Ndege June, 1967

Magazine of the Royal Rhodesian Air Force

VOLUME 2 NUMBER 4
JUNE 1967

Publication approved by the Chief of Air Staff.

EDITOR Sqn. Ldr. Woodward.
DESIGN Flt. Lt. Cockle, F/Sgt. Hobbs.
    
Illustration processing by New Sarum Photographic Section.

The opinions expressed in NDEGE are the personal views of contributing writers they do not necessarily reflect official RRAF opinion. Unless otherwise stated, contents should not be construed as regulations, orders or instructions.

  

Contributions are welcome, as are comment and criticism. The Editor reserves the right to make changes which he believes will improve the material without altering the intended meaning.

All correspondence should be addressed to the Editor, NDEGE, H.Q. RRAF. P.B. 721 Causeway, Salisbury.

NDEGE is published in the interests of Flight Safety by and for personnel of the ROYAL RHODESIAN AIR FORCE.

INSIDE NDEGE - JUNE 1967
Ndegeditorial
Bloggs
Spotlight on the Sections (l)
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes
Bio Rhythm ?
The DC 3
It's a Shocking World
Eat Drink and be Ready
Flight of the Bumblebys
Bloggs
They ..... They .....They
Road Safety
Stop Press
Corinne

Cover: A photograph taken from a Canberra at 45,000 ft, showing Lake Mcllwaine and part of the Great Dyke.
See "Spotlight on the Sections"

Ndegeditorial

This issue of NDEGE appears after a regrettably long break in the series. Your editor tenders his sincere apologies and hopes to be able to provide you with an issue every four months in future.

aircraft, and the photographic staff was increased to cope with the additional and steadily increasing demands. Many interesting and valuable aerial photographic sorties were flown at this time, including a hydrographic survey of the upper reaches of the Zambezi during flooding to record high water levels, a route survey of the new road to Kariba, and a low-level survey of Salisbury city; measurements being made, from the resulting prints, down to a few inches for a large scale ordnance map. Print production increased to an average level of 25,000 contact prints and enlargements per year.
An emotional black day sees us edgy and nervous. Normally cheerful women become peevish, easy-going men become short-tempered.

In this respect, your contributions will be most welcome. These can be articles, stories, cartoons or merely downright critical letters!

On the primary subject of FLIGHT SAFETY we can say that our present awareness of safety matters is beginning, to show signs of slipping from what has been a basically satisfactory standard.

Suddenly we are beginning to see servicing errors appearing on our record sheets................ three cases already this year.

Concern is being felt that our present level of supervision is sliding; checks are inadequate, or missing, or ...??? ?

Now, more than ever before, our situation demands meticulous devotion to professional standards. And this applies to everybody.

If you are a supervisor It's your job to check someone else's actions... ........... that check is no less important than the action itself.

If you are aircrew you're in an excellent position to assist your commander. and maintenance supervisors in correcting inefficient or unsafe- practices on the flight line.

But please remember that SAFETY is never an end in itself; always the object is to get the job or mission accomplished in the most effective manner possible. It's a SAFETY job to find the WAY to do that.

Effect of Controls


SPOTLIGHT ON THE SECTIONS
No. 1: the photographers.

1. The first RRAF Photographic Section was established at Cranborne in 1950, and was housed in a single large room next to the aircrew living quarters,

Condition's were primitive to say the least; the nearest running water was from an outside tap some thirty yards from the section, and was collected in buckets. The whole section was converted into a darkroom by turning off the light; but it is not dark for long since visibility soon returned via diffused lighting from the many cracks in the ceiling and window frames. It was, in fact, ideally suited to photographers afraid of the dark.

2, In spite of the problems, many square miles of photo cover was flown and supplied to various government departments, using the Harvard and Rapide aircraft, Processing air film 165 feet in length and 9½ inches wide was quite an adventure; after posting a large "Keep Out" sign on the door, the film was hurried through the developing process before it became affected by the extraneous lighting. Final film washing was carried out under the hydrant behind the Fire Section before returning to the darkroom, where it was placed on the huge drying drum, five feet in diameter and eight feet long, which occupied a large percentage of the floor space. Other activities included production of cine gun training films, defect report photography, Boards of Inquiry photos, and pictures for Service history and publicity display.

