FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0228.PDF
F LIG HI FEBRUARY ICJTH, 1948 For instrument flyiag instructiq The arrangement of the ho on the Harvard. Advanced flying. Harvards are at present in use but later this year delivery of Percival Pren- tice Basic Trainers will relieve them of some of their duties. All-Through All-Weather . . . . Thus most cadets complete a total of 200 hours, of which one-third is in Tigers and the remainder in Harvards. Fly- ing and ground work take place on alternate days, and the ground school syllabus is divided into two terms. At the end of the training period cadets qualify for their wings as Pilot IV, and are ready to take a short conversion course on to any type of operational aircraft. If their posting is to a bomber squadron, a few hours' twin-engine experience on Oxfords is given at the start of the O.T.U. course. By comparison with earlier training arrangements, the new all-through scheme is much more satisfactory for both pupil and instructor. The pupil is now able to settle-in* at his unit and concentrate on his training without the inter- ruption and dislocation occasioned by several changes of station, unit and instructor. The instructor is able to get to know and understand better and so take a more per- sonal interest and pride in a pupil whom he trains from ab initio to wings stage. There is the important additional advantage that he is no longer required monotonously to grind out elementary patter for five hours a day on a Tiger Moth. Instead, each day he takes both elementary and advanced pupils, and as a result has a reasonable variety of exercise and aircraft. The early manner of delivering instructional patter, learned by heart and delivered parrot- fashion, was abandoned some time ago, and instructors are now required to put over certain essential information in their own words during each exercise, and to co-ordinate their demonstrations with their verbal explanation. One of the most striking differences between the new and old methods is seen in the exercises taught in the ad- vanced and applied stages. There is no difference in plain elementary flying instruction, nor will there be when new- type aircraft are introduced next summer. The R.A.F. all- weather policy makes itself felt at present at the Harvard stages, and, as an example, the aircraft now carry S.B.A. and V.H.F. equipment, and pupils are given Beam, QGH and GCA experience under appropriate weather conditions. S'L P. D. F. Mitchell, D.F.C., briefs night-flying crews with the aid of an illuminated model of the airfield. Until the Prentices are delivered elementary flying training will still be carried out on Tiger Moths.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
