Recollections and reflections — a seasoned reporter’s view of aviation history
It would be invidious for me to admit to having a favourite aeroplane type. But if I did, Gloster’s mighty delta-winged Javelin all-weather fighter would be in with a good chance of that dubious accolade. Why Well, it probably goes back to my childhood and living in Aldershot, Hampshire. It was in early 1956 that No 46 Squadron at Odiham became the first front-line Javelin unit, taking on strength 15 examples of the initial production FAW1. Odiham was no more than 10 miles away and, on the evening of 15 May 1957, the BBC staged part of an outside broadcast called This is your Royal Air Force Now at Odiham, to underline the operational status of this, ‘the RAF’s newest fighter’. A highlight was the scramble of two Javelins, which took off in an easterly direction to carry out a practice intercept. I watched this, awestruck, on TV. Then, just a couple of minutes later, the same two aircraft, still in close formation, flew over the house, their Sapphire engines emitting that characteristic organ-like Javelin whine. This was live TV at its best, and it left a lasting impression on me.
No 46 Squadron was given an intensive flyi…
