner, including WarrantOfficer Roy St C Finch, Freeman andformer Wellington pilot, GeoffreyLane, student pilot, Ken Tuson, PhilipWest, aviation artist, Melanie de Watt,Ken Sawdy and Allan Bennett. WinkleBrown, Ken Wallace and Peter Ayerstsigned philatelic covers and prints thatwill be used for fund raising withinthe Joint Services Consortium. A toastwas proposed by the host to the late,great Alex Henshaw and all whoattended were entertained by thevarious stories about him related bythe 3 special guests.

New Affiliated UnitNo 4624 Squadron, Royal Auxiliary AirForce, has accepted the invitation fromthe Guild to become an affiliated unit.The squadron is based at RAF BrizeNorton and is a busy air movementsorganisation. Past Master Pooley hasagreed to be the liaison officer andfurther details of the squadron’s workwill be published in the June editionof Guild News.

Inter Livery Bridge CompetitionLiveryman Arthur Creighton reportsthat the 27th inter-Livery Bridgecompetition was played on 2nd Marchin Drapers’ Hall. A total of 64 pairsparticipated in the two sessionDuplicate Bridge event. Since he wasthe only player from GAPAN he waspaired, with the assistance of theorganisers, with a previous Master ofThe Worshipful Company of Makers ofPlaying Cards. They acquittedthemselves well by finishing in the toptwenty. It was a most pleasant eveningwith good Bridge, in the wonderfulsurroundings of Drapers’ Hall,accompanied by a splendid dinnerserved during the interval. Hopefullynext year the Guild will be able toenter more players in this event. Ifanyone would like to take part in anevening of very relaxed and enjoyableBridge, please contact the Clerk whowill send the details when theybecome available. j

Can you help trace a missingpainting?Jill Newton, PA to David Shepherd,has asked for help in tracing one ofDavid’s paintings that has gonemissing. Later this year DavidShepherd will be having an exhibitionat RAF Coningsby to raise funds forthe Battle of Britain Memorial FlightFund. It will include many paintingsnever before seen in public and he istrying to track down one particularone. It is a painting (reproduced onthis page) of Westland Wyverns flyingover Mount Etna. It may still be in amilitary Mess or archive somewhere,but if any members of GAPAN couldhelp track it down, David would behugely grateful.

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The Master writes …COLIN COOKE-PRIEST

Ma n yyearsago a

wise old sailorg r a v e l yinformed methat, like it ornot, every shipreflected thepersonality ofits captain.

With the arrogance of youth Irejected such an idea as quiteimpossible and it was only someyears later, when I had been luckyenough to experience a couple ofbites at the command cherry, that Icame to realise that, like it or not,the old sailor was indeed wise! Itwas a salutary and somewhatdaunting realisation. Over the lastfour years studying the Guild as Imoved ever closer to the chair, Ihave come to the conclusion that, ina great many respects, the Guild tooreflects the personality of its Master.It is therefore with great pride but nolittle trepidation that I accept thechallenge of being the public face ofthe Guild for the coming year with,of course, and for obvious reasons,the double pleasure that my termshould fall during the centenary yearof naval aviation.

It is customary for the new Master touse this first message to outline hisaims and aspirations for the comingyear. However, I must first pay tributeto my predecessor and his year ofastonishing achievement. The drivingforce behind the incipient creation oftwo new overseas regions, Canada andSouth Africa, together with the conductof a wide-ranging Strategic Review ofthe Guild and its business would havebeen sufficient to keep most mortalsout of trouble! In combination withthe rigorous demands of a ‘standard’Master’s year, to say nothing of keepinghis own business on track, the tornadothat is R P-E has led us firmly from thefront and left us, if somewhatbreathless, with the exciting prospectof a clear way ahead for the next stepsin the Guild’s development. We owe

him our gratitude and ourcongratulations an outstanding year.Inmany ways the foundation work towhich I have just referred will shapeour principal efforts for the comingyear. A number of Guild membershave invested a considerable amountof precious time in conducting theStrategic Review and all of you havehad the chance to make an input. It isnow important that we capitalise on allthis effort and it is this next stagewhich will effectively configure myaims for the year. In a wordconsolidation. I do not want to pre-empt the publication of the findings ofthe Review as you will, of course, all bereceiving your own copies in duecourse. However it is clear that wehave work to do on ‘communication’.There are mis-understandings in theway the Guild works; shortcomingshave been identified for the eliminationof which work is already in hand, butnot generally appreciated; insufficientcredit or use is made of the massivestore of aviation expertise andexperience that is contained within theGuild membership, to highlight but afew of the issues that we need toaddress. I am also keen to generate abetter understanding of the role andresponsibilities of Assistants to theCourt and to continue the work alreadyin hand to facilitate their greaterinvolvement. This is fundamental tothe future wellbeing of our Guild sinceit is from the ranks of the Assistantsthat the Masters emerge. The reasonswhy, in general terms, members waituntil the latter end of their careers tooffer themselves for election is wellunderstood, but with a clearer view ofthe responsibilities and commitmentsthis trend can, hopefully, be reversed.

I am sure that you will not be surprisedto notice a nautical flavour to a numberof our activities this year. I have felt fora while that if any section of theaviation community is under-represented within the Guildmembership it is perhaps the dark blueelement and I shall use the year to domy level best to spread the name andfame of the Guild and encouragegreater involvement from within thenaval aviation fraternity. At the sametime I was delighted to see that the

take-up for the opportunity to spend acouple of days at sea in HMS Illustriousin the Spring was both instant andoverwhelming! Michael Glover’s PCwas positively smoking and whilstthose lucky enough to secure a placewill undoubtedly have a fascinatinginsight into the special challenges offlying operations at sea, it will alsoprovide an excellent opportunity tospread the word about the Guild andwhat it does. I would also like to drawyour attention to our two lectures thisyear. The subjects of both should offerwide appeal and as I felt thatattendance at the 2008 lectures wasslightly disappointing I hope that thosewho can will make a real effort tosupport at least one of them this year.

Finally, a brief word about the charitythat I have selected to support thisyear. Canine Partners trains dogs frompuppy to partnership level to master anextraordinary list of skills and helpstransform the lives of people withmajor disabilities, enabling them to livemore independently and, in so doing,helps them back into education andemployment. Their training head-quarters is at Heyshott, West Sussexand once fully trained these amazingdogs can respond to over a hundredcommands from their human partner –from helping them to dress andundress, selecting items from asupermarket shelf, presenting a purseor wallet at a checkout or collecting aphone when it rings - the list is toonumerous to cover here but a visit towww.caninepartners.co.uk gives anexcellent insight into what they do. Sueand I are looking forward enormouslyto an interesting and exciting year andto meeting as many of you as possibleat the various functions and visits.j

PS Guild Ladies Outing. Please makea note in your diary - Sue's 'LadiesOuting' will be a visit to the RoyalMews on Friday 24th July at 2.30, withthe intention to have lunch at the RAFClub beforehand. We don't yet haveenough details to prepare a flyer, butas soon as we do the details willappear on the website and in a flyer inthe next edition of the Guild News. Inthe meantime, you might just wish tolet the office know if you are availableto attend

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Guild WebsiteAs I write, the new website is nearingcompletion. By the time ofpublication of this edition of GuildNews it might be ‘live’ and, if so, Itrust all members, and non-membersalike, are benefiting from the moremodern structure and content. Youwill all have received, or soon willreceive, the details to log-in to the‘Members’ Pages’ which, although not‘confidential’ are considered ‘private –for members only’ and hence have theadditional, but limited, protectionagainst entry. The database remainsconfidential, however, and thereforeretains its higher level of protection,but individual members' usernameand password will remain unchanged.

There is a comments section on thewebsite, so we would be pleased to getany constructive feedback! It will beactioned if appropriate.

For those members who mayremember former Honorary Editor ofGuild News, Freeman Harry Payne, Isadly report that he died (peacefully)on 28 Jan 2009 in PeterboroughDistrict Hospital at the age of 98.

Harry became a Freeman of the Guildin 1991 when he also took on the roleof Honorary Editor of the ‘Journal ofthe Guild of Air Pilots and AirNavigators’ until 1993. Following awartime role as a Fighter ControlOfficer, he returned to civilian life afterthe war but rejoined the RAF as aregular officer in 1950 where heserved until March 1962. He thenbecame Secretary-General of theSociety of Licenced Aircraft Engineersand retired in 1977 to edit ‘AircraftEngineering’ for four years and,subsequently, the Guild Journal.

Previous GAPAN PPLScholarship WinnerSimon Keightley writes:For as long as I can remember I havehad a love for flying and alwaysdreamed of becoming a pilot, so in2005 I was delighted to have beenawarded a GAPAN PPL Scholarship. Icompleted my PPL training near homein Cornwall, I really enjoyed the flyingand it confirmed that this was what Iwanted to do. Following my PPLtraining, I completed my degree inAeronautical Engineering atManchester University and Iimmediately started looking for a wayinto flying as a career.

I concluded that the only way for meto realise my dream was to try to selffund my training. I started anintegrated course with OxfordAviation Academy (OAA) inSeptember 2007.

