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Aviation History
1939
1939 - 0125.PDF
JANUARY 19, 1939 FLIGHT. 53 :0NTI NUED) the most effective way of discouraging any inclination in any quarter to engage in the pastime of twisting the lion's tail. Instructional Concession AT long last a decision has been reached on the vexed question of instructors. The Air Ministry, after k long negotiations with the Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators and the British Air Line Pilots' Associa tion, announces the institution of a new type of in structor's certificate, to be known as the Assistant Fly ing Instructor's Certificate. In the main the qualifications demanded remain un changed, but the A.F.I, will not be required to be qualified in blind-flying, and the minimum solo flying hours demanded are 100 instead of 250. Hitherto the G.A.P.A.N. has maintained the prin ciple of closed shop in the matter of instructors. While the number of schools was small, that was both under standable and reasonable. But then the Air Ministry- rushed out prematurely with its Civil Air Guard scheme, and the difficulties mentioned by Flight as soon as the scheme was announced were not long in appearing. Suitable types of aircraft for instructing thousands of beginners in flying, and qualified instructors to under take the instruction were lacking. The former obstacle has not yet been surmounted, although types are now being built specially for the work. The new instructor's certificate should help to overcome the latter. There is no reason to fear that the quality of flying instruction will suffer unduly. The G.A.P.A.N. in structors' panel will still insist on being satisfied with the ability of applicants to instruct, and anyway the first-class instructor is born and not made. If a man has it in him to become a good instructor, the ability —which is a peculiar one not easily defined—will soon become apparent. If, on the other hand, he has not the gift for that kind of work, it benefits the pupils little that he has had thousands of hours in the air and is able to judge speed and distance to a hair. If he has not the flair for communicating his gifts to the pupil he will always be a mediocre instructor. Full=time Aircraft Crews N ECESSITY is the mother of many strange children. Expansion creates necessity and is driving the Air Ministry to various expedients which must alter the conditions of service for the air men of the R.A.F. For the future, perhaps only the immediate future, the distinction between airmen who work on the ground and those who work in the air is to be much more definite than it used to be. Air gunners, for example, could previously be drawn from several trades, mostly wireless operators, armourers, and photo graphers, but sometimes an aircrafthand (who belongs to no skilled trade) might be chosen as a gunner. Now the air gunners are only to be drawn from the trade of wireless operator, and the chances of other tradesmen for doing duty in the air are thereby much reduced. The latest decision is that in multi-seater machines all the members of the crew are to be full-time men for aircraft duties. This applies to all who are not pilots. Tradesmen allotted to crew duties will be lost for the time to their trade on the ground. At a time of ex pansion the trades need more and ever more skilled men and are loath to spare them for air duties. This has forced the Air Ministry to recruit direct from civil life for certain members of the crews, particularly for air observers. It is hoped to recruit 1,500 such during the present year, and an article on their training and duties appears on page 60 of this issue. Their main duty will be navigation, but they must also be com petent to aim and release bombs, work the wireless, man the machine gun, and on occasion take photo graphs. If the hydraulic mechanism of the gun turret gets out of order they must have a working know-ledge of how to put it right. The ideal is that all members of a crew, apart from the two pilots, should be interchangeable, so that if one man is hit, someone else can carry on his work. It is therefore small wonder that crew duties are now to be a full-time job. The direct-entry air observer, who may be only 17J years of age, becomes a sergeant with pay of 12s. 6d. a day after five months' training. It is a splendid opening for a young man, and the supply ought speedily to outstrip the demand. Twice 0=0 S OME time ago we commented on the statement that had recently been made by Sir Kingsley Wood to the effect that there had been a very great increase in monthly output of aircraft during the last year or so. We ventured to say that unless one knew the actual figures the statement did not convey very much, since twice nothing is still nothing. Figures disclosed by M. Guy la Charnbre, the P"rench Air Minister, the other day seem to indicate that France's nationalised aircraft factories came within sight of corresponding to our jesting reference to British production. According to M. la Chambre, French pro duction during the period September-December, 1937, was 33 first-line aircraft per month. In December of last year it had risen to 70 per month. It is expected that during this month it will attain the impressive figure of 80, and during the spring of this year it is hoped to reach a production rate of 200 per month. Evidently French aircraft production has been in an even worse state than was generally believed. "Plan V," which originally aimed at 2,500 first-line aircraft in three years, has been speeded-up, and that number of machines is now aimed at in two years. When one contemplates these figures one becomes a good deal less dissatisfied with our own production rate, inadequate as it is often held to be. Temporarily Withdrawn S OME surprise has been caused by the announcement that the five Ensign class monoplanes which have been in service with Imperial Airways for three months are to be withdrawn, and that it has been de cided, as a result of this experience, to embody certain modifications before the whole fleet is put into service. It might be pointed out that the Ensign was designed some four years ago, and that consequently it is under standable that in the meantime improvements have become possible. Indeed, it would be surprising if this were not the case. There was no time to build and test a prototype, and the temporary withdrawal of these five machines is merely the equivalent of modifying a proto type before putting it into service alongside the produc tion version. The Ensign is a very clean aeroplane, and with a little more power for the take-off and climb it could be made to compare with more recent types. In all probability the requirements of Imperial Airways could be met by fitting constant-speed airscrews, which would enable the engines to give full power on the climb. DIARY OP FORTHCOMING EVENTS—PAGE 62
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