Centaurus
19th Jun 2012, 11:45
Those of the long in tooth may remember Captain Victor Schuback who was a flying instructor at Bankstown after the end of the war. (not the 1989 war but WW2). Vic fought the Japs in New Guinea but had previously learned to fly in 1940 before joining the Australian army and going to NG where his job was to protect the coast watchers.
In 1949 he flew Lockheed Hudsons and DC3's of the Sydney Morning Herald Flying Services based at Camden and later joined East West Airways as a DC3 and F27 pilot. I was a 17 year old general hand with the Herald Flying Services at Camden in 1949 when Vic Schuback was there and flew in the DC3 with him dropping newspapers in Northern NSW.
He died in Sydney in July 2011 age 90 after a long illness. His wife Pattie sent some of his log books to me. Reading through his log books I was struck how few hours he had by the time he did his first solo. See below:
Vic Schuback's first flight was on 22 December 1940 with the Royal Aero Club of NSW in an Avro Avian VH-UVX and consisted of straight and level and medium turns - duration 20 minutes.
The next flight on 28 December 1940 was in a DH 60 Moth VH-UAK and included gliding turns with duration 40 minutes. Next day was also in the DH 60 on circuits, 40 minutes. Then January 5 , 1941 in Avro Avian VH-UVX on loops and spins duration 25 minutes.
Finally after circuits and landings in both the Avro Avian and DH60 on January 7, 11, 19 (including spins), and 27th, he had flown a total of 4 hours and 20 minutes dual. On the 29 January he did his first solo of 15 minutes without a dual check after his last trip on 27 January.
From there on he flew in the DH 60 many times dual and solo each month for the rest of the year. The fascinating part is all of his flights were between 25 minutes and 45 minutes. In those days that was the normal length of each dual instruction flight except of course for cross-country trips.
Nowadays, dual flights in capital city areas are rarely less than 1.5 hours. By the time Vic Schuback had reached 60 hours total time, he had 38 hours solo and 21 hours of dual. You don't see that combination anymore.. In fact nowadays it is common to see students with 21 hours of dual and still not first solo. Finally when Vic reached a total of 100 flying hours, he had 75 hours of solo and 25 dual.
Those old biplanes were not radio equipped and most didn't have flaps. All landings were from glide approaches and requiring keen judgment. The split between dual and solo hours shown above, was the norm in those days - with the accent on solo. Today it is the other way around where the accent is on dual rather than solo.
I knew Vic Schuback well and kept in regular contact with him for over 60 years. Eventually he began to lose his marbles and finished up in a nursing home in Sydney where he died in 2011. RIP Vic Schuback.
In 1949 he flew Lockheed Hudsons and DC3's of the Sydney Morning Herald Flying Services based at Camden and later joined East West Airways as a DC3 and F27 pilot. I was a 17 year old general hand with the Herald Flying Services at Camden in 1949 when Vic Schuback was there and flew in the DC3 with him dropping newspapers in Northern NSW.
He died in Sydney in July 2011 age 90 after a long illness. His wife Pattie sent some of his log books to me. Reading through his log books I was struck how few hours he had by the time he did his first solo. See below:
Vic Schuback's first flight was on 22 December 1940 with the Royal Aero Club of NSW in an Avro Avian VH-UVX and consisted of straight and level and medium turns - duration 20 minutes.
The next flight on 28 December 1940 was in a DH 60 Moth VH-UAK and included gliding turns with duration 40 minutes. Next day was also in the DH 60 on circuits, 40 minutes. Then January 5 , 1941 in Avro Avian VH-UVX on loops and spins duration 25 minutes.
Finally after circuits and landings in both the Avro Avian and DH60 on January 7, 11, 19 (including spins), and 27th, he had flown a total of 4 hours and 20 minutes dual. On the 29 January he did his first solo of 15 minutes without a dual check after his last trip on 27 January.
From there on he flew in the DH 60 many times dual and solo each month for the rest of the year. The fascinating part is all of his flights were between 25 minutes and 45 minutes. In those days that was the normal length of each dual instruction flight except of course for cross-country trips.
Nowadays, dual flights in capital city areas are rarely less than 1.5 hours. By the time Vic Schuback had reached 60 hours total time, he had 38 hours solo and 21 hours of dual. You don't see that combination anymore.. In fact nowadays it is common to see students with 21 hours of dual and still not first solo. Finally when Vic reached a total of 100 flying hours, he had 75 hours of solo and 25 dual.
Those old biplanes were not radio equipped and most didn't have flaps. All landings were from glide approaches and requiring keen judgment. The split between dual and solo hours shown above, was the norm in those days - with the accent on solo. Today it is the other way around where the accent is on dual rather than solo.
I knew Vic Schuback well and kept in regular contact with him for over 60 years. Eventually he began to lose his marbles and finished up in a nursing home in Sydney where he died in 2011. RIP Vic Schuback.