3. The section moved to New 3arum during 1952 and took up residence in its present quarters. In 1955, the Rapide gave way to newly-converted Dakota

4. In 1957, a second section was established at Tharnhill to satisfy the demands for technical photography at that Station, and to provide facilities, for all other gun training and assessment. In 1961 the first trials using the Canberra fear high-altitude aerial survey and photo reconnaissance were successfully carried out at Thornhill.

5. With the arrival of No, 5 Squadron at New Sarum, and the formation of a full-time photo interpretation section, the production of air photography has been stepped up. It is anticipated that by the end of this year about 130,000 square miles of survey cover will have been completed for Government survey needs alone, and a considerable amount for training and other Air Force purposes. Cameras used have interchangeable lenses varying from a 6 inch wide-angle lens capable of photographing, at 50,000 feet, 200 square miles of territory on a single negative, to a 36 inch telephoto lens used to obtain detailed reconnaissance information. In addition to these fixed camera installations, hand-held cameras are employed in Provosts and Alouettes for oblique target photography and low-level reconnaissance.

6. The service photographer has always laid claim to one of the most interesting and absorbing jobs in the Force. He may be called upon to provide aerial or ground photographs of an infinite variety of tasks from document reproduction and identity pictures to a minute fracture of a pipe located la an inaccessible part of an aircraft, or, on those all-too-rare occasions, to provide pin-up shots for Ndege. He must have an intimate knowledge of photographic theory embracing both optics and chemistry, and the thorough understanding of at least half a dozen air cameras. He must be part artist and part technician in a profession which, being essentially creative, can pose a new problem every day requiring imagination and skill.

Aerial Photography

Whilst it is generally known that modern map-making techniques involve the use of air photographs, it is not fully appreciated that the RRAF has the task of photographing Rhodesia for mapping purposes. A considerable percentage of the country* s topographical mapping is based on out-dated information originally gathered by field survey parties, and the Government Survey Department is constantly revising all such mapping.

2. Liaison between Surveys and HQ RRAF results in photographic requirements being channelled, in the form of Air Tasks, to the Photo Flight of No, 5 Squadron, The task is then flown with a Canberra equipped with a fixed vertical survey camera which is remotely controlled from the bomb aimers position. The camera is electrically driven, and is "triggered" at a regular time interval determined by an intervalometer under the control of the photo-navigator.|

3. The area to be photographed is divided into "flight lines" along which the aircraft tracks, taking a continuous strip of photographs at a time interval so calculated that the area of ground covered by each photograph overlaps the area cover of the proceeding one by 60%. Similarly, the flight lines are constructed so that adjacent strips of photographs overlap by 30%

This overlapping system is designed to ensure that all ground detail is covered on at least two photographs (providing stereoscopic cover, which is the basic requirement for mapping), and also to ensure that minor navigational errors do not result in gaps.

After the film is flown, it is processed and examined in the negative stage for defects, analysed for accuracy and overall cover, titled and numbered. A "cover trace" is then produced from an existing map of the area, showing the actual tracks of the aircraft with the appropriate negative numbers and all the details of crew, height, scale, camera operation, etc., applicable to the flight. The film is then despatched to Surveys for the production of maps.

Pencil in the cockpit? Certainly sir - what Colour


"When I authorised an Air Force Photographic Stand, this is NOT what I had in mind.

I
Remember when you work with munitions jou are handling items which are designed to KILL people.



DOWN AND OUT
YOU KNOW THAT STATISTICS CONSTANTLY PROVE
THAT WHETHER YOUR EXIT IS A CALM LEISURELY
LEAP OVER THE SIDE OR A HASTY BANG THROUGH
THE ROOF,
YOUR CHANCES OF LIVING TO TELL THE TALE ARE
IMMEASURABLY INCREASED IF YOU FOLLOW THE
CORRECT DRILLS

KNOWLEDGE, CARE and CAUTION are essential parts of your life insurance?



Smoke Gets In Your Eyes

The AVERAGE cigarette burns about 5 minutes. During such a 5-minute period, a cigarette can contribute significantly to a potential accident.

