Tasks Command Pilot USAAF?
 

Who can tell me what the tasks were of a command pilot in the USAAF.
He would sit in the co-pilot seat, but would he also perform the co-pilots tasks/duties, e.g doing the pre-flight checklist and starting the engines? Or would he take the co-pilot's seat only after take off?

Who can shed some light?

--Cees

Re: Tasks Command Pilot USAAF?
 

Cees,


It appears that "command pilot" was not a function in itself, but a ranking given to a pilot who had so many flight hours, years of service etc.



See e.g. http://www.303rdbg.com/badges.html


Groet,


Leendert

Re: Tasks Command Pilot USAAF?
 

I think he is asking about the "command" pilot in a lead ship. Typically a lead ship of the mission, (or the group or of the squadron) would have the officer in charge of the formation (or group, etc) in the co-pilot (right hand) seat. Sometimes the regular co-pilot would move to the tail gun where he could keep the command pilot informed of the trailing formation status via interphone. The pilot in the left seat flew the plane while the "command" pilot in the right seat directed the formation in the attack.

He is asking did this "command" pilot also do (some?) normal co-pilot duties.

Re: Tasks Command Pilot USAAF?
 

Exactly! More specific: on 21 feb 1944 B-17GSH was deputy lead of 4A CW. 42-3511 was the lead with Lt. Col. G. McDonald, executive officer from 385BG on board. He was the mission commander. In 42-30280 Capt. Gerald Binks also from 385BG was the command pilot. Binks took - according to co-pilot 2nd Lt. John William Baber - the co-pilot position. Baber: 'So I was the extra-man, so to speak'.

I am wondering whether a command pilot would than automatically do all the co-pilot tasks/duties - while he is actually is a commander who would have other tasks to do, I would guess. Would a command pilot do the pre-flight check, starting of the engines, take-off stuff etc.? Or would the regular co-pilot do that and would the command pilot switch places after take off?

The Devil is in the detail. And right now I am checking these kind of detaisl for the book Crazy Horse , whcih will come pout end next month. see www.b17crazyhorse.nl - in Dutch though, but you'll get the drift.

--Cees

Re: Tasks Command Pilot USAAF?
 

Exactly! More specific: on 21 feb 1944 B-17GSH was deputy lead of 4A CW. 42-3511 was the lead with Lt. Col. G. McDonald, executive officer from 385BG on board. He was the mission commander. In 42-30280 Capt. Gerald Binks also from 385BG was the command pilot. Binks took - according to co-pilot 2nd Lt. John William Baber - the co-pilot position. Baber: 'So I was the extra-man, so to speak'.

I am wondering whether a command pilot would than automatically do all the co-pilot tasks/duties - while he is actually is a commander who would have other tasks to do, I would guess. Would a command pilot do the pre-flight check, starting of the engines, take-off stuff etc.? Or would the regular co-pilot do that and would the command pilot switch places after take off?

The Devil is in the detail. And right now I am checking these kind of detaisl for the book Crazy Horse , whcih will come pout end next month. see www.b17crazyhorse.nl - in Dutch though, but you'll get the drift.

--Cees

Re: Tasks Command Pilot USAAF?
 

There is a discussion of this "command pilot" position in this book "Reluctant Witness: Memoirs from the Last Year of the European Air War 1944-45"
By James J. Mahoney and Brian H. Mahoney:

https://books.google.com/books?id=cd...0pilot&f=false

Click on the second page showing on the link, which starts out "During the brief interval....."

He discusses several aspects and duties of the "command pilot".

Re: Tasks Command Pilot USAAF?
 

This is good stuff! Many thanks for pointing me in the right direction. --Cees

Re: Tasks Command Pilot USAAF?
 

Cees,

This is another book in which the author is describing flying a mission as a command pilot.
What is interesting here is that he is flying in the right hand seat with a lead pathfinder crew (apparently equipped with H2X), not a lead crew from his own group. From the description he is clearly doing some of the copilot duties. Also interesting is that he is not totally impressed with the skill level of the pathfinder crew.

https://books.google.com/books?id=0u...lot%22&f=false


Here is another book which discusses the command pilot. Again some interesting details. It mentions the co-pilot moving to the tail gunner position.

https://books.google.com/books?id=Po...lot%22&f=false

I suspect that command pilot duties (and even where he sat in the plane) may have varied by groups (maybe even squadrons, but that seems less likely). I do think the most common option was in the co-pilot seat and doing many of the co-pilot duties.