The PPL training really helped meduring the first phases of my training.I found I knew what to expect fromthe ground school exams and I had afairly good grounding in many of thesubjects. After completing the groundschool I went out to Arizona, whereOAA sends students for the first partof the flying training. Having flownCessnas during my PPL flying theWarrior took a little getting used to,but having that little extra experiencestood me in good stead for the

training, especially when moving ontothe Seneca. Flying the twin across thedesert and around Phoenix at nightwas incredible and it will stay with meforever. What I found most difficult toget used to in America was theweather. I trained in Arizona betweenApril and September so we had theheight of the summer and themonsoon season. In contrast, Ireturned to Oxford to do my IR duringOctober in the worst winter for 27years. As you can imagine, movingfrom 48 degrees in the shade tocancelling flights because the runwayis closed due to snow is quite anexperience.

The PPL stood me in very good steadfor my CPL course, and I feelprivileged to have been given thatopportunity by GAPAN. It confirmedthat flying was the career of mydreams and, recession or not, I amdetermined to make it so. My sincerethanks go to all at GAPAN andparticularly my PPL sponsors Pprune,BA High Flight, the Roger RaymondTrust and the Ian Verner memorialfund, for their encouragement and forhelping me on the way to a career inaviation.j

Clerk’s columnPAUL TACONLearned Clerk

Grand MasterHRH The Prince Andrew,

Duke of York KG KCVO

MasterRear Admiral C H D Cooke-Priest

CB FRAeS

Immediate Past MasterAir Commodore R S Peacock-Edwards

CBE AFC FRAeS FCIM

Master ElectDr M A Fopp MA FMA FRAeS

WardensCaptain O W Epton FRAeS

Air Marshal C R Spink CB FIMgt FRAeS

His Honour Judge T W Owen FRAeS

AssistantsProfessor M D Joy

OBE MD FRCP FACC FESC FRAeS

Mrs D J Pooley LLB (Hons) FRAeS

Captain J B Robinson AFC* FRAeS

Squadron Leader C J Ford RAF

Captain D A J Martin FRAeS

Mrs P A Nelmes BA(Hons) FRGS

Captain K Warburton FRAeS

R O Whitefield EsqCaptain P Q BennCaptain A J Boyce

JP BAv MBS(Hons) FRAeS AFRIN

Captain C A CoxGroup Captain T Eeles BA FRAeS

Professor D M GreenCBE BScEcon PhDEcon FRSA

G C Hackemer Esq BSc ARAeS

ClerkPaul J Tacon Esq BA FCIS

The Court 2009/2010

7

THE NEW WARDEN,A CAREER PROFILEHis Honour Judge Tudor Owen

• Read Law atKing’s College,graduated withLL.B. (Hons) in1973.

• Cadet Pilot (VR)member of ULAS– flew Chipmunksat what was thenRAF WhiteWaltham.

• Very tempted to apply to the RAF butdecided to pursue original ambition tobecome a barrister.

• After Bar Finals, Called to the Bar byGray’s Inn in 1974. Joined Chambers inthe Temple. Practised primarily inLondon although, over the years, mypractice took me all over the country.

• Initially specialised in both criminal andaviation law but ultimately almostentirely aviation cases.

• 1981, obtained a PPL and subsequentlyadded Multi and Night Ratings.

• First involvement with the City in 1987when the Secretary of State appointedme as an Inspector to conduct

investigations on behalf of theDepartment of Trade and Industry.Conducted several investigations overthe years.

• In 1987, elected to the Bar Council.Served two 3-year terms, and became amember of the Executive Committee.

• Became involved in the warbird worldthrough friendship with StefanKarwowski, an ex-RAF display pilot thenflying warbirds.

• Bought a Harvard with Mark Hanna, atthat time still in the RAF flyingPhantoms. Flew displays with whatbecame Ray Hanna’s Old Flying MachineCompany at Duxford.

• In 1990, flew the Atlantic in a SiaiMarchetti SF260 with LiverymanGraham Horder.

• 1991 – appointed a Recorder (DeputyJudge) of the Crown Court.

• 1995, PPL(H). Training on the RobinsonR22 and then obtained JetRanger andGazelle Ratings.

• 2004 took over from Sir John Alison asthe UK delegate to Europe Air Sportswhen Sir John became President of EAS.

• Became widely known in aviation by thenickname ‘Flying Lawyer’.

• Made a Fellow of the RAeS in 2001

• Presented with a ‘Friend of AOPA’ awardin 2005. Citation: “ For his tireless work

on behalf of AOPA members and for allpilots everywhere. Tudor Owen hassaved the licences and sometimes thelivelihoods of many pilots. Even in casesin which he was not directly involved, hehas given advice to pilots free of charge.’

• In 2005, the Guild invited me to becomea Liveryman in recognition of his"distinguished contribution to aviationover the years" and his "formidabledefence of pilots in time of need".(Quote from invitation letter from thenMaster Peter Bugge.)

• Clothed in 2006 by then Master JockLowe whom I’d met when he was anexpert witness in several cases and whohad originally proposed me formembership of the Guild.

• Served on the Affiliated Companies Sub-Committee in 2006 with then WardenRP-E and the Clerk.

• Elected as an Assistant in 2006.Persuaded by Jock and RPE to stand.Initially declined, saying I’d always behappy to help the Guild as and whenrequired but I didn’t want a formalposition. I’m very pleased theypersuaded me to change my mind.

• Became Chairman of the MembershipCommittee and of the South AfricaProject Committee.

• Became a Judge in October 2007. j

DUNLOP AIRCRAFTTYRES LTDGuild visit - 20 January 2009ARTHUR THORNING

Aparty of 19 from the Guild, ledby the Master, visited DunlopAircraft Tyres at Birmingham, in

an area redolent with aviation history.The factory is adjacent to the site of theWW2 Castle Bromwich factory whichproduced the majority of Spitfire aircraftand is just along the road from thedramatic ‘Sentinel’ Spitfire sculpturewhich stands near the former entranceof the airfield. Our party was welcomedby Ian Edmondson, Chairman &Managing Director, who explained thatthe company is the only specialistmanufacturer of aircraft tyres in theworld and will next year celebrate itscentenary. The company manufacturesand retreads an impressive range oftyres that are popular with military andcivil operators around the globe.Looking to the future they are expandingtheir range of radial aircraft tyres and totake advantage of the expanding FarEast market, are opening a facility inChina which will sell new tyresmanufactured in the UK and provide aretread service. Having a retread

facility in the region is important toexpand sales as it is too costly to returnthe worn tyres back to the company’sretread facility in England to beretreaded.

We were given a detailed briefing on thedesign, manufacture, care andmaintenance of aircraft tyres by DavidBaker, Chief Designer, and SteveFitzmaurice, Technical SupportManager. Traditionally, aircraft tyreshave mostly been of cross-plyconstruction using compounds ofnatural rubber, with nylon cords underthe treads (to give strength and stability)and steel wire reinforcing the walls.Such tyres give excellent cost ofownership for aircraft flying manysectors because they may be retreadedup to seven times. However radial-plyconstruction is increasingly favouredbecause of reduced weight, albeit at theexpense of obtaining less retreads pertyre; typically no more than 2 to 3retreads per tyre is common for a radialtyre. Typically a cross-ply tyre for a civilaircraft can achieve around 400 landingsper tread life – less in hot countries butas many as 800 to 900 landings in coldcountries. Notably, the dimensions andpressures are still measured in inchesand pounds per square inch!

Many factors have to be considered inthe design of an aircraft tyre – short orlong haul use, brake heat soak, inflight

heating (eg for supersonic aircraft), jetefflux (eg Harrier), water deflectioncharacteristics and retreadability. Heatbuild up is a major concern for tyredesigners and operators. Long taxi runsare a problem – at takeoff the tyretemperature is typically 120 degrees C -and a subsequent rejected takeoff withhard braking results in the scrapping ofthe tyres. Each tyre design has to berigorously tested – there is a cycle ofsome 61 tests, 50 simulating takeoff(maximum weight), 8 taxi, 2 overloadtaxi and one overload takeoff. Inaddition there is a range of static testsincluding a dramatic ‘tyre burst test’using water pressure. Much emphasis isplaced on ensuring that tyres aremaintained at the correct pressure andthat they can hold their pressure – onlynitrogen is used for inflation, air mightcause deterioration.

The visit moved on to a factory tour,where we were impressed by the highskill content of the manufacturingprocess, followed by a generous buffetlunch. When the Master had expressedour thanks to Dunlop Aircraft Tyres, heremarked that there is a lot more tomaking a tyre than is obvious, andpromised not to kick a valuable tyreagain, we departed, passing the iconicSpitfire sculpture once more.j

8

The Guild’s 80th year startswith a dark blue theme,most appropriate in the

year that celebrates the 100thanniversary of Naval aviation.Rear Admiral Colin Cooke-Priestis the new Master, succeedingAir Commodore Rick Peacock-Edwards who has becomeImmediate Past Master. DrMichael Fopp is the new MasterElect and Judge Tudor Owen thenew Warden.With Wardens Captain Wally Epton, abusiness aviation pilot and leadingmember of the Historic AircraftAssociation, and Air Marshal CliffSpink, a noted current ‘warbird’ pilot,the Guild cannot be accused ofignoring the historical aspects ofaviation.

