1

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

O C T O B E R 2 0 0 8 N o . 1 7 1

THE GUILD OF AIR PILOTS AND AIR NAVIGATORS

PATRON:

His Royal HighnessThe Prince Philip

Duke of Edinburgh KG KT

GRAND MASTER:

His Royal HighnessThe Prince Andrew

Duke of York KG KCVO

MASTER:

Air Commodore R S Peacock-EdwardsCBE AFC FRAeS FCIM

CLERK:Paul J Tacon BA FCIS

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

(Letters Patent 1956)

PUBLISHED BY:The Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators,Cobham House, 9 Warwick Court, Gray’sInn, London WC1R 5DJ.

GUILD NEWS EDITOR:Linda Jones

PRINTED BY:Esto Perpetua Ltd 01992 761422

FUNCTION PHOTOGRAPHY:Gerald Sharp Photography. View images andorder prints on-line.

TELEPHONE: 020 8599 5070EMAIL: info@sharpphoto.co.uk

WEBSITE: www.sharpphoto.co.uk

EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS:The copy deadline for the December 2008edition of Guild News is 1 November 2008.Contributions should be sent to: The Editor,Guild News, Cobham House, 9 WarwickCourt, Gray’s Inn, London WC1R 5DJ.

Guild News is free to Guild Members and bysubscription to non-members at £15 per annum.

TELEPHONE: 020 7404 4032FAX NO: 020 7404 4035

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

Except where specifically stated, none of thematerial in this issue is to be taken as

expressing the opinion of the Court of the Guild.

Cover picture: for generations, sailors and aviators have used the stars to navigate, and Orion, the Hunter, is one ofthe better-known of the largest and most conspicuous constellations they would have used in the NorthernHemisphere. Sadly, the dominance of the Global Positioning System has made it virtually unnecessary for traditionalnavigational skills to be learned or practiced these days. Yet, all is not lost, as Guild member Tristan Gooley still hasheavenly objects in his sight and is teaching the rare art of natural navigation. You can read his story on page 9.

OCTOBER 2008

9 6th General Purposes and Finance Committee Meeting Cobham House9 Aptitude Assessment RAF Cranwell14 Benevolent Fund Board of Management Cobham House14 4th Technical and Air Safety Committee Cobham House16 Sir Frederick Tymms Lecture Royal Aeronautical Society23 Trophies and Awards Banquet Guildhall

NOVEMBER 2008

7 Silent Change Guildhall8 Lord Mayor’s Show10 Lord Mayor’s Banquet Guildhall11 4th Education and Training Committee Cobham House13 7th General Purposes and Finance Committee Meeting Cobham House13 4th Court Meeting Cutlers’ Hall13 Scholarships Presentation Cutlers’ Hall19 St Cecilia’s Festival Westminster Cathedral20 Past Masters’ Lunch RAF Club23 Guild Flying Club Lunch White Waltham

DECEMBER 2008

4 Aptitude Assessment RAF Cranwell9 5th Technical and Air Safety Committee Cobham House12 8th General Purposes and Finance Committee Cobham House12 New Members’ Briefing Cobham House12 Guild Carol Service St Michael’s, Cornhill12 Christmas Supper The Counting House17 Guild Closes

JANUARY 2009

5 Guild Opens13 5th Education and Training Committee Cobham House14 Trophies & Awards Committee Cobham House21 Benevolent Fund Board of Management RAF Club22 9th General Purposes and Finance Committee Cobham House22 5th Court Meeting Cutlers’ Hall22 Court Election Dinner TBC

FEBRUARY 2009

3 Combined Courts’ Lunch Cutlers’ Hall5 Alex Henshaw Commemorative Dinner RAF Museum Hendon12 10th General Purposes and Finance Committee Cobham House24 6th Technical and Air Safety Committee Cobham House

MARCH 2009

10 6th Education and Training Committee Cobham House12 11th General Purposes and Finance Committee Cobham House12 6th Court Meeting Cutlers’ Hall19 Annual Guild Service St Michael's, Cornhill19 AGM, Installation and Supper Merchant Taylors' Hall

Guild Visits Programme 200820 January Dunlop Aircraft Tyres, Birmingham

Please see the Flyers accompanying this and previous editions of Guild News or contact AssistantMichael Glover at MJAG2001@aol.com

GuildDiary

In this edition of Guild News

15/16 Guild archives...at Cobham House

18 Gazette & Technical briefing

19 RegionsHong Kong: remembering Kai TakAustralia: Education & Training report

20 Centenary of UK flightCody first day covers

4 News round upLiveryman Lettice Curtis honoured

5 ObituaryPast Master Cliff Farndell

14 Canada:Master at Abbotsford Air Show...

... with Liveryman Peter Duffey

6 The Master writes...

7 Garden PartyHats off to Lasham Gliding Club

8 Clerk’s column and HongKong’s Charity Night

10/11 Canada:Webster Trophy Awards

9 NavigationLong road to natural navigation

12/13 At Brize Norton...the Guild goes operational

17 Visit to Central Flying School, CranwellGuild Visits - the future

Round up.....

Trophies and Awards BanquetCapacity will be back to normal at thisyear’s Trophies and Awards Banqueton 23 October, following theGuildhall’s major kitchenrefurbishment programme. The plan isto accommodate up to 650 Guildmembers and their guests, as againstthe much-reduced numbers of the lastfew years. The guest of honour will beSir Stuart Rose, Executive Chairman ofMarks and Spencer. Sir Stuart wasknighted in the New Year Honours Listfor his services to the retail industryand corporate social responsibility.Now a Guild member, Sir Stuart is alsomad keen on aviation and plays anactive part in promoting the ImperialWar Museum, Duxford, and associatedflying. Word has it he’s recently flownin a Spitfire – lucky fellow.

ATA presentation The Master wasat White Waltham on Tuesday, 9September to take part in thecelebrations associated with the awardof a Veterans Badge to all those whoserved in the Air Transport Auxiliary(ATA) in the Second World War. WhiteWaltham was an entirely appropriatevenue for these celebrations, whichincluded an exhibition, speeches, a

short flying display andlunch before all those whowere able departed incoaches for No 10 DowningStreet to be presented withtheir Badges by the PrimeMinister. White Walthamwas the headquarters of theATA during WW2, anorganisation which carriedout more than 300,000aircraft delivery flightsduring the war involvingsome 147 different types ofaircraft. A number of pilotslost their lives in the process – theywere very brave aircrew to whom theNation owes a lot. What a pity that ithas taken more than sixty years forthis much needed recognition to come.Those Guild members who attendedthe Trophies and Awards Banquet in2003 will remember the standingovation given to the three legendaryfemale members of the ATA who weresaluted on that occasion. One of thosewas Liveryman Lettice Curtis, arguablythe most famous of the ATA femaleaircrew. She herself carried out over1,400 delivery flights and was the firstlady pilot to be cleared to carry out 4engine aircraft delivery flights. Letticenow resides in a lovely Berkshire CareHome but was unable to attend eitherthe event at White Waltham or at No10. However, it was the Master's greatpleasure to have been able to presentLettice, on behalf of the PrimeMinister, with her Veterans Badge in a

moving ceremony at her Care Home tocoincide with the ceremony at No 10.‘I was accompanied by LiverymanJack Randell and Freeman Ken Peters.A number of Lettice's close family andfriends also attended. Finally, I mustmake mention of the tea that the staffof the Care Home had prepared for theoccasion; it was quite the best andlargest tea that I have ever enjoyed’.

Alan Bramson Among thedeceased listed in the Gazette (page18) is Liveryman Alan BramsonFRAeS, who was one of the Guild'smost eminent members and a legendamong the aviation fraternity. Ex-RAF,with 250 aircraft types in his logbook,he was an accomplished writer,publishing some 20 books on aviation,air transport, pilot training andcertification, air accident investigation,airworthiness' and aircraftmaintenance and so on. Most privatepilots will have ploughed through thevolumes of his definitive textbook:Flight Training for Pilots. He was formany years a much-respected aviationconsultant. Alan joined the Guild in1947 and was clothed with the Liveryin 1964. He was a member of theGuild's Panel of Examiners for 28 yearsand Chairman for some of that time.- Continued on page 13

4

Unique aircraft: Flying Club members at Cosfordwith the Miles Mohawk, the RAF Museum’slatest acquisition. The aircraft was built in 1936as an all-wood tandem two-seat dual controlcabin monoplane. The American CharlesLindbergh, who in May 1927 made the first solowest-east transatlantic flight, was in Britain thatyear. He wanted a fast, long-range light-touringaeroplane in which he and his wife could makebusiness trips around Europe. He asked F GMiles to build one for him to his specification.Lindbergh flew the aircraft between 1936 and1939. This was the only Mohawk to beassembled.(Photo: Guy Faulkner)

ATA legend: Liveryman Lettice Curtis ispresented with an ATA Veterans Badge by the

Master. (Photo: Jack Randell)

Cliff Farndell, who died on2 September aged 94,was Master of the Guild

in 1968-70, the secondnavigator to hold the office –the first being Sir FrederickTymms (1957-59). Mr Farndellhad been a member of theGuild for more than fifty years,when among the Guild’senthusiastic supporters werefigures such as Sir AlanCobham and Freddie Laker.He joined the Guild as anUpper Freeman in 1958 andtook the Livery in 1964.

