Hellenic Air Force(HAF)..."History of Flying Heroes" part 2

Video Title :	Hellenic Air Force(HAF)..."History of Flying Heroes" part 2
Description :	The admirable weapon of the skies, the Hellenic Air Force, with its dynamic present and brilliant future, has a glorious history to display, full of continuous struggles for the country's independence and freedom. In 1911 the Hellenic Government assigned the establishment of an Air Service to French experts. As a result six officers were posted to France in order to be trained as pilots, while the first military aircraft were ordered from the French firm Maurice and Henry Farman. On February 8, 1912 the first flight in Greece was performed by the aviator Emmanuel Argyropoulos with a 50-hp Nieuport. The same day, Argyropoulos carried out a second flight with the then prime minister Eleftherios Venizelos on board. On May 13, 1912 1st lieutenant Dimitrios Kamberos flew the first military Henry Farman aircraft, and later participated in Army manoeuvres.In June of the same year while the establishment of a Naval Air Service was being examined, Kamperos, having converted the first Henry Farman «Daedalus» into a hydroplane flew at an average speed of 110Km per hour thus achieving a new world record.At the same time another pioneer, Alexandros Karamanlakis, conducting a flight from Phaleron to Patras with a 50-hp Bleriot aircraft performed an unsuccessful ditching in the Corithian Gulf and met his death, thus opening the pantheon of the sacrifices of the Hellenic epopee in the skies. On January 24, 1913 the first world wide war naval co-operation mission took place above the Dardanelles, which marked the history of naval operations. 1st lieutenat Michael Moutoussis and Ensign Aristedes Moraitines, on board the Maurice Farman hydroplane, drew up a diagram of the positions of the Turkish fleet, against which they dropped four bombs. This event was widely commented upon in the Press, both Greek and international. Noteworthy is the air fight of July 12, 1922 during which aviator Christophoros Stavropoulos shot down a Turkish Breguet north east of Afion Karachisar. Twenty three aviators offered their lives for the cause of the «Great Idea».The Asia Minor Campaign was followed by a long period of peace during which both the Hellenic Army and Naval Air Services were reorganised and upgraded. From 1925 new types of aircraft of English and, mainly, French manufacture (Gloster Mars Nighthawk, Fairey III F, Morane-Saulnier, Hawker Horsley, Avro 621 and 626 and Breguet Bre 19) were delivered. In co-operation with the British Company Blackburn Aeroplane, the Aircraft Factory was set up in Phaleron, where the T3A Velos hydroplanes and the Altas and Avro 504 aircraft were manufactured. On June 8, 1928 a significant achievement in relation to the capabilities of the then Army Air Service takes place. A Breguet Bre 19, appropriately adapted and named «HELLAS», with pilot 1st lieutenet Evangelos Papadakis and observer Colonel Christos Adamides on board, took off from Tatoi and flew around the Mediterranean sea in 20 days covering a distance of 12.000 Km. In 1930 the Air Ministry was founded and the Hellenic Air Force (known abroad as RHAF) was established as a unified independent branch of the Hellenic Armed Forces. Eleftherios Venizelos was sworn in as the first Air Minister and assigned the total reorganisation of the Branch to the experienced aviator Alexandros Zannas. In co-operation with the linguist Manolis Triantafyllides a new (RAF type) ranks structure -used until today- was established. In 1931 the Air Force Academy was founded in Tatoi and became the new officers' seedbed. The establishment of the Weather Bureau, run until today without any obstacle, constituted an achievement of vital importance for the safety of the flights. In 1934 the Hellenic Air Force General Staff was set up, while in the context of modernisation, new aircraft types, namely the PZL P24, Dornier Do 22, Avro Anson, Potez Po 63, Henschel Hs 126, Fairey Battle and Bristol Blenheim, were delivered and significant infrastructure works were carried out. Source: haf.gr For more informations about Hellenic Air Force and generally aviation visit http://aviationlive.org/forum/
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Rating :	5.00
Keywords, Tags :	haf Macedonia Πολεμικη Αεροπορια Ελλας Hellenic Air Force Aegean Αιγαιο Ιστορια aircrafts planes jets Greece army
Video Length :	6 : 59