Marville France

Foreword

I have, from time to time, made use of the phrase "This is like trying to find a white jelly bean on your front lawn after a six foot snowfall in Goose Bay". It was a simple case of luck that I managed to find a message written by Jim Rittinger on the Internet. He indicated that he had been a pilot who had flown the Comet. Messages were exchanged and he accepted a request to provide detail pertaining to the Comet. The following information has been provided and I am most thankful to Jim for providing this information.

1 – When did you join the RCAF?

1 – Officer's Selection at Crumlin Air Base London, Ontario in January 1953. Enrolled Officer's School 02 February 1953 at Crumlin.

2 – Can you provide some basic detail of your initial career leading up to the time when you were selected for duties with the Comet?

2 – I commenced my "Flying Training" on Chipmunks and Harvard’s at 1 FTS Centralia, Ontario on 17 March 1953 and I graduated in November 1953. I attended Advanced Multi Engine Training on the B-25 Bomber at 1 AFS Saskatoon between 27 November 1953 to April 1954. I was then transferred to 2 Air Navigation School Winnipeg where I flew as an Airborne Interceptor Staff Pilot on B-25's between April 1954 and April 1956. I became a B-25 Maintenance Test Pilot and Staff Navigator Pilot on C-47's from April 1956 to November 1957, and I was then transferred to 412 VIP Squadron in Ottawa in November 1957 where I initially flew C-45's, C-47's and B-25's. I commenced flying Comets June 3, 1960.

3 – Where was training for the Comet provided?

3 – We had no formal course of training on the Comet. Technical ground training was conducted mostly by Sgt. Wally Hoehn, Flight Engineer, for a couple of weeks prior to commencing flying training right on the Squadron. We took the course in pairs, F/L John Sled and I trained together. We commenced flying on 3 June 1960 and our Instructor was F/L Dwayne McBride.

4 – How long did the Comet training last?

4 – The flying training took place from 3 June 1960 to 5 July 1960 but it was not continuous. The time was interspersed with our regular flying duties on the C-47 and B-25. We received about 30 hours of flying instruction on the Comet then completed Proficiency and Route Checks.

5 – How many RCAF aircrew personnel, and what trades, were associated with flying duties for the Comet?

5 – A normal crew on the Comet consisted of : Captain, First Officer, Navigator, Radio Officer, Flight Engineer, Steward and Transport Technician. On VIP trips the crew was augmented as required - possibly an extra Pilot and Navigator plus a qualified Cook and Flight Attendants.

6 – Can you describe a typical flight to and from Canada to Marville? i.e. point of departure, normal cruising altitudes, normal cruising speed, usual refueling stops en route (if applicable), etc.

6 – A typical flight from Ottawa to Marville, France. First, a few statistics:

