FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1954
1954 - 0084.PDF
42 FLIGHT FOR "FLIGHT" photographs Instructors at Zweibriicken: (Left to right) F/0. M. A. Grant, F/0. R. H. Annis, F/L. K. C. Lett (Com manding Officer), F/0. J. G. Cagne and FfO. W. G. Nixon. • The Work of No. 1 Air Division Instrument Rating Flight, R.C.A.F. training purposes. The Mach number of 0.82 is presumably the maximum attainable in level flight. The pupil sits in the rear seat, and while he is under instru ment instruction a linen canopy shuts out all external vision. With wing-tip tanks the T.33 carries 680 gallons, sufficient fuel for 2\ hours' flying, or a range of 1,400 miles. The Flight, how ever, usually make 90-minute sorties, one hour being devoted to instrument flying and the remaining 30 minutes to G.C.A. practice. All flying is dual and the instructors each put in about 50 hours a month. The "pupils" under instruction come from all the R.C.A.F. stations in Europe, including North Luffenham in Britain, and are selected as section leaders, not as potential instructors. It is felt that they may easily find themselves in such conditions that, by doing automatically in an emergency what is continually practised, they may save not only their own lives and aircraft but also those of the sections they may be leading. If the weather is appropriate the course lasts 14 days but unsuitable conditions may extend it by as much as 50 per cent. At Zweibriicken. which is 1,100ft above sea level, die limiting factors for use by the squadrons stationed there are 600ft between the lowest cloud layer and the runway, and horizontal visibility of one mile. For the Instrument Rating Flight these figures are halved. Green and white cards are issued but there is no master green; taking its place is a blue rating issued to transport pilots. The R.C.A.F.'s instrument-flying training schedule closely follows the pattern employed in the R.A.F.; blind take-offs, straightforward, climbing and descending turns on "full panel" Portrait of a T.33, or Silver Star, showing the uninterrupted view from both seats. The blind-flying hood is in the stowed position. DURING our recent visits to R.C.A.F. stations in Europe, on the occasion of the tour by Mr. Brooke Claxton, the Canadian Defence Minister (Flight, December 25th), we were able to see No. 1 Air Division Instrument Rating Flight in operation at Zweibriicken. It was, in fact, only through the exceptional blind-flying ability of F/O. Nixon, one of the instructors, that we were able to attend the presentation of the Queen's Standard to No. 3 Squadron, R.A.F. Incidentally, this flying visit was a perfect example of NATO in action: the journey was made in an R.C.A.F. Canadair-built Lockheed T.33 from Zweibriicken in the French Zone to Geilenkirchen in the British Zone, where a Belgian officer was operating the G.C.A. Conditions were just about as bad as possible, yet the whole flight—even to the instructions as to which way to taxi in the Geilenkirchen gloom—went off without the slightest hitch. Commanded from the outset by F/L. K. C. Lett, the Instru ment Rating Flight was formed at Zweibriicken and is the only unit to have Nene-engined T.33s. These aircraft have been found very suitable and consistently serviceable. We were informed that the extra 800 lb thrust of the Rolls-Royce Nene as compared with the Allison J33 has put the Mach number up to 0.82, with comfortable cruising at 0.76. The Allison J33-A-35 specified for the T-33 is officially rated at 4,600 lb dry, while the Nene gives 5,100 lb. Thus, if the difference is in fact 800 lb, it may be that some J33s are slightly derated when used for
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