First, cigarettes interfere with vision - not much, but some. One effect of nicotine in the body is that it constricts the smell blood vessels, including those which supply the eyes. The result is a measureable loss of acuity. In other words, you can't see quite as well after a smoke. With flying as tough as it is today, this fact should give you pause. This doesn't mean smokers can't see well enough to fly safely. It means that they don't see as well as they would otherwise.

Second, cigarettes cloud up our windshield windows. Tobacco smoke contains on assortment of tarrs and resins which have become the centre of research and argument concerning their possible roles as causes of cancer. While I cannot confirm nor deny this accusation, I do know that these tars collect on window surfaces to obscure vision.

If tobacco doesn't get you by causing cancer, it may do the job by causing an accident. But, unlike cancer, this hazard can be readily wiped away. Periodically cleaning windows with a paper towel will clear up your vision to a significant degree. Proper cockpit ventilation will clear the smoky air and keep your aircraft from looking like the smoker on the Super Chief.

Another effect of smoking is the quantity of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide gases which are thrown off. These gases are insidious in that they can be accrued in the body over a prolonged exposure. They make one somewhat drowsy and inattentive, and they fuzz up vision.

Tobacco smoke contains the same gases as the exhaust of your aircraft, and you've learned to respect the toxic effect of that hazard. Continuous smoking in a tightly closed and non-ventilated aircraft is very much like a hole in the exhaust system, continually leaking a tiny quantity of the gas into the cockpit to contaminate the air you breathe.

Breathing your smoke once is bad enough. Don't try to live in it

Ventilate!

Another danger of smoking is its distractive side effects. When the hot ash drops off into your lap, it is apt to take your attention from flying. A burning cigarette dropped in the aircraft makes things interesting - particularly if you sit on it or if it can't be found.

One of the most important hazards related to smoking is fire. Most smokers forget that "where there's smoke, there's fire."

Smoking may have its good points. But it interferes with your vision, it clouds your windows, it gives off toxic gases, and it's a constant fire hazard.

Ack: Donald S. Buck
US ARMY

BIO RHYTHM .... ?
This Rhythm guides your destiny.

The car is parked in the High Street. You come out of the shop, head down, maybe bumping into somebody, and get in.

A cursory glance in the mirror, you slam the gear lever into reverse and - crunch! You've tangled with the car behind. It's one of those days!

But a week later and - wow! You're on top of the world! You drive like Moss, you don't bump people on the pavement. You feel fit, optimistic, energetic.

Between these two extremes, you have a run of rather ordinary days.

Is this you? Whether you know it or not, it is. You have "up" days and "down" days.

This has been knorn to scientists for hundreds of years. But only now are they finding the key.

The newly developed science called biorhythm claims it is possible for anybody to chart his emotional life, to tell with accuracy on which days he will be on top of the world, with all senses acute, and on which days depressed, careless, accident-prone.

Serious research into biorhythm began in 1927, when a team charted accidents to men in the repair shop of an American railway.

Low Periods

They found that every man had low periods, spaced eleven days apart, when four out of every five of his accidents occurred.

Other scientists, impressed by the results, conducted experiments of their own.

One doctor found that his patients suffered a twenty-three-day cycle, with critical days at the beginning, middle and end.

A Berlin biologist claimed that his experiments showed we each have a twenty-eight-day emotional curve.

A doctor of Innsbruck University, in Austria, analysed the case histories of more than two thousand students and said that we have an intelligence cycle of thirty-three days.

All these three men were correct, as we shall see. They made the study of biorhythm respectable.

In Switzerland, more than half a million people accept the principle and plan their lives accordingly.

Train drivers on the Swiss Federal Railways step down from the footplate if they are in an unfavourable biorhythmic day.

Many Swissair pilots see to it privately that if they are in a dangerous period their co-pilots are going through a "high" biorhythmic time.

A Computer

And ninety Swiss businesses have incorporated biorhythm into their personnel management.

Swiss Watchmakers have even produced a pocket-sized biorhythm computer, called a Biorit, which, by using a series of glared dials, indicates whether your day with be a "high" or "low" one.

The biorhythm believers say it is only necessary to know your birth date to figure out your "patterns". For the pattern is set at birth and never alters.

