Dennis R Kenyon? Was the Suez Canberra bloke later the well known helicopter ace?
Thread Starter
Dennis R Kenyon? Was the Suez Canberra bloke later the well known helicopter ace?
I was just listening to the Radio 4 'Preposterous Files' programme, in which Julian Putkowski has presented a series on cases from the National Archives "that show up Civil Service bureaucracy at its nonsensical and frequently hilarious worst."
This one was based on the transcript of the court martial of Flying Officer DR Kenyon, who retracted his Canberra's undercarriage whilst still standing on the runway prior to taking off for a bombing mission during the 1956 Suez crisis.
(The story can be heard via the BBC's listen again service, or read at:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...romoid=googlep
It sounded to me as though Kenyon was guilty of stupidity more than anything (certainly not cowardice), and I don't ask the question out of anything more than curiosity.
The name rang bells, and I wonder whether this Kenyon is the same Dennis R Kenyon who was the helicopter World Freestyle Aerobatic Champion, former owner of Skyline Helicopters, a stunt pilot in 'Blackhawk Down', an airshow favourite, and now rotary correspondent for Loop?
The latter Kenyon is an ex-RAF pilot (a pilot since 1952) who has written about seeing a a UFO while flying a Canberra "on one of the regular ‘Stronghold’ bombing exercises practiced by Bomber Command."
The Canberra force was huge in the 50s, of course, and there could have been half a dozen Kenyons in it.
But if the two Kenyons are the same, what a character, and what a recovery.
This one was based on the transcript of the court martial of Flying Officer DR Kenyon, who retracted his Canberra's undercarriage whilst still standing on the runway prior to taking off for a bombing mission during the 1956 Suez crisis.
(The story can be heard via the BBC's listen again service, or read at:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/ar...romoid=googlep
It sounded to me as though Kenyon was guilty of stupidity more than anything (certainly not cowardice), and I don't ask the question out of anything more than curiosity.
The name rang bells, and I wonder whether this Kenyon is the same Dennis R Kenyon who was the helicopter World Freestyle Aerobatic Champion, former owner of Skyline Helicopters, a stunt pilot in 'Blackhawk Down', an airshow favourite, and now rotary correspondent for Loop?
The latter Kenyon is an ex-RAF pilot (a pilot since 1952) who has written about seeing a a UFO while flying a Canberra "on one of the regular ‘Stronghold’ bombing exercises practiced by Bomber Command."
The Canberra force was huge in the 50s, of course, and there could have been half a dozen Kenyons in it.
But if the two Kenyons are the same, what a character, and what a recovery.
Thread Starter
I should add that after initially claiming to have raised the gear deliberately, because he didn't agree with what he was being asked to do, Canberra Kenyon subsequently said that he'd admitted to that rather than admitting the truth - an incompetent mistake that he thought would end his career, when all he wanted was to go on flying with his squadron.
Poor judgement, for sure, but .................
Poor judgement, for sure, but .................
If I remember correctly (its a long time ago!) you could not raise the undercarriage on the B2 by simply pressing the "UP" button whilst on the ground. WOW switch prevented this. There was a concentric ring surrounding the UP button which had to be rotated through 90 Degrees before a selection could be made to select wheels-up' in extremis.
Not to be confused with another Kenyon at a secret SAR flight in N Wales. I suppose the parallel is driving his car into a lampost whilst stationed at a secret SAR flight near hull.....
The Wrong Button?
This was re-broadcast today 17th Sept and is available on the BBC iPlayer for the next seven-days here:
BBC - BBC Radio 4 Programmes - The Preposterous Files, The Wrong Button?
As it says on the BBC Radio web page:
An interesting and fascinating story.
This was re-broadcast today 17th Sept and is available on the BBC iPlayer for the next seven-days here:
BBC - BBC Radio 4 Programmes - The Preposterous Files, The Wrong Button?
As it says on the BBC Radio web page:
Files from the National Archive reveal preposterous acts: grand, petty and tragic. Julian Putkowski distills them down.
It's not a good idea to retract the undercarriage of a bomber when it is standing still on the runway fully loaded with 6 X 1000lb bombs. What, if anything, was Flying Officer Kenyon thinking?
Readers: Crawford Logan and George Gillespie
Producer: Matt Thompson
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.
It's not a good idea to retract the undercarriage of a bomber when it is standing still on the runway fully loaded with 6 X 1000lb bombs. What, if anything, was Flying Officer Kenyon thinking?
Readers: Crawford Logan and George Gillespie
Producer: Matt Thompson
A Loftus production for BBC Radio 4.
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What, if anything, was Flying Officer Kenyon thinking?
"Oh, Sugar!", I reckon...
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As a young PPL AFI, my first rotary flight was with Dennis at Shoreham in an Enstrom in the late 70's early 80's. I remember him saying he once flew Canberras from Weston Zoyland in Zummerzet.
Even now when doing IF in the areas or flying into Bristol I remember both him and the flight when I look at the disused airfield so it may well be one and the same.
Even now when doing IF in the areas or flying into Bristol I remember both him and the flight when I look at the disused airfield so it may well be one and the same.
