FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0008.PDF
TRAINING THE NAVAL AIR OBSERVER . . . Signal School. Under the title Naval Observer and Air Signal School these now function as an amalgamated concern within the air station under a Commander (O), himself a veteran of the famous raid on the Italian fleet at Taranto. Appropriately, H.M.S. Seahawk's present commanding officer, a Naval captain, is also an observer. The Observer School comprises some six instructional build- ings sited near the airfield, each named after a famous aircraft carrier and boasting at the entrance, a picture of the ship, its badge, history and battle honours. They contain well-furnished classrooms, fully equipped demonstration rooms, a briefing room, tactical floor, instructional cinema, and technical and reference libraries. Attached to the school are two training squadrons, one of Hunting Percival Sea Prince "flying classrooms," and one of Fairey Firefly 7s. The staff includes a senior instructor, who is a lieutenant- commander, upwards of six officers of lieutenant's rank as class instructors, and an instructor lieutenant-commander in charge of the educational side; and there are also instructing officers in meteorology, photography and ordnance. For convenience in class-handling as well as conforming to normal Naval custom, the students are divided into port and starboard watches. There are two patterns of observer training course. The first is for the Fleet Entry officers who, because of their Naval experience, have certain more advanced subjects included. The second is specially designed to take into account the differing backgrounds of the younger trainees and is thus more flexible. But for both the qualifying standard is rigidly fixed at a high level. A weeding-out process is continuous. In the past year, for example, something like one third of the candidates failed to make the grade. Causes of rejection may vary from inability to reach the technical standard to lack of officer-like qualities. Lasting 39 weeks, the course is in three equal parts with a short mid-term break in each. And, since the unofficial motto of the Naval Observer branch is "Find, Fix and Strike" the emphasis is 8 FLIGHT:, 6 January 1956 Part II students are introduced to the Firefly. primarily on accurate navigation. Courses are staggered three months apart, so that when the Part III students finally march up to receive their wings the Part II men are moving into their places, Part I moves up into Part II, and a fresh batch of can- didates arrives at Culdrose to begin Part I. Numbers vary from 16 to 14 in each batch. When the "new boys" arrive their first few days are occupied in settling in. Upper yardmen, midshipmen and those acting sub-lieutenants who are under the age of 23 live in the gunroom mess, run on traditional warship lines. Acting sub- lieutenants over 23 live in the wardroom. Part I comprises radar, basic navigation, wireless, and a comprehensive educational brush-up. Lecture periods are of one hour's duration, with two-hour sorties in the flying classrooms. For this part of the course a minimum of 34 hours' day flying is required. The educational syllabus includes mathematics, physics, elec- trical theory and electronics; precis writing, for the encourage- ment of logical development and clarity of thought; essay writing; and Service correspondence. Throughout the course there are periodical pupil lectures during which the students are required to give talks to their fellows on selected subjects, interspersed with debates and quizzes on Service and general topics. In addition, each student keeps a daily journal, similar to those maintained by junior officers in the Fleet, which come in for regular criticism by the instructors. On the technical side the syllabus comprises R/T and W/T procedure, practical signalling, morse, semaphore, flashing and transmitting; W/T equipment, radar equipment, air communica- tions and Naval W/T. Flying starts some two weeks after joining when the students are taken up in the Sea Princes as trainee radar and wireless operators. The Sea Prince can carry up to four students and an instructor. Along with tuition in airmanship and the elementary principles of navigation, the Part I student is also kept busy on the ground with squad drill and training with the Bren gun, rifle and sword, and with Naval ceremonial. Under the head of ordnance come such subjects as magazines, bombs and dumps, pyrotechnics, depth-charges, mines and torpedoes. Hanging on the wall of the Commander (O)'s office are a number of racks, each containing a card bearing a photograph of every student together with a brief precis of his personal history and progress. The weeding-out process begins after six weeks, and at the end of Part I a written examination takes place. This is the first big hurdle, for the Commander (O) holds a conference with his course officers on the results, and it decides the fate of the students who have got so far. The attainments and assess- ments to date of the Part I course members are carefully examined and discussed. During a recent visit to Culdrose I was invited to sit in on one of these course conferences at which a young National Service entry, the only one in the batch to fail, was adjudged to be below (Left) Students receiving instruction in radar. (Right) Preparing for a photographic sortie in a Firefly 7.
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