The transition on 19 March from oldCourt to new took place later than in2008. The day started late afternoon asthe Master, IPM, Wardens, LearnedClerk and the Chaplain processed theshort distance from Merchant Taylors’Hall across Cornhill to St Michael’sChurch for the Annual Guild Service.Here around a hundred Guildmembers and guests had assembledand the Reverend Dr Peter Mullen,Chaplain, officiated. The servicefollowed traditional lines, beginningwith the Guild‘s own Introit,composed for the Guild in 1961 byHarold Darke. In a thought provokingsermon the Chaplain compared theworst excesses of the 5th century in StAugustine’s day, which ultimately ledto the collapse of the Roman Empireand the onset of the Dark Ages, to thecurrent political, economic and socialstate of affairs in this country.However, he observed that the greatmediaeval Christian civilisations,which included the first establishmentof Guilds, arose from the chaos of theDark Ages, giving current Guildmembers some hope for the future.'The Guilds created and celebratedhospitality, friendship andconviviality' he said. 'Without thesethings politics is dead and society is

barbaric. Up then and assertyourselves'.

Afterwards in Merchant Taylors’ Hall,non-members listened to anentertaining talk entitled ‘House ofLords - A Modern Chamber ?’ by LadySue Garden, Master of the WorshipfulCompany of World Traders. Membersassembled in the Parlour for theAnnual General Meeting (AGM) andthe swearing-in of the new Court. Theminutes of last year’s AGM wereapproved and the quarterage and feesfor the coming year accepted. TheMaster’s annual report recorded aspecial year, marked not only by the100th anniversary of the first poweredflight in the UK and the 90thanniversary of the foundation of theRoyal Air Force, but also by theformation of a new Guild Region inCanada and preparation for a newRegion in South Africa. The Masteranticipated further regionaldevelopment in the Middle East andthe USA. The Membership Committeeand Livery Committee had beenformed and a Strategic Review of theGuild had been started and wasexpected to publish its results in thecoming year. The Trophies andAwards, Technical and Air Safety andEducation and Training Committeescontinued their excellent work. TheGuild Young Members group (GYM)enjoyed its first full year of activityand already had more than 80members. A varied selection of Guildvisits and social activities had beenundertaken in 2008, culminating in avery successful banquet in Cape Townto commemorate the 70th anniversaryof Alex Henshaw’s record breakingsolo flight between London and CapeTown. In summary, 2008 was a year ofnew initiatives, which saw newCommittees and a new Region formed,

the initiation of the Strategic Review ofthe Guild and the celebration of somenotable aviation anniversaries.

The Guild’s Treasurer, LiverymanRobin Pick, reported that the financialposition of the Guild during theaccounting year ended 30thSeptember 2008 revealed another verygood year. Fees, quarterage and finesreceived showed an increase of 13%and investment income improved by31%. Income from the Gladys CobhamTrust remained the same as theprevious year. The Air Safety Trustand the Guild of Air Pilots Trustrecorded a surplus and the Net assetsof the Air Safety Trust had increasedby 8% and the Guild of Air Pilots Trustby 22%. Liveryman Pick concluded bysaying that over the past 10 years theGuild’s financial position had beenstrengthened. With the generous helpof the Cobham family the Guild hadbeen able to secure new offices at 9Warwick Court and had built up agood investment portfolio. This meantthat the Guild had financial strengthwith which to weather the loomingeconomic recession. The auditedaccounts of the Guild had beenapproved by the General Purposes andFinance Committee and the Court andhad been circulated to members.

The results of the Court elections wereannounced and the new Master

AGM REPORTLIVERYMAN TOM EELES,

HONORARY EDITOR

The senior Court members, 2009. From the left, Paul Tacon (Learned Clerk), Captain WallyEpton (Warden), Air Commodore Rick Peacock-Edwards (Immediate Past Master), RearAdmiral Colin Cooke-Priest (Master), Dr Michael Fopp (Master Elect), Air Marshal Cliff Spink(Warden), Judge Tudor Owen (New Warden), and Mr Ted Prior (Beadle).

Guild members enjoy a wonderful Supper inmagnificent surroundings of the Great Hall.

9

installed (see Court listing on page 6)

Rear Admiral Cooke-Priest, the newMaster, greeted members at a drinksreception, before making his inauguralspeech at the AGM supper. Hispleasure at becoming Master wasevident as he outlined his plans for thenext year ( see ‘The Master writes…’on page 5). He thanked hispredecessor, Air Commodore RickPeacock-Edwards and his wife Tina,for a highly successful year, givinghim a particularly hard act to follow.He mentioned three key areas onwhich he believed the Guild shouldconcentrate and address in the future.The first was that the Guild, with itsmassive store of aviation expertise,should be the first port of call forinformed comment or advice onalmost any conceivable aviationmatter but regrettably it was not.Secondly, there was a lack ofunderstanding amongst members onhow the Guild worked, revealed by the

membership survey, which needed tobe rectified. Thirdly, and mostimportantly, he believed that aviationwas close to being demonised throughignorance and that unless the factswere spelt out and the fictionsexposed to opinion formers anddecision takers one of the world’s keyenablers would be unjustifiably andirretrievably damaged. The Masterconcluded by saying that he lookedforward to a thoroughly productiveand fun year in keeping with theCentenary of Naval Aviation. TheMaster has nominated the charityCanine Partners for support in hisyear. Canine Partners trains dogs tomaster an extraordinary list of skillsand helps transform the lives ofpeople with major disabilities,enabling them to live moreindependently. More detail of thischarity’s work is included in ‘TheMaster writes...’ on page 5.

Photographs taken at the AGM

reception and supper can be viewedand ordered online direct fromGerald Sharp Photography atwww.sharpphoto.co.uk j

Tina Peacock-Edwards passes on theGuild Lady's badge to Sue Cooke-Priest.

Members of the Court process fromMerchant Taylors' Hall to St Michael's,Cornhill, for the Guild Annual Service.

Now look here! The HonoraryEditor gets some free adviceon his new appointment.

High Finance. The HonoraryTreasurer and Guild Auditordiscuss the accounts.

The Sword Bearer, Bruce Crawford

The new Court Wardens and Assistantstake the Solemn Oath.

'You havecontrol.' AirCommodoreRickPeacock-Edwardshands overto RearAdmiralColin Cooke-Priest.

Alderman David Mauleverer congratulatesthe new Master on his installation.

The threenewAssistantsto theCourt,PeterBenn,DianaGreen andColin Cox.

The Pooleys enjoy thechampagne reception.

The Honorary PR Officer,Celia Turner, makes a pointto the new Immediate PastMaster.

10

PROFILE OF THENEW MASTERPAT MALONE

On the face of it, ColinCooke-Priest was a poorprospect for a successful

career in naval aviation.Chronically seasick, incurablyairsick and deemed medically unfitfor high altitude flight, henonetheless rose from Dartmouthcadet to Rear Admiral responsiblefor the Fleet Air Arm, amassinghundreds of hours on helicoptersduring a generation spent largelyat sea. And he can still get queasyon the Channel ferry.

The new Master of the Guild is not apilot, has never aspired to be a pilot,and walked away from aviationwithout a backward glance when dutycalled him elsewhere. He is, however, agreat booster of pilots, even the threewho threatened his life by droppinginto the ocean the helicopters in whichhe was plying the trade of Observer. Heis a ‘big picture’ man, a proponent ofteamwork, someone who manages tosuppress his ego in a way some pilotsmay find difficult.

At Dartmouth Colin was barely awareof aviation. “There was no DartmouthFlight in those days,” he says. “We

were sent to RNAS Brawdy for a week’s‘air experience’ and got short flights ina piston aircraft, a jet and a helicopter.That’s when I discovered I was terriblyprone to airsickness. I certainly neverhankered after aviation as a career. Ijust wanted to drive a ship.”

In one important regard, motionsickness shaped his life. “My first shipafter Dartmouth was a smallminesweeper operating in the unquietwaters off Scotland, and of course Iwas sick as a dog,” he says. “To hiscredit the senior officer of mysquadron, a chap I’d known atDartmouth, noticed my malaise andhad me transferred to a bigger ship, afrigate, which was a huge help.

“At the time I was starting my firstcommission in the early 1960s therewas a tremendous expansion of theFleet Air Arm, and whereas they gotmore than enough volunteers to bepilots, there weren’t enough Observers.The Admiralty decreed that eachbranch should have a percentage ofDartmouth General List people, andthey didn’t ask for volunteers. Theywouldn’t get away with it these days,but we were simply told that we wouldbecome Observers.

The Captain persuaded them to delaymy transfer for two years while I didmy full commission on the frigate, butat the end of that time I was sent to theNaval Observer School at Hal Far onMalta.

“It turned out to be tremendous fun.We were all pressed men, allDartmouth general list people, slightlyolder than the run of Observerappointees and similar in rank to ourinstructors. We had an excellent timeboth in school and out. Malta was afun place to be in those days and welived life to the full.”

In particular, it was a good place forWrens. Colin’s wife-to-be Sue wasworking in communications and theycourted by Morse Code, arrangingassignations while looking like theywere hard at work – “fixing a time fora run ashore,” as Colin puts it. Theyhave two daughters and two sons, oneof whom is a serving Naval Officer andan Upper Freeman of the Guild.

