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Aviation History
1912
1912 - 0347.PDF
APRIL 20, 1912. the Central Flying School. Those officers will be drawn from (<i) officers of all branches of the naval and military services, and (6) civilians. The rank and file will consist of warrant officers, petty officers, non-commissioned officers and men transferred from the Royal Navy or the Army, and also of men enlisted directly into the Koyal Flying Corps, either on a regular or a special reserve basis. Officers of the Navy who are selected for service with the Royal Flying Corps will, as a rule, undergo their elementary training at the Central Flying School. Officers of the Army may, when selected, be required to obtain the Royal Aero Club certificate, by private arrangement, before joining the Central Flying School. After graduating at the Central Flying School, officers will be attached, as may be necessary, to the Naval or Military Wing for further training. At the conclusion of their training they should be eligible to be appointed either (a) for continuous service in the Naval or Military Wing of the Royal Flying Corps, or (/>) to the permanent staff of the Flying School, or (r) to the Royal Flying Corps Reserve. The period of appointment in the case of officers, who elect lor continuous service with the Naval or Military Wings of the Royal Flying Corps or at the Central Flying School, will normally be 4 years. Civilian candidates for appointment to the Royal Flying Corps as officers will apply in the first instance to the Commandant of the Central Flying School, quoting the number of their Royal Aero Club certificate. Men transferred from the Navy and Army, or enlisted from civilian sources, for continuous service should be selected by the naval or military authorities respectively, and by the Commandant of the Central flying School. The period of enlistment suggested is 4 years, with re-engagement from year to year, or opportunity to transfer to the Reserve. Great importance is attached to the primary condition that every member of the Royal Flying Corps shall incur a definite obligation to serve in time of war either for naval or military purposes in any part of the world. The Royal Flying Corps, with the exception of the Naval Wing and officers and men of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines who are members of the Reserve of the Royal Flying Corps, will be under the administration of the War Office. Conditions of Reserve Service.—The officers of the Reserve of the Royal Flying Corps should be divided into two classes ; the officers of the First Reserve should be required to produce on the first day of each quarter satisfactory evidence that they have performed during the previous quarter flights amounting to an aggregate of nine hours in the air, and including one cross-country flight of not less than one hour's duration. These conditions should be subject to modification in particular cases. Flyers of the Second Reserve need not be required to carry out any flights, but should be available for service in the Royal Flying Corps in time of war. Flyers of the First Reserve should be given facilities for their obligatory flights every quarter at one of the naval or military establishments, or if this is impossible, at a private aerodrome. An authorised rate of payment should be laid down for flights under taken at private aerodromes. No aeroplanes should be purchased for the Reserve of the Royal Flying Corps at the present stage, though this should not prejudice future policy on this question. For the present the Reserve should provide personnel rather than materiel. A reserve, however, of materiel would be required in war, and for this purpose the Commandant of the Central Flying School should keep a register of privately owned aeroplanes, which might usefully be purchased for the use of the Royal Flying Corps in case of emergency. Members of the Royal Flying Corps who own aeroplanes should be encouraged to bring these to the Central Flying School, when they undergo their training there, and to naval and military manoeuvres. The Government believe that a considerable proportion of the qualified flying men in this country can be attracted to this Reserve, which will then be of real value, being available in any part of the world and for either service. It is not proposed at present to fix any limit to the numbers to be entered, as the number of qualified flying men in the country is comparatively small, and it is unlikely that as many as 100 applications will be received in the first year. Later on it will probably become necessary to fix a definite establishment of the Reserve of the Royal Flying Corps. The Central Flying School. Situation-—The Central Flying School should be established on Salisbury Plain, on ground south-east of Upavon, the contract for the purchase of which has been signed. This ground must be i/uG^n regarded essentially as a flying ground. It should only be used for the training of troops in so far as that training interferes in no way with the work of the Central Flying School. The site has been inspected twice by a committee of experts in order to view it under varying conditions. They rejx>rled a* follows :— " This area is in every way suitable for the proposed purpose. It is better than any British aviation ground with which the members of the Committee are acquainted. " A certain amount of ground is at present under plough, but there is nothing to prevent the formation of an excellent surface for rolling over very large tracts." Apart from its excellence as a (lying ground, however, the site selected presents the following advantages :— It is situated in a lonely spot several miles from a railway station, and is therefore not liable to the inconvenience and dangei ol attracting large crowds of spectators. The nature of the surrounding country is such that good tending places are available over a very wide area. A good road runs through the centre of the aerodrome affording all necessary transport facilities. The presence of large numbers of troops undergoing training on Salisbury Plain oilers facilities for preliminary training in military reconnaissance. It is conveniently situated with regard to the existing aerodromes at Aldershot, &c, for the commencement of cross-country flights, and is not too far distant from the sea at Portsmouth and Portland. Courses of Instruction.—There should IK three courses at the Central Flying School during the year, each course to last 4 months, which is considered to include a sufficient margin of time for leave of absence and spells of bad weather. There appears to be no reason to suppose that one season of the year is less favourable than another for training in flying, li is possible that in summer there are more days during some part of which flying is possible. In winter, on the other hand, there arc apt to be more days during the whole of which it is possible to fly. The training to be carried out should include— (i) Progressive instruction in the art of flying. (ii) Instruction in the general principles of mechanics and the construction of engines and aeroplanes. (iii) Instruction in meteorology. (iv) Training in observation from the air. (v) Instruction in navigation and flying by compass. (vi) Training in cross-country flights. (vii) Photography from aircraft. (viii) Signalling by all methods. (ix) Instruction in types of warships of all nations. The naval and military flying establishments should undertake the more advanced training in observation and the transmission of intelligence. The sooner the Staff for the Flying School is selected the better, for as soon as possible the members should IK formed into a Committee to draw up the syllabus for the first course of instruction for submission to the War Office. It is estimated that the number of flyers required for the Navy is forty a year. To provide the war establishment for the seven Aeroplane Squadrons that are considered necessary for our Expeditionary Force, 182 officer flyers and 182 non-commissioned officer flyers are required. This will entail passing through the Central Flying School one quarter of this total number annually, if it is assumed that under present conditions a flyer can hardly be expected to remain at active aeroplane work for more than 4 years. If, in excess of actual Naval and Military requirements, a margin is allowed of, say, 25 per cent, for pupils undergoing instruction who fail to obtain certificates of proficiency either through sustaining injuries or through loss of nerve, the total service requirements as regards the annual intake of pupils at the school are as follows :— One-quarter military war establishment of flyers, 91 ; Royal Navy, say, 40 ; add 25 per cent., 33 ; total, 164. In addition it appears desirable to allow for the entry of tsay> fifteen civilians during the course of the year, or five for each course of instruction. Hence the total number to be passed through the Central Flying School in each year will be :— To maintain the naval and military establishments, 164 ; Civilians, 15 : total, 179. Thus, having regard to the foregoing considerations, it would appear necessary to estimate that for the immediate future, accommodation should be provided for sixty pupils at the Central Flying School in each term. As these numbers are liable to be increased, when the requirements of the Army other than those of the Expeditionary Force are decided, the school should be readily capable of expansion. 347 i) 2
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