Not
only in America
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Inventor
of the G-suit Wilbur Franks in the 1930s.
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WHILE
reading your publication’s article on the G-suit [Air Force News,
September 9, 2004] I noticed an error that, although small, is
significant for my unit, whose main building is named after Group
Captain Wilbur Rounding Franks.
Your article states: “American Wilbur Franks undertook similar
work, which led to the first G-suit used in combat during World
War II.
It gave Allied pilots a major tactical advantage, as they were
able to tolerate greater G-forces to outmanoeuvre their opponents.
After 1942, the new invention was used exclusively by US fighter
pilots in the Pacific and led to the rapid development of the
centrifuge.”
In fact, Wilbur Franks was a Canadian, born in Weston, Ontario.
His work on the Gsuit and the human centrifuge occurred in, and
in the skies around, Toronto.
Dr Franks was also a group captain in the Royal Canadian Air Force
Medical Corps when he retired. Additionally, the first time the
suit was used in combat was by the Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm, which
provided air cover for Eisenhower’s invasion of North Africa at
Oran, Morocco, in November 1942.
We have one of these suits on display at our unit. I hope you
understand the certain amount of pride we have in Dr Franks being
Canadian and not American.
MAJ
G.W. Hughes
Commandant
Canadian Forces School of Survival and Aeromedical Training
Who’s on first?
I
CURRENTLY serve with No. 34 Squadron as a crew attendant. Prior
to this posting I served at No. 33 Squadron on the B707 aircraft.
I noticed your story in Air Force News (November 18, page 17)
on the B707 becoming the first RAAF aircraft to land in Da Nang,
Vietnam (September 13, 2004) since the end of the Vietnam War.
I want to point out that nearly 10 years prior, a B707 landed
in Da Nang on April 19, 1995, in support of then-Governor General
Sir William Hayden on a tour of Vietnam and Turkey.
Unfortunately I am not entirely sure if this aircraft was the
first one since the end of hostilities, but if your research is
thorough and shows that this latest B707 was the first according
to you, then I will confidently point out that it was in fact
my above mentioned B707.
My interest lies in the fact that I was actually on the aircraft
in 1995.
SGT
Talwyn Davies
SNCOIC Crew Attendant Training
34 SQN Defence Establishment Fairbairn
EDITOR’S
NOTE:
The information referred to in the above two letters was supplied
to Air Force News. We always welcome submitted stories and do
everything possible to get the facts right.
When we do get it wrong, we’re happy to publish a correction.
Back in bullet time
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LAC
Grant Bowen dips 20mm rounds in marker paint. The painted
bullets leave marks on the target banner to help score hits.
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Photo
by LAC Greg Pierce
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IT’S
nice to know that a simple system survives in this technological
age. I refer to the dipping of cannon rounds in identifying paint
(Air Force News, December 16).
In 1959 (and, no doubt, for many years previously) this method
was used when I flew air-to-air live gunnery sorties in Vampire
aircraft.
GPCAPT
(ret’d) Ken McPhan, Spence, ACT