“We were being trained primarily asnavigators,” Colin says, “and halfwaythrough the course we were streamedto specialise in fixed-wing or rotary. Ididn’t want to go to helicopters, butunfortunately I failed a HAST, the highaltitude selection test. This was a

decompression chamber test whichestablishes how you react to highaltitude conditions. I got what I thinkare called the ‘chokes’, which is likethe bends in reverse; something I wastold might never recur in my lifetime,but which ruled me out of fixed-wing.“But it soon became clear that we werein at the very beginning of helicopteranti-submarine warfare, one of themost important aspects of navalwarfare today. It didn’t seem too sharpat the time, but I was at the cuttingedge on every level. I thought thatbeing assigned to rotary wing was apoor stroke of luck – helicopters werebarely accepted in the Fleet Air Arm asthings that flew – but in that period thefoundations were laid for much of mycareer progression.”

Two Wessex’s sank under him.Recalling his dunkings, he says: “Idon’t suppose I was ever in real danger.In the early days of Doppler and auto-hover systems, when it’s hot and glassycalm and there’s very little return offthe surface, it takes enormous skill toslither into a hover at 40 feet. A coupleof inexperienced pilots were a bitinsensitive with the controls and thetail went in, followed quickly by therest of the helicopter. One ditching wasat night, in less than excellent weather,but we were quickly fished out. Inthose days the dunker was lesssophisticated than it is now, but it wastotal second nature – if you react asyou were trained to do in the dunker,you’ll get out.

“My second ditching happened when Iwas on an exchange with the RoyalAustralian Navy and we were hoveringover the deck delivering packages witha weighted cable. The sailor taking offthe packages let go of the cable, whichhe wasn’t supposed to do, and theweight dragged across the deck and gotcaught in the guardrail. The pilot lostcontrol and went into the oggin. Butone just has a drink with the pilotafterwards, and that’s an end to it.”

During his flying life Colin saw servicein Aden, in the Far East and in Borneoat the time of the confrontation withIndonesia. Navy life provided variety,with personnel operating moreautonomously than is the rule in theother armed services and initiativebeing not only prized but practiseddaily. “One day we’d be chasingsubmarines, then we’d be 200 milesinland putting off men or picking upurgent stores,” Colin says. “In Borneothey were short of aircrew, and

Rear Admiral Colin Cooke-Priest,the new Master

Observers did all sorts of jobs – we arenot only warfare-trained navigatorsand systems operators but we wererequired to be logistical organisers,despatchers, planners, operationsofficers… you had to be endlesslyflexible and contrive ways to get thejob done.”

Throughout his Navy career Colinalternated between shipborne andairborne jobs, a practice which greatlyimproved co-operation between seaand air. “After my first front linesquadron – 814 Squadron in HMSVictorious and HMS Albion – they sentme on a torpedo and anti-submarinewarfare course with surface ship menand submariners, so poachers turnedgamekeeper and we understood eachother’s perspective better. I was flying,then seagoing, then flying again, andyou got the big picture.

Colin was radar project officer for thetrial squadron of the Wessex 3, the firstradar-equipped Wessex. He did a touras Operations Officer aboard HMSRussell before going to Australia for atwo-year exchange appointment with817 Squadron in HMAS Melbourne. In1970 he came back to be SeniorObserver on the first Sea Kingsquadron, 824 Squadron, aboard ArkRoyal. “That was a big improvement,”he says. “The Wessex was a goodhelicopter with lots of power even onone engine, but range and endurancewas relatively short. With the Sea Kingwe went further afield with greaterloads, covering bigger sea areas andlifting more gear.”

As a Lt Cdr Colin was sent back asSenior Instructor at the Naval ObserverSchool which by then had moved fromHal Far via Lossiemouth to Culdrose,and in 1973 he was promotedCommander – a gratifying turn ofevents because it was only the second

six-monthly opportunity on whichsuch a promotion could occur.

Colin did a Commanding OfficerDesignate Course then went aboard hisship, the frigate HMS Plymouth. “Thecaptain of a ship is king of his domainin a way it’s very difficult for non-Navypeople to understand,” he says. “Thecaptain is next to god. He works withquite amazing degrees of autonomy.When you’re halfway across the Pacificyou can’t be told what to do at everyturn. And like it or not, every shipreflects the personality of thecommanding officer. I didn’t believethat when I first heard it, but it’sabsolutely true.”

After a second stint in command inHMS Berwick, Colin took charge of the‘Future Helicopter’ desk in theDirectorate of Naval Air Warfare. Thiswas a great technical challenge, but italso called on all his skills in the fieldsof diplomacy and psychology. “Icirculated the first draft specificationfor the Sea King Replacement in 1977and I remained in the Navy longenough to fly in the first prototype ofwhat by then had become the Merlin15 years later. Why did it take so long?Everything had to be ‘scientificallyproven’, and the procurementexecutive wasted years trying to getcommonality across Europe, whichwas never achieved. There was a lot ofspurious in-fighting with defenceanalysts. Getting everyone to agree wastremendously frustrating. Things haveimproved now, but not enough.”

In 1979 Colin was appointed NavalAssistant to the Commander-in-ChiefFleet. He was promoted Captain andreturned to the MoD as AssistantDirector of Naval Air Warfare. Later hebecame Director of the MaritimeTactical School before going back tosea to command the Type 22 frigatesHMS Boxer and HMS Brilliant asCaptain, Second Frigate Squadron. In1988 he commanded the Royal Naval‘Armilla’ Task Force in the Persian Gulf.He was promoted Rear Admiral in 1989on his appointment to SupremeHeadquarters Allied Powers Europe,based in Belgium, as Deputy AssistantChief of Staff (Operations) andMaritime Advisor to Supreme AlliedCommander Europe. He became FlagOfficer Naval Aviation in December1990, serving in this appointment untilhis retirement from the Navy in 1993.

For many years, Colin had beenpressed to join the Guild by his former

squadron colleague and Past MasterChristopher Hodgkinson, but declinedto join until after he’d left the service.“I would not have agreed to becomeMaster had I been beyond the age of 70because I think as you get older, youbecome more and more resistant toshoving things that really need a goodshove. I’m still full of beans, though,and up for the job.

“The Guild is a marvellousorganisation with an extraordinarycross section of aviation talent. It’s apriceless repository of expertise,experience and knowledge of aviationwhich ought to be made more widelyavailable in order to improve publicunderstanding, and I will be workingtoward that end during my time asMaster,” he says. “Guild spokesmenshould be the first port of call forpoliticians and media seekinginformation.

“The Guild embraces every type offlying from civil commercial tomicrolights, and among the formerservice flyers, one of the wonderfulthings is the way inter-service rivalriesare absent. They have been the bane ofthe armed services during my time; ifwe hadn’t been forced out ofconventional naval aviation, theFalklands War might not havehappened. I’m part of a (lobby) groupthat aims to try and ensure that peopleunderstand the value of carrier aviationso that we get back our carriercapability – four and a half acres ofBritish sovereign territory on the highseas is an indispensable asset in themodern world. But in the Guild,everyone works together for thecommon good. Just as a ship reflectsthe personality of its captain, so theGuild takes on the character of theMaster, and I propose to try and makea positive and useful contribution tothe public understanding of all aspectsof aviation, which is sadly deficient.”

j

11

The Master at work in his office,some years ago!

Sue Cooke-Priest challengesthe Master’s skills as anObserver in a Swordfish

12

MEMBERSHIP Total membership thisyear was 91 paid up members with 2honorary members, Lettice Curtis andJames Aidan, a part time instructor atWhite Waltham. The remainingmembership consisted of 54 Countrymembers, 24 White Waltham membersand 13 Passengers.

PROGRAMME The poor weather lastyear meant that much of the flyingprogramme was a write off. The ‘lastFriday in the month’ Le Touquetlunches were particularly badly hit.However in some cases the attraction ofthe visit meant that members drove in.For the visit to the RAF Museum atCosford out of the ten attendees eightarrived by road. As was often the caseGuy Faulkner, with his InstrumentRating and the safety of two engines,made it by air. The most successful visitwas to Compton Abbas in July whenunder clear skies seven aircraft arrivedand sixteen members enjoyed thelunch.

APRIL 25TH - LE TOUQUET The firstevent in the season’s programme set thescene for the rest of the summer whenpoor weather prevented anyonearriving.

MAY 12TH - SHOREHAM Past MasterBob Pooley and Dorothy invited theClub to visit their sword factory basedat Shoreham Airfield. Eight membersattended and were given a tour of thefacilities by Bob. Based on feedbackthe visit was of great interest and it ishoped that another visit can bearranged for this year. Attendees were:Peter and Margarette Barker, Guy andLinda Faulkner, John Davy and SheilaLeach, Michael Fopp and DavidCorbett.

MAY 16TH to 19TH – “FRENCHLEAVE” - ABBEVILLE John Davy, whohas a close relationship with the AeroClub de Somme, and Sheila Leachorganised a splendid visit to Abbevilleto coincide with the French leg of theRoyal Aero Club air races. Poorweather over southern England meantthat only Guy Faulkner, accompaniedby Club Secretary Peter Davis, managedto fly in. As his reward Guy wasinvited to participate in the races asnavigator to Guild member Ivan Search-Allan in his Focke-Wulfe. The AeroClub and the RAeC provided superbhosts and it is hoped to return for theraces again this year.

