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Aviation History
1949
1949 - 1940.PDF
Silhouetted against an "enlightened " sky an E.T.P.S. Lincoln flies for our photographer. TORCH IN T«i SKY . . - This situation was, however, somewhat remote, and the fact that each course spent a month or more at the Royal Aircraft Establishment made it altogether more desirable— especially in the light of everyday activity at the R.A.E.— that accommodation for the School should be iound at Farnborough. This was done, and in August, 1047. the School moved to its present home, where it is provided not only with its own self-contained domestic, administra- tive and technical buildings, but where, in addition, are offered the advantages of a large airfield, first-class traffic- control facilities, servicing and maintenance personnel and, of course, the technical and scientific resources of the R.A.E. itself. The School is a Ministry of Supply organ, coming xmder the direct segis of the Controller of Supplies (Air), and its terms of reference can be summarized as '' providing the Ministry of Supply with Service and civilian pilots suitably qualified for the test flying of prototype aircraft and other experimental and development work." There is a normal intake of 35 pupils for each course which, with a duration of nine to ten months, normally begins on the first of March each year. Vacancies are allotted by the Ministry of Supply to the Royal Air Force, Royal Navy, the Dominions Air Forces and the Society of British Aircraft Constructors. The procedure for filling vacancies from the Royal Air Force is that the Air Ministry calls for recommendations from all R.A.F. Commands and units and from the M.o.S. for R.A.F. officers employed in M.o.S. establishments. From among the recommendations received, the Air Ministry nominates candidates to appear before a Selection Board at the Ministry of Supply. If selected, the candidate is posted for the test pilots' course. For the Royal Navy, the Dominions Air Forces and the S.B.A.C., candidatures are by invitation of the Ministry of Supply. Group Captain L. S. Snaith, Commandant, and S/L E. Coton, C.T.F.I. One of the things which has been established beyond doutrt in the courses is the necessity for candidates to have a good basic standard of education for, no matter how excellent a man may be as a pilot, he will be essentially unsuitable for flight test work unless he is capable of giving a reasoned, objective appraisal for the technicians. Thus the qualifying conditions for a place in the School are as follows: candidates should (i) be under the age of 30 at the date the course begins; (ii) have matriculated or obtained an equivalent school-leaving certificate in English and mathematics; (iii) be experienced in the flying of at least ten different types of aircraft (elementary and train- ing types may be counted); (iv) have flown 750 hours as first pilot, although a lower figure will not be a bar to acceptance when a candidate is considered specially suit- able ;-(v) be assessed as possessing '' exceptional" or " above average'' ability as a pilot; and (vi) be in regular flying practice. Candidates from the Royal Air Force must hold a permanent commission or have at least three years to, serve from the date of the start of the course. Medical category must not be lower than A.1G.1. The start of a course is always arranged for a Tuesday morning, but to accelerate the bedding-down process and to overcome the inevitable hiatus occasioned by personal reserve, an excellent-system of "integration" has been adopted. Students are ordered to report at the School on Monday, and that evening an At Home is held. By this means, all the new students make the acquaintance of the School staff and each other in convivial circumstances, and aside from the advantage of permitting the course to begin the following morning without delay, the psychological benefit of getting off to a cheery start has been established beyond argument. The Commandant of the School is G/C. L. S. Snaith, A.F.C., who, it may be remembered, was a member of the 1931 Schneider Trophy team. In his younger days, G/C. Snaith was a notable athlete, having represented the R.A.F. in athletics, created a new R.A.F. half-mile record (in 1927) and played for the Service rugby football team in 1922-23-24. Test flying has occupied part of his Service career in that, from 1931 till 1934, he was a test pilot at the Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment, Felix- stowe, and from May, 1941, until March, 1942, he was test-flying American aircraft for the British Air Commission in the U.S.A. The previous Commandants of the E.T.P.S. have been G/C. J. F. X. McKenna (in whose memory the McKenna Trophy is presented to the best all-round student on each course), G/C. H. J. Wilson, C.B.E., A.F.C., A.R.Ae.S. (who in 1945 established the world's speed record of 600 m.p.h. in a Meteor), and G/C. S. R. Ubee, A.F.C., from whom G/C. Snaith took over the School in December, 1948. The three officers responsible for the flying side of School activity are respectively the chief test-flying instructor.
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