Page 15 - issue22.03.2019
P. 15

Royal Air Force News Friday,March 22, 2019 P15

                                                                                                                                                News




         Battle of Britain






         hero Archie’s





 xxxx
         a Typhoon






         Top Gun







        WWII Hurricane vet downs enemy


        jets in RAF simulator shoot out



       Tracey Allen                  with 238 Sqn, heading for Egypt via
       ONE OF the last six surviving Battle  Malta and flew various top cover and
       of Britain pilots was back in the  bomb escort  sorties in North Africa
       cockpit – shooting down enemy  before being shot down in a dog fight
       fighters for the RAF at the age of 99.  over Libya.
         Archie McInnes, who celebrates his   He crashed landed into a minefield
       100th birthday in July, took the helm  breaking his neck and severing his arm
       of the high-tech Typhoon simulator at  which was amputated after developing
       Coningsby.                    gangrene.
         Pal Jonny Cracknell who escorted   Despite his horrific injuries Archie
       the veteran airman to the station said:  later he made his way home via South
       “I’m not quite sure he was         Africa.
       used to all that technology but      After recouperating he spent
       he had a really good go and        nine months at the Air Ministry
       got up into the air and even       in London but wanted to get
       managed to shoot down a few        back to flying.
       aircraft.                            Frustrated by his disability
         “I think he’d still like to be   he helped to develop his own
       up there for real. He definitely   prosthetic arm to help him
       prefers the old way of doing       manage  the controls and
       things, though.”                   instruments. and returned to
         During the VIP tour of the station –  flying Hurricanes in 1944.
       home to the UK’s Typhoon Force – he    Stationed with 691 Sqn at Roborough                                               INSPIRATIONAL: Archie McInnes, with
       also climbed into the Battle of Britain  he worked with the Navy, flying dummy                                           BBMF crew, in the Hurricane cockpit,
       Memorial Flight’s vintage WWII  fighter and torpedo run attacks.                                                         PHOTO: SAC Emma Wade. Top, Archie
       Hurricane.                      He left the RAF in 1946 and                                                              flew a Spitfire last autumn, PHOTO: Jonny
                                                                                                                                Cracknell, and recently tried out a Typhoon
         Archie joined the RAF Volunteer  returned to working for his father’s                                                  simulator. Inset, as a young airman
       Reserve in 1938, flew with 601 and  laundry supply business in London.
       238 Sqn and was one of ‘The Few’ who   Widowed 12 years ago, Archie lives
       repelled  Hitler’s  Luftwaffe  during  the  with his daughter near Cambridge.  and has never sought attention or   “He’s been very  much  under  the  together about his wartime service
       Battle of Britain in 1940.      Jonny said: “He is incredible, an  accolades for what he did. Even today  radar and I felt his story needed to be  which should be published  later this
         He later flew off HMS Victorious  inspiration. He is incredibly modest  he has that passion for  flying.  told.  We’ve  been  working  on  a  book  year.”

       Robo-kit set for frontline                                                           Space ace stars at Fairford



                                                                                                  BRITISH ASTRONAUT  Major  Apollo 11. Maj Peake made British
       Staff Reporter                                                                             Tim Peake be one of the  star  history  by  spending  six months
                                                                                                  attractions at this year’s Royal  on the International Space Station
       THE MOD has pledged an extra                                                               International Air Tattoo.      and is now head of astronaut
       £66 million to speed up delivery                                                             The former Forces airman  operations at the European Space
       of robotic military kit to frontline                                                       will be launching the science  Agency Germany.
       Forces.                                                                                    and technology zone at           RAF Fairford was NASA’s
         New  surveillance  mini-drones                                                           the   three-day  event         emergency landing site for
       and remotely controlled fighting                                                            at RAF Fairford, in              the space shuttle and in
       and supply vehicles could be                                                                Gloucestershire.                  1983 hosted a visit by the
       deployed to Estonia where a                                                                    This      year’s                 spacecraft, secured on the
       UK-led battlegroup is guarding   REVOLUTIONARY: A Skeeter - a tiny                          Air    Tattoo   is                   back of a jumbo jet.
       Nato’s  border  with  Russia,  UAV inspired by a dragonfly, designed for                    celebrating air and                   l  The event takes place
       and Afghanistan and Iraq this   intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance                space  operations                    between July 19-21. Go
       year, Defence Secretary Gavin  Army’s capabilities whilst reducing                           to mark the 50th                     to www.airtattoo.com for
       Williamson said.              the risk to our personnel. We                                  anniversary   of                           ticket details and
         He added: “Each of these new  will  be revolutionising frontline                           the  first moon                               bookings.
       technologies will enhance our  technology by the end of the year.”                           landing by
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