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September 9
After a lengthy test and development phase the radical Blackburn B.20 Boston flying boat has begun to enter Coastal Command service. Developed to meet Spec R.1/35 this all-metal six-seat reconnaissance flying boat has an all-up weight of around 35,000lb and is armed with a twin .303in MG nose and a quad .303in MG tail turret and is capable of carrying 6,000lbs of bombs or depth charges. The main innovative feature is the hydraulically retractable planing bottom which offers optimum take-off characteristics and also cuts drag in flight and the wing floats retract to form the wingtips. Problems are still being experienced with the powerful Rolls-Royce Vulture engines but Rolls-Royce insists that these problems will be rectified by a series of changes during routine maintenance inspections in RAF service. 220 Squadron has received its first four aircraft and a total of fifty are on order for the RAF.
Dimensions; 82/ 69.8/ 25.2-11.8/ 1,066 sq ft; 2x 1,720hp Rolls-Royce Vulture I; max speed 306mph; range 1,500 miles and service ceiling 31,500ft.
September 16
The D.H.95A Hertfordshire has offically entered RAF service. The D.H.95A Hertfordshire is based on the D.H.95 Flamingo airliner with space for eighteen troops. Thirty were ordered to re-equip 31 and 70 Squadrons which have relocated to the UK from the Middle East.
September 22
After the Cadman Report the Air Ministry proposed to make both Imperial Airways and British Allied Airways public corporations and this bill was today passed in the House of Commons after a short debate. On November 1 this year Imperial Airways will become the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and British Allied Airways will become a state owned airline, British European Airways (BEA). A package of compensation measures for shareholders has been arranged but for now it seems the management staff of both airlines will be largely unchanged and both airlines will have a strong and dominant market position across the world and in Europe. Smaller private firms can still operate within the British Isles but all foreign airport traffic will be handled for the time being by the two public corporations. Also the creation of these two corporations will ensure further orders from British manufacturers.
September 28
The Shorts C-Class flying boat Caribou today crashed during air-refuelling trials over the Bristol Channel. Observers on the shore said that during the refuelling procedure as the refuelling drogue was being streamed towards the receiver aircraft, the Caribou, the pilot could not clearly see where the drogue was and got too close to the tanker aircraft. The nose of the Caribou hit the tanker’s port elevator and as the pilot of Caribou suddenly raised the nose to avoid a collision the Shorts flying boat reared up out of control and stalled. Being too low for a full recovery the Caribou hit the water hard and broke up. Ruptured fuel tanks soon caught fire and although two engineers escaped the four flight crew were sadly killed. The other aircraft reached Bristol airport without further incident. A full investigation is now under-way.
September 30
After a series of delays the Avro Canada (Gloster) SS.42 Skipper Mk II has entered FAA service. Gloster from 1937 has developed this strike version of the Skipper Mk I by fitting eight .303in Browning machine guns and a ventral recess for one 18in torpedo or two 500lb bomb racks underwing. Two Napier-Paxman Pilates I diesel engines are fitted for greater range and 100 will be built to supplement the Barracuda. As yet no frontline squadrons have received any aircraft but a trials squadron is now conducting a series of carrier compatibility trials and armament trials.
Dimensions; 23/ 8/ 7.5/ 427 sq ft; 2x 1,150hp Napier-Paxman Pilates II; max speed 355mph at 15,000 feet; range 650 miles fully loaded and service ceiling 21,000ft.