RAF pilot training, 1940

[Kutscha]

During the BoB it has been said that RAF pilots went into combat with little flight time in the a/c.

I am curious as to pilot training in 1940. Can someone describe the pilot training coarse > ground school, flight school (primary hours, advanced hours), etc.

Thanks

[Bill Walker]

The Canadian Aviation Museum has a pdf book that covers this topic in some detaill, look at Chapter 3 in particular. http://www.airmuseum.ca/refs/aerodrome_of_democracy.pdf

[Kutscha]

Thanks Bill, very interesting.

To be more specific, I was looking for the training mainly during the BoB, and in GB.

[timothy]

Can only help between Nov 39 & Jul 40.

= Tim

[Kutscha]

That would be great if you would Tim.

[timothy]

Kutscha – not a huge help, I’m afraid, & not typical, because we were the last 20 Pre-war Cranwell Cadets-to-be. Cranwell had become an FTS & was full, so we had to start on Tiger Moths at 9 FTS, Ansty.

　http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ok/01cadet.jpg
What a soul-destroying waste of time. God knows how they filled in the ground time with talk??
Can’t recall the Exercises No1-22 – but they were 4 year-old stuff. In addition we did 2 Cross-countries, Spinning & 8 hrs Link Trainer.
40 hrs Dual, 34 hrs Solo, FOUR months!!
　
So on to Cranwell – Harts & then Hinds. Again, Exercises No1-22!! But we did do 16 cross-countries, 5 Air-ground firing, 2 Aerobatics, 7 Bombing with 25lbers, one Quarter Attacks & some Formation. Two night flights. 27 hrs Dual, 65 hrs Solo, 3 months. Instead of 3 peacetime years!!
Ground School – Engines, Theory of Flight, Map Reading, Parachute maintenance (?) - there must have been something else??
　
Fully trained – on to No1 Squadron, Northolt.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...yforbattle.jpg
18-26 July - Dual experience in Miles Master, Solo in Master.
Solo in Hurricane.
Climb to 29,000’, 2 Formation flights, 2 ‘Dogfights’, 1 ‘Attacks’, 1 Air Firing, 2 Sector Recce. 16 hours, then:

27 July Patrol St Catherine’s Point to cover de-beaching of Tanker.
30 July Patrol.
31 July Patrols x4
etc
15 August 'Destroyed' Me109 near Harwich. With hindsight - doubtful!
16 August Shot down!!
　
= Tim

[Juha]

Hello Timothy
Thanks a lot for the interesting info!
So you have less flying time than Johnnie Johnson (205hours) when you were posted to your first first line sqn but more than Neville Duke (145.50h), but Neville was maybe put in some sort of "fast track", having got "Above Average" from EFTS and FTS.

Thanks again
Juha

[Jim Oxley]

More telling is the '16 hours' on Hurricanes, and almost no real combat practice.

[Juha]

Hello Jim
IMHO under 16 hours, because the 16 hours incl. 2 flights in Miles Master.
Johnnie Johnson had 23 hours on Spitfire when he went to No 19 Sqn

On the other hand according to Rall’s memoirs, when he was transferred to 4./JG 52 on 20 Sept 39, he had 55 min, yes minutes, not hours, flight time in Bf 109, and that in D model. In the Staffel, which was a first-line Staffel, he got 10 hours in Bf 109E before his first combat sortie. He had spent 2 months in Werneuchen Fighter School, more or less equivalent to OTU, but most of time flying in Ar 68 in tight vic, only 5 gunnery exercises, but he cannot remember was even one air-to-air. He was introduced to Rotte and Schwarm flying only at 4./JG 52, he also flew 2 gunnery training flights in 4./JG 52 before his first combat sortie.

Yes, it is not so surprising that the first few combat sorties were often fatal to new pilots.

Juha

[timothy]

Ah, but how old was he?

= Tim