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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0041.PDF
9 January 1953 39 CIVIL AIR COLLEGE Pilot 1 Navigator Training at the London School of Air Navigation SOME of the shortcomings in the present process of recruiting crews for civil aviation were discussed last week in a Flight leading article. In particular, we emphasized the inherent dangers of complete reliance upon the R.A.F. as a source of supply. Nevertheless, the fact remains that, ever since the war, only the R.A.F.'s output of trained flying men has prevented a crippling shortage of commercial air crews (or the costly alternative of producing competent civil pilots and navigators from scratch). Immediately after the war, of course, the number of trained crews greatly exceeded the opportunities offered by the airlines, but subsequent years have gradually brought about a more even balance between supply and demand. Within the last year or two there have even been frequent shortages of suitably qualified pilots. These shortages have underlined the importance of the work done by those organizations which bridge the gap between Service and commercial flying careers. A good example is the London School of Air Navigation (despite its title, it serves both pilots and navigators), which has, since its formation in 1946, equipped some 3,000 airmen with the academic qualifications essential to civil employment as pilot or navigator. Some were assisted by grants but the majority paid for their own "conversion training." The cost to a qualified Service pilot of obtaining, say, a Commercial Pilot's Licence, plus instrument rating, is very small compared with that of the flying-training which forms his basic qualification; nevertheless, enthusiasm goes a long way, and the potential employer would normally favour an applicant who furnished himself with the appropriate licence at his own expense. In this connection, Mr. Ian L. S. McNicol, principal of the School, quoted the case of a recent pupil—a National Service pilot with some 250-300 hr flying experience to his credit, plus There can be no doubt that the salaries, prospects and status of a commercial flying career are enough to justify this outlay. Mr. G. Percival is in charge of synthetic training, carried out with this : comprehensive Link installation. "Flight" photograph (Above) Senior-course pilot and naviga tor students under the direction of Mr. M. L. Scott, chief instructor. Principal of the School (right) is Mr. I. L. S. McNicol. "Flight" photographs the ambition to become an airline pilot. After six weeks' study at home under postal tuition and two weeks in the School's class rooms, he passed the M.C.A. examination for a Commercial Pilot's Licence; his flying experi ence was recent, and a flight test was not required. He was then taken on as a supernumerary by an independent airline opera tor. After another fortnight's preparation, involving Link Trainer work and instruction on briefing and R/T procedures, he passed his instrument-rating test at the first attempt. His efforts were rewarded by an appointment as substantive first officer, with an £800 salary. The pilot's outlay in this case, in cluding examination fees, was probably little more than £50. The School sets out to cover the whole gamut of pro fessional pilot/navigator training, and its pupils include ex-Service aircrew, civil pilots and navigators seeking higher qualifications, and new entrants without previous flying experience (the latter are few and far between, due to the high costs involved). Both classroom and postal methods of instruction are employed. In the classrooms of the School's pleasant premises at Knightsbridge there are normally about 25 students, the majority of them pilots. Personal coaching is given where requested. Several hundreds more use the study-as-you-work scheme. Emphasizing that the postal system is more than a correspondence course in the accepted sense, the principal states that the lessons (which include specimen questions and answers and are fully supplemented by diagrams) are presented throughout in "pilot's language," as employed in the classrooms. Fees vary, of course, accord ing to the method of tuition; the full-time Commercial Pilot's course, for example, takes five weeks and costs 25 guineas. By post, the parallel course costs £13 13s; it is divided into four main sections (aviation law, navigation, flight planning, and meteorology), each of which may be taken separately. The lengthiest course is that for the flight navigator's licence, which takes four months. The School has a well-equipped Link Trainer for instrument-rating training, the syllabus for which includes G.C.A., S.B.A., radio range and I.L.S. procedures. As might be expected, the School's staff are all practical flying men capable of instructing on any of the several courses offered. The principal, Mr. McNicol, is a former Imperial Airways captain with 11,000 flying hours to his credit. During the war he was a production test-pilot for Vickers- Armstrongs, and he is also well-known as a former secretary- general of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators. His instructors include M. L. Scott, P. Osborn, G. Percival and D. C. A. Hankey. As part of its service to both pupils and operators, the School assists students in finding appoint ments, and it also offers free advice on any problems connected with aviation training.
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