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Soviet Air Display Flying event of the week was the Soviet Air Force’s profoundly impressive demonstration last Sunday, at Tushino military airfield, near Moscow. Proceedings were in three phases. The first opened with Yak-12 liaison aircraft carrying the banners of the 16 Soviet Republics and streamers spelling out “Glory to the Soviet people”; these were followed by 76 Yak-18 trainers, spelling “Glory to the C.P.S.U.” (Communist Party of the Soviet Union), the arrival of which was the announcer’s cue to read a poem which could be translated as: “The planes are flying in formation, The words resound: ‘Glory be to the Party!’, And we follow them with our eyes, And in the sky read what we have in our hearts.” At length came the bomber and fighter streams with a single turboprop Bear, escorted by a pair of Mig-17 fighters in the lead. The main formation included four more Bears, three of the great four-jet Bisons, and nine twin-jet Badgers. Sixty Farmer single-seat fighters and 50 Flashlight twin-jet all-weather fighters comprised the fighter stream. Behind them came a Tu-104 transport. Last in this phase came “new Soviet aeroplanes”. Contradictory and garbled as are available reports, it is clear that the new deltas are extremely advanced aircraft. The third, concluding, phase of the proceedings consisted of parachute descents and the landing of airborne troops. Admiral E. J. King From America comes news of the death of Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King, former Commander-in-Chief of the United States Fleet and chief of Naval Operations. He was 77. Admiral King was a specialist in all forms of warfare. After warship service in the First World War he transferred to submarines. Later, when he was nearly 50, he learned to fly, and his belief in the value of aircraft dictated much of his strategic policy. He became Commander-in-Chief soon after the U.S. entered the last war. Though he was opposed to British co-operation in the Pacific, it was his brilliant determination to avenge Pearl Harbour which contributed largely to victory there. Capability Brown A naval pilot, Lt. Michael Brown, R.N., was commended by the Admiralty last week for deciding to force-land his Hunter instead of abandoning it after a flame-out at 40,000ft above Plymouth on June 21. Lt Brown landed the Hunter at R.A.F. Station Chivenor, North Devon, after gliding 60 miles in eight minutes. It was only slightly damaged, and he escaped with a broken ankle. |
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Source: Flight International