Everyone is affected by the same three cycles.

Our physical curve lies a twenty-three day cycle and determines our strength, endurance, energy and resistance.

Our emotional curve runs on a twenty-eight-day cycle and controls intuition, perception and creative ability.

Our intellectual curve lies a thirty-three-day cycle and affects our memory, reasoning power and logic.

Each cycle can be shown in the shape of a horizontal "S". The curve extends above and below e centre line.

The curve above the line depicts the "high" of each trait. The below the line is a time of recuperation.

But the critical period is the transition time. Whenever any one curve crosses the centre line in either direction, you are in a dangerous period.

On a physical "black day", the biorhythm scientists you will tend to misjudge direction and distance, stumble, fall or injure yourself. They claim to have shown that the odds of a car driver having an accident are fifteen times grafter on these days.

During an intelligence off-day, problems appear overwhelming an! decisions impossible to reach.

Of course, biorhythm has its critics. One eminent medical man says: "There are changes in our emotional life at regular intervals. But although this phenomena has been under investigation for many years I do not think the biorhythm supporters have the answer. I do not believe that definite conclusions can be drown from any of the results of experiments held so far."

Other medical experts are less conservative. Several hospitals on the Continent have already recognised the- significance of biorhythm.

Significance

Except in emergencies, they schedule operations to coincide with the "up" periods on their patients' biorhythm charts.

And the surgeons, too, will time their work for their own "good days", thus minimising the chances of accidents, nerves or bad judgment.

George Thommen, who markets the Biorit computer in America, has bulging files of documentary evidence to support the biorhythm theory.

One man was asked to list his accidents and blunders over a long period. Thommen showed that four out of every five occurred in a critical biorhythmic time.

Actor Kartyn Green caught his leg between a lift and the lift- shaft. It had to be amputated. Verdict: Physically critical day.

Actress Diana Barrymore died from an overdose of sleeping tablets. Verdict: Physical and intellectual curves both at most critical points.

Boxer Ingemar Johansson was heavily fancied to keep his world heavyweight title against Floyd Patterson in New York, Thommen discovered that June 20, fight day, was a black one for Johansson and said so. He was scorned. In the fifth round, Patterson won.  Verdict: Physically and emotionally critical day far Johansson,

Biorhythm enthusiasts say that one day all of us will plan our lives according to our biorhythmic patters.

You might scoff at the idea today. But perhap that's because today is one of your black days?

CAUTION

Aviators who are SCUBA divers are cautioned that it is hazardous to fly at altitude soon after diving. Decompression symptoms are likely to occur during transition from pressures above one atmosphere to pressures below one atmos- here. It is recommended that aviators not fly above 5,000 feet altitude within 24 hours of diving to depths below 30 feet (plus 1 atmosphere), or within 12 hours of diving to depths below 15 feet.

 
THE DC 3

In '51 they tried to ground the noble DC-3,
And so some lawyers brought the case before the CAB,
The Board examined all the facts behind their great oak portal
and then pronounced these simple words, "Thr Gooney Bird's
immortal"

THEY PATCH HER UP WITH MASKING TAPE,
WITH PAPER CLIPS AND STRING-S,
AND STILL SIIE FLIPS, SHE NEVER DIES -
METHUSELAH WITH WINGS.

The Army toast their Skytrain now in lousy scotch and soda,
The Tommies raise their tankards high to cheer the old Dakota,
Some claim the C.47's best, or the gallant R4D,
Forget the claim, they're all the same, the noble DC-3

Douglas built the ship to last, but nobody expected
The crazy heap would fly and fly no matter how they wrecked it.
While nations fall and men retire and jets get obsolete,
Thee Gooney Bird flies on and on, at 11,000 feet.

No matter what they do to her, the Gooney Bird still flies,
One crippled plane was fitted with aie wing half the size,
She hunched her shoulders, then took off and, I know this makes us laugh
One wing askew, and yet she flew - the DC-2½.

She has her faults, but after all, who's perfect in this sphere?
Her heating system was a gem, we loved her for her gear,
Of course, her winders leaked a bit Then rain came pouring down,
She'd keep you warm, but in a storm it's possible you'd drown.

