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Aviation History
1950
1950 - 0901.PDF
ti May 1950 583 traffic procedure and, of coarse, the aircraft themselves. When instructors have been "checked out," the examiners fly with a cross-section of the establishment's pupils to assess standardization of training and test the judgment Made of the various instructors' qualities. Some- times, at the request of the training staff, the examiners investigate the faults of a particularly "difficult" pupil. The remainder of the team's time is spent in inspecting ground-training facilities and analyzing the totals and per- sonal distribution of hours flown on the station. After an inter-team discussion—which might produce evidence of incorrect procedures running through the entire unit, or, conversely, of a high general standard of instruction-— there is a final conference between examiners and the staff. Various points (which might cover, for instance, asymmetric flying technique, cockpit checks or starting drill) are raised and discussed, with complete freedom of argument on either side. Finally, the team returns to Little Rissington to compile reports for the appropriate Group H.Q., the C.F.S. Commandant and the Examining Wing records. Members of the Western Union Examining Squadron assembled in London on January 10th and shortly after- wards arrived at C.F.S. to begin a study of the Examining Wing's methods. Their intention, it must be stressed, is not merely to superimpose R.A.F. policy on the other three partner Air Forces; the Examining Wing is a proven, successful unit with experience too extensive to disregard. Including the Commanding Officer, S/L.P.M. Dobree- Bell, A.F.C., the Squadron consists of eight pilots (two representatives of each Western Union Air Force), together with a R.A.F. adjutant and a small administrative and technical staff. The CO., a former graduate of the Central Flying School of Canada, has, in recent years, been assis- tant air attache in Warsaw and senior tutor at the former Empire Flying School, Hullavington. His wartime experi- ence includes command of a night-fighter squadron. Pilots were selected mainly on the basis of their ability as in- structors, although all have operational experience, having flown in or alongside the wartime R.A.F. Since their arrival at C.F.S., the eight pilots have all been approved as instrument-rating examiners and have flown a varied and concentrated programme of 50 hours' flying on standard R.A.F. trainers—the Prentice, Chipmunk and Harvard. Early next month, using Anson communication aircraft, the Squadron will begin its inspection of Western Union establishments giving training up to "wings" standard. Its "diocese," incidentally, extends as far south as the French stations in Morocco. The examining pilots will make first-hand acquaintance with the types of aircraft and the training techniques employed, with the ultimate object of recommending an acceptable standard of pilot instruction. In doing so, they will have to take into con- sideration the varying commitments of the separate ser- vices; Belgium and the Netherlands, for instance, con- centrate most of their resources in the maintenance of defending intercepter forces. Direction of policy will at all times be under the four- power control of the Training Sub-committee of the Air Forces Western Europe organization, which is headed by G/C. D. S. Selway, Deputy Director of Training at the Air Ministry. Other members are Lt.-Col. de Soomer (Belgium), Col. Labit (France) and Lt.-Col Revnierse (the Netherlands), all of whom represent the training organiza- tions of their own Air Forces. Despite the obvious, innate differences in languages, customs and military backgrounds of its members, the Squadron is already working with a spirit of mutual pur- pose. That such a spirit, so essential to the success of Western Union, is present in these early days gives great hope for the future. , R. J. B. Sunshot Palaces High (hat the White Clouds Build in the Breezy Sky" Robert Bridges' line aptly fits the cknidscape—with a small but typical "anvil" building up in the distance—underlying this magnificent study of the B.O.A.C Stratocruiser Caledonia.
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