Radschool Association Magazine - Vol 23

Page 12

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RAAFTUS

Ian Champion, who was on 26RAC and 80RTC sent us this photo - he says "Mick Ryan put me onto your magazine, it’s great to be able to 'catch up' with a few old faces.

You might like to use the attached photograph in a future edition. It was taken at a BBQ at Londonderry (NSW) Transmitters around mid 1976. The barbie was held to celebrate the formation of RAAFTUS, and all of us techo types were posted from HQOCU to RAAFTUS.

RAAFTUS is the acronym for RAAF Telecommunications Unit Sydney. Headquarters is/was at Glenbrook. It was originally the old communications section from Headquarters Operational Command Unit, and came into being when the RAAF took over all the Defence Communications in the Sydney region at that time.

You may notice that we even got some of the TELSTECHS to leave the Glenbrook Mansion and attend.

Marsden Park Receivers was closed down around that time and the receiving site was moved. I was the last to leave Marsden Park after the receivers were removed and apparently my claim to fame was to follow WOFF Reg Maloney’s instructions to a tee: "Turn off all the power except the security lights and lock up before you go home"..I was told.

I was new to the unit and hadn’t worked at Marsden Park before so I didn’t know about the bilge pump that cleared the sump (those that have worked there will remember the site was a swamp and the main building was partially below ground level). I was posted to Darwin on a “Z Grade” shortly afterwards, and later found out from one of the linies that the building had flooded."

This is a photo of 114MCRU taken at Amberley in 1969 – just after MCRU was formed. If you were in the photo or if you can give us some info on this event, we’d love to hear from you.

Click HERE to see the Cocky story.

Air Commodore William (Bill) Belton

On Friday, 9th May 2008, RMIT University conferred the award of Doctor of Engineering honoris causa (honorary degree) to Air Commodore William Belton AM (Retd).  The following is an extract from the Conferring Program:

'Air Commodore William (Bill) Belton has been recognized nationally for his leadership in the Australian aerospace profession, and is a leading figure in the promotion of Australian aerospace engineering at an international level.  His extensive career in the RAAF saw him rise to the rank of Air Commodore.  He is the project leader for the establishment of the National Air and Space Museum of Australia at Point Cook, and has been Division President and Board Director of the RAAF Association.  William graduated from Aerospace Engineering from RMIT in the 1950s.  He has retained close links with RMIT University for almost fifty years making a significant contribution to the discipline of aerospace engineering.'

At the same ceremony the inaugural presentation of the Ralph McIntosh Medal was made. This medal is to be awarded annually to a member of RMIT stall who has a demonstrable record of outstanding service to students over a period of not less than five years.

The striking of this medal came about by members of RAAF Radar speaking with the Vice Chancellor, Professor Margaret Gardner AO, at a ceremony last year to unveil a plaque recognising the involvement of RMIT in training some 23,000 RAAF servicemen during WWII in radio and electronics.  Ralph McIntosh was a lecturer in Mathematics, and nicknamed by his students as 'Made Methodical Mathematical Mac'. He is fondly remembered by his wartime RAAF students not only for his skill in teaching mathematics but also his efforts to make sure that servicemen, particularly those from interstate, were welcomed into the homes of Melbournians during study breaks and holidays.

Regards,   Noel Hadfield

The Horsa

The Horsa was the primary glider used in the paratrooper landings at both D-Day in June 1944 and Arnhem in September 1944. The UK company Airspeed received a specification for a glider in December 1940 from the Air Ministry. The Air Ministry had witnessed the success of German troops moved by gliders during the early stages of Blitzkrieg. Five prototype gliders were built at Airspeed’s Portsmouth factory and they were used by the British Army during their trials.

The Horsa was made up of thirty separate parts primarily made from wood. This allowed Airspeed to subcontract the work with some parts being made by furniture makers! The parts were put together at RAF Maintenance Units. In all, over 3,700 Horsa gliders were made. The Horsa I was designed to carry 25 soldiers while the Horsa II had a hinged nose and carried vehicles and guns. The Horsa was extremely manoeuvrable considering it was unpowered and rather large. Huge flaps powered by compressed air and wing mounted air brakes allowed it to stand on it's nose and swoop down quietly to a landing, although the troops carried probably didn't appreciate this much.

The first prototype was launched on September 12^th 1941 from behind an Armstrong Whitley Whitworth. Very soon after, they went into full service with the RAF. During military operations, they were mainly used for the 1^st and 6^th Airbourne Divisions and the pilots were usually from the Army’s Glider Pilot Regiment, however, RAF pilots were also used when required.

The first major use of the Horsa was in July 1943 in the invasion of Sicily. These gliders played a very important part in the D-Day landings when they were used by both the British and Americans.

In August 1944, they were used in the invasion of Southern France and at Arhhem in September 1944 and in the crossing of the Rhine in March 1945.

For the tech heads:

Maximum towing speed:                    150 mph

Normal gliding speed:                        100 mph

Armaments:                                         None.

Nav gear:                                             Compass and stop watch

The aircraft’s tow line harness yoke was attached to both wings, unlike the USA’s CG-4A the tow line of which attached to the nose of the aircraft. The majority of the 3,500 Horsa gliders constructed between 1942-45 were made in Birmingham.

It is amazing how close the pilots got to their designated landing zone with only a compass and stopwatch to guide them!

World ideologies with reference to cows

Feudalism:

You have two cows. Your lord takes some of the milk.

Pure Socialism:

You have two cows. The Government takes them and puts them in a barn with everyone else’s cows. You have to take care of all the cows. The Government gives you a glass of milk.

Bureaucratic Socialism:

Your cows are cared for by ex-chicken farmers. You have to take care of the chickens the Government took from the chicken farmers. The Government gives you as much milk and eggs as the regulations say you should need.

Pure Communism:

You share two cows with your neighbours, You and your neighbours bicker about who has the most “ability” and who has the most “need”. Meanwhile, no one works, no one gets any milk, and the cows drop dead of starvation.

Russian Communism:

You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the Government takes all the milk. You steal back as much milk as you can and sell it on the black market.

Perestroika:

You have two cows. You have to take care of them, but the Mafia takes al the milk. You steal back as much milk as you can and sell it on the “free” market.

Cambodian Communism:

You have two cows. The Government takes both and shoots you.

Fascism:

You have two cows. The Government takes both, hires you to take care of them, and sells you the milk

Dictatorship:

You have two cows. The Government takes both and drafts you.

Pure Democracy:

You have two cows. Your neighbours decide who gets the milk.

Representative Democracy:

You have two cows. Your neighbours pick someone to tell you who gets the milk.

Bureaucracy:

You have two cows. At first the Government regulates what you can feed them and when you can milk them. Then it pays you not to milk them. Then it takes both, shoots one, milks the other and pours the milk down the drain. Then it requires you to fill out forms accounting for the missing cows.

Capitalism:

You don’t have any cows. The bank will not lend you money to buy cows, because you don’t have any cows to put up as collateral.

Pure Anarchy:

You have two cows. Either you sell the milk at a fair price or your neighbours try to take the cows and kill you.

Anarcho-Capitalism:

You have two cows. You sell one and buy a bull.

Surrealism:

You have two giraffes. The Government requires you to take harmonica lessons.

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