Well now she flies the feeder routes and carries mail freight,
She's just an airborne office or a flying twelve-ton crate,
They patch her up with masking tape, with paper clips ind strips,
and still she flies, she never dies - Methuselah with Wings.

BRAKE NOT BREAK
    "I SAID WE'D BE ABLE TO TURN' AT THE FIRST INTERSECTION

Ack: RAF TC



IT'S A SHOCKING WORLD

Electricity - just what is it ? Since the old conventional theories were recently exploded, even electricians find difficulty in answering that question.

Whatever it is in detailed definition - one point which is never in doubt is that electricity is a powerful and ever-present killer if mis-handled. In this modern civilisation one can run a daily risk of receiving an electric shock, and indeed there's no doubt that thousands of people throughout the world die from this cause every year. Don't dismiss this as a vague statistic - one day your knowledge of electricity may mean the difference between life and death in your happy little corner of the Earth.

It is in your own interests, and in the interests of those around you, to stamp out careless habits and apathetic handling of electricity. Be safety conscious - and make sure that others are. Practice safety continually; some minor action you perform every day with apparent impunity may suddenly backfire,

and there you are - or aren't, depending on sheer chance.

Some case histories may point the lesson. Take the story of the woman whose electric iron had been incorrectly wired by her husband. One day, whilst baby-sitting for a neighbour, she took along some ironing. She put the iron on a metal-topped, wooden-legged table and switched it on, resulting in the table-top becoming "live". Some time later, she stood the baby on the table, and, in doing so, received a severe shock. When she regained consciousness, the baby was dead.

The moral of that story is that electrical wiring should always be checked by a professional; especially so in the case of foreign-made appliances which are often constructed with different wiring colour-codes from those used in this country.

Consider the story of the airman whose soldering iron was poorly wired. He wasn't really concerned because he normally worked at a wooden bench, and was insulated from the floor by a wooden platform. But one day he had to work at a metal benoh, and in putting the iron down to tackle the job with both hands, he received a fatal shock. The "faulty wiring" report was of small consolation to his dependants.

Let's examine the problem more closely - what is electric shock ? It is the general term given to different types of injury caused by the passage of an electric current through the body; each causing death or injuries in different ways. The most lethal, but least common type causes a flutter of the heart known as ventricular fibrillation, and unless a surprisingly well- equipped doctor happens along you've had your lot.

The most common type of shock, which, although not quite so lethal, is still extremely dangerous, causes a stunning effect upon the central nervous system.

In all cases, time is vitally important, and help must be given quickly. If artificial respiration is started within 3 minutes, 70% of victims will normally recover. If the time lapse is up to 4 minutes, only 58% of victims revive. If the delay is longer than 5 minutes, all victims still unconscious will die. A doctor should always be consulted, even if the respiration treatment is apparently completely successful, since electric shock? can cause deep bums and nerve damage.

Really powerful electrical currents hove an effect on the human body which may be likened to the process of a current heating the element of an electric fire. However, unless you get yourself mixed up with Kariba power cables, you are unlikely to run up against this problem. It is a curious fact that "high voltage" accidents kill a smaller percentage of involved victims than do accidents with "domestic" voltage supplies. High voltage shocks generally throw the victim clear of the danger, and, in fact, 62% of people involved in such accidents survive, as compared with 39% survival in lower-voltage mishaps. Very low voltage is no guarantee of safety - a 27.5 volt aircraft power supply can kill under certain conditions.

Further points to remember are that A.C. (alternating current) is much more dangerous than D.C. (direct current); firstly because it has a greater "Freezing" effect causing the victim to cling to the contact, and secondly because the rated voltage is only an average of the fluctuating voltage, and the peak voltage produced is much higher. (The average is only .707 of the peak value).

Moist skin has almost no resistance to electrical current, and the salts in perspiration help the natural conductive quality of the moisture itself. Generally speaking, the body's resistance depends on the type of contact made; for example one finger has double the resistance of two fingers, and if all five are in contact with the electrical source, resistance is almost negligible.

