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Aviation History
1953
1953 - 1267.PDF
FLIGHT, 18 September 1953 423 CORRESPONDENCE Jtnaw* »fJFIZht" does"°i hold himself responsible for the views expressed by correspondents in these columns; me names and addresses of the writers, not necessarily for publication, must in all cases accompany letters. Airline and Transport Command Pilots Igfgj Ejj y A LTHOUGH I have no wish to join F/O. Levene in the •^rather dubious pastime of comparing the relative abilities of Service and civil pilots, I must say that his opinions (August 28th;, appear to be based more on prejudice than facts. He points out that much of the material in the Airline Pilot's Licence examination is taught in the R.A.F. only to specialist navigators; surely then, this must be of use to the civil pilot, for the day of the straight navigator in the profession is over, and his duties are now performed by the second or third pilot. F/O. Levene goes on to point out that the Transport Command captain is "spared this frightening academic knowledge," but that he is taught the more practical aspects of his aircraft and engines. Quite so, but has your correspondent never heard of the Air Registration Board Examinations which a civil pilot must take for every type of aircraft endorsed on his licence? Mr. Levene should check on some of these examination papers; they would, no doubt frighten him still further. Your correspondent appears also to be in ignorance of the instrument rating renewal tests and bi-annual flying checks which airline captains have to negotiate under the watchful eyes of a Ministry examiner. These include blind take-offs with engine failure, instrument let-downs with one or two engines feathered, precision flying on basic instruments, etc., after which he is subjected to a technical quiz on his aircraft and ancillary equip ment. If his showing falls below a recognized standard, the authorized examiner (who, in the case of the Corpoiations is a training-captain) has the power to ground him on the spot. When F/O. Levene talks about the rarity of Transport Com mand accidents compared with those of airlines, he is way out of his depth. I cannot quote figures at this stage, but I am sure that the two Corporations cover more route mileage in one day than the whole of Transport Command covers in a month, and the accident-rate per route mile is exceedingly low. Further more, I would suggest that when a civil airliner crashes, it is such news that the Penny Press spread it over the front pages, giving laymen the impression that the airline business is sheer carnage, but I do think we are entitled to expect a more balanced view from someone who is classed as a professional pilot. Denham, Bucks. R. E. GILLMAN. R.A.F. Manpower T> ECENTLY questions have been asked about the state of the •"• Royal Air Force and its readiness to meet any emergency. As the first line of defence it should be getting top priority in both planes and men. The aircraft situation seems to be reason able but it is the general opinion in the service that if the present manning situation does not improve the R.A.F. will cease to be even a flying, let alone fighting, force. Surely our superiors in the Air Ministry realize that aircraft cannot be kept flying without sufficient experienced technicians. Do they consider the strength of the R.A.F. purely by the number of men and not by trades? Is an orderly room full of clerks more necessary in our air defence than a fully staffed servicing flight? These questions are being asked bitterly in many crew-rooms as more and more aircraft tradesmen depart from the force which was to provide them with a life career, to the more lucrative civilian jobs. As aircraft become more complicated, their servicing crews naturally become even more necessary. This seems apparent to everyone except those who direct R.A.F. policy. What en couragement is offered to anyone joining the R.A.F. as an aircraft technician at present? Take, for example, a lad of average intelligence who wishes to become an engine- or airframe-fitter. After his initial training he does a 15-week course and passes out as an A.C.I mechanic. Three months later he is promoted to L.A.C. and approximately 18 months after entering the Service he becomes an S.A.C. (if he passes a trade and education test). Now he can go no further until he becomes a fitter. This involves taking a fitter's course, which will not be given unless the airman signs on for a furtfier number of years. Eventually, after waiting some time for a vacancy, he joins a fitter's course and after 21 weeks he passes out as a junior technician fitter. Nearly three years will have passed by now, but our junior technician friend can hope for no more promotion until another year at least, when, if he is lucky, his corporal's