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The Aviation Historian
The modern journal of classic aeroplanes and the history of flying
®
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Switzerland’s “Hunter 80” programme
ISSUE
36
2
THE AVIATION HISTORIAN
Issue No 36
Published quarterly by:
The Aviation Historian
PO Box 962
Horsham RH12 9PP
United Kingdom
Subscribe at:
www.theaviationhistorian.com
The Aviation Historian
The modern journal of classic aeroplanes and the history of flying
®
Editor’s Letter
70 YEARS AGO, on July 20, 1951, Sqn Ldr Neville Duke lifted
the shapely prototype Hawker P.1067 from the runway at
Boscombe Down for its maiden flight, prefacing the long,
illustrious history of the Hunter, described by its designer
Sydney Camm as “my most beautiful aeroplane”. Not only
did the type become one of Britain’s most enduringly
popular post-war military aircraft (with pilots and public
alike), it was also a commercial success, being exported to 22
nations over a career spanning more than six decades.
Nearly 30 years after that first flight, Switzerland, which
had acquired its first Hunter Mk 58 interceptors in 1958, saw
life in the old dog yet, and resolved to teach it new tricks as a
ground-attacker. Thus was the elegant fighter reconfigured to
carry contemporary cutting-edge air-to-ground weaponry as
part of the Flugwaffe’s “Hunter 80” programme. Using
declassified Swiss tactical documents and his own stunning
air-to-air photography, Peter Lewis opens a two-part series
on the programme in celebration of the 70th birthday of this
most adaptable — and exquisitely graceful — Cold War icon.
We were much saddened to hear of the death of our old
friend, author, pilot and renowned airshow commentator
Melvyn Hiscock after a long battle with cancer, on February
20. As anyone who met him will know, his enthusiasm was
infectious and his knowledge both broad and deep. At the
time of his death, Melvyn had just completed an article on
long-range photo-reconnaissance Spitfires for us, and we
present it here in tribute to a longstanding friend and one
of aviation’s “true believers”. Blue skies, Melv.
We also bid farewell — for now — to our
Ces Hommes
Magnifiques
series by Jean-Christophe Carbonel. Don’t worry,
we will be continuing with articles that have a French flavour,
as “JC” continues to trawl the archives for more weird and
wonderful adventures by those magnificent Frenchmen —
another of which, Monsieur Delprat and his flying house,
also features in this issue. So, having stowed the crockery
and shut the cat flap, it’s away we go . . .
FRONT COVER
A magnificent photograph by PETER LEWIS of
Hawker Hunter J-4040 of Fliegerstaffel 15 in its special “Papyrus”
colour scheme, with the Matterhorn as a backdrop, in 1994.
ISSUE NUMBER 36
(published July 15, 2021)
TM
EDITOR
Nick Stroud
e-mail nickstroud@theaviationhistorian.com
MANAGING EDITOR
Mick Oakey
e-mail mickoakey@theaviationhistorian.com
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Amanda Stroud
FINANCE MANAGER
Lynn Oakey
For all telephone enquiries:
tel +44 (0)7572 237737 (mobile number)
EDITORIAL BOARD
Gregory Alegi, Dr David Baker, Ian Bott,
Robert Forsyth, Juanita Franzi, Dr Richard
P. Hallion, Philip Jarrett HonCRAeS,
Colin A. Owers, David H. Stringer,
Julian Temple, Capt Dacre Watson
WEBMASTER
David Siddall Multimedia
www.davidsiddall.com
Published quarterly by
The Aviation Historian,
PO Box 962, Horsham RH12 9PP, United Kingdom
©
The Aviation Historian
2021
ISSN 2051-1930 (print)
ISSN 2051-7602 (digital)
While every care will be taken with material
submitted to
The Aviation Historian,
no responsibility
can be accepted for loss or damage. Opinions
expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect
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please ensure you recycle it using an appropriate facility.
Printed in the UK by
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using only paper from FSC/PEFC suppliers
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MADE IN BRITAIN
BACK COVER
The Westland WG.30 underwent trials as a battlefield
helicopter, but progressed no further. Professor Keith Hayward’s
analysis of the Westland Affair starts on page 10.
TAH ARCHIVE
THE AVIATION HISTORIAN
3
Issue No 36
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Issue No 36
40
CONTENTS
3
EDITOR’S LETTER
6
AIR CORRESPONDENCE
10
THE WESTLAND AFFAIR
20
56
Issue No 36
Professor Keith Hayward FRAeS examines the notorious
political events of 1985–86 and the long-term effects they
had on the future of Britain’s defence industrial base
20
THE ORIGINAL PHOTO BOMBERS
Bill Cahill explores the part played by the Boeing RB-29
Superfortress in the birth of Strategic Air Command’s
global reconnaissance capability
32
CES HOMMES MAGNIFIQUES:
JEAN DE
CHAPPEDELAINE (AGAIN)
Jean-Christophe Carbonel’s series on France’s “magnificent
men” concludes with a return to de Chappedelaine, and his
attempt to exploit the “Magnus effect” with the Aérogyre
Using declassified tactical documents, Peter Lewis opens
a two-part series on Switzerland’s “Hunter 80” programme,
in which the Hawker fighter was re-roled as a “mud-mover”
40
HUNTER 80
84
In his final article, the late Melvyn Hiscock recalls a series
of conversations with illustrious company on the subject
of a long-range photo-reconnaissance Spitfire “what if?”
The Short Empire Flying Boats of Imperial Airways typified
elegant, exotic travel in the 1930s — but was it really as
glamorous as it seemed? Ralph Pegram investigates . . .
50
A MISSED OPPORTUNITY?
56
THE GOLDEN AGE?
70
THE WORLD’S SMALLEST FIGHTER FORCE
In 1955 the small Central American nation of Costa Rica
acquired four F-51D Mustangs; two were lost in accidents
and the other two rarely flew, as Leif Hellström explains
72
A QUESTION OF CALIBRE
72
104
Armament specialist Mark Russell addresses a reader’s
query regarding the 1930s RAF’s decision to stick with
rifle-calibre ammunition, even well into World War Two
Maurice Wickstead chronicles the genesis and evolution
of Peru’s
de facto
national airline, established by American
expatriate Elmer “Slim” Faucett in 1928
84
THE COMPAÑIA DE AVIACIÓN FAUCETT STORY
94
VICTOR/MARTEL
The use of the Shrike anti-radar missile by Vulcans in the
Falklands in 1982 is well-known; the fact that plans were
made to equip the Victor with the Anglo-French Martel for
the same mission is not, as Tom Withington reveals
104
AMERICAN AVIATORS IN JAPAN Pt 1
94
In the first half of a new series, Edward M. Young details
the pre-First World War Oriental aerial adventures of
James “Bud” Mars, William B. Atwater and Charles F. Niles
Nick Stroud looks into the story behind an intriguing batch
of Douglas DC-4 negatives found in the
TAH
archive
114
CANADA’S ICE PATROL
120
ARMCHAIR AVIATION
125
LOST & FOUND
126
MONSIEUR DELPRAT’S FLYING SUMMERHOUSE
Moving house — literally; Philip Jarrett brings to light a
proposal for an extraordinary Edwardian flying machine
130
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
Issue No 36
THE AVIATION HISTORIAN
5

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