Mr Farndell’s flying careerbegan in 1940 when he joined theRAF and was dispatched to Canadato train as a pilot. When he arrivedhe found himself on a navigationcourse, became a navigator andwas posted to No. 307 Polishsquadron night fighters onMosquitos, becoming one of thefirst to use airborne radar in anight fighter. In 1944 he wasseconded to BOAC and operatedDC3s and Haltons out ofWhitchurch. He then found himselfat Northolt where he wastemporarily seconded to BEA andflew as a navigator on one of theearly Paris services. At that timeBEA was a European offshoot ofBOAC and in the throes of being setup with help from secondees. MrFarndell returned to BOAC at Hurnand became deputy flightnavigation officer of the airline’sArgonaut fleet and later Comet 1s.When the Comets were withdrawn,he became an instructor at theairline’s training unit. He movedon to be Flight Navigation Officeron Constellations, DC7Cs, Comet2Es, Comet 4 and finally theBoeing 707.

After 22 years service withBOAC, and by this time a Wardenof the Guild, Mr Farndell retiredand went to live in the Bahamas.He joined the UN secretariatspecialised agency for ICAO inMontreal and originated and

managed the Asian Civil AviationAcademy as part of the UNtechnical assistance programme.

Mr Farndell’s exodus to theBahamas in 1967 was lamented byhis friend Sir Alan Cobham as a

“loss to this country”, whodescribed him as “a man ofintegrity and unimpeachablecharacter”. Sir Alan, (Master 1964-6) had known Mr Farndell for morethan ten years, largely through theGuild, where he had beenchairman of the TechnicalCommittee.

Cliff Farndell was also theMaster who played a pivotal role inthe setting up of the Guild’s firstoverseas Region – Australia. Whenthe concept of an AustralianRegion had been suggested byAustralia’s legendary Jim Cowan inthe early 1960s, it was deemed ‘toodifficult’ and allowed to lapse. TheCourt of Aldermen and the CityCorporation had envisaged manyproblems of such an offshoot.However, with the help of his oldfriend Cliff Farndell, Jim Cowanpersevered. With some 40 Guildmembers already living inAustralia, he flew to London todiscuss his proposals with theCourt, returning triumphantly toAustralia with full approval and amandate to work out the ‘nuts andbolts’ of setting up the Region.According to Master Farndell “itwas an achievement reached in theface of much cynical opposition,

but with the active co-operation offriends in Qantas and Jim Cowan”.The first meeting of the AustralianRegion took place on 11 July 1968and Jim Cowan became theRegion’s first Chairman.

This was the start of theMaster’s official tour of the Guild’sRegions, the first of which tookplace in February 1969. In MasterFarndell’s case the visit was greatlyfacilitated by the Deputy Master,Sir Matthew Slattery, Chairman ofBOAC. Accompanied by theirwives, they visited both Australiaand also Hong Kong, where theirattempts to initiate a Guildpresence were at that timeunsuccessful.

In 2001 Past Master Farndellwrote to the Guild, having seen anobituary (presumably in a Guildpublication) for his old friendNorman Bristow. Captain Bristow,he said, had been described as theoldest surviving Past Master,whereas he had succeeded MrFarndell in office in 1970. “Isuspect”, he wrote, “I may not bethe only one to protest that mydecease has been greatlyexaggerated”.

In 2006, when the Duke ofEdinburgh met a group of PastMasters at the presentation of asword engraved with a list of themany aircraft he had flown, CliffFarndell was strategically placednext to him as the most senior PastMaster present, apart from theDuke himself. They should havehad plenty to talk about. CliffFarndell was the navigator on oneof the most famous Argonautflights ever, when he took PrincessElizabeth to Africa and brought herback to England as Queen.

Until quite recently, CliffFarndell attended Past Masters’lunches at the RAF Club. Heenjoyed the company of hissuccessors and keeping in touchwith the Guild’s affairs. In his 2001letter, Past Master Farndell saidhow much he appreciated theGuild’s efforts and to “see theGuild going strongly andcontinuing to make a valuablecontribution to aviation.”

�

5

OBITUARYPAST MASTER CLIFFORD THOMAS FARNDELL FRIN FRMetS

6

In this Master’s message, inaddition to making mention ofsome of the major highlights

from the last few months, I wouldlike to say a few words aboutGuild membership and some ofour clubs and activities. However,I would first like to record that it iswith great sadness that I have toreport the passing of Past MasterCliff Farndell, who was only thesecond navigator to hold theoffice of Master, and thelegendary aviator and Guildmember, Liveryman AlanBramson. References to theirillustrious careers appear onpages 4 and 5.

With regard to the highlights of myactivities, of most importance, andsomething that I will never forget, wasbeing presented to the Queen at the RoyalGarden Party at Buckingham Palace on 22July. As you would expect, I greatlyenjoyed the experience and theopportunity to have a most pleasant andrelaxed conversation with the Queen. Inearly August, together with Past MasterJohn Hutchinson, I attended and was partof the VIP party for the opening of theAbbotsford International Air Show inBritish Columbia, Canada. This was alsoan opportune time for some importantmeetings related to a Canadian Region.

Other highlights were the annual visitto RAF Brize Norton and the AnnualGarden Party. The Brize Norton visit wasmade even more special this year becausewe found ourselves involved in a seriousoperational mission (see the Guild goesoperational on pages 12/13). Lasham wasan excellent venue for the Garden Party inspite of some inclement weather and wasgreatly enjoyed by all who attended. Italso gave me a lot of pleasure to present a‘hoist’ to Lasham Gliding Club for use bydisabled pilots. Turn to page 7 to read allabout it and see how much it meant tothem.

But now let me return to the subject ofmembership. This is a subject that haslong been close to my thoughts, notbecause we are short of new members,indeed our membership has been steadilyon the increase for many months, but

because of my own experience which Iknow is mirrored elsewhere amongst themembership and tells me that we are notalways advertising the Guild to best effect.I only joined in 1997 and my firstintroduction to the Guild came when Iwas the guest of James Martin, jointmanaging director of Martin-Baker, at aTrophies and Awards Banquet. Iremember how hugely impressed I was bythe glittering magnificence of the occasionand I then learnt more about the Guildand joined. I quickly became involved inGuild activities and realized that there isso much to gain from membership.

However, as is always the case, theamount of benefit to be gained is to someextent proportional to the amount of effortput in. My one big regret is that I had notjoined 20 years earlier, and I regularly hearothers say exactly the same. I ammentioning all this because we mustalways be looking to our future. We have,of course, introduced the Guild YoungMembers’ Group (GYM) during the lastyear and this initiative is of greatimportance to our future. However, I askyou, the members, to also help spread theword about the benefits from membershipbecause there are some very good peopleout there who aren’t members becausethey are no wiser than I was before Ijoined. This brings me on to the subject ofthe membership of our various clubs andactivities.

There are a number of clubs andactivities available through yourmembership and in some cases I feel that

the membership at large is not makingbest use of the opportunities that areavailable. I would like to make specialmention of the Guild flying and golf clubs.The Flying Club has around 100 membersand the Golf Club somewhat less and yetthese two clubs themselves provide greatopportunities for you, the membership, toenjoy yourselves with like-minded people,and you don’t need to own an aircraft oreven a set of golf clubs. If you wish toobtain more information I suggest thatyou contact the following: Flying Club -Gerald Hackemer (gerald_hackemer@compuserve.com) or Peter Davis(peter.davis49 @btinternet.com) and theGolf Club - John Mason (johnmason37@onetel.com).

Finally, you will find enclosed withthis edition of Guild News a questionnaireseeking your views in a number of areasassociated with the on-going work of theStrategic Review Team. This isIMPORTANT and I do ask that you takethe time and effort to complete and returnthe questionnaire. Your responses willhave an influence on the future focus anddirection of the Guild.

I look forward to seeing many of youat Guildhall on 23 October for the Trophiesand Awards Banquet.

�

The Master writes….RICK PEACOCK-EDWARDS

Hat’s off: the Master acknowledges support fromthe many Guild members who were at Lasham

for the Guild Garden Party. With Air CommodoreRick Peacock-Edwards are Lasham Gliding Club’s

Alistair Mackinnon (left) and Chris Lewis(right). Centre is Mike Miller-Smith, a member

of the Lasham Gliding Club and chairman of theBritish Disabled Flying Association.

