Sea Mosquito water haloes

摘要

After I finished the twin conversion course at Ford in June 1946, I was sent to RNAS Dale at the far end of South Wales to 790 Sqn. Dale was a small airfield with runways of 1,000, 1,200 and 1,400yds with some of the take-off directions taking us straight over 200ft cliffs and out to sea. It was a mixed squadron of Mosquitos, Fireflies and Seafires. Our job was to train Royal Navy navigators to become Fighter Direction Officers, ie to learn to control aircraft from ships by radar. Kete, the radar school, was next door on St Anne's Head, about two miles away, so there was close liaison because the training area was over the Irish Sea. While the Mosquitos flew singly, the single engine aircraft flew in pars, so if an engine stopped No 2 could report your position. Exercises were flown at 10,000ft, the "fighter" being directed by radar from Kete on to the "bomber".