stripes will arrive. At the same time as this airman has joined up, one of his friends has signed on as a clerk. He does a 13 weeks' course and after six months is working in an office as an L.A.C. clerk. With or without an S.A.C.'s test he can confidentiy expect his corporal's stripes inside 18 months from signing on. With the minimum of effort he has, in 18 months, reached N.C.O. status and pay and is holding a comfortable job. His friend the mechanic is still slogging away, outside and inside in all types of weather and at all times of the day and night, without any hope of promotion or pay increase until he has absorbed more "gen" and attained a few more years' experience. Is it likely then that these mechanics and fitters are going to sign on for further service in the R.A.F.? Maybe in the old days they would have stayed on rather than face the insecurity of civilian life, but at present, with aircraft firms and civil airlines offering good pay for a man's skill, they are not likely to hang on in the Service and be paid merely as another body making up the numbers. If the R.A.F. is to get the skilled men it needs, the jobs will have to be made more attractive. Rapid and unnecessary pro motion on the administrative side will have to be slowed down before we become a force of bureaucrats. More than anything else, technicians should get a higher rate than odier trades. The present difference is quite insufficient as compared with the same civilian trades. Heaven forbid that we become involved in another war, but with the present prevailing conditions the nation should be pre pared for the worst and have its armed forces in top-line condition. Unless someone in authority wakes up to the facts, in a few years the R.A.F. will be practically grounded through lack of skilled tradesmen. The sword is no longer being beaten into a plough share; it is being worked into typewriters and duplicating machines. Unless some "boffin" invents an aircraft which can be kept flying by clerks and storemen alone, we will soon have ceased to be a fighting force. Karachi. W. J. H. "Old Faithful" DC-3 READING an item ("The DC-3 Reprieved," p. 152) in my copy of Flight for July 31st, I am immediately prompted to send you a brief account of a truly unique world's record achieved by a DC-3 belonging to Eastern Airlines, Inc., of U.S.A. It went into well-earned retirement on May 1st, 1953, when it flew from Miami to Washington and it now occupies a place of honour at the National Air Museum in the Smithsonian Institute, Washington D.C. The particular DC-3 concerned—No. 344—was purchased new from Douglas by E.A.L. on December 7th, 1937, and made its last official commercial flight on October 12th, 1952, when it carried a survey party from San Salvador (Bahamas) Island to Miami, Florida. In its 15 years of continuous service with E.A.L. this DC-3 achieved the following remarkable utilization figures: Total hours flown, 56,782; average flying hours per day, 10J; total mileage logged 8,517,300; passengers carried, 213,000. Thus, in its lifetime of 15 years of faithful service, "Old 334" (as the E.A.L. crews called it) spent a grand total of (s\ years airborne! It operated regularly between New York and Washington, Miami and Chicago, Detroit and Adanta, St. Louis and Boston, New Orleans and San Antonio. Thus "Old 334" has beaten by a very handsome margin the record of 39,000 hours logged by A.N.A.'s DC-3 VH-ABR which I referred to in my letter published on your Correspondence Page on October 12th, 1951, and has the truly rare distinction of being preserved, thanks to me National Air Museum at the Smithsonian Institute, whose staff will no doubt take good care of it for many years to come. Arabia. DC-3 HISTORIAN. FORTHCOMING EVENTS Sept. 19. R.A.F. At-Home Day. Sept. 20. St. Albans Model Aero Club: All-Britain Rally, Radlett. Sept. 20. Aero Club de Milan: Milan Grand Prix. Sept. 23-24. Aerodrome Owners' Association: Annual Conference, New castle-upon-Tyne. Sept. 24. City of Coventry Freemen's Guild: Lecture "Development of Armstrong Siddeley Gas-turbine Engines," by W. H. Lindsey, M.A., F.R.Ae.S. Sept. 26. R.A.F.A. Stansted Branch: Air Display, Stansted Airfield. Sept. 27. Aero-Club d'ltalia: Modena Air Rally. Oct. 5-9. l.A.T.A. Annual General Meeting, Montreal. Oct. 8. Start of England-Christchurch (N.Z.) Air Race. Oct. 9. Airlines Ball, Royal Albert Hall, London. Oct. 23. Aerauto Association: Annual Dinner and Dance, Westminster Arms, Page Street, London, S.W.1. Nov. 6-11. "Dates" Air Rally, Biskra, Algeria. Dec. 9. Royal United Service Institution: "Effects on the Human Body of High-speed and High-altitude Flight," by G/C. W. K. Stewart, C.B.E., A.F.C., B.Sc, M.B.. Ch.B. Dec. 17. Anniversary of the Wright Brothers' First Flight. H
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