More than a hundredand sixty Guildmembers brought

their family and friends toLasham, Hampshire on 10August for the annual GuildGarden Party, where morehats flew this year thanaircraft. Strong, gusty windswhipped viciously across theairfield all day, putting a stopto the National GlidingCompetition Finals, but failingto deter Guild diehards GuyFaulkner and Owen Cubittfrom flying in from Gamstonand Denham, respectively.

Thanks to organiser Assistant MikeGlover’s meteorological instincts, asubstantial Guild marquee had beenerected beside Lasham’s welcoming ClubHouse, providing a safe haven from theblustery weather. The tables and chairsprovided inside the marquee were quicklyfilled by the masses, after struggling from

their cars clutching massive cool boxesand other trappings thought necessary fora good English picnic. They had travelledto Lasham from across the shires andeven, in John and Andrea Eacott’s case,from Australia. The Region’s Treasurerwas on the final leg of an eight-week andwell-timed visit to the UK. And so, to thepopping of Champagne corks, the feastbegan, showing you can always dependupon aviators to tuck-in and enjoythemselves whatever the weather.

The choice of Lasham this year for theGarden Party couldn’t have been a betterone, with some of their top brass – BarryWoodhouse, Alistair Mackinnon andChris Lewis – being welcomed to theGuild encampment by the Master, RickPeacock-Edwards.

It was particularly pleasing to alsowelcome Mike Miller-Smith, chairman of

the British Disabled Flying Association(BDFA) and a member of the LashamGliding Society. On behalf of the Guild,the Master presented the Society with aspecial hoist to aid disabled pilots get intoand out of their aircraft, which Mikegratefully accepted. Four aircraft atLasham have been adapted for use by thedisabled. Mike said the BDFA is trying toget other airfields to affiliate with them.

Other members of the Lasham GlidingSociety visiting the Guild marquee wereattracted by the Guild display stand, no

doubt having read the feature on Lashamin the February Guild News, which waswritten by their own man, Mike Birch.The article generated a lot of interest inthe Guild, and young glider pilots tookthe opportunity to pop in for a chat or totake a pilot aptitude test. Guild trainingexperts advised on how to progresstowards a career in commercial aviation.On the other hand, some Guild memberswere taking a peek at what the LashamGliding Society might have to offer them.

While the weather might havescrubbed gliding for the day, it didn’tprevent two powered aircraft fromputting on a display for the Guild.Warden Cliff Spink opted for an ME109(conditions were unsuitable for theSpitfire) flying from Duxford to Lashamto give a spectacular display across theairfield. Following him into theHampshire air was Diana Britten, thecountry’s only woman unlimited

aerobatic display pilot. In her Frenchcomposite wooden and carbon fibre CAP232 aircraft, she wowed the crowd withher world-class aerobatic performance.Great stuff!

All too soon it was time to pack upand head for home. And as membersgathered their debris and made for theroad, a Seneca and Chipmunk becameairborne – as Guy and Owen took off andflew straight into a heavy squall. Ah, well– it is summer, you know!

�

GUILDGARDENPARTY Hats off to LashamLINDA JONES

Star turn: Diana Britten gave a stunningaerobatic performance in her CAP 232 aircraft.

Gift aid: the Master presents a hoist to MikeMiller-Smith, Chairman of the British DisabledFlying Association, to help the disabled pilotsaccess and leave their aircraft. (Photo: LashamGliding Society)

Huddled masses: members enjoy a picnic lunch,protected by the Guild’s substantial marquee.

(Photo: Lasham Gliding Society)

Made for walking: Upper Freeman GrahamThomas, and his wife Amanda, came preparedfor all eventualities.

7

8

Review Questionnaire Thisedition of Guild News contains acopy of the questionnaire that theReview Team has distributed aspart of the ongoing strategicreview of the Guild and itsactivities. This is important, soplease do take time to completethe questionnaire, either in hardcopy or by e-mail, and return it tothe Guild office. Your views aregenuinely sought and will beconsidered.

Website One of therecommendations proposed as aresult of the strategic review thatis being actioned immediately, isan update of the Guild website. Anew website is being designed andconstructed that will, hopefully,be as useful and informative aspossible, whilst also enabled to beused in a far more interactive andpro-active way than is the casewith the current website. Morenews will follow in due courseabout when the new website willbe going ‘live’.

Regional Development Thereis significant interest in bothCanada and South Africa indeveloping a national Guild baseor Regional Committee in thosecountries. A great deal of workhas been and is currently beingconducted to bring these verywelcome initiatives to fruition. Inthe case of the SA RegionalCommittee, an Alex Henshawtribute is planned that will involveevents in both UK and SA, timedto commemorate his record-breaking flight between the twocountries. See the ‘pull-out’ andflyer in this edition. Plans for thedevelopment of the CanadianRegional Committee are alsoforging ahead and it is hoped theGuild will eventually be able tocount these two countriesamongst its regional network.The addition of Canada and SouthAfrica to the existing RegionalCommittees in Hong Kong,Australia and New Zealand showsthat globalisation is alive and wellin the Guild.

�

Clerk’s columnPAUL TACONLearned Clerk

The Hong Kong Region held it’s third “LadiesCharity Night” on 4 September and it proved as large asuccess as the previous events.

Thirty-five Guild members and their gueststravelled by the Centre’s bus from the more convenientAviation Club at Kai Tak to enjoy an evening andsuperb dinner catered and served by the young mildgrade mentally handicapped students of the PinehillIntegrated Vocational Training centre. The Centre islocated at Tai Po in the northern part of Hong Kong.

This year there was a slight difference in that a small hotel has been built atthe Centre and the evening started there with pre-dinner cocktails. For eightguests the evening also ended there when they returned, after the completion ofthe dinner, to take advantage of the accommodation and leave the drive homeuntil the next day. All agreed it was a great facility!

Guests then moved to the dining room for a four-course dinner, completewith Loving Cup and toasts. The Chairman in his toast to the Guests praised thework of the centre and congratulated the students on the high standard of foodand service. He promised to return next year!

Patrick Poon, the Centre Supervisor, made the reply to the toast. He thankedthe Guild for once again choosing the Integrated Vocational Training Centre asthe venue to hold it’s annual dinner. He added that the students and hiscolleagues were always excited to be given the precious opportunity to serve theGuild, which has now become a popular name within the centre. He saideveryone takes pride in being a participant in the event. Mr Poon completed hisreply by stating that he felt honoured to be invited and had enjoyed the wholeevening thoroughly. He then proposed the toast to the Guild and ended theevening by wishing the Company all the best and success and looked forward tothe same occasion again next year.

Great difficulty was then experienced in persuading guests to board the bus.But eventually the staff and students waved it off a little after 2300 hours. Thosethat remained carried a last glass to their hotel rooms. Another successful nightcame to an end.

�

Successful evening: studentsof the Pinehill Integrated

Vocational Training Centre,Hong Kong at another Ladies’Charity Night. With them are

(from left) Peter Robinson(Guild Immediate Past

Chairman); Jack Smith,Guild Region Administrator;

Nicole Li, Admin CentreManager; John Li, Guild

Chairman; and Patrick Poon,Pinehill Centre Supervisor.

HONG KONG REGION

9

When I was 10 mymother, grateful forsome peace and

quiet no doubt, packed meoff on a five-day RoyalYachting Association dinghycourse in Bembridge on theIsle of Wight. I was hesitantat first, but soon foundmyself having a lot of fun.Near the end of the coursemy instructor said to myshipmate and me: ‘Wherewould you like to go today?’With that innocuous-sounding expression hedetonated a lifelong passionfor navigation, although Ididn’t realise that was whatit was called at the time.

Navigation as a discipline has a bitof a dry reputation amongst theuninitiated, but it was the oppositefor me. I learned over years ofwalking up mountains, sailing overseas and flying as much as I could,that this navigation thing was really awolf in sheep’s clothing. I never sawnavigators as paper and pencil people(that was an occupational hazard),they were adventurers and restlesssouls pushing back boundaries and

then marking down new ones oncharts. You will not be surprised tohear that I’ve filled many an hourreading biographies of Cook,Shackleton, Johnson and co.

The journeys I undertook taughtme many things, but chief amongthem was an interest in andappreciation of the world around me.This interest matured into a curiosityand that then became a fascination.For a long time now the two interestsof navigation and nature have run inparallel, but a month ago I took theplunge and set up a school teachingand researching the rare art of naturalnavigation. I teach people how to findtheir way without a GPS (GlobalPositioning System) or compass,using the sun, moon, stars, weather,water, land, plants and animals. Mycourses are for those who enjoy theoutdoors or getting places: walkers,sailors, pilots, adventurers, travellersand explorers. In a word – navigators.

Is this absolutely necessary in theworld today? Perhaps not, but thenthe most interesting things in life arenot always. Are music, art, sculptureand dance? It is a complementary skilland while the few who have taken aninterest in the subject like to focus onthe safety aspect, I also like toemphasise the enjoyment that comesfrom greater understanding andawareness. It is very satisfying towatch the heavenly objects behavingthe way you expect them to and eventhe plants and animals oblige fromtime to time. The weather in thiscountry rarely does, but at least wenavigators can take some satisfactionfrom understanding why.