MAY 30TH - LE TOUQUET Like thefirst one in April the weather againprevented anyone going to this, thesecond monthly lunch at Le Touquet.

JUNE 19TH - OAKSEY PARK Theannual visit to Oaksey Park went off

well. Past Master Dick Felix, DacreWatson, and David Mathers hosted theevent which was attended by JohnDavy in his Hornet Moth, Owen Cubittin his Chipmunk and Guy and LindaFaulkner, plus a guest, in Guy’s Seneca.

JUNE 27TH – LE TOUQUET Althoughthere was an improvement on thestandard “Le Touquet weather” no onewas prepared to risk being weathered inby a sudden deterioration during theday.

JULY 6TH - KEYSTON Warden CliffSpink invited the Club to fly in to theprivate airstrip at Keyston and walk theshort distance to his home for abarbeque. The atrocious weatherduring the week, which was forecast tocontinue over the week-end, resulted inthe event being cancelled early enoughto prevent Cliff being landed with morechops, sausages and burgers than hisfreezer could cope with. Cliff hasrenewed the invitation for this year but,following the summer barbeques atWhite Waltham being washed out forthe last two years, in future the “B”word is being dropped in favour of“Summer Luncheon”!

JULY 16TH - COMPTON ABBAS GerryGerrard, whose Piper Archer is based atCompton Abbas, organised the mostsuccessful flying visit of the season.Under blue skies, seven aircraftincluding two Hornet Moths, a PiperCub, an Auster, a Chipmunk, a Mooneyand a Piper Arrow flew in with fourteencrew and passengers. Geoff Barkerdrove over from Stockbridge making atotal of sixteen for lunch.

Owen Cubitt’s Chipmunk

Owen Cubitt, Goff Moore, John Saul, JohnDavy, Peter Davis, David Hyde, Geoff Barker,Gerry Gerrard, Graham Jenkins.

Jenkins

Club Secretary Peter Davis and John Davy’sHornet Moth

JULY 25TH - LE TOUQUET Third timelucky for the monthly Le Touquetlunch. Graham Jenkins and ClubChairman Gerald Hackemer, with AnnHamilton and Frances Hackemer,braved the low cloud and poor visibilityto meet up at Le Touquet with RogerDunn, who had arrived earlier fromBiggin Hill in his Mooney. Due to theworsening weather it was decided notto venture into the town and anexcellent lunch was taken in the AirportBistro.

JULY 31ST - SHERBURN IN ELMETThe weather prevented anyone gettingto Sherburn where we had hoped tojoin the “Bomber Barons” for lunch.The “Bomber Barons” are a group oflocal WWII bomber pilots who meet forlunch at Sherburn on most Thursdays.The cancellation was verydisappointing for Club member DougEvans who was a Halifax pilot andknows several of the “Bomber Barons”.Simon Standley, a member of theWorshipful Company of ITProfessionals and honorary member ofthe Flying Club, keeps his Trinidad atSherburn and had offered to organisethis visit.

AUGUST 12TH - RAF MUSEUM,COSFORD Warden Michael Foppinvited the Club to visit the RAFMuseum to see the Cold War exhibitionand have a look behind the scenes inthe Michael Beetham ConservationCentre. Again the weather proved afactor with the forecast indicatingstrong winds and heavy rain over mostof the country for the morning of thevisit. With David Holloway arriving atTelford the evening before from the Isleof Man and John Davy also going upearly to meet an old colleague, itseemed an opportunity for an informaldinner. So, the afternoon before, GeraldHackemer drove up, and Guy Faulknerflew into RAF Cosford, to join theothers for a very social evening. In the

GAPAN FLYING CLUBLIVERYMAN GERALD HACKEMER

The Hornet Moths of Dick Felix and John Davy

13

morning the party was joined by JohnSaul and David Hyde, who had made avery early start from Kent. Past MasterPeter Buggé and his guest had also madean early start and the party wascompleted by Rosemary Fopp and DavidCorbett, flying-in in his Europa. AfterMichael had given an illustratedintroduction to the Museum heconducted a lightning tour of some ofthe more important exhibits before theparty was free to visit the Cold WarExhibition. After lunch it was time tovisit the Michael Beetham ConservationCentre where the restoration of CharlesLindbergh’s unique Miles Mohawk hadjust been completed, and was still to berevealed to the public. Lindbergh hadused the aircraft prior to WWII to flyaround Europe visiting the Heads ofStates in an effort to prevent theapproaching war. Also in the restorationhangar work had recently started on aderelict Handley Page Halifax discoveredin Russia.

John Davy, Peter Bugge, Rosemary Fopp,Michael Fopp, David Holloway, David Hyde,Guy Faulkner and Bill Harvey (guest of PeterBugge) in front of the TSR2

David Corbett, John Saul, Gerald Hackemer,David Hyde, Michael Fopp, Peter Bugge, TimWallis (Restoration Manager), Bill Harvey(guest of Peter Bugge), Guy Faulkner, DavidHolloway and John Davy with CharlesLindbergh’s Miles Mohawk

AUGUST 20TH – SHOBDON Owner ofShobdon Airfield, and Flying Clubmember, David Corbett issued hisannual invitation to the Club to hold oneof its lunchtime fly-ins to Shobdon. Asso often last year the weather againintervened and only Goff Moore, in hisMooney, and, as usual, Guy Faulker inhis Seneca arrived. However they werewell looked after by David and slippedaway just before the weather closed infor the rest of the day.

AUGUST 29TH – LE TOUQUET GeoffMoore and Jonathon Morton, plus guest,arrived in their Mooney and had, by allreport, a very enjoyable lunch inL’Escale restaurant at the Airport.

SEPTEMBER 5TH to 8TH – “FRENCHLEAVE” – SAUMUR As so oftenattendance for the second French tripwas limited by the weather. Theforecast for Friday was dreadful so Gerryand Anna Gerrard left the UK a day earlyin Gerry’s Piper Archer. On Friday theweather was miserable but as usual GuyFaulkner got through in his Senecaaccompanied by Linda and DavidHolloway, who had been collected fromFairoaks Airfield. Gerald and FrancesHackemer arrived by car in time fordinner. Dinner was in the excellentHôtel Anne d’Anjou where the partywere staying. Over the weekend visitswere made to the Abbey Fontvault andthe Chateau Villandry, with itsspectacular formal gardens, before theparty went its own way on Monday. TheGerrards set off towards the betterweather of Cahors while the Faulknersdeparted for Fairoaks and Gamston andthe Hackemers to Caen for the ferryhome.

Linda Faulkner and Anna Gerrard at ChateauVillandry

Coffee and brandy after dinner at the HôtelAnne d’Anjou. Gerry Gerrard, Guy Faulkner,Gerald Hackemer, Linda Faulkner, FrancesHackemer, Anna Gerrard

Dinner in town Linda Faulkner, GerryGerrard, Frances Hackemer, David Holloway,Anna Gerrard, Guy Faulkner, GeraldHackemer

Gerry Gerrard preparing for departure fromSaumur under cloudless skies

SEPTEMBER 10TH – EAST KIRBY Yetagain the weather intervened to preventanyone getting to East Kirby and theLincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre,where an Avro Lancaster does a taxi runon most Wednesdays during thesummer.

SEPTEMBER 18TH – ELVINGTON Itwas reported that Diana Green, in hernew Robin 400, Guy Faulkner, in hisSeneca, and Geoff Barker in his Cessna182 made the trip North for theYorkshire Air Museum at Elvington.

SEPTEMBER 26TH – LE TOUQUET Thefinal Le Touquet visit of the seasonproved unattractive to the members andthere was no reports of anyoneattending.

OCTOBER 8TH – WELLESBOURNEMOUNTFORD For the last fly-in of theseason the sun shone on the righteousand a very pleasant lunch was held atWellesbourne Mountford. Four aircraftflew in: Diana Green in her Robin 400,Peter Royce and Alan Tipper in aRockwell 114, Dacre Watson in a PiperTri-Pacer and Arthur Thorning, togetherwith Mike Brown and Rob Bryan in aPA28 from Henlow.

SOCIAL Three very successful luncheswere held during the year at the WestLondon Aero Club, White Waltham.

As usual the season started with the“Freddy Stringer Memorial Lunch”honoured by the presence of The Master,who is also a member of the Club. Theroom was if anything a little over full buta most enjoyable lunch was enjoyed bythose present.

Despite getting rid of the “B” word andmerely advertising it as the “SummerLunch” the rain still fell at the beginningof August. Although, to be fair, only asa light and occasional drizzle. The chefsof the WLAC cooked the steaks,sausages and burgers outside with theside dishes under cover and the dinerstaking their plates back into the comfortof the dining room.

