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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 0300.PDF
Flying instructors of the Royal Air Force College pose six of their new Prentices in commendable echelon. Cranwell Air Training THE Flying Training School of the Royal Air Force College was the first unit to receive afull complement of thirty Percival Prentice basic trainers. Prentices were first flownfrom Cranwell on August ioth last year, and instruction commenced just over a month later, on September 15th. Now three entries of cadets are being instructed on this new all- weather trainer which replaces the old Tiger Moth, No. 40 Entry have done on an average 20 hours per cadet in the half-term since transferring from Tiger Moths. No. 50 Entry have completed a term on Prentices and average 47 hours per pupil. The latest Entry, No. 51, have * just commenced flying instruction and are approaching solo standard with an average of 5$ hours dual. Some 2,100 hours of Prentice flying have been completed to date. It seems that the rather more complicated cockpit and drills take some time to understand, but that hours to first solo are about the same as on earlier elementary types. Landing and take-off instruction has been grasped quickly by pupils. The change-over to Harvards is also made more easily by Prentice pupils. Serviceability of the Prentices has been good except for some tail wheel and sternpost weakness, brought to light by the particular type of airfield surface at Cranwell, after acceptance and service trials elsewhere. A small modification, rapidly effected, has eliminated the trouble which, it is understood, was traced to rebound of the tail wheel. Hours have been kept up in spite of the temporary unserviceability l*;cause Prentices can be operated in weather which would be quite unsuitable for instruction in Tiger Moths. The warm, comfortable cockpit of the Prentice in which ordinary clothing is worn and movement is unrestricted, is much appreciated by pupils and instructors, as also is the excellent
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