FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1943
1943 - 1366.PDF
552 FLIGHT MAY 27TH, 1943 Night Flying Training u Flight" Pays a Visit to an Oxford-equipped A.F.U. ^> INCH a high proportion of " multi-engine " pilots are ^ destined to find their way into the bomber squadrons o£ the R.A.F., it follows that night flying is a very important part of the instructional work in an Advanced Flying Unit, and if there are a number of significant dif- ferences between flying a single-engined aircraft and one powered by two engines (not to mention four) then there is a whole world of difference between flying in normal daylight and flying at night. Bright moonlight may, when Nature elects to provide such illumination, reduce the difference to some extent, but even so the pilot depends far more upon what he1 can see and hear inside his " office " than what he may be able to discern beyond the Perspex windows of the cockpit. Landmarks, including his target, may or may not be recognisable checks upon his compass, lor the slightest ground haze will effectively smudge them out, and even a good moon is no fair exchange for the light of day when it comes to gauging nis final approach to the run- way, and judging a nice three-pointer. Thus Flight's representa- tive found a visit to one of the R.A.F.'s best-equipped A.FMJ.s of more than ordinary interest, tor this particular station, laid out before the war amid some of the loveliest country '• ) Great Britain, has a reputation in the Command it serves for the high efficiency of its night flying—a reputation which it is patently doing its best to keep. To this unit come pilots who have gained their wings in one of the Dominions, so that in addition to night flying they are acclimatised to the very much lesi helpful weather condi- tions of Northern Europe, and it is the boast of this A.F.U. that only the worst of weather is allowed to inter- fere with night flying ; potential bomber and night-fighter pilots must know how to deal v.ith unfavourable " met. ' It has already been indicated that this particular A.F.U. lacks nothing in modern instructional equipment. Beam approach flying is taught, and men from operational squad- rons often lecture the pilots to give them first-hand '' gen '' on what to expect over enemy territory. Some of their own instructors, too, are ex-operational and can give uselul advice on this vital point. The Syllabus The pupil pilot begins his night flying when he has passed certain tests in day flying on the Airspeed Oxford—the standard advanced twin-engined trainer used at this station. Night work begins with "circuits and bumps" with an instructor; then follow short cross-country flights, also dual, during which stress is laid on such things as what sort of cloud to avoid, alertness for other aircraft, iamiliarity with the meaning of various airfield lights and other special night signals, .and what to do if he ever gets lost. When the instructor is satisfied that his pupil can safely be trusted to cope with all the main emergencies ol the night, he is sent solo. By this time the pupil is a fairly proficient night pilot and he passes on to long cross countries, probably with several '' leg*,'' until he can be relied upon to stay in the air for several hours of darknes&,«and find his way home safely. In short, he arrives at the A.F.U. with a brand new pair of wings on his tunic, but when he leaves for an operational unit he can really fly! THE preceding article deals with the initial instruction of newly qualified pilots on joining an Advanced Flying Unit— that of transitional training ftom single-engined aircraft to twin-engined types. This article, written by a member of "Flight's" editorial staff, after a visit to an A.F.U., deals exclusively with the subsequent stage in the pilot's career, namely that of night flying. A considerable proportion of the A.F.U.'s night-flying pilots pass on to operational bomber squadrons, some find their metier in our night-flying Beoi/fighters, while others may be entrusted with reconnaissance or patrol duties involving night flying. Final training on the actual types of aircraft they will fly against the enemy is given after they have joined their operational squadrons. Incidentally, the instructor leaves as much as possible to the pupil pilot during his hours of dual, intervening only now and then to give a word of advice oil some point, » or if his charge gets into difficulty. What is equally—if not more—important, however, is that during their night flights together, the instructor is able to get a good general idea of his pupil's ability, and to assess the type of opera tional duty he will be likely best to carry out. On this assessment may well depend whether the papil ultimately becomes a bomber pilot, a night fighter, or a reconnais- sance pilot. It is hardly necessary to add that ground instruction is also included in the pupil pilot's course. He learns the procedure of laying out the flare path, he takes turns dur- ing the night as flight control officer, signalling take-offs and landings with an Aldis lamp, and gets practical ex- perience at a number of other routine jobs on the air- field, familiarity with which all helps to achieve the unit's sole aim—the crea- tion of the compleat night pilot. Before dark, the cross- country pupils are briefed in much the same way as bomber crews are briefed before setting out for the night's target, and this was where Flight made first con- tact with the activities of the A.F.U. visited (if one excludes the friendly reception by the liaison officer at a small country railway station and the cheerful hospitality in an extremely well-ordered mess). In the Briefing Room There was an air of informality about the group of young pupil pilots, gathered around the big table in the briefing room, that accentuated the obvious seriousness with which they took their job ; the lanky, red-headed sergeant-pilot, for instance, who, pipe in teeth and notebook in hand, perched himself easily on the table's edge, had a studious expression on his fresh-complexioned face as he carefully jotted down the remarks of the met. officer, the navigation officer and the flight control officer—" light wind, haze but no cloud, moon—tell radio operator when reaching turning points—check wireless a.s soon as airborne; if lost, orbit and carry out normal distress procedure, etc., etc." Names were called out for the night's details, those for the short and those for the long cross-countries, and the precise time J given for reporting to the night-flying office. After briefing, the pupil pilot works out his course, and this is checked by his instructor. As dusk closes down over the airfield, Cheetah engines can be heard warming-up ; navigation lights on the dispersed Oxfords dot the night with white, green and red pin-points, and here and there a red marker blinks its warning from a distance. In the night-flying office the pilots get a few last-minute words of advice, and up in the control tower the flight control officer is at his post, checking up a dozen-and-one details while an alert VV.A.A.F. holds cryptic converse over the R/T. From a control panel the Drem lighting system is brought into action, but the flare path is only visible from the actual take-off position on the field. There are several runways on this school's airfield, and the slight breeze on this occasion allowed the main one to be used. For some time we watched the Oxfords taking off, only their tail and port lights visible from the control tower as they swept across the airfield, so that it gave the
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