The “End of the Season Lunch” wasanother full house and an excellent mealwas enjoyed by those present. j

14

Every so often a unique eventtakes place which lays thefoundations for new associations

and friendships. This is exactly whathappened in South Africa on 13thFebruary 09 when the Guild, led bythe then Master, Rick Peacock-Edwards, hosted a banquet in theOfficers Mess at the South African AirForce Base at Ysterplaat in Cape Townto commemorate the 70th Anniversaryof Alex Henshaw’s record breakingflight between London and CapeTown, a record that some say willnever be beaten. That said, we areaware of 3 possible attempts on therecord during 2009. Indeed, one ofthose attempting to break the record,Chalkie Stobbart, an Airbus A340Captain with South African Airways,was present at the banquet.

Those who attended this banquet, andthere were many from the UK, will notforget the occasion, it was very specialand memorable. The venue wasperfect, with views towards TableMountain, and the facilities in theOfficers Mess had been beautifullyprepared. Exactly one hundred peoplehad the privilege of attending thebanquet. The guests includedLieutenant General Carlo Gagiano, theChief of the South African Air Force,and His Excellency Peter Tejler, theSwedish Ambassador (guest of Saab,the connection of which is mentioned

later in this article).The British HighCommissioner, theRight Honorable PaulBoateng, had alsoplanned to attend.However, two days before the banquetit had been announced that anelection was to be held on 22nd Apriland the High Commissioner hadinstead to travel to the Eastern Cape toattend to Diplomatic duties. He did,however, send his good wishes for theevening. Also present were a numberof important people from SouthAfrican aviation and industry circles,together with members of the SouthAfrican Air Force. There was a goodattendance of Guild members fromboth the UK and South Africa, and asignificant number of members fromthe Air Squadron also attended, led byLord Waterpark. There was a very nicebalance to the assembled company.And then of course we were delightedthat both Richard Noble, the guestspeaker for the evening and himself aformer World Land Speed Recordholder, and Wing Commander AndyGreen, a Guild member and thecurrent World Land Speed Recordholder, were present together withtheir ladies. Of interest, whilst inSouth Africa, Richard and Andy alsovisited a possible site, Verneuk Pan,for their recently announced intentionto take the record towards 1000mph.Watch this space!!

The plan to hold a banquet in CapeTown had first been discussed almosteighteen months prior to the eventand a project committee, led by HisHonour Judge Tudor Owen, wasformed to oversee the project. As wellas commemorating Alex Henshaw’samazing record, the Cape Townbanquet was also to be the launchevent for the formation of a new SouthAfrican Region. As many of you willbe aware, we had also planned to holda banquet in the UK at the Royal AirForce Museum, Hendon, on the 5thFebruary, the actual date that AlexHenshaw had set out on his epicrecord breaking flight 70 years ago. Inthe event, this banquet had to becancelled for a variety of reasons notleast of which was the knock-on effectof the credit crunch. Instead, a smallerand very successful “Friends of AlexHenshaw’ dinner was held in the RAFClub on the 5th February. This dinner,and the fact that the Cape Townbanquet was such an outstandingsuccess, more than made up for thecancellation of the Hendon event and,most importantly, all our aims for theevening were achieved.

Gapan In Sunny South AfricaALEX HENSHAWCOMMEMORATIVE BANQUETRICK PEACOCK-EDWARDS

The Master and Learned Clerk welcome the guests.The clothing of new

Liveryman Basil Hersov,the first GAPAN clothingever to take place on the

African continent.

The guests enjoyingthe Banquet.

The Master welcomes the Chief of the South AfricanAir Force, Lieutenant General Carlo Gagiano.

15

At the start of the evening the Masterwelcomed the guests at a champagnereception prior to the dinner. Therethen followed another uniqueoccasion, the first such occasion onthe African continent, when theMaster clothed with the Livery, BasilHersov, a very well knownbusinessman in South Africa, anHonorary Colonel in the South AfricanAir Force and a man who has had along and distinguished associationwith aviation. He also went to thesame well known South Africanschool as the Master!! This ceremonywas warmly acclaimed. In betweenthe first and second courses theMaster read out a letter from AlexHenshaw’s son, Alex Henshaw Junior,in which he recalled his father’sexploits and expressed his deepgratitude to the Guild for taking theinitiative to commemorate the 70thAnniversary of the record in CapeTown, just a few miles from whereAlex had landed at the end of theLondon to Cape Town sector of theflight. He also wrote about his father’sdeep love for South Africa. Perhaps itis worth adding at this stage that wehad hoped to ship to Capetown theactual Mew Gull aircraft in which Alexhad broken the record. To this end,Emirates Airlines had beenexceptionally helpful but it just provedtoo difficult, and costly. We are verygrateful to Emirates for their supportand in particular for donating anumber of free flights to South Africa.We are also exceedingly grateful to ourmain sponsor for the evening, SAAB,for their exceptional generosity. SAABwas well represented at the banquet,led by their Vice PresidentInternational Sales, Tony Ogilvy, whoalso happens to be an old friend. Themoney that they donated, together

with the funds raised from a sealedbid auction of a Spitfire flight, kindlydonated by John Romaine, and alimited edition wrist watch, donatedby Warden Cliff Spink through hiscompany, Seafire Ltd, will go to youthtraining and education. Morespecifically, the funds will go towardsthe Air Cadets Organisation, both inSouth Africa and the UK, and towardsa Bursary for a student from SouthAfrica at City University in London.

The evening was concluded withspeeches from first the Master, whowelcomed the guests and spokewarmly about South Africa and hispride in hosting the banquet in CapeTown, even more so because he hadspent his formative years in SouthAfrica before joining the Royal AirForce. He went on to praise theenormity of Alex Henshaw’sachievements, he then spoke aboutthe record breaking achievements ofRichard Noble and Andy Green andfinally he stated that he hoped that theevening would also be remembered asthe launch event for the South AfricanRegion of GAPAN. How apposite thatthis should be linked with the memoryof Alex Henshaw. There was greatenthusiasm for all that the Master hadto say. He was followed by RichardNoble, supported by Andy Green.Richard gave an outstanding speech inwhich he further talked about AlexHenshaw’s amazing achievement, andhe spoke with first hand knowledgebecause he personally knew the greatman. He went on to also discuss theWorld Land Speed Record breakingachievements because there wasmuch similarity in the effort involved.Andy Green then gave a fascinatinginsight into his own World Land SpeedRecord in which he became the first

and only man to go supersonic onland. It was an evening for recordbreakers and it was fitting that bothRichard and Andy, record breakers likeAlex, were able to be present tocommemorate the 70th Anniversary ofhis unique record breaking flightbetween London and Cape Town. Theevening was such a success, and thememory of Alex so special, that therewere many present who, like I, feltthat there would, and should, be moresuch occasions in the future.

In concluding this article I must makespecial mention of those whocontributed so much to the success ofour Capetown venture. I have alreadymentioned the pivotal part played byTudor Owen and I must also add thathe proved a most effective Master ofCeremonies (Beadle) during theevening. From the UK end he wasexceptionally well supported by theproject committee, the office staff, andin particular by the Learned Clerk,Paul Tacon, who worked tirelesslytowards the success of the eveningboth in the UK and in South Africaduring the week before the banquet.And finally, I must single out Guildmember, Skip Margetts, and hispartner Sarah, who oversaw all thearrangements in South Africa.Without their very considerable effortsthis banquet would not have takenplace. Their contribution is hugelyappreciated. It was truly an occasionto remember and a fitting tribute toone of the great aviators, AlexHenshaw, and in the process we havemade significant progress towards anew South African Region. j

The Master ispresented with aphoto of AlexHenshaw's MewGull by ChalkieStobbart (whoplans to try tobeat Henshaw'srecord flight)and Lee Hall.

The Master proposes aToast to the memory ofAlex Henshaw

The Master and stand in Beadle,Assistant Tudor Owen, discuss

procedures.

PHO

TOS

BY H

annes

van

der

Mer

we

The guests enjoya Stirrup Cup

before leaving.

16

Vancouver is about ten hours’flying time from Heathrowand your flight will head

northwest to exit U.K. airspace andthen arc out over the Atlantic on atrack that passes south of Iceland.Some hours later, as you are flyingover the Davis Strait, west ofGreenland, the oceanic crossingends and you at last enterCanadian airspace. Although yourflight has now reached Canada, atthis point you’re still closer toLondon than you are to Vancouver.

Canada is a big place by any definitionand with a population of only thirty-five million people, its cities, townsand settlements are separated byterrain and distances best overcomeby air travel. In 2007, for example,there were 31,886 registered aircraftand Canadians made 71.5 million tripsby air. Last year alone, over onethousand aircraft were added to theCanadian civil fleet as demand surgedfor air transportation.

Canada’s early appetite for reliableaircraft spawned de Havilland Canadaand Canadair which today are part ofthe Bombardier Aerospace group.Dash 8’s, CRJ’s and CL415’s are foundon most continents while theubiquitous Twin Otter has recentlybeen upgraded and placed back inproduction by Viking Air in Victoria,B.C. Several other manufacturingcompanies are involved in componentwork for international projects.

The latest tally from the regulatorybody, Transport Canada, indicatesthere are now 38,288 flying licences in

the country. While many of thesepilots are represented by professionalassociations, there is no single voicethat speaks for all and it is in thisregard that the Guild of Air Pilots andAir Navigators has recentlyestablished the Canadian Region inthe city of Abbotsford, just east ofVancouver, B.C.