This provided about 6+45 minutes endurance at about 8000 lbs. per hour average consumption We normally carried 37 passengers in very comfortable, well padded, fully adjustable seats. Cruise speed was .72 Mach or about 400 mph. Departure from Ottawa was usually around 1900 hrs local time (about 0100 hrs Marville time) after an Ops and Weather Briefing some 1+30 hrs prior to departure. We always had to make at least one fuel stop enroute due to limited range, so, Gander normally and sometimes Goose Bay were chosen depending on forecast winds at cruising altitude. Because we required less fuel on this first leg we could go fairly fast and fairly high, usually 33,000 ft which would give us a pretty good fuel consumption rate. Unlike present day Jet passenger aircraft that have "fan-jet" engines and an optimum cruise altitude of between 31,000 and 37,000 ft, the Comet had an "Centrifugal" flow straight through engine. You poured the fuel in, burned it and the thrust came out the back end. Therefore the higher you could fly considering aircraft weight. the better the fuel consumption. For example, when taking off at max T/O weight 117,000 lbs. and reaching the initial cruise altitude your fuel consumption could be 10,000 lbs. per hour. After you burned fuel off and gradually climbed higher, your fuel consumption could go down to as low as 5,000 lbs. per hour at 42,000 ft. So we would depart Ottawa arriving normally at Gander about 0345 Marville time. It was a quick turnaround stop where we would take on a max load of JP1 fuel generally about 54,000 lbs. The crew would check the weather, calculate the T/O details for the aircraft and if all was in order, file a Flight Plan to Marville. All items had to be considered down to the last detail i.e. Takeoff distance, time enroute, cruising altitudes, landing conditions and forecast weather. All had to be favorable in order to flight plan to Marville allowing us to use Etain or Luxembourg as alternate airports if required. With the limited amount of fuel we could carry, our alternate had to be within 15 minutes flight time of Marville. Flight time to Marville was generally 6+15. So, off we would go, using almost all of the takeoff runway available to us. A long slow climb to our initial cruise altitude of 29,000 ft where we would level off at our initial cruise speed of M.69 As we burned fuel off we would gradually climb as high as we could and increase speed to M.73. Generally we would arrive over Marville at about 37,000 ft. In those days, because we had the upper flight levels to ourselves, there being no other pure Jet traffic, we could cruise - climb from 29,000 to 37,000 ft with no concern for traffic. As time went by, we encountered more and more traffic and were forced to cross the ocean in level flight at 29,000 or 31,000 ft. This necessitated more enroute fuel stops usually at Shannon Ireland. Today with the amount of Air Traffic over the Atlantic, the routes and altitudes are very strictly controlled and tolerance for errors is zero. Under these conditions it would be next to impossible to operate the Comet 1A on transatlantic flights. We would arrive over Marville around 1045 local time usually around 37,000 ft. Paris Radar control would hand us over to Marville Approach and the friendly voices of the Canadian controllers. Sometimes a section of two of Canadian F86 Sabres would come up meet us and say "Hello" The Marville Ground Controlled Approach Radar would guide us to the landing runway, often in very low visibility conditions as Marville experienced a lot of morning fog at the base. But, good they were and it was comforting to hear their calm, professional voices in our earphones. After landing we taxied to the ramp in front of the Air Movements hangar for an on time arrival off 1100 hrs local to be met by the outbound crew preparing for departure at 1300 hrs local. Our crew would now crew rest in Marville for 2 or 3 days then, we too would prepare for the flight home. The flight back to Ottawa would take a slightly different route to try and get north of the strong westerly winds that blow across the Atlantic between Gander and Shannon. So we would depart Marville and fly to Keflavik, Iceland (A USAF Air Force Base) where we would refuel for the northerly flight from Keflavik to Ottawa. The flight time was usually about 4 hours but the planning was rather unique. Because there was no alternate airports reasonably close to Keflavik, we would have to use Prestwick Scotland as an "enroute" alternate. We would fly about halfway between Prestwick and Keflavik to a point where we still had enough fuel to return to Prestwick. Upon reaching this midpoint, we would do final checks on our fuel, landing conditions and weather at Keflavik and if all was okay we would proceed on to destination. At this time we would be totally committed to landing at Keflavik. A quick fuel stop here and we'd take on a full fuel load for our 6 hour flight to Ottawa. Usually or route would take us well north of Goose Bay Labrador and sometimes we would even end up approaching Ottawa directly from the North. Again, careful monitoring of fuel and destination weather would dictate whether we could carry on to Ottawa or be required to go into Goose Bay or Bagotville for refueling. Arrival over the Ottawa Uplands Airport "UP" Beacon at anywhere from 39,000 to 42,000 ft would signal the commencement of our "Jet Penetration" approach to the landing runway. This type of approach was carried out because it took the least time and fuel to get down to the runway. Aircraft "speed brakes" were used to get us from the high altitude to the runway level in a little over three minutes. The passengers never really noticed the rapid descent because the cabin descent was strictly controlled at a safe comfortable rate by the Flight Engineer. The aircraft would arrive at the 412 Squadron ramp at about 0030 hrs Marville time or 1830 local time. Another successful crossing in one of the best transport Jets ever built. 412 Squadron did so many crossings per month and with such frequency that the Shannon Oceanic traffic controllers were amazed that we had only two aircraft---they had thought we had several more!

7 – Can you verify the number of passengers that were normally taken on a typical flight? i.e. how many passenger seats on the Comet?

7 – In normal configuration we carried 37 or 39 passengers in very comfortable fully reclining chesterfield type chairs.

8 – Can you provide detail pertaining to the in flight crew? how many, what trades, etc.

8 – Normal transatlantic crew complement: Captain, First Officer, Navigator, Radio Officer, Flight Engineer, Steward (Usually a qualified Cook) and a Transportation Technician to handle load details. Sometimes a male Flight Attendant was on the crew also.

9 – What type of service was provided to the passenger – in relation to today’s civilian aircraft? Movies, music, food (on real plates with real cutlery - or making use of plastic plates and utensils etc). also type/quality of food?

9 – No music or movies – (things like this took up too much space and weight which we needed for fuel. Also it was a military flight and the ride alone was a big improvement over the North Star). Meals were usually precooked then heated up by the Steward and served to the passengers on real plates with real cutlery. Very seldom were box lunches provided that I can remember but it's quite likely some meals were served on plastic with plastic utensils. Quality of meals was always quite good as to what was generally served to the passengers I can't recall. I do know the crew meals were excellent and cooked right in the galley. Main meals were always Steak or Roast Beef with all the trimmings; the Captain and First Officer being given different choices in the interest of safety. Bacon or Ham and Eggs cooked fresh by the Steward for Breakfast and served in our 8 seater crew compartment. (Those were the days!)

