FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1953
1953 - 0638.PDF
632 FUOHT "FLIGHT" photographs At a late stage in the Merryfield course the pupils learn the art of jet-aircraft formation flying, a vital aspect of Fighter Command operational procedure. (Below) A study in expressions: Key personnel at R.A.F. station, Merryfield. (Left to right) S/L C. F. Babbage, VV/C. L. T. G. Barber, G/C. P. B. Wood. S/L. K. Lister. The posts they occupy are named in Column 1 below. JET TRAINING IN WITH THE DUAL VAMPIRES AT MERRYFIELD • IMPRESSIONS IN our issue of May 8th we described the modifications which are being made to the de Havilland Vampire T.n side-by-side trainer before it enters service in large numbers. A number of unmodified aircraft are, however, already in operation at the Advanced Flying Schools at Merryfield and Valley, and recently we were given an opportunity of visiting the former station in order to see for ourselves how the new trainer was working out in practice. Merryfield is pleasantly set in rural surroundings not far from Taunton, and the accommodation, though hutted, is modern and comfortable. Commanding the station is G/C. P. B. Wood, who has W/C. F. J. Seabrook, O.B.E., as Chief Technical Officer and W/C. L. T. G. Barber, O.B.E., A.F.C., as Wing Commander Flying. The unit is No. 208 A.F.S., which is Hivided into two squadrons—No. 1, commanded by S/L. C. F. Babbage, D.F.M., and No. 2 by S/L. K. Lister, D.F.C. The former unit is stil! equipped with Meteor 7s for dual instruction, but the latter has already received its full complement of T.ns. The general intake arrangements are that a new course comes in once a fortnight, the odd-numbered courses going to No. 1 Squad ron and the even to No. 2. When a pilot arrives he will have done about 200 hours' flying, plus a few more on a short acclimatization course if he has been trained in Canada or Rhodesia. At the A.F.S. he will get another 50-60 hours, all of which is pure conversion training; it must be stressed that an A.F.S. is not an Operational Conversion Unit, which is the next stage for the successful pilot. The courses last 14 weeks, in the first two of which the work is purely ground training. During the rest of the time flying is the thing, and the remaining ground lectures and demonstrations are laid on as and when convenient to fit in with weather and service ability. The ground training facilities, although following standard practice, seem unusually good. In the demonstration room are sectional or Perspex-mounted working models of Goblin and Der-went engines, numerous gyro instruments, the Sperry G4B com pass and Goblin starting equipment. Board-type models show die hydraulic, pneumatic and fuel systems of the Vampire, and at one end of the room is a complete cockpit in which the various hydraulic and electrical systems can be operated, thus enabling preliminary cockpit drills to be carried out without grounding an aircraft. An unusual touch is that a half-wing is mounted vertically beside the cockpit, thereby saving space and at the same time permitting pupils to watch the undercarriage, flaps and air-brakes as they move. Other features of the ground school are the well-arranged aircraft recognition room—particularly important now that the subject no longer forms a part of earlier courses—and the instructional cinema, where considerable ingenuity has been shown. In charge of all ground work is the C.G.I., S/L. W. J. T. Henderson. Turning now to the flying side, pupils start their training with a familiarization flight, and then move on to circuits and landings and all the more obvious exercises which must be done before solo. Time to first solo normally varies between three and five hours; no hard-and-fast rule is laid down about the maximum dual-time permitted before a pilot is taken off the course, such failures as there are—and die numbers are decreasing—being treated as individual cases. Sorties are usually of 40 minutes' duration, and the successful pilot will carry out roughly equal periods of dual and solo flying during his stay. The accent, of course, is on high-speed, high-altitude flying. The T.n will climb to well over 40,000ft (at which altitude cabin pressure is equivalent to about 25,000ft), and has a critical Mach number of about 0.82. This latter compares with much the same figure for the Meteor 7, and 0.78 for the Mk 9 Vampires which are used for solo. Approach to critical speed is heralded by hardening of the controls, buffeting and porpoising; and, if the pilot perseveres, a rather violent nosing-up usually follows. Throttling back or application of air-brakes restores matters to normal almost immediately. The pupils are fully instruaed in Mach efferts at heights of the order of 30,000ft, and operate regularly up to 40,000ft. For aerobatics, 20,000ft is con sidered an ideal altitude. Emphasis here is on continuous or series
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