As in many countries, civil pilots inCanada obtain their training with themilitary, or through aviation collegesor flying schools. The CanadianArmed Forces have recently offeredretention bonuses to stem the tide ofpilots leaving the service for civiliancareers. Several community collegesand universities across Canada offerdiploma or degree programsrespectively which admit ab initiostudents and provide the flighttraining required for the coveted firstjob: approximately 250 hoursexperience and a commercial licencewith multi-engine and instrumentratings. Such programs are supportedto varying degrees by the taxpayer(depending on province) as aviation isan essential component of the nation’seconomy. By a large margin however,the majority of Canadian pilots receivetheir training through flying schoolswhich are either independentoperators or members of the RoyalCanadian Flying Clubs Association.Unlike many countries, Canada has nopilot sponsorship schemes as theexisting supply is matched to theindustry’s needs.

Canada’s pilots may be found doingmedevacs in the high Arctic, water-bombing forest fires in Ontario, flight-testing Global Expresses in Quebec,heli-logging in British Columbia or

even flying Dash8’s under contractin Africa. In thelast decade, thetraditional structureof the airlinebusiness haschanged too as thedominant carrier,Air Canada, hasceded one third ofthe domesticmarket to low costcarrier, WestJet.

Air Canada consolidated its regionalcarriers to form Jazz and vacationairlines such as Air Transat remainedafloat after red ink sank their majorcompetitors.

Since the dissolution of the CanadianAir Line Pilots’ Association in the mid-1990’s, Canada’s organized pilots havebeen pitted against one another insquabbles about mergers that eitherdid, or didn’t happen. Much of thisinternecine strife has been very publicand thus detrimental to theprofession’s image as a whole.Furthermore, the CEO of oneCanadian airline years ago famouslyderided his pilot group as “Overpaid,oversexed bus drivers”. Clearly muchdamage has been done to ourprofessional standing and the Guild isideally suited to become a moderating,neutral and influential voice. It isbelieved that the Guild will be a newchannel of communication for pilotswho share the same sky and the sameenthusiasm for flying but have beencut off by fences erected by corporateentities and interest groups. As it doesso well in other parts of the globe, theGuild will remind pilots of theircommon values, not dwell on divisiveissues.

While the organized groups haveperks such as access to specializedlegal assistance and technicalcommittees, most Canadian pilots donot. The Guild will be able to improvethe lot in life of pilots who work forgovernment agencies, corporations,flying clubs, small carriers and ofcourse many thousands of privatepilots and aircraft owners. Above all,the Guild is a commonwealth of flyingknowledge.

While there are many enticing reasonsfor the Guild to have a presence inCanada, there are challenges too.

Firstly, the Guild of Air Pilots and AirNavigators is today relatively

The Guild Crosses the AtlanticP.C. FYNES PHOTOS BY JIM THOMSON

Air Canada Jazz Dash 8 touches down in Castlegar, B.C.

17

unknown in Canada’s aviation

community and prospective members

will carefully weigh the need versus

the cash. Should the Guild appear to

be a ‘London-based club for airline

pilots’, it will face formidable

headwinds. On the other hand, if the

Guild proves relevant and useful on

this side of the Atlantic, it will prosper

as there is a demonstrable need for a

new voice in Canadian aviation

affairs. In this regard, the progress of

the Guild in Canada will probably

mirror the establishment of the

Australian Region a generation ago.

Secondly, modern Canada is a multi-

cultural society and the apron strings

that once tied us to the Motherland

seem to have slackened over the years.

Consequently, there are cultural

differences which must be recognized.

While certain traditions in the U.K.

connote stability and continuity, in

Canada they are merely anachronistic.

For example, the pomp and pageantry

of the Guild are clearly anathema to

the Canadian bush pilot who is very

likely wearing coveralls, or simply

jeans and a plaid shirt. He checks the

oil himself and doesn’t trust anyone

else to load his aircraft. He doesn’t get

awards and if he’s included in any

photograph at all, it’s usually because

someone’s holding up a rather large

fish. Can the Guild seem attractive or

even relevant to this pilot?

Thirdly, Canada’s sheer size meansthat the structure of the CanadianRegion must be devolved, notcentralized; there can be no nationalannual meetings. Steps have alreadybeen undertaken to establish apresence in Central Canada where thecentre of gravity of the population islocated. The term ‘global village’ wascoined by Canadian scholar MarshallMcLuhan when he first recognizedthat improved communicationmethods shrink distance and redefineone’s sense of community. It is hopedthat internet and e-mail can best servethe interests of Canada’s Guildmembers and flying community.

As the afternoon sun droops towardsthe Pacific, your flight will commenceits descent for “YVR”. On thestarboard side is the coastline thatHMS Discovery surveyed in 1792 andwhere the Fraser River meetssaltwater, lies the modern city whichtakes its name from Discovery’scaptain, George Vancouver.

Since HMS Discovery was built andoutfitted in London, it is very likelythat the work was accomplished byCity of London Guild members whoset high standards and took particularpride in their profession. Thus, intheir day and in their way, theseexpert craftsmen contributed to thegreater good.

Once the chocks are inserted at YVRand the engines spool down, you arenow alongside the aircraft of BritishAirways, Cathay Pacific, Air NewZealand and Qantas, all flown non-stop to Vancouver from their homecountries and all companies longassociated with the Guild of Air Pilotsand Air Navigators.

The Guild’s purpose is to improve andprotect the profession of pilotingagainst unnecessary erosion, whilstcontributing to safety. Canada’s pilotswelcome the Guild’s invitation to joinaircrew worldwide in improvingaviation in our day and in our way.

j

Descending on Vancouver's KEINN Arrival, afternoon sunlight streams across the Strait of Georgia

18

On June 25, 1998, to markthe 50th anniversary of thestart of the Soviet Union's

blockade of Berlin, a Seattlenewspaper ran a tribute to twolocal pilots who had flown in theBerlin Airlift and assisted indefeating the Soviet ambition tograb Berlin. Interesting enough initself. However I found a shortreference in the same article to anearlier, WWII, activity of one of thenamed pilots, Lt Col Fain Pool,even more interesting. Quote -"He climbed into stripped-downB17s, stuffed with 22,000 poundsof fused explosives and a singlepilot seat, took off and then bailedout over England so the planescould be directed electronically tohit German missile sites." A sortof early air-to-ground missile! Iresolved to research further oneday and carefully preserved thenews cutting which, for ten years,has lain at the bottom of my in-tray.

In 1944 the Germans were launchingtheir V1 "doodlebug" flying bombsfrom sites in the Pas de Calais,directed against England. RAF andUnited States Army Air Force (USAAF)attempts to knock out these heavilyarmoured launch sites byconventional bombing, including theRAF's 12,000-pound Tallboy bombs,were proving unsuccessful. TheUSAAF came up with an idea – load aB17 with explosives and fly it, byremote control from a "command"aircraft flying at 20,000 feet, tonorthwest France and crash it into thesteel doors of the V1 bunkers. In fact,the original proposition contemplatedthe use of two aircraft as "drones";one loaded with high explosive andanother following up withincendiaries. Chances of success werenot rated too highly but, nevertheless,Major General Doolittle gave it hisblessing and Operation Aphrodite wasunderway. Why Aphrodite, thegoddess of love, beauty and sexualrapture in Greek mythology, waschosen as the operation's code nameis not revealed!

Ten old and well-used B17s weremodified for their newly assigned roleand designated BQ-7s. Remote radio

control mechanisms to operate theautopilots were fitted and one accountclaims that TV cameras were installed;one to monitor the flying instrumentsand one fitted in the nose to assist thecommand craft in aiming the drone atthe target. With new engines andheavy-duty landing gear they wereready, 5,000 lbs over designed take-offweight, to carry their loads of22,000lbs of RDX high explosive to theenemy. These ten drones, togetherwith four more B17s acting ascommand aircraft, were assigned to562nd Squadron, commanded by LtCol Roy Forrest and located atFersfield in Norfolk. The crews, onepilot and one technician each, were allvolunteers from bomb groups of theUS Eighth Air Force.

After some delay waiting for suitableweather, the first attack on the V1bunkers was authorised for Friday,August 4, 1944. Two pairs of BQ-7swere to take off from Fersfield.Accounts of the sequence of eventsthat day differ slightly. One versionnotes that Lt John Fisher, with SgtMost as his technician, piloted the firstaircraft. Another has it that the first totake-off was flown by the thenLieutenant Fain Pool with SSgtEnterline on board. Either way, LtPool's aircraft behaved as expected.After testing the control mechanismround a 50-mile course Enterlinebailed out at 1,200 ft and Poolfollowed having armed the load.Pool's B17 was guided successfully byits command aircraft to the Pas deCalais but, it is said, missed the targetby some 500 feet due to cloud cover.

Lt Fisher, however, was unfortunate.Immediately after the test run SgtMost bailed out safely. The commandship then lost contact and Fisher wasunable to prevent the drone stallingand crashing near Orford in Suffolk.The subsequent explosion left anenormous crater and no trace ofFisher's body was ever found. Thesecond pair of drones launched thatday didn't fare much better. Althoughit seems the crews bailed out safelyone BQ-7 was shot down by Germananti-aircraft fire and the other, again,missed its target.

