Table of Contents
EDITOR’S LETTER
AIR CORRESPONDENCE
1940: THE BATTLE OF . . . KENT?
Greg Baughen commemorates the 80th anniversary of the
Battle of Britain by comparing the war the RAF had been
preparing for with the war it found itself fighting in 1940
ITALY’S FORGOTTEN AIRLINES Pt 2
Airline historian Maurice Wickstead continues his series
on the history of Italian airlines with the consolidation of
the inter-war operators into Ala Littoria, ALI and LATI
SHORTS: THE PERENNIAL THORN
In his latest article tracing the political history of Britain’s
post-war aircraft industry, Professor Keith Hayward FRAeS
turns his attention to the uniquely problematic Short Bros
CES HOMMES MAGNIFIQUES: LOUIS BLÉRIOT
Louis Blériot needs no introduction to TAH readers — but
his patents for early VTOL concepts and a prophetic “aerial
runway” may do; Jean-Christophe Carbonel investigates
TWO DAYS IN FEBRUARY
In February 1943 the USAAF and Luftwaffe fought a crucial
— but little-known — air war war over the settlement of Sidi
Bou Zid in Tunisia. Dr Andrew Arthy opens a forensic
two-part account of a vital 48hr — for both sides
MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN
Top-hats in the noonday sun in Africa? We ponder an
intriguing collection of photographs from the TAH archive
of the antics of BOAC staff in Kenya in the early 1950s
HEINKEL’S LAST FIGHTER
Based on an original German-language article by Wolfgang
Mühlbauer, Tony Buttler examines Heinkel’s post-war
mixed-power He 31, which remained a “paper project” only
THE SHAH’S JETSTARS
In January this year the Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force
retired the last example of the Lockheed JetStar in military
service; Babak Taghvaee traces the type’s career in Iran
TUESDAY THE 13th
70 years ago the behemothic Cierva Air Horse helicopter
crashed after a catastrophic failure of a vital component.
Nick Stroud takes a look at the accident and its causes
FLYING THE “BATHFIRE”
The British could have developed a significant wartime
advantage with the fielding of Canadian Bill Franks’s “anti-g
suit”; Dr Peter Hobbins reveals how they failed to do so
HAWK ONE Pt 2
The remarkable flying life of legendary RCAF pilot Wg Cdr
Fern Villeneuve AFC concludes with his recollections of
the Golden Hawks — and his near-fatal crash in a Sabre
SWEDEN’S PARASOL FIGHTERS
Jan Forsgren chronicles the short, undistinguished career
of the obscure and little-lamented FVM J 23 and J 24/24B
ARMCHAIR AVIATION
LOST & FOUND
HAWKER’S STAR DESTROYER
While researching in the Hawker archives at Brooklands,
Chris Gibson discovered a wildly ambitious 1950s VTOL
flying-boat powered by “pinched plasma”. What?
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK