FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1964
1964 - 1389.PDF
768 FLIGHT International, 7 May 1964ENTERS SERVICE CONVERTING TO THE VC10 BOAC's Crew-training Programme By CAPTAIN N. V. BRISTOW WHEN it became known that BO AC was to receive no fewerthan 42 VClOs and Super VClOs, a natural topic ofconversation among the training captains was the problem of the crew-conversion courses needed for such a sizeable fleet. The aircraft was decidedly modern in appearance and construction, with rear-mounted engines, and we wondered just what problems would arise for the pilots who would handle it. Experience on the 707s and DC-8s throughout the world had shown that a conversion course to those aircraft was not without its difficulties. Some pilots found the transition from the slower, * propeller-type aircraft a tough hurdle to overcome, and for some the hurdle was too great. Would the VC10 present even greater problems in training? The size of the training commitment was also discussed fully. Working on an estimated requirement of just over five crews to each aircraft operated, this meant a total of about 230 captains, 350 co-pilots (this an approximate figure which would vary with navigational requirements, and decisions on the carriage of a third pilot) and about 230 engineer officers. This posed a formidable task for the people responsible for planning the organization, although it is fair to say that a training organization is rather like a sausage machine; it only needs to be big enough, and complex enough, to deal with the numbers being processed at any given time. The BOAC team originally consisted of two captains (Capt H. J. Field and Capt A. P. W. Cane), who, together with two flight engineers, worked hand in glove with the manufacturers' test pilots and design team in the formative years of the VC10. Late in 1962, the appointments were made of flight manager VClOs (Capt A. S. M. Rendall), deputy flight manager (Capt F. W. Walton) and officer i/c training (Capt J. Nicholl) together with various other appoint- ments, including that of Sen Eng Off G. Sears as chief engineer officer instructor. Jack Nicholl had long experience of training, having been a training captain on Stratocruisers and DC-7Cs before being appointed officer i/c training on the Britannia 312 Flight. To this team were added, early in 1963, nine other captains and a similar number of flight engineers, to form the "nucleus," as it was known. Of these additional captains and engineer officers, a number were selected specifically for the future task of training on the VC10. In 1963 this team of pilots and engineers were themselves the "pupils," taking courses at the Rolls-Royce training school at Derby and at the Vickers works of British Aircraft Corporation at Weybridge. They were trained on the aircraft itself by last September or October. Thereafter, they carried out l.OOOhr of route-proving and VC10 development work under the watchful eyes of the BAC test pilots. Our reactions to the aircraft were swift and most enthusiastic. We found it delightful in every way. We eulogized its virtues. We spread the gospel. But our audiences, the future crews of the VC10, naturally reserved judgment. Now, some months later, our own delight with the aircraft can be shown to have been well- founded, for at the time of writing over 100 pilots have completed their own conversion courses on to the VC10 and share our admiration. As a very senior pilot remarked to me after only his * Captain Bristow, who served with Coastal Command during the war,joined BOA C in 1947. Formerly in charge of Britannia 102 training, he was one of the 12 captains originally appointed to form the VC10 Flight"nucleus" to which he refers. A captain under supervision, in the left-hand seat, is passed out by the training skipper. Captain 8nstow mokes the point that comparatively little "roof-panel reaching" is necessary on the VCIO fourth landing under training, "I took it all with a pinch of salt when I heard you discussing the aircraft in the hotel, but this really is a wonderful aeroplane." The decision to carry out the training programme at Shannon Airport, on the Atlantic coast of Ireland, was made after carefully considering all the alternatives. Training on any large aircraft is a very expensive item indeed, and every minute spent in flight must therefore produce valuable results. A rough estimate of the cost of flying a VC10 on training, covering only such items as fuel, oil, landing fees, maintenance and spares, etc, comes to about £300 to £360 per hour. To this should be added "standing charges," for such items as insurance, fixed engineering and administrative costs, of a further £300 per hour. Lastly, the aircraft on training is not available to fly down the routes and thus earn money. Con- sidering only the first of these items, the bare operating costs, the figure comes to £6 per minute. Prolonged delays, caused by "holding stacks," extra circuits because of conflicting traffic, or long periods at the runway threshold awaiting the right to take off, can cost an astronomical figure over a period of several years. Furthermore, delays caused by adverse weather, or local restric- tions on the amount of night or weekend flying (introduced at the insistence of the local residents' associations, who nevertheless have my sympathy in their complaints) expensively lengthen the training programme and prevent the aircraft from earning money on the passenger routes. Shannon is the best answer to all these considerations. Indeed, the excellent and friendly co-operation of the air traffic controllers and other airport authorities at Shannon have been much appreciated. Desk Work for a Start The training programme started at Shannon on December 19, 1963, and has since progressed in parallel with the l,OOOhr route- flying programme. BOAC have had the use of three aircraft for these purposes. Prior to flight training, the "nucleus" pilots and engineers were busy writing-up the flying, navigation and technical manuals, deliberating on the details of procedures, the syllabus for various courses, instructional techniques and many other matters. The course for each pilot consists of three "airwork" periods, as we call them, the first climbing to 20,000ft and the others to 30,000ft and 40,000ft. These periods are used for general handling practice, high-speed runs, rapid descents and other exercises such as the approach to the stall, and the use of the autopilot (including its use for the automatic approach). Further periods cover take-offs and landings on four and three engines, night take-offs and landings, and what we call "abnormal" take-offs and landings—such as the two-engined landing, the Sapless or slatless landing, the three- engine take-oft", etc. There follow periods on instruments alone, and approaches using ILS or VOR, and finally the Instrument Rating renewal is carried out. We find this syllabus takes between 8Jhr and lO^hr, according to weather and other delays. I will not deal with the aircraft in detail, nor with its performance, as these are already being discussed elsewhere in this issue. *e
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