On August 6 another attempt wasmade with two drones taking off. Thecrews again bailed out safely but oneaircraft went out of control and flewinto the sea. The other, with its ninetons of explosive on board, is reportedas taking a flying tour round Ipswichbefore heading out to sea, where itwas ditched. General Doolittle thengrounded Operation Aphrodite whilethe suspect control system wasreassessed and subsequently replaced.

Double-Azon, the first radio controlsystem, was abandoned and another,Castor, was installed in its place. Withtheir new electronics a number offurther BQ-7 missions wereundertaken. The first, directed at theGerman submarine pens atHeligoland, resulted in the death ofthe pilot following failure of hisparachute. Other missions carried oninto October with, it seems, very littlesuccess. Some drones went out ofcontrol; some were shot down and fewfound their targets. One BQ-7, withvisibility low over its primary target,was sent on its way to Berlin. Whathappened to it is unknown. Decembersaw attacks on the marshalling yardsat Hanover and the last Aphroditeflight, in January 1945, was directedtowards a power station at Oldenburg,30 miles west of Bremen. Anothermiss! After this Operation Aphroditewas finally abandoned. Not verysuccessful, by any means, butremarkably imaginative for its timeand let down largely by theelementary electronics of the day -certainly not by the courage of thecrews.

An interesting but sad foot note to theAphrodite story concerns the USNavy's use of the same technique.Accounts differ but it seems that aPB4Y, duly loaded with explosives,took off from Fersfield on August 12,1944, bound for Heligoland or,perhaps, a V2 launching site, with twoNavy lieutenants at the controls.Before the command aircraft hadestablished control and the pilots hadbailed out, and whilst still overEngland, the drone exploded killingboth crew members. The skipper wasLieutenant Joseph P Kennedy Jnr,older brother of John F Kennedy whobecame 35th President of the UnitedStates in 1961. His co-pilot wasLieutenant Wilford Willy. With anorder of secrecy still applying toOperation Aphrodite, JosephKennedy's parents were merelyinformed that their son was reportedmissing after a bombing raid overBelgium. It was some years laterbefore his family learned the truthconcerning his death in action. JosephKennedy was posthumously awardedthe Navy Medal.

Sources and acknowledgements: Air ForceMagazine Online 1997, Seattle Post-Intelligencer 1998, Col J E Chisholm writingin the CAF Airsho' Guide 1999 and theJoseph P Kennedy Jr. Foundation.

Flying Fortress - Flying bombASSISTANT MICHAEL J A GLOVER

19

E & T C REPORTLIVERYMAN DAVID LEWRY, ChairmanIn the Autumn and Winter monthssince the last report in Guild News, thework of the Education & TrainingCommittee has continued as normal.References are made elsewhere in thisissue about some of the topics withwhich the committee has beeninvolved. Amongst the most importantare proposals emanating from EASAaffecting Pilot licensing at all levels andthe preparation of Guild PositionPapers on three specific topics thatwere identified by the Guild StrategicReview Committee. At the same time,the regular work of the various sub-committees and external involvementsof the E & TC have been on-going.

EASA proposals affecting professionaland recreational UK and Internationallicences include the demise of the UKIMC rating and possible developmentof a new Instrument Rating for noncommercial pilots; the likelydiscontinuation of the NPPL andproposals for a new Leisure PilotLicence (LPL); changes to the structureof the ATPL and CPL privilegesand factors affecting FlyingInstructor/Simulator Instructor andExaminer qualifications all of whichare significant, on-going issuesaffecting the long established UK pilotlicences. It continues to be veryimportant that Guild members

individually monitor and respond toEASA proposals and Notices ofProposed Amendment (NPA).

In accordance with the requirements ofthe Strategic Review Committee, the E& TC submitted 10 topics that wereconsidered to be of importance and thebasis for E & TC work during the next5 years. The committee was requestedto provide Guild Position Papers on 3 ofthe topics:

• Flying Instructor Availability andStandards

• Pilot Licensing• Costs of Pilot TrainingThe position papers are complete and,following formal endorsement by theCourt, will be available on the website.The Guild’s relationships with CityUniversity and Metropolitan Universityhave continued to flourish. It isnoteworthy that 2008 marked the 10thanniversary of the formation, at theinstigation of GAPAN, of post graduatecourses in Air Transport and Air SafetyManagement offered by CityUniversity. A further noteworthydevelopment was a contract from GulfAir to carry out modular training inDubai, in a variety of subjectsextracted from the mainstream degreecourses. Metropolitan University is tooffer 2 additional Master Degreeprogrammes – “Aviation Marketing”and “Aviation International Trades”.

They may also become more involvedwith the academic aspects of the SaudiFeisal Academy. The “Advertisement”for new E & TC members circulatedwith the pre-Christmas issue of GuildNews produced a good response. Anumber of well qualified membershave indicated their interest and havebeen invited to attend meetings asobservers in the first instance, thisbeing the normal procedure tobecoming a committee member.Involvement by younger members andthose currently employed in airlinetraining roles would still be welcomed. To conclude on a personal note; thiswill be my final report for Guild News.By the time it is circulated, I will havehanded over Chairmanship of the E &TC to Assistant Dorothy Pooley. I haveenjoyed my three year “stint” in theChair and would like to thank all E &TC members for their valuable supportand input during that time. I wouldalso like to add personal thanks to allthe Head Office staff for their veryfriendly assistance, cooperation and alot of hard work that goes on behindthe scenes. Without them, it would bevery difficult for the Guild and thecommittees to function effectively. Ioffer Dorothy every best wish for asuccessful and enjoyable term of office.

ADMISSIONSAs Upper FreemanAir Marshal Mark BINSKIN (AUS)Glyn Michael BUTCHARD (AUS)Anthony Francis FRODSHAM (AUS)Brinley Guest HAYLOCK (HK)Captain Bruce HUTTONSquadron Leader Terence Walter JONES (NZ)Michael MATTHEWS (CAN)Captain Clive Ronald WellesleyMORRELL (OS)Captain James Sidney REITH (CAN)Joanna Mary SALTERCaptain Charles SIMPSON (CAN)Captain Peter David John TERRY

As FreemanNicholas William TAYLOR

As AssociateAndrew Alastair Charles ROSS

ACKNOWLEDGED BY THE COURT22 January 2009REGRADETo LiveryPeter Derrick MOXHAMBasil Edward HERSOVCarol Louise COOPERCaptain Michael James METCALF

DECEASEDCaptain Gordon John BAILEY (AUS)Captain John BARTRUM (AUS)Captain Frederick Harold BATEMANCaptain Stewart Brumby BEEVERSGordon Stewart FRANKSJames Brian HOBBS (HK)Derek Lang JONESHarry PAYNE

RESIGNATIONSAnthony Michael CRAMPTerence CREEDRoderick John DOWNESKevin Charles William MARCHRichard Mark PHILLIPS

Technical briefingC L HODGKINSONTechnical DirectorUK/IRISH FAB The outgoingDirector of Airspace Policy (DAP),John Arscott, has recently issued thefirst changes required to improveairspace efficiency under the jointagreement of the UK & Ireland tointroduce a Functional AirspaceBlock (FAB). The proposals affectthe interface between the Dublin and

Scottish TMAs and are due to comeinto effect from May.

LIGHTWEIGHT TRANSPONDERDAP also welcomed the advent oflow cost transponders manufacturedin the UK (Trig Avionics) andGermany (Garrecht Avionik) . Costaround £1300 to include ADS-B OUT.

GUILD ENVIRONMENTALCOMMITTEE The EnvironmentalWorking Group invites input fromthose having concerns regarding

environmental topics that couldaffect GAPAN members. Anyone withparticular interest or expertise in thisarea who wishes to contribute shouldcontact: stevemonaghan88@hotmail.com

CITY LIVERY CLUB ALL membersare entitled to join the City LiveryClub. Details may be found atwww.cityliveryclub.com. The Club isholding an OPEN DAY for prospectivemembers on 7 May from 8.30 am -6pm.j

GazetteA P P ROV E D BY T H E C O U RT O N 1 2 t h M A RC H 20 0 9

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Alex HenshawA FLYING LEGEND

Words by Alex Henshaw

Paintings by Michael Turner PFGAvA

Probert LectureGuild members are invited to attend theinaugural Probert Lecture at the RAF Club,Piccadilly, on Thursday, 21 May at 1800hrsfor 1830hrs. The guest speaker isSebastian Cox, Head of the RAF’s AirHistorical Branch. The subject of his talkis "Arthur 'Bomber Harris, a contraryview", when he will address some of thepopular myths and misconceptions on the

bomber offensive. Following the lecture alight supper will be served at a cost of £15per person. A cash bar will be availablethroughout.

This is the first of a new series ofpresentations and debates that will focuson topical air power affairs and aviationhistory. The aim of the lectures is toexpand interest in issues of contemporaryand historical relevance. The lectures areopen to members of the RAF Club, and

those from air-minded organisations,

such as the Guild, that are closely linked

to the RAF.

The Probert Lecture is named in memory

of the late Air Commodore Henry Probert,

a distinguished RAF historian.

Anyone wishing to attend should contact

Helen Gilbert, the RAF Club’s Events

Coordinator on 020 7399 1042 or to

events@rafclub.org.uk