10 – What was the main role of the Comet – VIP shuttle or servicing of RCAF personnel and families in Europe?

10 – The original purpose for the purchase of the Comets was to provide high altitude target interception service for Canadian fighter aircraft in Canada. This role was still carried out on a very limited extent for several years. The main use came in flying Canadian Military and dependents to and from Europe. Because of the limited space available, you had to have some priority for a Comet ride. Otherwise you would have to go on the North Star aircraft or by sea. A second primary role was to fly both civilian and military VIP's any place in the world. For this purpose, we had a VIP compartment that could be installed in the back end of the airplane complete with chesterfields, sleeping facilities and washrooms. It was very comfortable and carried the likes of Our Royalty, our Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers and many Foreign Dignitaries. When this aircraft arrived at a foreign airport with the Canadian Flag flying from the top of the flight deck, local people watched and were highly impressed. The Comet also participated in Air Shows such as Toronto and Ottawa. Usually we did a slow fly past with an F86 Sabre Jet tucked up under the tail of the Comet in very tight formation.

11 – Were there ever any Comet "emergencies"?

11 – Because the original Comet aircraft had two accidents where the airplanes broke up in flight due to structural failure, there was, for a while, the idea by some people that the modified version of the aircraft was still suspect. This was totally unsubstantiated. After the Comet airframe was pressure tested, modifications were made to the airframe and square windows replaced round ones. It became one of the most structurally sound aircraft flying at the time. As an additional safety factor when flying at high altitude, the pilots wore Oxygen masks at all times when at the controls. In the event of an emergency decompression the pilots would be unaffected and could carry out the required emergency descent to a safe altitude. I don't believe this ever happened while we operated the Comet and certainly not to me. However we did train for this procedure both in the aircraft and in a decompression chamber at the Institute of Aviation Medicine in Toronto just in case. I guess we had our share of engine failures and flameouts but I do believe there were not too many. There was one incident of engines flaming out that maybe is worth mentioning to you. On an Ottawa Marville flight 14 November 1961 we had just leveled out at our cruise altitude after our climb out of Gander, Nfld. We were approaching mid Atlantic, all flight checks were complete and everything was in order. I went back to the crew rest compartment to enjoy an early breakfast. Before I could have the first bite the very quiet flying Comet suddenly became even quieter. I was up to the cockpit in an instant to find that all four engines had flamed out. The First Officer was putting the aircraft into a descent and the Flight Engineer was furiously attempting to relight the engines. I took control of the aircraft, the Engineer was successful in relighting and I climbed back up to our cruise altitude. We flew on for awhile in stony silence then finally started to talk about what had happened and what had caused it. Apparently, the failure of two warning devices in the fuel system had failed simultaneously. A fuel gauge on our centre tank had stuck at 1,000 lbs. and a red low fuel warn light had a burned out bulb – the engines had just run out of fuel. Appropriate measures were taken to ensure that this problem could not occur on future flights.

One other recurring problem went on for a couple of years before a simple fix was put in place that solved the problem. A critical area of the Ghost 50 engine in the Comet was the "bearing" that held the rotating shaft at the rear end of the engine. We were trained to always be aware of the possible overheating of this bearing, ensuing disintegration and big problems. The operating manual did strongly outline the procedure to be followed if overheat occurred: Shutdown the affected engine, dump fuel if required and land soon as possible. There was no alternative. Over a period of time we did have several of these overheat warnings and the mandatory procedures were carried out. However, when the engine was examined on the ground it was, to my knowledge, always found to be a false warning due to a malfunctioning wire or temperature gauge. We, the Pilots and Flight Engineers, suggested a "fix" should be made such as doubling the wire or the gauge. Nothing was done for a long time then finally a "crossover" was installed in the system. This would allow the reading on one temperature gauge to be crossed over and read on another gauge. i.e. Number four engine reading could be read on the Number three engine gauge with the press of a button. Problem solved at very little cost – but in the meantime, quite a few flights had been disturbed and a lot of fuel dumped. All in all the Comet was a serviceable and reliable airplane considering its age.

