1930S Flight instruction
 

I am researching for a novel set in Britain in the mid 1930s. In particular, I would like to discover what flying lessons would costs and what kind of licence a private pilot would earn. Many thanks.

My grandfather was flying in Britain before and after WW2.

It was "regulated" by the air ministry, my fathers first licence late 50's early 60's ? also came from them. I still have it today.

Air Ministry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Read "Flight of the Mew Gull" by Alex Henshaw, there's quite a bit about learning to fly at Skegness, he got his licence in the early thirties.

I actually have the flight Instructors manual do from the era. First edition given as a gift.

The instructor stayed on the ground!

It's called, ' Pilots "A" Licence' compiled by John F Feliming for the Royal Aero Club. Dated 1935.

It's interesting to note that many of the fling clubs listed in it are still around today.

You may also find this publication useful.
It's a modern reprint of a prewar book for aspiring pilots. It gives an insight into the lessons and language used at the time.

MB

[QUOTE]It's interesting to note that many of the fling clubs listed in it are still around today.[/ QUOTE]

What's more interesting is that many of them still teach 1930s style!

And what was wrong with what they taught in the 1930s?!
 

I have a copy of "Teach Yourself Flying" by Tangye & MacBeath, the 1950s reprint of the 1938 book, and also the AMAC Manual of Flying and Ground Training, (1950s/60s I think), newer, but more comprehensive that the earlier book.

Both are readily available from internet book shops for very little, as little as it would cost us to post them back and for to each other possibly!

PM me if you'd like to peruse

Old Ben

"The instructor stayed on the ground!"

Not quite correct: the examiner stayed on the ground for the A license, not the instructors.

They weren't that dumb in the 1930s!

One of Britain's Oldest and respected Flying School
 

ROCKAT take a look at some publications produced by one of Britains most respected and oldest flying school

http://www.hullaeroclub.co.uk/downlo...ineOct1934.pdf

There's quite a few period ads for flying schools at Aviation Training & Simulation Categories

Some quote prices.

With many more available but not yet posted from 1909 - 1980.
Full listings of UK Flying Training Organisations & Who's Who In the Aeroplane Directory. (I have 1936 Edition)

Flying training in the UK took its lead from methodology pioneered in 1916 by Robert Smith-Barry who has been referred to as the father of flight training. His system was never adopted in the USA.
Recently, ICAO reinvented the wheel and introduced a "new concept" to flight training called Threat Error Management (TEM) In 3 years it will celebrate its 100th birthday!

That's not really correct Smith-Barry's contribution was to show pilots emergency situations that could occur and train for them rather than not covering them as was being done before his time. All countries followed that lead.

Just to correct another point in the 30s the first trip pilots would make in military training would be an airborne hop SOLO towards an observer at the other side of the field. If they managed to do a few of these without killing the observer or themselves they graduated to a dual machine with an instructor!

. Will Hay, the leading 30s comedy actor learned to fly in the 30s at White Waltham(it was rumoured he had a very close relationship with Amy Johnson) he also took part in air races. There is information about all of this in the Will Hay biography

Nevil Shute's autobiography "Slide Rule" contains some stories from when he was on a flying club committee at that time, including his views on hiring and firing instructors.

P

Talking of Amy Johnson, the Midge Gillies biography describes what it was like for her to learn to fly on a very tight budget. She got her licence in 1929 though, so that may be just too early for you.

From "Flying for Fun" by Jack Parham, edition of 1983:

'Early in 1933, after we'd been home a month or two, I started to learn to fly the Autogiro, then in its early stages of development. They had a school at Hanworth.... I got my 'A' licence that summer at a cost of £35. .... To get to Hanworth meant 35 miles on a motorbike each way. To fly cost about a shilling a minute.... so after two years I had barely 17 hours to my name.... But it couldn't go on, so far as I was concerned. A new arrival had put the family up to 3 children. I must stop flying. I did this by learning to fly a Moth at High Post whilst we were spending three weeks in camp at Larkhill. Returning home, feeling rather like a puppy who has eaten the neighbour's shoes but with an 'A' licence endorsed grandiloquently and erroneously... 'all types of aircraft', I decided I'd now sampled the lot and would really - yes really - chuck it.'

The book then describes how he bought his single seat Aeronca in 1935 for £100 guineas including a new CofA. In the Appendix Parham states that the first 100 hours of operating the aircraft cost £28.15s.0d including all fuel, oil, and spares, but not Third Party Insurance which cost £4.15s.0d per annum.

Hope that helps.