MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1975.
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COMMEMORATIVE COVERS FOR RHKAAF SILVER JUBILEE
THE ROYAL HONG KONG AUXILIARY AIR FORCE. IN CO-OPERATION WITH THE ROYAL AIR FORCE MUSEUM IN LONDON, IS PRODUCING A SPECIAL POSTAL COVER TO COMMEMORATE ITS SILVER JUBILEE.
PROCEEDS FROM THE SALE OF THE SPECIAL COVERS, AFTER ALL CHARGES HAVE BEEN DEDUCTED, WILL DE HANDED TO THE R.A.F. MUSEUM FOR GENERAL PURCHASES AND FOR DUYING AND MAINTAINING OLD AIRCRAFT.
THE COVERS HAVE BEEN AIR-BORNE BY TWO OF THE SQUADRON'S AIRCRAFT-AN ALOUETTE MARK IIIB HELICOPTER AND A BRITTEN-NORMAN
ISLANDER.
ON FEBRUARY 1, ABOUT 13,000 COVERS WERE CARRIED ON THE ALOUETTE HELICOPTER ON A 55-MINUTE FLYING DOCTOR RUN IN THE NEW TERRITORIES, WITH STOPS AT NIM VAN, WU KAU TANG AND SAM A TSUEN.
A MAXIMUM OF 2,500 OF THESE COVERS WILL FURTHER BE SIGNED PERSONALLY BY THE HELICOPTER PILOT, FLIGHT LIEUTENANT A.P. ASPREY AND THE CREWMAN, SERGEANT K.C. WONG.
ALL THE COVERS ARE AT PRESENT BEING OVERPRINTED WITH DETAILS OF THE FLIGHT AND WHEN READY WILL BE SENT TO THE R.A.F. MUSEUM FOR AN INSERT GIVING A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE R.H.K.A.A.F. THEY SHOULD BE READY WITHIN THE NEXT FEW MONTHS.
IN ADDITION, A SMALL NUMBER OF COVERS HAD ALSO BEEN TAKEN ON A TRAINING FLIGHT ON THE ISLANDER AIRCRAFT TO CLARK AIR FORCE BASE IN THE PHILIPPINES. THEY WERE FRANKED WITH AN AMERICAN 10-CENT STAMP AND CANCELLED AT THE BASE ON FEBRUARY 1.
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THE RETURN FLIGHT, WHICH TOOK FOUR HOURS 55 MINUTES WAS PILOTED BY FLIGHT LIEUTENANT J.R. BROWN OF R.A.F. AND CO-PILOTED BY FLIGHT LIEUTENANT M.A, WIGHTMAN AND THE CREWMAN WAS PILOT OFFICER B.C. FAUCETT OF THE R.H.K.A.A.F.
THE AUXILIARY AIRMEN WERE ABLE TO SEE THE CLARK AIR BASE AIR-SEA RESCUE CO-ORDINATION CENTRE BESIDES GAINING NAVIGATIONAL EXPERIENCE ON THE FLIGHT.
COVERS CARRIED BY THE ALOUETTE ARE OBTAINABLE AT $3.50 EACH FOR THE ORDINARY FLOWN ONES AND AT $4.70 EACH FOR THOSE SIGNED BY THE FLIGHT CREW, FROM THE R.H.K.A.A.F. PROJECT OFFICER AT. R.A.F. KAI TAK BEFORE MARCH 15. ORDERS SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED DY THE CORRECT REMITTANCE.
THOSE COVERS FLOWN IN THE ISLANDER ARE DIRECTLY OBTAINABLE FROM THE R.A.F. MUSEUM AT AERODROME ROAD, HENDON, LONDON NW9 5LL, ENGLAND. ORDERS SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY A REMITTANCE OF ONE POUND STERLING FOR EACH COVER, POSTAGE CHARGES NOT INCLUDED.
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