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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 0383.PDF
FLIGHT, 6 April 1956 381 TRAINING for WM VALIANTS No. 232 O.C.U. at Gaydon Impressive from all angles, the Valiant is especially handsome in plan form, as this new picture shows. THE coming of the Valiant marks theintroduction of far more than justanother airframe into service with the R.A.F. This four-Avon bomber is the firsttype for the new V-force, now being built up into an elite force not only in the R.A.F.but in the whole world. There is at the moment only one equivalent to the V-force(unless the Russians have already formed such an organization) and that is the U.S.A.F.'s Strategic Air Command; but it shouldnot be supposed that the V-force is being copied word for word and gimmick for gimmick from the American organization. Theimportance of the V-bomber, both as the carrier of frighteningly massive retaliation and as a national capital investment, cannot beover-estimated. But it is true that the larger the size and the higher the perform-ance of a modern aircraft the more complex it becomes; the more complex it is, the more must the crew know about it; the morethat must be known and understood the more does the element of human fallibility become potentially dangerous. Training forV-bomber operations, therefore, is based on the theory that no aircraft must ever be lost, in peace or war, through human failingor pilot error. Complexity in the case of the Valiant means not necessarilycomplication, but diversity of equipment and systems, each of which has a specific purpose and usefulness and each of whichmust be used to best advantage. To do this the crew must have great experience and ability before they ever start flying the air-craft; and then they must learn thoroughly all there is to know about it. The task of giving initial training to teach crews to handle theValiant is the task of No. 232 O.C.U. at Gaydon, Warwickshire. Operational training is thereafter completed with the squadrons.It should be emphasized that Valiant crews are already highly trained (see our leading article last week), and their job at Gaydon o is to learn about the aircraft.Crews are made up at the O.C.U. from two pilots, one of whom is rated as aircraft commander; two navigators—one a plotter andthe other a radar bomb-aimer; and a signaller. The flight-engineer work is done by the co-pilot, who monitors the engines andmanages the fuel system. Training starts with two-and-a-half weeks of ground school onsystems and flight planning, followed by a further three weeks in which work in the simulator starts for the pilots. They also makeseveral nights in Canberra T.4s equipped with I.L.S., as it is cheaper to use these smaller aircraft for training in the use of thisequipment. By the end of the three months' course the pilots have some 22.5 hours on the simulator and the whole crew havesome 50 hours in Valiants, half of these with instructors on board and half at night. I.L.S. has been adopted by the R.A.F. as a standard approachaid and the Valiant is fitted with a Smiths autopilot with an approach coupler allowing automatic approaches down to 200ftand even lower. Power settings must be controlled by the pilot and there is no flare-out adapter. It seems likely that the sameautopilot can be tied-in with some navigation systems. The Valiant is big, having a length of 108ft 3in and a span of114ft 4in, and the fin towers 32ft 2in above the ground. Under- carriage, flaps, air-brakes, bomb doors, tailplane incidence, trim,fuel pumps and the flying control hydraulic pumps are all elec- trically operated. There are 38 miles of wiring, 85 electricmotors and actuators and 225 electrical relays of 49 different types. Controls are fully powered, with manual reversion. Arti- /n the training of Valiant crews nothing is left to chance. Personnel are seen undergoing pressure chamber drill (left) and (right) embarking for a training flight after completing the long check-lists. Ground crews stand by to assist with engine starting. "Flight" photographs
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