On 1st January 2008 TristanGooley became the first European tohave both flown solo and sailedsingle-handedly across the Atlantic.He is the founder of The NaturalNavigator School. See his website:www.naturalnavigator.com.

�

Back to nature - watch and learn

Tristan Gooley

Long road to natural navigationFREEMAN TRISTAN GOOLEY

Blue, clear skies greetedme as I landed atMoncton in New

Brunswick, Canada, on 21August. I had flown overMoncton a couple of timeson my trans-Atlantic and firstworld flights, but neverlanded. Before 1996 anyonewishing to ferry a lightaircraft across the NorthAtlantic was obligated toland at Moncton first, wherea rigorous check of theiraircraft and equipment tookplace. This custom wasabolished before my firstcrossing in 1997, but I hadall the advisory notices fromthe Canadian authorities andas they made good safetysense I adhered to themanyway. It was strange flyingover such familiar territory ina Bombardier CRJ instead ofmy little Piper Dakota, and Icouldn’t help a certainfeeling of nostalgia.

I was to be the guest of honourand keynote speaker at the prestigiousWebster Trophy Banquet, when thevery best of General Aviation pilotscompete for this greatest of all

Canadian aviation awards.Dr J C Webster was a well-known

surgeon whose pilot son John wassadly killed in an aviation accident. In1932 he established the WebsterMemorial Trophy Competition toperpetuate the memory of his son andto encourage excellence and precisionamongst amateur pilots. He had ahuge bronze trophy of the Greek GodIcarus, representing youth and flight,and from then to the present day thisis awarded annually. The trophy,rather like the tennis tournamenttrophy which remains at Wimbledon,lives in the Canada Aviation Museumin Ottawa and never graces themantelpiece of the winner. It is thehonour and prestige that makes this

the most sought after Canadianaviation award.

For the purposes of thecompetition, Canada is divided intonine regions. Any amateur pilot canapply but they must not have beenremunerated in any way for theirflying, so it really is strictly foramateurs. The initial stages comprisea significant application form whichis then followed by taking a flight testone of two ways. The competitor canuse the services of a Pilot Examinerauthorized by Transport Canada andtake a Webster flight test or, if thecompetitor has received either aPrivate or Commercial Pilot’s Licencewithin the Webster fiscal year, a copyof the Transport Canada Licensing

flight test report may be used instead.There is a set of marking criteria tomake the competition as objective aspossible. The competitor from each ofthe nine regions with the highestmarks on their flight test goes throughto the finals.

The selection of an overall winnertakes place at a different venue acrossCanada each year. This year it wasMoncton and the Moncton FlightCollege hosted the candidates for aweek. The whole event is sponsoredby Air Canada who fly the finalists tothe selection and pay for theiraccommodations along with theAwards Banquet as well. The AirlinePilots’ Association paid for all theflying costs associated with the flight

testing portion of the competition. During the week at the Moncton

Flight College, an impressive buildingwhich can house up to 400 studentsin modern accommodation blocks,the finalists sit two more writtenexams (in French or English) whichincorporate navigation, meteorology,principles of flight and air law. Thereare normally three judges who markthese papers. They are full writtenpapers, no multi-choice. TwoTransport Canada Civil AviationInspectors (similar to the UK’s CivilAviation Authority Examiners)conduct the flight tests, onenavigation and the other generalhandling. One inspector does all thegeneral handling and the other all the

The Webster Trophy Awards BanquetASSISTANT POLLY VACHER

Flying: Jason Gregg, Regional Winner for the Atlantic Provinces (Maritimes Region) during the airportion of the competition in a DA20. (Photo: Marcel Keays)

Training: Jason Gregg, Regional winner for theAltantic Provinces (Maritimes Region) beingtrained at Moncton Flight College. (Photo:Marcel Keays)

10

navigation to ensure as fair a result aspossible.

I had the good fortune to spendsome time with the nine candidatesand enjoyed hearing about their flyingexperiences and their aspirations.Whilst being open to amateur pilotsof all ages and backgrounds, thefinalists were bright young men whowere hoping to make a career inaviation. ‘Where are the women?’, Icouldn’t resist asking. I was assuredthat normally there are one or twowomen finalists.

By the Saturday all flight testswere complete and it was just amatter of the computer working outthe candidate with the most marks. Iwas told that it is very close with aslittle as 0.1 difference between themon occasions, and having met themall, I can well believe that!

The whole week culminated in theWebster Trophy Banquet whichcommenced with a welcomereception. Everyone was in eveningdress with most influential people inaviation in attendance as well asrepresentatives from the majorsponsor, Air Canada. Sennheiser,along with Jeppesen, Shell Canada,and Field Aviation sponsored my visitand raised a significant donation forFlying Scholarships for the Disabled.There is a serious movement afoot tostart Flying Scholarships for theDisabled in Canada, so it wasappropriate to have the opportunity to

promote the work that thischarity does for disabledpeople in the UK and now inAustralia, Norway and theUSA.

Between each course ofthe delicious meal, variouspeople arose to thanksponsors, volunteers andsupporters. The tension wasmounting – how long wouldthey be before theyannounced the winner?Whilst sipping coffee all thefinalists were called to thefront and given certificatesand other tokens of theirparticipation. More tensionfor everyone, but I guess thatwas part of the design.Eventually they announcedthe runner up, Trevor LeMarquandwho was given the Eunice CarterMemorial Trophy “I am gathering alot of business cards tonight” helaughed acknowledging that thenetworking opportunities at theWebster Banquet were invaluable.The late Eunice Carter administeredthe Webster Trophy Competition forover 15 years, and I was lucky enoughto meet her husband Bruce who hadbeen a judge for 22 years.

At last, with much aplomb, theDirector of Flight Operations for AirCanada ripped the envelope open andannounced the winner. It wasSandeep Nagpal.

“ I was resigned to the fact that Iwas just going to enjoy myself andhave a good time”, saidSandeep. “I like flying buteven on the ground there’sstill a spirit of friendshipand camaraderie inaviation.”

Amy Foy whoadministers the wholecompetition and WayneFoy, her husband andjudge, threw down thegauntlet. “We would loveyou to start somethingsimilar in the UK”, theysaid, to which I retorted “Iwould love you to startFlying Scholarships for theDisabled in Canada”. So who knows?Is there anyone in the Guild whowould like to take up the challenge?

Amy and Wayne have offered to helpand advise on how they run thecompetition.

For more details contact: PollyVacher: pvacher@aol.com or 01235817554. For details on WebsterTrophy: www.webstertrophy.ca orAmy and Wayne Foy onawfoy@rogers.com For details aboutFlying Scholarships for the Disabled:www.toreachforthesky.org.uk

�The full range of photographs of

the Webster Trophy Competition is available for viewing on:http://picasaweb.google.com/photomaxme/Webster

Winning: Sandeep Nagpal, 2008 winner of theWebster Memorial Trophy Competition, fromBrampton Flight Centre and representing the

Western Ontario Region. (Photo: Marcel Keays)

Talking: Assistant Polly Vacher with GeraldRiddett, Program Manager and Chief Flight

Instructor JAA Operations, after the completionof a local press conference. (Photo: Marcel

Keays)

Planning: the Webster finalists beginning across-country flight planning exercise as part ofthe ground portion of the competition. KevinDhaliwal representing the British ColumbiaRegion in foreground seated beside TrevorLeMarquand (eventual runner-up) representingthe Quebec Region. (Photo: Marcel Keays)

11

12

On Thursday 24 July, adelegation of 30 of usmade our much

sought after annual visit toRAF Brize Norton.

This was another outstanding visit,the highlight of which was a flight ina VC10 Tanker aircraft from No 101Squadron. However, on this occasion

there was a very interesting andunplanned surprise. The plan was forthe VC10 to offload fuel over the NorthSea to Typhoons, Harriers and FrenchMirages. In the event it was divertedfrom this task to an operational

mission in support of the UK NorthernQuick Reaction Alert (QRA) Force,namely Tornados F3s operating out ofRAF Leuchars in Scotland. A pair ofRussian ‘Bear’ aircraft had beendetected and the Tornados had beenscrambled from Leuchars. There wasgreat interest as the fully armedTornados air-to-air refueled from theVC10 way north of Scotland,somewhere between the Shetlands

and the Faroes. For all the GAPANvisitors on board this was a mostfascinating experience and certainly aflight that will be long remembered.For me it was a trip down memorylane because not only did I fly

Tornados in the RAF but when I wasbased at RAF Leuchars, then flying F4Phantoms, I intercepted over 30Russian bombers in very similarcircumstances during my three-yeartour at the Station. I was thereforeable to explain to others exactly whatwas going on and I was delighted tohave the opportunity.

