Defence in Darkness
It was with real satisfaction that we beheld last week the first jet night- and all-weather fighter squadrons of the R.A.F. flying their Vampire N.F.10s and Meteor N.F.11s as to the manner born, though the crews have only recently converted from piston-engined Mosquito N.F.36s. The units concerned are part of a rejuvenated and expanded force now being established in Fighter Command and are appropriately based at West Malling, near Maidstone, Kent, which station has for many years been particularly associated with night fighting - as, indeed, have the squadrons themselves.
An official Air Ministry statement points out that the Vampire and Meteor night fighters are capable of intercepting enemy aircraft farther from our coasts that their predecessors, and, thus, of achieving a higher percentage of successful interceptions before the raiders can reach their targets.
London Airport Noise
Following recent discussions arising from local residents' complaints about noise in the vicinity of major airports, the MCA has started a series of investigations into the problem of sound created by engines running-up at London Airport. Temporary screens of corrugated asbestos are to be built to test their effectiveness in reducing the noise. These screens will form a large bay and different heights and widths will be experimented with.
Source: Flight International
