OMBER COMMAND 617 SQ UA D RO N
34 FLYPAST February 2018
IN VEGAS
ROBERT OWEN DESCRIBES A HASTILY ARRANGED, BUT VERY SUCCESSFUL,
‘FLAG-WAVING’ EXERCISE FOR THE VULCANS OF 617 SQUADRON
VULCANS
I
f you’re going to
stage the first World Congress of
Flight, what better venue could
there be than Las Vegas? Between
April 12 and 19, 1959 the Nevada
city hosted this event to showcase
the aerospace achievements of
some 51 nations. The aims were
ambitious: ‘To bring together all
elements of flight — designers,
producers, operators, administrators
and users. It will unite them in a
common cause; the advancement of
aeronautics and astronautics — the
twin sciences of flight...
‘Symposiums and conferences
will explore flight in terms of
international security and human
welfare; analyse the social,
economic, political and moral
problems which accompany the
progress of flight; present flight
in its broadest concept as an
instrument for the benefit of all
mankind.‘The project is dedicated
to the belief that greater world
knowledge of aircraft, missiles and
spacecraft — in realistic perspective
— will help bring the world closer
to permanent peace.’TIGHT SCHEDULE
Invitations were duly despatched to
potential participants. On March
5, an Air Ministry signal informed
617 Squadron that it had been
selected to represent the air force at
this prestigious event.
The famous ‘Dambusters’ had
re-formed at Scampton, near Lincoln,
the previous May, the third squadron
to receive the latest V-bomber, the
Avro Vulcan B.1. Four aircraft and
crews were allocated, the detachment
being commanded by AVM Augustus
‘Gus’ Walker CBE DSO DFC AFC, the Air
Officer Commanding 1 Group.Scampton’s
Wing Commander
Operations, Wg Cdr
Douglas Bagnall DSO DFC, was
appointed deputy force commander
and departed on the 31st for Vegas.
He travelled via Washington to
hold discussions with AVM Walter
Sheen CB DSO OBE, Commander of
the British Joint Services Mission.
Arriving at Las Vegas on April
3, Bagnall gathered information
about the proposed event and it
was dispatched to the UK for the
force commander.
Such was the state of
communications of the time that
this important intelligence had
still not been received by the time
the deployment departed for Las
Vegas.VULCANS
IN VEGAS
ROBERT OWEN
VULCANSVULCANS