Shocks which pass from one hand to the other (through the body) are most dangerous, and this explains electricians' practice of working with one hand in the pocket when dealing with higher voltages. So if you really must touch it to see if it is "live", touch it with the back of one hand. That way you won't freeze on, your skin will be drier, and your carelessness may go unheeded. Don't rely on fast reactions to help you; the shook travels at the speed of light, and that's faster than you'll ever be!

Remember that moisture anywhere is especially dangerous - wet contacts can make a lethal shock of what would only be a "tickle" in dry conditions. If the cable on the electric mower looks a bit tatty don't wait to find out on a wet lawn; your next-of-kin would not be amused.

Watch out far others, too; you can be killed at long range. A rubber tyred vehicle will insulate you - until you step out. A Coles crane is fine - but don't put your foot on the ground when the hook is tangled in somebody's power supply. An insulated mate can kill you by passing you a spanner - if your insulation is non-existant. When working with appliances, physically disconnect them from the power supply. If you have to work on the supply itself, switch off, pocket the fuses, and cover the switchboard with an appropriate notice. Finally, always check your insulation from earth; stand on duck-boards, rubber mats, dry wood - there's usually something available.

If you do encounter a case of electric shock, act intelligently and quickly. Remove the victim from the supply by switching off the power. If you can't find the switch, push him away from the contact with a wooden pole or any other insulation material. Don't waste time trying to wake up the victim - and ignore symptoms like colour, rigidity and so on; shook victims can he as stiff as a board and anything in colour from white to blue black.

The important thing is to start artificial respiration as soon as possible, and to continue it until help comes or the patient revives. If you are not too sure of artificial respiration procedures, find out NOW and encourage others to do the same. And while you're at it, brush up on your treatment for shock, because that is what you'll have to do after the patient regains consciousness.

Your knowledge of electricity, its dangers and limitations, associated safety precautions, and counter-measures to combat its effects may one day save lives. It is your duty to yourself and your Service to make that knowledge as comprehensive as you can.

RRAF Contribution

HEARD ON THE AIR..............

TWR: Are you VZMC ?
A/C No, I'm the AOC ...
TWR: Are you in the clear ?
A/C: Yes, I am.
Ack: RAF Source.



DICING IS FOR THE BIRDS
dicing with her is fine; the risk is minimal, the cost of failure is slight - dicing with an aircraft is a different proposition; the risk is enormous and failure it fatalmmthe sky, to an even greater extent than the sea, is unrelentingly unforgiving of carelessness.

EAT DRINK AND BE READY!

TO THOSE pilots who may be inclined to grab snacks at odd hours rather than take time to enjoy a proper meal, particularly when on trips, the following information from a USA F source should be food for thought.

"It may strike you as strange that eating and safety should be positively related when so much has been said on the negative side about eating and being overweight. The facts are that while over-eating may be a threat to health on a long term basic, under-eating can, at times, become an immediate threat to you and the lives of your crew.

"Your body, just like your aircraft, runs smoothly when the tank is fuelled, and it burns about 250 calories per hour under a moderate workload. Your main fuel tank lasts about 4½ hours after a good meal, and when it begins to run dry the reserves are called upon. Sugar is released from the liver, your body's reserve tank, and the reserve tank may last another 3 or 4 hours. If you arc already operating on your reserves and an emergency suddenly arises, when your body needs a sudden burst of energy, the necessary reserves may not be there, hven under normal flying conditions the reserves eventually can be depleted and your body rebels against burning up good muscle tissue just because you have not taken time to eat.

As your blood sugar level drops your brain cells are starved and you become — fatigued and irritable. Co-ordination drops off, attention of scan shortens, and procedural sequences may be inverted or portions dropped out altogether.

"The obvious solution to this Flight Safety hazard is, as always, prevention. To remain your alert best, give your body the fuel it needs in the form of well balanced, regular meals."

Did you have breakfast this morning?

FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBYS


(reconstructed by Sqn.Ldr. I.H. Donaldson from a true stry

A Canberra B2 took off one dark, rainy, cold night at the height of the English summer. The exercise; a high level cross-country, The crew; two O.C.U, students.

Everything was fairly normal on the climb - the navigator dropped his dividers only twice, and the driver kept the aircraft practically under control the whole time. At 40,000 feet the beast was levelled and the crew settled down to savour the exhilaration of three hours' frost-bite.

