NO 4 SQUADRON - Form 540 June954

F540 Operations Record Book June 1954. RAF Museum Hendon. Holds 2nd copy of F540 1945 to 1970.
PLACE	DATE	TIME	SUMMARY OF EVENTS COMPILING OFFICER __Fg. Off. B. Watson___	Refs

JEVER	1.6.54		The target this month is 420 hours, based on the number of pilots available and taking into consideration the abnormal number of holidays - Whitsun, Sports Day, and the Queen's Birthday. Briefing forecast cloudy weather and showers early afternoon. The timing was wrong however and only late evening flying had to be cancelled. With aircraft serviceability as it is , late flying will take place on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week to take the place of night flying on Vampires. With five aircraft serviceable 'A' Flight flew four fours in high level and low level battle formation 'B' Flight followed suit. Sabre Hours 25.55 Sorties 22 Prentice Hours 2.20 Sorties 3
	2.6.54		Today being Wednesday and sports afternoon only four sorties were flown, two pairs - the first low level battle formation and dog fights, the second low flying in Schleswig. Sabre Hours 4.00 Sorties 4 Meteor Hours .50 Sorties 1 Prentice Hours .45 Sorties 1
	3.6.54		A total of eight aircraft were serviceable to-day although not all at one time. 'A' Flight flew fourteen independent sorties of low flying, aerobatics and dog fights. Whilst taking off Flying Officer Bradley burst a tyre. Completing the sortie as briefed he held the aircraft nicely with the nose wheel on landing. Sabre Hours 24 Sorties 25
JEVER	4.6.54		This morning the Squadron rehearsed the parade for the Queen's Birthday and the A.O.C. inspection. At 12.30 hrs. the Whitsun Grant commenced. No Flying
	8.6.54		The weather was dull all day with threatening rain. Clouds layered to 15,000 ft. with occasional breaks of clear blue. Flying Officer Jack lost his drop tanks in flight due to an electrical fault - so far they have not been located. Other less spectacular sorties included low level battle formation, low flying, aerobatics, and simulated flame-out landings. Sabre Hours 18.20 Sorties 19
	9.6.54		Once again with very few aircraft available only individual cloud flying flights were flown. Sabre Hours 16.15 Flights 16
	10.6.54		Today is the Queens' official Birthday. The Squadron paraded its standard in salute. The standard bearer being Flying Officer Ewens. After the parade the squadron stood down for the day. No. Flying
	11.6.54		'A' Flight which had only two serviceable aircraft flew close formation pairs and practised level quarter attacks. 'B' Flight were in a similar position until the afternoon when a further two aircraft became serviceable. They too flew close formation and high quarters. Sabre Hours 20.05 Flights 21
	12.6.54		The usual morning station parade was cancelled early to allow a full half-day's flying. Serviceability is poor as the pilots are getting on the average only ten to twelve hours per month. Sabre Hours 5.20 Flights 5
JEVER	14.6.54		Bad weather prevented even the weather recce to get airborne before 15.20. As a result very few flights or exercises were carried out. Sabre Hours 5.55 Flights 9
	15.6.54		As a proof the Squadron is nearing operational efficiency again air to ground started again at Meppen Range today. Only four firing flights were carried out but from 9.15 hrs. until 21.00 hours a stream of aircraft flew for dummy attacks. The standard Vampire circuit has easily been adapted to the Sabre although firing time seems to be less. The safety height is higher and the pull out after the dive more respectful. Sabre Hours 18.35 Flights 39
	16.6.54		A sports afternoon and poor serviceability severely curtailed flying. The four serv- iceable aircraft flew three sorties each of aerobatics, low flying and Q.G.H's. Plt. Off. Daniels flew for the first time to-day he arrived recently from the holding unit at Buckeburg. Sabre Hours 10 Flights 10
	17.6.54		The weather was exceedingly good all day to-day - the cloud was well broken at 4000 ft. For the first time since equipping with Sabres dusk sorties were flown. No diff- iculties were evident apart from the runway lights which at their lowest setting are too bright. This will shortly be remedied. Night flying is unlikely to commence for two months. Most day flights were air to ground at Meppen. The results are indifferent at the moment. Few aircraft are harmonised restricting the amount of range work. Sabre Hours 31.35 Flights 34
JEVER	18.6.54		Flying stopped at 11.30 today due to Station Sports Day Flying Wing handsomely won the inter wing competition by 54 points. 4 Squadron made a great contribution to this and in doing so broke five station records. Sabre Hours 9.05 Flights 9
	21.6.54		Initially the weather was poor to-day causing a delayed start to flying. Low flying and dummy attacks were carried out in number one low flying area. As the cloud heightened parallel quarter attacks and ranging and tracking exercises were flown at 20,000 ft. Sabre hours 28.00 Flights 26
