FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1934
1934 - 0239.PDF
FLIGHT, MARCH 15, 19S4 A FLIGHT OF THE SEAPLANE TRAINING SQUADRON : " Osprey Photo.) and ' Seal " led by " Tutor." (FLIGHI dead reckoning ; tides, maps, charts and projections, andinstruments ; and meteorology. The officers under instruc- tion spend one week at the Ordnance Survey Office inSouthampton to study that part of the business from another point of view. It is a very strenuous course, andso it ought to be, for it is necessary to feel complete con- fidence that when an officer can write the symbol (N)after his name he is a thoroughly good navigator. While the long Navigator's Course is the most ambitiouswork carried out at Calshot, the function which takes up most of the time and energies of the officers of the Sea-plane Training Squadron is the Flying Boat Pilot's Course. All the pilots of all the flying boat squadrons in thecountry and overseas have to pass through this course at Calshot. The Training Squadron was formed in 1932, andconsists of a headquarters and three flights, A, B, and C. The unit is commanded by a squadron leader and each flight by a flight lieutenant. There are also two flyingofficers in each flight and the squadron has an establish- ment of 120 airmen. " A " Flight carries out preliminary training in float-planes and possesses 10 machines, representing the types " III F," "Seal," "Osprey," and "Tutor." " B "Flight deals with the Saro " Cloud " amphibian, of which it has five on charge. This is a new type in the R.A.F.and is specially suitable for instruction. On a recent visit to Calshot, by kind permission of the Air Ministry, thepresent writer was given a flight in a " Cloud," and could form some opinions of its suitability for this work. Thehull is very roomy inside, which permits of a number of pupils going up together, and they can also gather roundthe table to study charts, or any other matter which the instructor wishes to explain on paper. The windows aresufficiently large to give a good view of the sea and coast SIGNALLING INSTRUCTION : On the left an airman signals with flags on top of Calshot Castle beside the mechanicalsemaphore, and on th« right the Aldis lamp is being used. (FLIGHT Photos.) 239 R
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