Then it happened. A tiny incident, but one which was to keep our two heroes jumping about for a while. In a sudden burst of activity the navigator leaned forward and, in doing so, unwittingly pulled apart his intercom lead connection. Consequently when, some time later, the pilot became bored enough to enquire after the navigator's welfare, he received no answer.

Now navigators are creatures of strange habit, and such enquiries have been known to be received ungraciously. This pilot, however, being well versed in the ways of the breed, expected at least the courtesy of an obscenity in reply.

When no such reply was forthcoming after repeated enquiries, the pilot, adrenalin pumping at Saturday-night rate, arrived at a momentous conclusion. Anoxia! Fairly reasonable deduction, on the face of it. So back came the throttles, out went the air brakes, the bomb doors rumbled open, and down went aircraft, crew and all.

The navigator, meanwhile was wrestling with the small problem of his latest (an only) fix, which presented a cocked-hat the size of Scotland, and was disturbed to hear the unexpected noises of the descent. He was even more disturbed when, looking forward through the canopy, he saw lights from the ground in the position where the stars (unidentified) should be. Worse still, the lights were getting bigger every second, whilst the hands of the altimeter were giving a fair imitation of the counters of a one-armed-bandit after a particularly vicious pull.

Now the navigator was no fool; he immediately suspected a nonsense - even this pilot didn't gain or lose that much height in straight and level flight. So he did the right thing. He asked the pilot what the 'ell was going on, Alas, as we can well understand, - no reply. And so he arrived at a momentous conclusion - anoxia. The pilot was anoxic.

In the finest traditions of the service he decided to save the ship, so, struggling out of his harness, he disconnected his oxygen pipe and hurled himself forward.

At this point it must he explained that Canberras were at this time equipped with a warning horn which kicked ftp a tremendous racket over the intercom. should any crew member become disconnected from the oxygen system. Now read on ...............

Back to the pilot - hell-bent for an A.F.C. at 10,000 feet per minute. A s soon as the navigator disconnected his oxygen to move forward, the warning horn blew. The pilot redoubled his efforts to bring the aircraft down to a safe height, and whilst doing so, he remembered that somewhere on the instrument panel there was a switch which would cut out the deafening warning horn noise. So naturally he leaned forward to switch it off.

Centre, the navigator, also bent on an A.F.C., but not fancying his chance all that much, arrived up front and saw his pilot apparently slumped over the controls. The moment of truth had arrived! Seizing the control column he tried to heave it back. The pilot, still groping for his switch, was a trifle unnerved at the sight of the clammy hand which had appeared out of the darkness. Following the hand to its source, he found himself staring into the navigator's eyes; not a pretty sight at the best of times, but now undoubtedly the eyes of a madman.

Years of thorough training came to fruition at that moment. Considering the problem calmly and logically, the pilot came to a decision. He let the navigator have it - right between the eyes.

The navigator, sense of humour departing rapidly, took this one entirely the wrong way end became downright resentful. He returned the compliment with a right hook just north of the pilot's oxygen mask.

And so the battle raged, down and down and down. Until at an awfully low altitude, our heroes levelled the aircraft, looked at each other in disgusted silence and returned to base.

There's a moral here somewhere; I'll leave you to find it.

To all those senior officers who will be completing confidential reports on their subordinates this month, the following descriptive phrases are offered for consideration:

1. I would hesitate to breed from this officer ...............

2. He has all the characteristics of a dog except loyalty........

3. If he approached matters with an open mind instead of an open mouth then perhaps he would suceeed more often ..........

4. He belongs to that class of people that has every gift except common sense .............

5. He knows everything and understands nothing .............

6. He understands everything and knows nothing.............

7. He is a modest officer, but then he has much to be modest about

8. He has a brilliant mind, until it is made up............

9. He sets himself a dreadfully low standard, which he consistently fails to achieve...............

Ack: RAF NEAF ,



They - They - They
This should be modified!"
"Thy don't they cleat these pipes properly and atop this chafing?"
"When are they going to get us some decent ground servicing equipment ?"
"Why don't they fix this test equipment ?"

