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Aviation History
1942
1942 - 2010.PDF
34° « FLIGHT SEPTEMBER 24TH, 1942 EMPIRE CENTRAL FLYING SCHOOL the real basis of the whole course. The chief ground instructor, himself a pilot in the last war, has been in the Royal Air Force Educational Service ever since and has specialised in aero nautics, a subject on which he has written several books. He has played a prominent part in the technical training of the Royal Air Force at Henlow, Halton, Cranwell and Farn- borqugh, and has experience of fly ing training both in this country and ill the United States. He has even designed and built light aircraft for competitions. In addition to all minor problems, which are considered as they arise, a main task is allotted to each course. At present the Empire Central Flying School is producing the key training publications which are required in the Training Organisation. The "Instruc tors' Manual" for elementary or primary flying training has just been completed for printing. The second part of this Instructors' Manual, which will deal with training at the S.F.T.S., is now being studied, and is expected to be in draft form by the end of the course. To produce these publications the staff and students are divided into committees in accordance with their particular experience. No detail is too small for consideration, and several conferences and hours of patient study may result only in the alteration of a few words in the syllabus of training by which all our war pilots are trained. Conference Sessions During a recent visit to the school we were able to attend one of these conference sessions. The subject under discussion was whether the flaps should be put down before or after the final turning into wind for landing. On the face of it, not a very deep problem to solve, but when thirty chief instructors gathered from the ends of the earth present all the possibilities, the need for the discussion becomes immediately apparent. Here are just a few facets from the arguments. A method of approach which is quite suitable for the "open" air fields and, good visibility of the United States and Canada is unsuitable for our small fields and our peculiar weather. Since operational flying will be done in Britain, the train ing in Canada must be carried out as if it were taking place in England. Then despite the type of machine flown in training, what would be advisable for the operational types ? It may be of little consequence when the flaps arc put down on an Oxford or Cessna, but make a lot of differ ence on a Lockheed Hudson. Again, the final decision must be influenced by considerations of night flying as well as day flying. These and many other sides of an apparently simple ques tion were thrashed out with a delightful frankness by repre sentatives of the R.A.F., U.S. Army Air Forces, South African Air Force, Fleet Air Arm, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal Australian Air Foice, The Polish Air Force, and other Allied Nations.- The flying side is divided into five units, all of which, while each having its own special function, are comple mentary to the work of the Empire Central Flying School as a whole. First there are the Flying Flights, which are equipped with the standard elementary and advanced trainers to provide the means for studying the methods for teaching flying. Their work may, perhaps, be looked upon as the basis of the flying syllabus. . Then there is the Service Flight, which is equipped with a large variety of operational types. Its principal task is " Flight " photograph. An historic occasion while C.F.S. was at Wittering. Fit. Lt. W. E. P. Johnson on a Lynx Avro, making the first blind take-off. He^took off, made a complete circuit, did two turns of a spin and came out exactly in'position for landing before raising the hood. The only blind-flying instrument in the machine was a Reid and Sigrist turn indicator. to see that all methods of teaching which are laid down for the training types are equally applicable to the operational types. It also provides excellent experience for those instructors who have been kept for long stretches on trainer types. A Research Flight has also been established to study problems which cannot conveniently be investigated by the school as a whole, lt carries out research locally on tech nical points in the training, such as the indications which enable a pilot to judge his landing. But when conducting research into such problems as pupil psychology, the flight directs from this school experiments which are carried out at schools holding a large pupil population. To keep a finger on the training pulse, an Examining Squadron has been established. Its work is to visit flying instructors' schools and other flying schools to see that they are keeping up to date in their teaching, and obtain ing all possible benefit from the work of the Empire Cen tral Flying School. E.G.F.S. Categories On these visits the pilots tested are examined and assessed as to their instructional ability and then cate gorised into one of five groups :-J-AI : Exceptional; A2 : Above average ; B : Capable ; C: With experience will prove a capable instructor. Ai is for all types, and the other categories may be applicable to elementary types, single-engined types or multi-engined types only." There is another category, Cj, which is granted for specific air craft. For instance, an operational pilot flying Lancasters may have a rest period at an O.T.U. If he holds a Q certificate he is qualified to teach pilots to fly Lancasters only. Another case is the glider instructors; they also hold a Q certificate. Another flying branch is the Handling Squadron, which is equipped with all new types of aircraft as they come into use. Its work is to prepare, in conjunction with the Air Ministry, pilots' handling notes for these types. It is also responsible for visiting all operational units and making sure that they are fully conversant with any peculiarities of a new type, and to give them all the assistance they may require, especially when a squadron is being equipped with a new type. Although instructional flying in general suffers from the boredom of continually flying the same type in inexperi enced hands, E.C.F.S. is just the reverse, for at their dis persal points will be found one of everything, from a Tiger Moth to the latest operational type. r
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