Post by corsair67 on Nov 9, 2006 15:10:50 GMT 12
Airman starred in race to Christchurch
November 09, 2006.
Don Gannon: Air force navigator. Born Walthamstow, England, August 5, 1923. Died September 21, aged 83.
A NAVIGATOR of Bomber Command's Pathfinder Force during World War II, Don Gannon wrote his name into the record books as a member of the two-man crew of the record-breaking Canberra jet bomber that won the London-New Zealand air race in 1953.
Gannon navigated the Royal Air Force's Canberra, piloted by Roland Burton, which touched down at Christchurch 41 minutes ahead of its closest rival, a Canberra of the Royal Australian Air Force, after 23 hours and 51 minutes in the air.
The field included a handicap section featuring propeller-driven transport aircraft such as a New Zealand Air Force Handley Page Hastings, a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Douglas DC6 and a prototype Viscount turboprop airliner, but the ultimate triumph belonged to the English Electric Canberra, a versatile reconnaissance bomber that had entered service two years before and was to fly operational sorties at Suez and (licence-built in the US as the Martin B57) during the Vietnam War.
It was a remarkable achievement in 1953 to fly 19,313km at an average speed of 495mph (nearly 800km/h), including stops. Burton and Gannon were awarded the Air Force Cross for their feat.
Gannon was called up for war service in 1943. He joined the RAF and was posted to 139 Squadron, a unit operating Mosquito bombers equipped with radar that added a new dimension to Bomber Command's effectiveness at night. He flew 56 sorties as a navigator and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In 1949, he was posted to 540 Squadron flying Mosquitoes for photo reconnaissance. Then came the London-Christchurch air race.
The flight was planned to have five stages, with stops in Iraq, Sri Lanka, the Cocos Islands, Perth and Christchurch. Three RAF Canberras took off from London, competing against two Canberras from the RAAF. At one point it looked as if the Burton-Gannon bid might be aborted at the first stage when the landing gear failed as they approached Shaibah air base in Iraq. Gannon took manual control and the plane touched down safely. Defects in the plane's braking system caused a further delay.
The RAAF entrant was not so lucky, bursting a tyre in a heavy landing at the Cocos Islands, which cost the aircraft the race. Another RAAF Canberra was the first to make it over the Australian coastline, but damaged its nosewheel landing at Woomera air base.
Burton and Gannon landed at Christchurch in a heavy storm to claim the pound stg. 10,000 prize. Despite the atrocious weather a crowd of several thousand gathered at Christchurch's Harewood Airport to cheer the aviators on their arrival.
Gannon's association with the Canberra continued in later years with sorties to measure fallout pollution levels in clouds after nuclear tests, and a period with the Meteorological Research Flight. He retired in 1966 but continued as a navigation specialist and was involved in developing instruments and navigation aids for the Concorde.
The Times
November 09, 2006.
Don Gannon: Air force navigator. Born Walthamstow, England, August 5, 1923. Died September 21, aged 83.
A NAVIGATOR of Bomber Command's Pathfinder Force during World War II, Don Gannon wrote his name into the record books as a member of the two-man crew of the record-breaking Canberra jet bomber that won the London-New Zealand air race in 1953.
Gannon navigated the Royal Air Force's Canberra, piloted by Roland Burton, which touched down at Christchurch 41 minutes ahead of its closest rival, a Canberra of the Royal Australian Air Force, after 23 hours and 51 minutes in the air.
The field included a handicap section featuring propeller-driven transport aircraft such as a New Zealand Air Force Handley Page Hastings, a KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Douglas DC6 and a prototype Viscount turboprop airliner, but the ultimate triumph belonged to the English Electric Canberra, a versatile reconnaissance bomber that had entered service two years before and was to fly operational sorties at Suez and (licence-built in the US as the Martin B57) during the Vietnam War.
It was a remarkable achievement in 1953 to fly 19,313km at an average speed of 495mph (nearly 800km/h), including stops. Burton and Gannon were awarded the Air Force Cross for their feat.
Gannon was called up for war service in 1943. He joined the RAF and was posted to 139 Squadron, a unit operating Mosquito bombers equipped with radar that added a new dimension to Bomber Command's effectiveness at night. He flew 56 sorties as a navigator and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. In 1949, he was posted to 540 Squadron flying Mosquitoes for photo reconnaissance. Then came the London-Christchurch air race.
The flight was planned to have five stages, with stops in Iraq, Sri Lanka, the Cocos Islands, Perth and Christchurch. Three RAF Canberras took off from London, competing against two Canberras from the RAAF. At one point it looked as if the Burton-Gannon bid might be aborted at the first stage when the landing gear failed as they approached Shaibah air base in Iraq. Gannon took manual control and the plane touched down safely. Defects in the plane's braking system caused a further delay.
The RAAF entrant was not so lucky, bursting a tyre in a heavy landing at the Cocos Islands, which cost the aircraft the race. Another RAAF Canberra was the first to make it over the Australian coastline, but damaged its nosewheel landing at Woomera air base.
Burton and Gannon landed at Christchurch in a heavy storm to claim the pound stg. 10,000 prize. Despite the atrocious weather a crowd of several thousand gathered at Christchurch's Harewood Airport to cheer the aviators on their arrival.
Gannon's association with the Canberra continued in later years with sorties to measure fallout pollution levels in clouds after nuclear tests, and a period with the Meteorological Research Flight. He retired in 1966 but continued as a navigation specialist and was involved in developing instruments and navigation aids for the Concorde.
The Times