THESE AREN'T QUESTIONS.....THEY'RE ALIBIS!

"THEY" is becoming the most overworked alibi in the language.

Unless we want to be considered alibi artists, forever explaining and excusing our failures, advertising our shortcomings and shifting to others blame for our lack of achievement, we had better drop the word from our vocabulary.

The tendency to think that something wrong is someone else's business to put right is not isolated to the aircraft servicing sphere. In every phase and walk of life this tendency is constantly at work to produce a standard of efficiency much lower than could be obtained if every person made it his business to report observed wrongs to the right people.

When it is asked why "they" haven't corrected a situation that disturbs us, we probably have to admit that we haven't done anything about it either. The proverb "The Lord helps those who help themselves, may have originated in the horse and buggy days, but it is still true, particularly in the field of aviation. We can never expect either "they" or the Lord to help very much until we have
exhausted our own capabilities.

Back Cover

To get personal, take that installation you have found cumbersome, or hard to reach, or subject to frequent failure. What have you done about it ? You hove considered how it could be improved, but have you sent your suggestion and a sketch to higher authority ? Or have you shown your section, squadron or unit commander what is needed ? They" may not even KNOW the installation or item is giving trouble.

Have you reported the defective ground equipment or airborne equipment that is unsafe ? ?

Have you stopped adlibbing that the test rig is a job that "they" will have to do and analysed the trouble yourself ? ?

Have you even recorded just what the defect is, so that "Their" job will be simplified?

THE WAY TO ACHIEVEMENT IS TO ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR GETTING THINGS DONE.

EXAMINER: "What would you do if you encountered fire in the air ?"
PUPIL: "Fly around it, sir."

RRAF Source

ROAD SAFETY

Seat Belts

I was returning to the support base, alone, from one of our launch control facilities. The military station wagon I was driving gave me only a few seconds notice before it started to roll to the left. I grabbed the steering wheel with both hands and hung on. As it rolled to the left and hit the road, I saw the windshield crack in a million places and heard the breaking of glass behind me. Going over the top and to the right-side-up position, I still held on to the steering wheel and could feel the car roll again to the left. This time the entire windshield blew outward. On the second roll it was harder to hold the wheel.

Again there was the sound of breaking glass and the crunch of metal. The car came to rest right side up. After a moment and a deep breath I looked around and saw that every window, with the exception of the two wings and the one in the right rear door, was broken. Both front doors were jammed shut, so I climbed over the seat and out the right rear door.

"

The car was beyond repair. The hood, which evidently had come off the first time over, was now standing upright partly embedded. In the right front fender and partly under the right front wheel. Loose gear and the back seat had been thrown clear and were now strewn on the road. The roof was crumpled, and If I had been driving with an arm out the window it was obvious I would have lost it. There was a slight cut on my thumb, my cap was still on and a few muscles felt stiff. Otherwise, I was okay.

"It was several hours later that I noticed two bruises, one on each thigh. The seat belt which held me tightly In place had left a reminder.

A Missile Combat Crewmember

Ack: USAF

CFSO says:

There is no doubt at all as to the wisdom of fitting seat belts to your car. A strong bid has been made to have all Service passenger vehicles fitted with belts.

and If your car has belts ——— use them!

STOP PRESS
MORE ROAD SAFETY ADVICE

Just as we are about to go into print we learn that another tragic road accident involving our own people has happened on a Rhodesian arterial road.

Another accident that has shattered a happy Service family.

The sincerest heartfelt sympathy of everyone goes out to this family.

How can we stop this savage death toll an. our roads ?

In future, NDEGE will feature a ROAD SAFETY section; but from this instant onwards, whoever you may be, wherever you are going, whatever your mission, 

MAKE IT TOUR OWN PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY ALWAYS TO DRIVE DEFENSIVELY

Corinne says: "You will see much
better if keep your perspex clean."


Back Cover of Ndege

End

Extracted and recompiled by Eddy Norris for use on the "Our Rhodesian Heritage" Blog that he administers.

Please note that this magazine concentrated on Flight Safety within the Royal Rhodesian Air Force.

Also please remember that comments are always very welcome. Send them to orafs11@gmail,com


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