12 – We know that there were only two Comets. Why only two for a period of close to 10 years? If the aircraft (eventually) was proven safe and stable – why not purchase others – as opposed to replacing the Comet with the Yukon? Of course this is another story – as I have heard that the RCAF had options for the B-707 at the time, elected to start right from scratch with the Yukon – and then eventually went with the 707 after the Yukon had served out its life. <grin>

12 – Why did we have only two Comets? A good question but the simple answer was money and politics. Money, of course, is always a problem and there were really no Comets available for a long time. Before the Yukon project started there was serious consideration given to acquiring new Comet 4's. These planes would carry twice the number of passengers and have a much greater flying range. The purchase seemed so imminent that we flying crews were very much anticipating going to Hatfield, England for flying training. However, all was for naught as Canadair was chosen to build the revamped Britannia into the Argus for Maritime use and the Yukon for Transport use. I suspect politics was strong in making this decision. I never did believe the Yukon would be a proper replacement for doing the Comet tasks. It seemed to me we were going backward from a pure Jet to a Turboprop. In 1963, while attending Staff School in Toronto, I wrote a paper on the need for a Jet Transport aircraft in the RCAF. I was investigated by a team from Air Force HQ in Ottawa because of the paper and it was quietly suggested I not pursue the subject further. Not because of the "suggestion" but because there was no point – I did not go further on the subject. I had not heard that the RCAF had options on 707's prior to the Yukon but if they did and the government still went ahead with the Yukon – I guess more "enlightened" people than me made the decision.

13 – How many Comet crews were there?

13 – At any given time we operated with four complete crews. New pilots were trained and operated as First Officers for a time and were then upgraded to Captain. Crews did not fly together as a unit for any length of time. Each trip was assigned the crew personnel by the Flight Dispatcher who kept records of the various assignments to ensure fairness. If two Captains were assigned to a trip usually the more senior pilot would be assigned as Captain and the other as the First Officer but this was not always necessarily so. A normal crew consisted of Captain, First Officer, Navigator, Radio Officer, Flight Engineer, Steward and the Transportation Technician. The first eight pilots to fly the Comet when it returned to service after modifications were F/L's: Bill Carss, Paul Lemieux, Bob Glover, Gord McAninch (deceased), Dwayne McBride, Dean Broadfoot, Paul Major and Stan Jenkins. As time went by new "blood" was brought in and trained right on the squadron. These were: F/L's: Al Auld, Ron Goddard, Jim Rittinger, John Sled and part time S/L Jim Wynne. The last group of new pilots came on the aircraft in its final years, They were: F/L's Bob Fassold (later the Air Force's Chief Flight Surgeon), Dick Merrick, John Dineley, Ben Budgeon and Merv Billings. Some of the Navigators were: S/L Harry Morson, F/L's Hal Graham, Fred King, Hugh Hibbard, Noel Funge, Bert Woods, Ron Redahl and Jerry Brassard. A few Radio Officers: F/L's Doug Yates, Joe Sare, Doug Cameron, Bill Olendy and Tom Gingrich. A few Flight Engineers: Sgts: Wally Hoehn, Stru Cossar, Tom Sutton and "Rod" Rodrigues. I'm relying on memory for a lot of these names and apologize for the omissions that, no doubt, have taken place.

During my career I flew eleven different transport aircraft. Some I liked, some I disliked, but the Comet was truly my first choice. When it came on the world scene it was ten years ahead of any other production or proposed aircraft. (The one exception was a smaller passenger jet built by AVRO in Toronto, a plane that never got into production, unfortunately.)

The Comet was very streamlined, could fly to extreme altitudes, was relatively fast for it's time and handled as quickly and smoothly as a fighter airplane. It was a shame that it suffered the airframe accidents that it did because I feel that really set the British Aircraft Industry back a long way. In fact, I believe their industry never did recover from this setback and thus Boeing with the 707 and McDonnell with the DC8 were able to come to the forefront in passenger jet production and take over completely. Comparison to the Yukon – impossible. They were two completely different aircraft and really suited for different purposes: The Comet for passengers and the Yukon for freight (Freight doesn't complain). Each was good for its role but Comet was a Cadillac, the Yukon a Bus. Time has proven the 707 and the DC8 to be very reliable operational aircraft, the 707 perhaps the better. A lot of people have put the 707 into the same category as the old reliable Douglas C47/DC3. I think this is appropriate, I have a lot of flying time on both. I operated the 707 in the military from 1970 to 1979 and on airline operation from 1979 to November 1985, it was the second best aircraft I flew. First Loves are unique and I still feel, all things considered, and the time it was built, that the Comet was the better machine. (I could be biased I suppose)

Just an afterthought. I flew the last scheduled flight into Marville on 01 March 1962 after which the Yukon took over the skeds completely. We still flew the Comet into Marville after that on a few Specials. The very last flight was flown to LFQM was on the 8th of August 1963 by Ron Goddard and myself, then the Comets were flown to storage in Mountain View near Trenton shortly after.

Best Regards
Jim Rittinger