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Aviation History
1943
1943 - 1375.PDF
MAY 27TH, 1943 FLIGHT Notes from a Test Pilot's JMary—No. 8 555 The Test Pilot's Status § Should He be an Inspector or a Chauffeur ? : The Problem of Qrading By " WITNESS "W HAT are the terms of reference of a test pilot? As was pointed out by certain correspondents in Flight a few months ago, no one seems to have, laid down what his status shall be, and so it is not surprising that there is a lack of uniformity as between various aircraft factories. First must be decided the question whether the test pilot is to be an inspector or a chauffeur—is he to be an independent critic of the work of others or to work to a cut-and-dried formula which allows him the very mini- mum of initiative? There is no doubt at all in my mind that if the experience and technical knowledge of the individual is reliable, the pilot should always be in the position of an inspector. He should be able to give a coherent account to the ground staff of any fault he has discovered in flight, and make a suggestion for the most likely means of a cure, in the light of his own experience. This means that, besides being able to operate the con- trols of the aircraft, he has also to have a sound know- ledge of elementary mechanics and aerodynamics. Ideally he should be able to guide the efforts of his flight- shed staff and have sufficient confidence in himself to stand by his own decisions. He must be able to refuse to fly any particular machine if, in his judgment, it is unairworthy. This is the strongest action possible, and obviously the pilot must be very sure of his facts before resorting to such.a course. Certain Limitations Whilst the test pilot should ideally be the final in- spector, functioning on the lines mentioned above, there are certain limitations which prevent this from always being attained. These relate essentially to the human factor. No one who has just started testing, and who therefore lacks the background of experience, could be expected to advise his flight-shed staff or drawing-office concerning the most promising method of putting a fault right. A receptive type may pick up the essentials in six months, but there are some pilots who have been testing for years and who still leave the ground technicians to sort out the snag reports and work out the most prob- able remedies. The weakness in such an arrangement is that the one man who should have had an insight into what was happening in flight is aloof from the many processes which go to make an aircraft operationally air- worthy. Instead of taking his place at the head of the team, he is dropping out just at the time when his ser- ies are most needed to score a goal. So when the status of test pilots is discussed, we must remember that the scale of ability, as in all professions, must vary. To lay down that everyone should be an inspector, as free and independent as the A.I.D., pre- supposes that every test pilot is both knowledgeable and experienced. Generally speaking, things have worked out so that we receive a status according to our deserts. Some have, through their own efforts, achieved the confidence of their employers, who are prepared to accept the pilot's recommendations without query. At the same time, there are others who have the status of glorified chauffeurs, being allowed very little initia- tive, and their scope is cramped accordingly. It would be a great boon if all the latter were given the oppor- tunity to be up-graded so that they could function in the same way as the former. And this brings us back to the very sound proposal of a school for test pilots, on the lines of C.F.S., which could instruct and grade pupils according to their several abilities. That would be the greatest possible step forward towards regularising our position. Competing Loyalties In quoting the similarity between the test pilot and the A,I.D. inspector, one must remember that at present there is a very important difference. The former is paid by the commercial undertaking whose aircraft he tests, whereas the latter is a Government servant. Whether such an arrang'ement is logical or not seems bound up with the much more complex and debatable question of nationalising the aircraft industry as a whole. It is not the purpose of this article to deal with that. But the more simple aspect of the case is one of loyalties. There is hardly a single senior test pilot in the country whose background is not essentially a Royal Air Force one. Some are still officers in the Reserve or Auxiliary Air Forces. Yet it is not for sentimental reasons that there is, amongst test pilots as a whole, such a general feeling of responsibility for the welfare of the Service pilots and crews. Even the commercial aspect encourages this. For if the maintenance of a high standard in the firm's aircraft pleases the Service, it follows that that firm will receive favourable consideration for the supply of new aircraft. The test pilot who keeps a high stan- dard, although he may appear to hold up the job by insisting that it be made right, is automatically the one who serves the best interests of his employers by guaranteeing a safe and reliable aircraft to the R.A.F. CANADA S POST-WAH AI11 POLICY ^PRANS-CAKADA Airlines, the publicly-owned transcon--L tinental inter-urban air'transport company, "is giving consideration to . . plans for oceanic and international fly-ing," states the annual T.C.A. report for 1942, tabled in the Canadian House of Commons at Ottawa. A few c'ays laterPrime Minister Mackenzie King stated in Parliament that " the Government sees no good reason for changing its policy thatTrans-Canada Airlines is the sole Canadian agency which nun- operate international air services." " Within Canada, T.C.A. will continue to operate all trans-continental systems and such other services of a main-line char- acter as may from time to time be designated by the Govern- ment," Mr. King stated. "Competition between air servicesover the same route will not be permitted whether between a publicly owned service and a privately owned service, or be-tween two privately owned services. "The Canadian Government strongly favours a policy ofinternational collaboration and co-operation in air transport, and is prepared to support, in international negotiations, what-ever international air transport policy can be demonstrated as being best calculated to serve not only the immediate nationalinterests of Canada but also our overriding interests in the establishment of an international order which will prevent theoutbreak of another world war."
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