Aside from the excitement andinvolvement in an operationalmission which in the event took upmost of the visit, the day’sprogramme included twopresentations. There was an excellentone about the largest RAF base in theUK, and one that is in the midst ofgreat change, and another mostinteresting one from No 101Squadron. As in previous years, thevisit had been superbly organized bySquadron Leader Cat Thompson. Herhusband, Squadron Leader DaveThompson, himself a VC10 skipper incommand of “our” VC10 on the day,hosted the flying part of the visit andwas most helpful in answeringquestions. One could say ‘a realfamily affair’ and I am pleased to saythey have both accepted invitationsto be our guests at this year’sTrophies and Awards Banquet on 23October. During the visit I was alsoable to present a cheque for StationCharities to the new StationCommander, Group Captain Jon Ager.

This was another wonderful visit.Thank you Brize Norton for makingeveryone so welcome and for givingus a day to remember. Assistant MikeGlover has already received an

The Guild goes operational

(Photo: Alan Jackson)

(Photo: Alan Jackson)

The Guild goes operationalAIR COMMODORE RICK PEACOCK-EDWARDSThe Master

13

invitation for another visit in 2009and now has a date in his VisitsCalendar for next July.

Liveryman Alan Jackson, whowas also on board the VC10, writes:

We were airborne at 11.15 and enroute for the first air-to-air refuelling(AAR) exercise, at AAR area 5 overthe North Sea to the east ofBamburgh. There we were due totank four Eurofighter Typhoons from29 Squadron out of Coningsby,delivering three tonnes of fuel toeach: from there we were scheduledto fly south to AARA 8, east of theWash, to tank a pair of French airforce Mirage 2000s, and then fourHarrier GR7s from 4 Squadron atCottesmore. I expected to be busywith my camera!

We got our first inkling that theday would not go entirely to planwhen the Typhoons scrubbed: theyevidently had better games to play.

It was at this point that we werere-tasked. Two Russian Tu-95 ‘Bear’bomber/reconnaissance aircraft hadbeen detected approaching theUnited Kingdom over the NorwegianSea. A Tornado F3 had beenlaunched by 111 Squadron from RAFLeuchars in Scotland to intercept,and would in due course need fuel –as would any further fighters thatmight need to be scrambled. And,praise be, we were closest! So thetraining sortie was consigned to‘might have been’.

We flew north towards the FaroeIslands, in the vicinity of which theinterception was expected to takeplace. Soon the Scottish highlandswere beneath us. Our scheduled twohour training sortie looked liketurning into something a lot longer!

As we approached 62° north, thetempo on the flight deck rose. Theseaircraft fly with four flight deck crew:

the aircraft commander, co-pilot,flight engineer and navigator, and allwere focused on the job in hand. TheRussians were now around 60 milesahead of us.

Our first customer was a secondF3 that had been launched fromLeuchars: he took four tonnes of fuelfrom us so as to be topped up to thebrim, and then flew on to take overthe shadowing role from the firstaircraft, which by now hadintercepted the Russians. The firstaircraft then appeared out of theincreasingly murky sky at our20,000ft altitude, and took his share.Both F3s were fully armed with fourAMRAAMs (advanced medium rangeair-to-air missiles) and fourASRAAMs (the short rangeequivalent): so if one day thebombers arrive with hostile intent,there will be an answer.

By this time the two Bears hadseen enough, and were heading forhome, so there was no need for us tostick around: we headed south,along the west coast of Scotland,down past the Lake District and backto Brize where we landed at 4.45pm:a five and a half hour sortie, ratherthan the two hours that had beenscheduled.

�(Photo: Alan Jackson)

Coventry air accident One ofthe people killed in the mid-aircollision at Coventry on 17 Augustwas Sybille Gautrey, who as SybillePaarmann won two Guildscholarships, one for a PPL andone for an instructor rating. Sybillewas brought up in East Germanyand later studied aeronauticalengineering at the TechnicalUniversity of Berlin. She came to

UK to do an MSc at Cranfield andstarted to fly at the College ofAeronautics, but could not affordto continue, thus the applicationfor the Guild scholarship.

Golden wedding Past Master JohnHutchinson and his wife Sue arecelebrating their 50th weddinganniversary at a Service at StM i c h a e l ’ s ,Cornhill, on 31October andinvite Guildmembers tojoin them. TheH o l yCommunionService startsat 1.10pm andwill last about20-25 minutes.

Long Serving Members

60 years membershipCaptain Douglas Bryan

Flying holiday: Adam Norris, the Sir SeftonBrancker PPL scholar, has been busy training

for his licence during the summer holidays. Sofar he has completed 48-hours flying, havingachieved his solo qualifying cross-country viaGamston and Sywell. Although he now had

had to return to school he is confident offinishing his PPL in free periods and at

weekends, despite the British weather. Adam ispictured at Henlow Flying School beside the

Cessna 152 in which he was just about to takea lesson. (Photo: Arthur Thorning)

14

The Master, Rick Peacock-Edwards, accompaniedby Past Master John

Hutchinson, visited Canadaat the beginning of Augustand attended the AbbotsfordInternational Air Show. TheMaster also took part in theVIP Opening Ceremony.

The Abbotsford International AirShow has been one of the main airshow events in the North Americancalendar for more than 40 years andthis year it took place over threedays: 8-10 August. The Masterattended for the opening ceremonies

and the first day of flying before hehad to return to the UK in time forthe Garden Party at Lasham. JohnHutchinson, however, was able toattend for all three days and madesome excellent contacts to help usmove forwards with the formation anew Canadian Region of the Guild.Indeed, whilst the Abbotsford AirShow was the driver for the visit italso provided the opportunity for theMaster and PM Hutchinson to hold anumber of important meetingsassociated with the new Region andto meet key and influential people tohelp make it happen.

As the Master reports: “Our visit

to Canada at the beginning of Augustexceeded my expectations in everyway as a catalyst for creating a newRegion of the Guild. I flew intoVancouver, itself a quite beautifulcity, and I certainly packed a lot intomy short visit.

“Wherever we went we were verywarmly received and the word hadobviously got around because I wasmost pleasantly surprised at howmay people knew who we were, andabout our plans. I was also warmedby the enthusiasm of everyone forthe idea of creating closer ties.

“All our meetings were highlyproductive and, collectively, we

were able to developplans for the wayahead, and it was sonice to meet face-to-face and to be able toput faces to names.Much work has still tobe done, but we havemade an excellentstart. For generalinformation at thisstage, the basic plan isthat the new Regionwill form from aVancouver base andthen build across thenation”.

But back to the Abbotsford AirShow, Abbotsford is about a one-hour drive fromVancouver and close tothe United States border.Like Vancouver, it is apart of some of the mostbeautiful scenery in theworld in BritishColumbia. The air displayitself was very highquality with someexcellent performances.

Of note, both the USThunderbird andCanadian Snowbirdaerobatic teams wereperforming at the show,testament to the qualityof the display. There wasplenty to see of greatinterest, and someexcellent flying displays.

This was a memorable visit andone that has helped create that bondthat we are seeking for the future.You might also be interested to notethat the Guild’s Australian Regionare now in good contact withCanada since there would appear tobe a lot of synergy between the twoRegions because of the size of therespective countries.

�

CANADA IN OUR SIGHTSGuild visits Abbotsford International Air Show

Making headway: the Master with John Burley(left), Donna Farquhar, and Patrick Reid

(right) who he hopes will be active members ofthe new Canadian Region. Now a Guild

member, John was instrumental in helping theGuild make contacts in Canada and is a

member of the Steering Group planning theformation of the new Region. Donna works for

Ron Price, CEO of the Abbotsford Air Show,and therefore deeply involved with the

Abbotsford International Air Show. She islikely to have a key administrative role in the

new Canadian Region and is also readyorganising the initial meetings. Patrick is amember of the Guild under the Nominated

Admissions scheme and comes from adiplomatic and business background. Hisfather-in-law (now deceased) was Group

Captain W N Cummings, Master of the Guildin 1949. Patrick is tentatively earmarked to be

Chairman of the Canadian Region.

Ex-pat: Peter Duffey (left) with the Master. Aformer Concorde pilot, Peter is a Liveryman ofthe Guild and now lives in British Columbia. Itis likely he will be involved with the Guild inCanada and has offered to help as required.

15

It became apparent when theGuild moved its offices fromGray’s Inn Road that quite a

lot of our history was in dangerof being lost and AssistantGerald Hackemer was collatingwhat we had. At the sametime I was in possession ofmaterial gifted or loaned to theGuild which was far too goodto sit in a cupboard andbetween us, and with the helpand support of many Guildmembers and staff, we hadinstalled the display cabinets,shelving and cupboards in thetop floor room at CobhamHouse. The two largestcollections are of the Waller

and the Bentley material, but asubstantial amount of theGuild's history has also cometo light.

