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Aviation History
1937
1937 - 1658.PDF
6i8 FLIGHT. JUNE 24, 1937. Fitters and riggers at work on a Hawker Osprey. iR.A.F. official pkoioerapk, Crown copyright.) flying bounty, flying instructional allow ance, and good conduct money. A limited number of airmen are selected to complete 24 years' service and become qualified for a pension. On application for enlistment a form (No. 429) dealing with age, experience, physical condition, previous service, etc., is sent; this must be completed and re turned. If it is satisfactory, a railway ticket is sent to the applicant, who then appears at the Recruiting Office, Victory House, Kingsway, and is interviewed. A medical examination is carried out and a short educational or trade examination is taken which varies according to trade and standing. On the satisfactory com pletion of these the recruit is asked to decide for certain that he wishes to join the R.A.F. and is then sworn in. After signing the necessary document the recruit is taken to the R.A.F. station at Uxbridge before being stationed permanently and receiving uniform. The principal technical training schools for men are at Manston, Henlow and Cranwell. Regulations governing the entry of boys into the Air Force are more complicated than for men, and entry comes under three headings: (1) Aircraft Apprentices, (2) Boy Entrants, (3) Apprentice Clerks. The methods and ages of entry differ and no change-over can be made after acceptance. In normal times the majority of the airmen in the Service come from the two schools for aircraft apprentices at Halton and Cranwell. Instrument makers and wireless operator mechanics are trained at Cranwell; fitters, and fitters (armourer) at Halton. Entry for aircraft apprentices takes place by competitive examination in January and August each year, and candidates must be between the ages of 15 and 17 years on the first day of their month of entry. If a candidate has passed an approved school certificate in specified subjects he may be exempt from the examination. Application for entry can only be made through an approved nominating authority (i.e., through the school to the education committee or to the local juvenile employment bureau). Technical Training After entry as an aircraft apprentice three years' technical training in a skilled trade is received, and the apprentice con tinues to complete twelve years' regular service from the age of 18. At the end of this period an apprentice may (a) enlist in the Reserve for four years and receive a gratuity of £100; (b) be re-engaged for a further twelve years if selected for one of the limited number of re-engagement vacancies. At the end of his three years' training he may be granted a cadetship leading to a permanent commission; alternatively he may be selected during his service for training as airman pilot (which also gives him a prospect of selection for a permanent commission). All details regarding entry and training are contained in A.M. pamphlet 15. For the second method of entry candidates may either be invited to enlist in the Service as boy entrants, if no vacancy is offered following the examination for entry as aircraft apprentices, or apply to an approved authority for nomination for direct enlistment. Entries take place in February, September and May, and candidates must be between 15 years 9 months and 17 years 3 months on the first day of their month of entry. A good general education is necessary, and on acceptance 12 to 16 months' training as an armourer, wireless operator or photographer is received, followed by nine years' regular service from the age of 18. Airmen having entered the Service under this section may be selected for training as airman pilots with chances of being selected for commissioned rank. Re-engagement to complete 24 years' service is also possible. The third and last method of entry is as apprentice clerk. An approved first school certificate or the attainment of an educational standard which is approximate^ equivalent is needed before entry, which takes place quarterly in January, April, July and October. The age limits in this case are 15 years 6 months and 17 years 3 months. Applications must be made to Victory House on A.M. Form 1334, and A.M. Pamphlet 9 deals thoroughly with entry and training in this section. The initial service is for twelve years from the age of 18 with a possible further twelve or enlistment in the Reserve following it. Airmen entered as apprentice clerks are eligible for selection as pilots. The opportunities for experience and training in many trades and the chances of seeing the overseas stations are ex ceptional. Any man after enlistment may attend free educa tional and training classes at his aerodrome, and while know ledge of a civilian trade is not essential it will be an advantage and aid towards promotion. There are always openings for skilled men, but many of these are filled by aircrafthands who have been selected for special training after a period of service. Food and quarters are of very high standard in the Air Force, and if a man is stationed in Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, Singapore or China, or is selected for service on an aircraft carrier, he may now expect the same comforts as at the home aerodromes. Uniform is issued free and a quarterly clothes allowance is made. Furnished married quarters are also available at many stations at home and overseas for men with 12 years' service. Every aerodrome has a gymnasium, and several have swim ming baths. Sports of all kinds are encouraged, and in the quarters billiard tables and facilities for other games are supplied. The Volunteer Reserve is a section of the R.A.F. which appeals to many people who wish to give limited time to service flying training and have a civilian occupation also. Forms for application for membership deal with education and training, and a medical examination and interview by a selection com mittee follow before acceptance. Five years' service is re quired, and the allowance depends upon the time given. At the end of the completed period a gratuity is granted. As in every branch of the Service, the applicant must be a British subject of British parents. Upon completing a period of service with the R.A.F. every aid is given to a man in finding a civilian occupation, and it has been found that usually this is not difficult by reason of the demand for men with extensive flying experience or having skilled training in fitting, rigging, wireless operation and other trades. Aircraft Workers' Pensions T HE stability and permanence attained by the British air craft industry is strikingly illustrated by pension scheme announcements recently made. The first is an announcement to staff and works employees of Hawker Aircraft, Ltd., by its chairman, Mr. T. O. M. Sopwith, and the second an identical announcement to the employees of its associated company, the Gloster Aircraft Co., by Mr. F. S. Spriggs, the chairman. Both schemes embody all the advances which have been made in developing group benefit plans by actuarial science in recent years. The schemes are on a contributory basis, and have been placed for administration with the Eagle Star Insur ance, Co., Ltd. Lighter Landing Lights REFINEMENT of certain components has allowed a re duction in the weight of the landing light produced by Mechanism, Ltd., of 6a, George Street, Croydon, from 4I lb. to 3I lb The lamp is now a bi-filament type, and incor porates spinnings instead of castings.
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