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Aviation History
1941
1941 - 1367.PDF
JUNE 19TH, 1941. FLIGHT c mander of no little experience—an extremely exhaustive programme of flying is carried out. Formation flying at both normal heights and oxygen heights is practised frequently. The reason, of course, for the necessity of practising at great heights is, apart from the pilot be- coming accustomed to the use of oxygen, because in the rare air of the upper altitudes a greater degree of antici- pation is necessary. Controls which are accurate and immediate at lower levels become slow and soggy. Over- shooting or movement in or out of formation must be Checked almost before the movement has started. Low Flying As is to be expected in the training of a fighter pilot, aerobatics take quite a large share in the curriculum. Apart from the obvious advantage of being able to put an aeroplane in any position or recover from one, con- fidence in the pilot himself and the aeroplane he flies is built up. Another new experience for the pupil is high- speed low flying. To bat along at "no feet" at some- where over the 350 mark is no ordinary thrill. Move- ment is very perceptible, and excellent judgment is required. Over the sea, even when there is a fair modicum of height between the aircraft and the water, there is always the feeling and the visual illusion that the lower wing tip will dig in on a turn. So long as sea-level flying remains a favourite ruse of the Luftwaffe for getting away, low flying will be studied by the Royal Air Force. In all air exercises practice in the use of radio tele- phony is stressed. Only by the discipline of continual use can it be ensured that clear speech and careful listen- ing will take place in the excitement of air action. Com- munication between machines of a formation for attack or other instructions is, of course, di paramount import- ance, but cockpit to ground and vice versa is of equal importance. On the station is a Link Trainer, and this has also been adapted for specialised fighter-pilot train- ing. The pilot "flies" entirely by instruments and is presumed to be on patrol over a certain sector. By radio he is told to fly on such and such a bearing to attack an enemy machine in that area. On apparent arrival he is given other bearings and eventually returns to his base on the "homing" device. All these bearmgs and the distance travelled are shown by the path of the \ "crab" of the instrument as it traverses a map on the instructor's table. Used for almost every form of flying training, the Link Trainer has certainly pfpved itself BATTLES REFOUGHT The 16 mm. cine apparatus and screen used to project the Wtffiamson cine camera gun film,a picture of a Heinkel IIIK as it appears in the concentric circles of the screen. Above is V rv
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