Ken Waller was Chief Test Pilot forMiles aircraft at Woodley from 1946, butis perhaps better known as a contestantin the England-Australia MacRobertsonAir Race, which started from Mildenhallon 20 October 1934, flying in one of thethree DH 88 Comet aircraft, ‘SR, withCathcart-Jones. Prior to the race Waller

carried out a survey flight in a LeopardMoth, leaving England on 22 March1934. In the race itself Cathcart-Jonesand Waller finished third in the speedsection. We have Waller’s logbookscovering, among other things, both thesurvey flight and the race itself. Theactual notes he made during the surveyflight, jotted down during andimmediately after each sector, are alsodisplayed and make fascinating reading.

Dick Bentley was a Guild memberwho died in 1990 and when his widowdied a few years later some of hismemorabilia came on loan to the Guild.Born in 1897, he joined the Royal FlyingCorps (RFC) as a pilot in 1916. For hisobservation patrols over the battlefield atCambrai on 20 November 1917, whichwas the first battle in which tanks wereused, Dick Bentley was awarded theMilitary Cross. After the war heemigrated to South Africa where hejoined the nascent South African AirForce. In 1927, with sponsorship fromthe Johannesburg Star newspaper, hepurchased a DH 60X Cirrus Moth for asolo flight from London to Cape Town,then the longest solo flight everachieved. The only modification to theaircraft was the fitting of an additional 25gallon fuel tank in the passenger seatand an additional oil tank. He left StagLane on 1 September 1927 and reachedCape Town on 28 September and for thisflight Dick Bentley was awarded the AirForce Cross and the Britannia Trophy. In1928 Bentley flew back to the UK,becoming the first person to fly fromCape Town to London, and the first to flythe round trip. During the Second WorldWar he was commissioned into theRAFVR on instructing, testing andferrying duties, for which he wasawarded the Air Efficiency Medal, andflew many types of aircraft. We haveDick’s medals, the logbook of hisCapetown flights, the Britannia trophyand various other items which aredisplayed by courtesy of the McGregorMuseum, Kimberley, SA.

Turning now to Guild material, thereis a Minute Book of the Guild'sFunctions and Ceremonies Committeewhich, until October 1958, met atLondonderry House, subsequentmeetings being at 14 South Street. Totake one entry at random, the minutes of

11 June 1958 record inter alia complaintsthat the four speeches at the secondAnnual Banquet held at the DorchesterHotel on 28 May had taken 1 hour 34minutes! Although not all were present,the proposed guest list for this event hadincluded Prince Bernhard of theNetherlands, Lord Mountbatten ofBurma, the Secretary of State for Air,CAS (Sir Dermot Boyle), the Minister ofTransport and Civil Aviation (HaroldWatkinson), the President of the RAeS(Sir George Edwards), the President ofthe RAeC (Lord Brabazon of Tara), andthe Chairman of BOAC (Sir Gerardd’Erlanger) and of BEA (Lord Douglas ofKirtleside).

There are four volumes of cuttingsand photographs recently brought to theoffice covering the career of Captain A SWilcockson, a founder member of theGuild and perhaps best known forcommanding Maia, the flying boat thatlaunched Mercury, the seaplane flownby Don Bennett which was used todevelop transatlantic flights. Wilcocksonwas appointed OBE for this work and inone of the albums there is a letter ofcongratulation signed by C G Grey, thelegendary editor of The Aeroplane.Captain Wilcockson was also the winnerof the Johnston Memorial Trophy for‘the best feat of navigation for the year1936-7’ which was presented at areception at Londonderry House.

Archives at Cobham HousePAST MASTER PETER BUGGÉ

Details of Dick Bentley’s flying career.

On record: the display cabinet at Cobham Housewith Dick Bentley’s medals, with a picture ofhim wearing them. In the background is theRE8 he flew over Cambrai when winning hisMilitary Cross. In an adjacent cabinet is hislogbook, a picture of the aircraft in which heflew to South Africa, a map of the route and apicture of him receiving the Britannia Trophyfrom the Duke of Edinburgh.

16

One of my favourite items is aRegister of members which dates fromthe very formation of the Guild. Entriesare handwritten, mostly in a finecopperplate script, and sometimes witha succinct addendum across the entrysuch as that for Sir Sefton Brancker –‘deceased R101 disaster 5 October 1930’,or for Charles Ulm, noted as joint MDwith Charles Kingsford-Smith (who wasalso a Guild member) of AustralianNational Airways and half owner andco-commander of the Southern Cross,‘Deceased December 1934 – reportedmissing’. The flight in question was thatof an Airspeed Envoy named StellaAustralis which left Oakland, California,for Hawaii on 3 December 1934; no traceof it was ever found. The preparation ofthe aircraft and the conduct of the flightis discussed in Nevil Shute’sautobiography Slide Rule.

Other entries include Sir ArthurWhitten Brown, whose ‘Qualification formembership’ reads ‘Air Navigator(retired) companion of Sir John Alcock onthe first successful Atlantic crossing June10 1919’. A name perhaps less wellknown is that of E H Lawson, whoseentry reads ‘B pilot 150 12/6/19’ andwhose address is given as ‘AerodromeOffice, Control Tower, Airport of London,

Croydon’. Lawson is in fact named on theprint that hangs in Cobham House as thepilot of the DH4A of Air Transport &Travelthat was used for the first scheduled dailyflight from Hounslow Heath to Paris on 25August 1919.

Perhaps my favourite entry of all inthe Register is that of AlexanderDuckham, described as a PetroleumTechnologist – I'm sure we oldermembers remember Duckham’s Oil, later

part of Castrol - whose qualification formembership reads: "Never piloted. Flewwith Bleriot in 1909 and with CharlesRolls in 1910".

The most recent items to come tolight are seven bundles of originalcorrespondence relating to the foundingof the Guild. The covers are in a poorstate but the condition of the lettersthemselves is not too bad. Many arebetween Laurie Wingfield, the first Clerk,Sir Sefton Brancker and Squadron LeaderE L Johnston – the navigator of R101whose address is given as Royal AirshipWorks, Cardington - and they all tell of adifferent world to the one our childrenand grandchildren now know. Sir SeftonBrancker received a letter dated 4 July1929: "Mr Hugh Lewis' compliments toSir Sefton Brancker, Director of CivilAviation. Mr Lewis would be greatlyobliged if he would kindly ask theSecretary of the new Guild of Air Pilotsand Air Navigators to send Mr Lewisparticulars of the organisation". There is

much correspondence about the venuefor a Dinner to be held in October 1929,following the refusal by the police togrant Rules restaurant a liquor licence forSunday 6 October. An offer from theHotel Cecil concludes: "Trusting to befavoured with your esteemed patronageand awaiting your further instructions,which shall have our best attention".The first General Meeting of the Guildwas indeed held at the Hotel Cecil on 19October and followed by a Dinner.

In July there was correspondenceabout the refusal of the Board of Trade togrant a licence to the Guild under theCompanies Act 1908 and on 5 July LaurieWingfield wrote to E L Johnston asking"Do you think we can bring furtherpressure to bear upon them or shall weaccept the situation?" As a result of thisdiscussion Laurie Wingfield wrote to SirSefton Brancker on 8 July saying "I thinkperhaps a word from you to the Board ofTrade might make all the difference".Apparently the Board of Trade remainedunmoved for on 19 July Laurie Wingfieldagain wrote to Sir Sefton Branckerconceding defeat!

Let me close with a personalreference to more modern times.Through the Panel of Examiners theGuild was responsible until, I think, themid-1960s for the standards for flyinginstructors. On the shelves there is anIssue Book recording the authorisation offlying instructors and to my delight theseventh entry on the first page reads: "FH Buggé, £2.2.0 paid, test date 19/10/56,time 40 minutes. And the comment:“Very experienced”. This was my Unclewho first started me flying when I wasdoing A levels at Brooklands TechnicalCollege, Weybridge, in the late ‘50s. Hehad flown with the RFC and RAF, was inIraq - or Mesapotamia as he alwayscalled it - in the 1920s, and was laterrunning his own air photographybusiness in Argentina. After the War,during which he again served with theRAF, he instructed at weekends atElstree, Denham and Panshanger.

There is much more, of course; domake the time to visit Cobham Houseand look through the archives whichgive such a wonderful insight into thefounders of our Guild.

�

Archives at Cobham House cont’dPAST MASTER PETER BUGGÉ

The entry in the Register of Members for SirSefton Brancker, the first Master of the Guild

The entry in the Register of Members forAlexander Duckham

17

Aparty of 23 Guildmembers, led by theMaster, visited the

RAF Central Flying School(CFS) – one of ourassociated military units -on 17 July, at the invitationof Group Captain NickSeward, Commandant CFS.The visit was efficientlyorganised by SquadronLeader Nick Goodwyn, whois a staff member at CFSand sits on the Guild’sEducation and TrainingCommittee. The day waschosen to coincide with theannual gathering of the CFSAssociation when an airdisplay was scheduled forthe afternoon - anappealing bonus.