JEVER	22.6.54		Whilst flying as number four in a high level battle formation flight, Flying Officer Gray lost the formation in stratus cloud. Attempting a radio compass homing he headed east. Realising his mistake after sometime he returned towards the West. Having been airborne for 1.40 and running short of fuel Flying Officer Gray forced landed on the Hamburg - Lubeck autobahn doing category 4 damage to the aircraft due to hitting a tree lining the road. The pilot was unhurt. [Not in F540: Here is the story from Ron's point of view: "In the autobahn incident; the dive brakes had not fully retracted and hence I was losing ground on the rest of the formation. The weather was very hazy and there was no sight of the ground. My fault not to follow standing orders and get a 10 minute fix, we were newly fangled with the 'radio compass' and I had it tuned to Jever frequency. At that time the NDB did not give morse-code identification and the crafty sods over the border had one of the same frequency; although I was not aware at the time. I had gone higher than the other three to look down for them and it was later established that a jet stream (what the hell are they?!) had been belting eastwards. Doug Bridson suggested I fly at best economical cruise. Fixer service would not fix, just steer 270° so can you image the cruising speed I adopted when the penny dropped!" Ron's escapade featured strongly in the German press at the time. He had a collection of German articles and cartoons about his landing on the Autobahn. It was planned to refuel his Sabre and fly it off, taking off under a bridge to gather speed. Unfortunately there was a dent in the leading edge of the starboard wing which made things potentially dodgy. He had hit a sapling when taxying to one side of the carriageway after landing. Ken Senar, Flying Wing Adjutant at the time, thinks Leo Cowan was present and in charge of the aircraft being dismantled. Yesterday on the Autobahn: Jet plane on foot. A fantastic emergency landing, which fortunately worked out well, was "engineered" yesterday by the 20 year old pilot of a British Sabre jet. Since the radio compass of his machine was lying, the young air-warrior had, as they say in flying parlance "got lost". Suddenly his fuel had run out. The howling turbine was silenced. At the 10 kilometre stone on the Hamburg-Lübeck Autobahn, near Stapelfeld, the machine came down to land. Two car drivers, who the pilot flew over by this manoeuvre at very low altitude, ducked their heads as the whistling silver bird suddenly came upon them so threateningly. But then their mouths fell open in amazement - the machine came down on the turf strip, then slid onto the carriage way and rolled - even in the right direction! - another 400 metres further, only to be turned to the right into a corn-field as it caught a 30 centimetre thick oak tree with its right wingtip. Alarm for the British and German police! The emergency landing ground was cordoned off and English military police watched eagerly over the wounded bird. - Our pictures show the slewed skid mark of the jet planes undercarriage leading into the corn-field. The arrow points to the machine. In the picture above is the emergency-landed jet plane and to its right in the leather (combinations!) flying suit - the pilot.] The squadron flew at dusk. Sabre hours 25.45 Flights 24
	23.6.54		Using aircraft as they became serviceable 'A' Flight flew 5 flights of aerobatics, overshoots, formation and Q.G.H's 'B' Flight flew one four in high level battle formation with snake climbs and descents. Sabre hours 10.05 Flights 9
	24.6.54		The increased power of the Jever beacon has now made radio compass work more useful. With such a low power as used before the difficulty of tuning in the air with other more powerful beacons so near, our frequency has made it necessary to check with 2 Group fixer services at frequent intervals. After a full days flying - snake climbs, high level battle formations and Q.G.H's - a dusk flying programme began at 20.20. Aircraft were airborne for 1.20 landing, due to overcast sky in night conditions. Sabre hours 21.35 Flights 18 Meteor hours .35 Flights 1
	25.6.54		Slight rain and low stratus spread from the coast early this morning restricting flying and finally causing it to be cancelled at 13.00 hrs. Before this however (B) Flight flew two fours of high level battle formation 'A' Flight had only one aircraft serviceable which flew a air test. Flying Officer Giffin, Molden, and Watson left at 13.00 hours in the Prentice for the United Kingdom. Sabre hours 9.35 Flights 8
R.A.F. JEVER	26.6.54		Had the weather permitted the first 4 Squadron Sabre battle flight would have flown today. Due to low cloud and intermittent rain not even a weather recce could become airborne. Late afternoon when the cloud base lowered to 200 ft and visibility dropped to under ½ mile all hope of flying was abandoned. No. flying.
	29.6.54		The squadron fell in at 07.45 hours for parade. Drill was not up to standard causing two full rehearsals to be carried out. Full plans for the A.O.C.'s fly past have been made - the first practice being held to-day. The squadron provides half the aircraft (six) accounting for all but on of those serviceable. Sabre hours 6.25 Flights 9
	30.6.54		The run of early morning rehearsals for the A.O.C.'s parade continued this morning with the squadron parade at 07.45 hours. Following the parade all pilots attended a general talk and discussion given the travelling team of C.F.E. It was a most interesting two hours well spent, giving much food for thought. Although a sports afternoon the fly past was practised once again and two air tests were carried out. Sabre hours 5.35 Sabre Flights 8
JEVER			SUMMARY FOR THE MONTH A month of mixed activities - parades, flying and sport. The squadron shone brightly in the Wing sports gaining 101½ points against their nearest rivals who gained only 56½ points. This feat was repeated when the majority of Flying Wings representatives came form the squadron for the Inter Wing Sports. The month started with promise from the flying point of view, but fell below par due to unserviceability which could have been cured by a ready supply of spares. It is with great expectations that we look to the coming month. Total Flying Hours Sabre hours 311.45 Flights 316 Meteor hours 8.15 Flights 9 Prentice hours 15.45 Flights 10 Total hours 333.45 335
			Signed.........B.Watson...................Fg.Off. (B. WATSON) Officer Compiling F. 540 Signed.....PWGilpin........................Sqn.Ldr. (P.W. GILPIN) O.C. No. 4 Squadron.