The visit started with a welcomeand presentation on the CFS by GpCapt Seward. The Central FlyingSchool has been a vital componentof British military flying trainingsince the first course was held in1912, at Upavon, Wiltshire, andcontinues currently at RAFCranwell. The CFS is responsible fortraining RAF instructors andmaintaining standards ofinstruction and regards its linkswith the Guild as very valuable. Thedevelopment of the forthcoming UKMilitary Flying Training System(MFTS) is a major interest for CFSat this time. It takes about fouryears for a pilot to progress throughthe training system to be combatready, but over 90% get all the waythrough, in no small part due to theefforts of CFS. The Royal Air ForceAerobatic Team, the Red Arrows,come within the CFS organisation –happily they were scheduled to takepart in the afternoon flying display.

The party then learned fromSqdn Leader Adrian Rycroft abouthuman factors training in the RAF.

The emphasis is on training inhuman factors and cognitive skillsto improve mission success throughindividual and team performance.Lessons have been learned fromsports psychologists on motivationand attitude. A five-day humanfactors course is included in thesyllabus for all pilot trainees andflying instructors also attendanother five-day course, ‘HumanPerformance for Instructors’.

After lunch in the York HouseOfficers’ Mess we moved on to theOfficer and Aircrew SelectionCentre. Sqn Ldr Mike Carr briefedus on a comprehensive range oftests which are under constantdevelopment. The OASC has manyexternal customers, civil andforeign military, including, ofcourse, the Guild with itsassessment programme foraspiring civil pilots. We thenmoved on to a fascinating tour ofthe imposing RAF Collegebuilding, guided by the veryknowledgeable Dave Bell – aparticularly interesting experiencefor the many in the group who hadnot been there before.

The bus, fuelled by optimism,then took us to the flight line forthe flying display. It had been anunremittingly wet day so far.Peering out from under umbrellasand two small marquees wewatched some determineddisplays by a Tutor, a Firefly and aKingAir flying from theCranwell/Barkston Heath trainingfleet. Fortunately the rain eased abit and we had the delight of acombined display by a Spitfire andits latest successor, the Typhoon.We must all have been mutteringthe words of William Blake’sJerusalem under our breath ‘Oclouds unfold’, for lo, they did –and right on cue the Red Arrowsroared low over the airfield andthen gave us the privilege ofwatching their full programme.

Altogether a most interestingand satisfying day – our thanks toeveryone at Cranwell.

�

Having run the GuildVisits and Garden Partyprogramme for more

than 10 years it now seemstime for me to “retire” or, atleast, step back a bit and letsomeone else have a go – newideas and, perhaps, a changeof style should not comeamiss.

So, for the next Guild year, March2009 to March 2010, while I shallcontinue to have overall responsibilityfor the programme, you will begin tosee different names and addresses onthe bottoms of some of the InitialAdvice Sheets asking for yourresponses. This process of spreadingthe load has actually started, in a smallway, this year with Arthur Thorningrunning three of our visits this pastsummer. His assistance has been mostwelcome and, I hope, his name willcontinue to appear on some of our one-day visits in the future.

I have much enjoyed developing theGuild Programme of Visits over the lastseveral years and am especially gratefulfor the letters, emails and phone callsof appreciation I have received frommany of you. During the last Guild year554 of you joined one or more of our“outings” and, in each case, your “feedback” afterwards was most generous.

It has been a privilege doing the joband I am particularly grateful to theCourt and a succession of Masters fortheir support and to all of you whohave helped me in so many ways overthe years.

�

Visit to Central Flying School,RAF CranwellPAST MASTER ARTHUR THORNING

Guild visitsGuild visitsASSISTANT MICHAEL GLOVER

18

China: pilots fined for quitting Inthe UK some pilots object to ‘bonding’for a few years to repay training costs.In China if you quit your job as anairline pilot, you could end up owingyour former employer more than$102,000. China's carriers arestruggling to hold onto their crews asdemand for air travel createsopportunities for pilots worldwide.Now, Air China, China Eastern Airlinesand China Southern Airlines, China'slargest carriers, have taken to enforcinglifetime crew contracts. A Chinesegovernment regulation issued in May2006, designed to prevent bidding warsfor experienced pilots, penalizes thosepilots who seek opportunity abroad byallowing airlines to demandcompensation for lost staff. "Everyoneshould follow the rules," Chen Feng,chairman of Grand China Air, toldBloomberg news. "The situation hasdrawn attention from the InternationalFederation of Air Line Pilots'Associations, which views the practiceas unrelated to reality and almost likeslavery. Pilots in China have beguntheir own work condition protestswhen in March and April crews turnedaround 21 flights mid-route. Others

have staged hunger strikes.CAA changes to medical rules

Following changes to the AirNavigation Order, the Civil AviationAuthority has expanded an exemptionto allow the holder of a UK issuedpilot’s licence to continue flyingmicrolights, self-launching motorgliders (SLMG) and simple singleengine aircraft (SSEA) if they hold amedical declaration from their generalpractitioner (GP). The previousrequirement called for a full JointAviation Authorities medical from aspecialist aviation medical examiner.

ELTs and PLBs in FRANCE Whilethe CAA has continued the exemptionfor the International Civil AvaitionOrganisation (ICAO) requirement tocarry either an Emergency LocatorTransmitter (ELT) or Personal LocatorTransmitter (PLB) until early 2009, itwould appear that our French friends(DGAC) may well require carriage from1 January.

LAA/PFA/BMAA The PopularFlying Association, recently re-branded as the Light AircraftAssociation (LAA), is now in mergernegotiations with the BritishMicrolight Association (BMAA).

Government consultation (viaOFCOM) to charge for Spectrumusage Do you want to be charged forusing the ‘radio waves’? Aconsultation document is ath t t p : / / w w w . o f c o m . o r g . u k/consult/condocs/aip/ Responses must

TechnicalbriefingC L HODGKINSON Technical director

GazetteA P P ROV E D BY T H E C O U RT 11 S E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 8

be submitted by the end of October.Safety first – track every move

The Find Me Spot Satellite PersonalTracker from www.findmespot.comprovides a constant track readout ofyour flight or walk, for instance, for avery modest cost to give you or yourfamily peace of mind. It works inconjunction with Google maps and hasthe added benefit of an emergencybutton. Unit Cost is $170 and annualsubscription $100.

Avoid runway incursions? Plentyof pilots are familiar with technologythat tells us to "turn right" or "turnleft" from their car sat navs. NowAlaska Airlines will be the first airlineto provide similar technology for all ofits aircraft, to guide pilots aroundairport runways. Their technology,fresh from Honeywell, will cost$20,000 per aircraft. The airline startedworking with Honeywell three yearsago to test the Runway Awareness andAdvisory System (RAAS), whichprovides pilots with audible alertswhen they approach and entertaxiways and runways. RAAS confirmsrunway identifications to help ensurepilots are on the correct runway withenough distance to complete takeoff,and provides an audible warning if apilot inadvertently accelerates fortakeoff while on a taxiway. AlaskaAirlines began installing RAAS on itsBoeing 737s in July, and the fleet willbe fully equipped with the oral alertsoftware by the end of this month.

ADMISSIONSAs Upper FreemanDr David BAREFORDColonel Frederick George BIGELOW (OS)Lieutenant General Rod BISHOP (OS)Captain Peter Christopher BOUGHEN (AUS)Group Captain Nigel BREWERTONWing Commander Peter James BROOKWing Commander Geoffrey Prior COLLINSCaptain Christopher Martin DOSWELLMajor General Jack B EGGINGTON (OS)Clive Graham ELESMORELieutenant Commander Terry Bruce GADENNE (AUS)Robert GIBSONCaptain David William HOLZIGAL (HK)Captain Graham Stephen JONESAlan James LONGSTAFFECaptain Brian James MARTIN (OS)Colonel Doug NEILL (OS)Captain Alan Michael PAGEDerek Joseph PARRYCaptain John Howard SALEMCaptain Heath Jordan SCANLON (AUS)David Roy SOUTHWOODAir Commodore Mark SWANPiotry Franciszek Stefan ZIMMERMANN

As FreemanRobert Andrew BRYANThomas BLAIR (OS)Stuart BURDESSJohn BURLEY (OS)Peter Joseph GREENYERRod LYNCH Brett McDONALD (AUS)Ian James METHUENRon PRICE (OS)Peter READPatrick REID (OS)Sir Stuart ROSEChristopher Michael SQUIRE

As AssociateWilliam Robert ALMONDJonathan LAM-KEE

REGRADETo LiveryJohn Graham EACOTTDavid Gordon JOHNSONPeter Geoffrey THORNERichard MODELPhilip Anthony SHAW

REINSTATEMENTSean COORAY (AUS)

DECEASEDDr Geoffrey BENNETTAlan Elesmere BRAMSONJanet Elizabeth DOUGLASPast Master Clifford Thomas FARNDELL

RESIGNATIONSYin-Yin CHAN (HK)John Richard CRUTCHFIELD (OS)Gordon Barker HABGOOD (NZ)David John HASTINGSRichard Alan HOWELL (HK)Stephen Richard LASTIan James SIMMONSTimothy THANE (HK)Ceri William TWISTON DAVIES

FORFEIT ALL BENEFITSKevin Christopher O’GORMAN

ERRATA from Gazette of July 2008Cary Zjan Thoresen (AUS) wasshown incorrectly.

19

Hong Kong - Remembering Kai Tak

Australia

Regions

Ten years ago witnessedthe closure of an era inaviation history when

Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Airportwas decommissioned infavour of the new airport atChek Lap Kok.

HK Regional Chairman, John Li,had the idea of celebrating the 10thanniversary of this event with afunction on 19th July at the HongKong Aviation Club with the themeof Remembering Kai Tak.Appropriately enough, the HKAviation Club has managed, againstall odds, to retain a presence on thesite of the old Kai Tak and supports athriving helicopter community.

John invited various dignitaries,including the Director General of theHK Civil Aviation Department, MrNorman Lo, to join Guild members ata Summer Social BBQ. Representingthe HK Aviation Club was its

President, Mr Danny Patterson withPhil Parker of HK Air Traffic Controlbeing coerced into being guestspeaker for the evening. Actuallycoerced probably isn’t the rightword, since Phil launched into apassionate presentation of thehistory of Kai Tak which he seemedto thoroughly enjoy giving, and theaudience thoroughly enjoyedlistening to. Accompanied by amemory-jerking slide show ofvisiting aircraft to Kai Tak, fromflying boats to Concorde, it certainlymade for a memorable evening.

Jack and Helen Smith were there.The Hong Kong RegionalAdministrator could not be seenwithout the inevitable pint of hisfavourite tipple in front of him - alittle matter of medicalinterventionism isn’t going to puthim off his creature comforts! PastChairman Richard Stanley and hislovely wife May brought along aprospective Guild member in theform of their son James. At the timeof writing James has just completedhis first solo in a glider.

In addition, a hard core ofrevellers were observed enjoying themusic provided by a live Filipinoband which developed into aKaraoke evening when the band’slead singer had a little trouble withthe words of certain well-known oldstandards.

So there we are – ten years on.Where we’ll be ten years from now isanybody’s guess but, for sure, the HKRegion will be thriving, as it hasdone continuously in the twenty-sixyears since its inception. At the lastcount, with the order of about 170

members in the HK Region and stillincreasing, who knows, let alone KaiTak, some of our younger membersmay well be remembering Chek LapKok in years to come!

�

Members of the SouthAustralian WorkingGroup have been

working for several monthswith Air Services Australia(provider of Air TrafficControl Services) to addressair traffic safety concernsaround the Adelaide basin.

The “Adelaide basin” includes airspace adjacent to three airports,Adelaide International, RAAFEdinburgh and the GAAP at Parafield.There have been particular concernsrelated to training and GeneralAviation (GA) aircraft accessing thecontrolled airspace around Adelaideinternational airport. As a result of thiswork, Air Services Australia (ASA) hasnow established General Aviation AirSafety Forums in two states, SouthAustralia and Victoria, for theAdelaide basin and for the Melbournearea respectively. It is intended thatthese GA Safety Forums will beestablished in all states to promotediscussion and resolution of safetyissues in the relevant air spacebetween the service provider (ASA)and the air space users.

�

LIVERYMAN COLIN COX

LIVERYMAN SUE BALLChairman, Education and Training Committee

Guest speaker: Phil Parker of Hong Kong AirTraffic Control with John Li, Chairman of theHong Kong Region.

Favourite tipple: Jack Smith (seated left)contemplates his well-deserved pint with theStanley family, May, James and Richard, andopposite tucking-in, his wife Helen.

My pleasure: Captain John Li, Chairman of theHong Kong Region, presents Captain RobertRowntree with a framed certificate marking thegranting of his Freedom of the City of London.Captain Rowntree flew helicopters with the RoyalMarines and the Army Air Corps and Boeing737’s for British Midland before moving to HongKong. He now flies A320s for Dragonair.

Yours truly: Past Region Chairman Colin Cox(left) with Liveryman Nigel Tuffs and guestWolfgang Bern.

To commemorate thecentenary of the UK’s firstflight – a very significant

event in the aviation calendar –I am creating a philatelic covertogether with some printsdepicting the flight by Col.Samuel Franklin Cody that tookplace on 16th October 1908 atFarnborough.

I intend to fly the covers and pictureson the 16th October from Biggin Hill toFarnborough. There I will do a ‘touch-and-go’, hopefully recreating the exactdistance of his flight. Then I will fly overto Blackbushe to meet the greatgrandsons of Col. Cody, Samuel FranklinJohn Cody and Peter Cody. The Codybrothers will sign the philatelic coversand prints before I fly back to Biggin Hill.

On the following day I will drivedown to West Sussex to the house ofDame Vera Lynn who will also be signingsome of the covers and all the prints.

The prints will be sold to raise moneyfor Service charities which include theRoyal Air Force Benevolent Fund, RAFA,Army Air Corps and Royal Navycharities.

As to the philatelic covers they willform part of our new series titled “ThoseMagnificent Men in Their FlyingMachines”. This will include the father ofaviation Sir George Caley, Wilber andOrville Wright, A V Roe, Louis Bleriot,Maurice Farman, Santos Dumont,Charles Lindbergh, and so on. The coverswill be sold as part of this series.

I have a small team of pilots who helpme fly these philatelic covers and prints.During the last 40 years I have flownclose on 200 philatelic covers and prints.This has covered both the First andSecond World Wars, the history of flightand many RAF squadrons.

We are currently doing one for RAFAldergrove which the Master, AirCommodore Rick Peacock-Edwards, haskindly agreed to sign. In total, our smallgroup has raised close on £4 million for(largely) Service charities during thisperiod. I am always indebted to the Guildand many Past Masters who have showntheir support by signing the coverswhenever I ask. In fact we have one PastMaster who has amassed quite acollection of the covers I have flown.

If any Guild members wish to obtainone of these prints or coverscommemorating the UK’s 100thanniversary of flight, I will be happy tohear from them.

An American withcourage

Samuel Cody’s Army Aeroplane No.1, which he designed and flew, was thefirst aircraft to fly in the UK. On 16thOctober 1908 Cody flew it for almost1,400 ft in 27 seconds to an altitude of 30-40 ft towards Cove Common,Farnborough.

A former Texan cowboy, Cody hadbeen experimenting with man-liftingkites for years and in 1901, aware of theBritish Army’s use of observationballoons during the Boer War, offered hisservices to the War Office (the Navydeclined).

Arriving at Aldershot in 1904, Codywas given a salary of £1,000 a year (plusexpenses), and he set about testing hiskites, balloons and aeroplanes. In 1907his war airship Nulli Secundus wasdeemed a success after completing twocircuits of Farnborough Common at aheight of 800 ft. Towards the end of1907, Cody was planning his firstaeroplane, which resulted in the buildingof British Army Aeroplane No. 1 and theUK’s first flight. The aircraft had 40 ftwings, bicycle wheels on the wing tipsand a revolutionary buffer wheel.

In 1909 Cody carried his firstpassenger and one morning inSeptember flew for 63 minutes and adistance of 40 miles. The same year, heflew at the UK’s first air show, emergingunhurt when the plane crash landed aftercompleting a circuit. In 1910 he set aBritish distance record of 189.2 miles inthe Michelin Cup and in 1911 he won

more prizes for completing 255 miles in asingle flight and completing a 125-milecross-country circuit in just over threehours. In 1912, Cody entered the MilitaryFlying Trials at Salisbury Plain, winningboth top prizes. For this, the Royal AeroClub awarded Cody the Gold Medal, itshighest honour.

Always a flamboyant showman,Cody had brushed with death on manyoccasions. His luck finally ran out on 7th

August 1913 at Cove Common –ironically the scene of his greatesttriumph – when the wings of his aircraftcrumpled over Ball Hill. Cody and hispassenger were killed instantly. Morethan 100,000 people lined the route of hisfuneral procession and he was buriedwith the highest military honours atAldershot Military Cemetery.

An aluminium replica of the beechtree to which Cody tethered his planeswhile testing engine thrust on Laffan’sPlan can be found outside QinetiQ’sCody Building at Farnborough.

�

UK 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF FLIGHTSamuel Cody philatelic covers LIVERYMAN PETER ADAMS, LORD OF ABBOTS-HAY

Signing: Liveryman Peter Adams with DameVera Lynn at a book signing.

Intrepid aviator: Samuel Cody, early pioneer ofmanned flight, depicted with one of the giantkites he invented for the Royal Navy. It was usedprior to Cody inventing his first powered aircraftArmy Aeroplane No. 1, known as The FlyingCathedral.