Gaining An R.A.F Pilots Brevet In WW II
 

Well here goes transferring from F.O Wales blog to this page. So full power, wheels up, flap in by five, and 2850 plus 9. We are away. (maybe)

Will now try and transfer my blog from F.O Wales to this page.

Plenty on here will be very interested Cliff.:ok: Yesterday 11:30 cliffnemo F.o Wales
Herewith garbled version of my efforts to obtain my wings during the 39/45 war.

numerous visits to recruiting office with hundreds of other hopeful future spitfire pilots. Finally accepted for consideration.(Didn't finish up on Spits)

Three days at R.A.F Padgate for exams including maths, geometry. etc. Tests for colour blindness . Tunnel vision, night vision ,physical fitness etc.etc.

A few weeks later accepted as pilot U/T to be informed tbat as i was in a reserved occupation the R.A.F would endevour to obtain my release from the ministry of labour. In the meanwhile to join the A.T.C to learn signals. basic navigation.
Six months later received letter I was now in the R.A.F VR on deferred service as an A.C 2 and given a silver V.R lapel badge.
Three months later instructed to report to Lords cricket ground where I remained in a "luxury flat" for a month .classes in maths, basic navigation . aircraft recognition, drill, P.T. swimming and life saving plus ?

Six months at Torquay I.T.W previous subjects plus morse- radio and aldis- ,navigation, dinghy practice in the harbour, five mile cross country runs. clay pidgeon and deflection shooting, armanents (strip our machine guns in the dark and name all parts) engines, aerodynamics. hydraulics. Classes held in any vacant premises, miles apart, uphill and downhill at 140 paces to the minute, and arms up to shoulder level Passed out L.A.C

One month at Marshalls flying school,had to solo on tiger moth in under ten hours to qualify for further pilot training. Passed and posted to R.A.F Heaton Park A.C.D.C for one month ,with usual training subjects

PHEW. wonder if any one is interested, it's hard going.
This is my first attempt at this sort of thing and I may be flogging a dead horse so will submit this to see what happens. If there is interest, I will try to describe my career via Nova Scotia, Oklahoma. Gulf of Mexico and finally to 150 Sqdn Hemswell. I might even tell the story of being retained on a court of enquiry pending court martial for low flying over a ladies college near Harrogate.
CLIFF.
NILS BASTARDO CARBORUNDUM so if some one will confirm that the system is working I will try to relate my progress from A.C 2 to Warrant officer, and after "cessation of hostilities" how I remustered as W.O/AC1 equipment assistant. Don't expect any tales of derring do, there weren't any. I was lucky.
Cliff

Excellent stuff Cliff :D
The thing works, I'm sure there's plenty of us who want to hear more!
That college for ladies? Not Queen Ethelburga's was it?

St Ethelbuga's Ladies
 

It certainly was, in a Tiger Moth. Luckily my oppo a Belgian pilot had signed as pilot for the trip and me as navigator . But more later. We had previously been billeted in the Majestic Hotel. and he had "met" one of the young ladies.
Cliff.
Cliff.

Fascinating, please tell us more Cliff!

KDY

Cheers Cliff, keep it up:ok:

You can't stop there Cliff - let's have the rest!

Would be fascinated to hear more about the solo in under 10 hrs and other similar criteria for continuing in trg - you might have thought that given the need for aircrews at the time things might have been relaxed a little more. Or was it the case that we need to get you through in 10 hrs because there are another bunch of trainees waiting to go through the system behind you and we don't want you clogging it up?

A real Cliff hanger !! Give us more.

Wonderful stuff, Cliff, and it looks as if you have a keen audience already. Keep going. Can we have more detail in future posts as so far you've covered about a year and a half of your life in just a few sentences? :ok:

Relaxed???, just before my final check ride at Marshals flying school, I was a "bag of nerves"(the reason why it was of monumental importance to me may be explained later)
. My instructor (an ex R.F.C pilot) said I should have a cigarette, I have been smoking ever since.Disgusting. No nothing was rushed or skimped. plenty of aspiring spitfire pilots to choose from. The Air Ministry obtained a lot of navigators, and bomb aimers from those who didn't solo, however many did volunteer for navigator or bomb aimer direct. Our main aim AT THAT TIME, was to stop our relatives being killed and our homes being wrecked The training system had improved radically by the time i joined. I hope to tell you about my friend who went to the recruiting office with me. He started training straight away. His training period must have been very short as he was K.I.A on beaufighters before I had finished I.T.W I have nothing but admiration for the education section. IT was PERFECT.

Will now try to find time to continue,when I hope most questions will be answered. starting with my safe journey through U boat alley to Halifax, Nova Scotia anD R.A.F Moncton.
Cliff.
Must be tea, coffee is three h'apence. (NAAFI)

Fantastic stuff Cliff, please, please, please keep it coming!! :D:D

Please keep it coming. I think we can learn a lot from history. Did you keep flying after the war, have met a couple of WWII pilots who never flew again after cessation of hostilities.

I have a friend who was a Halifax pilot, I asked him once, had he considerd a flying career after the war.
'Good God no old chap' he replied, 'far too dangerous'!

Flying After The War
 

No. Happy to be home with plenty of birds;backy, and beer.My best friend who trained with me in Ponca City decided to become a weekend R.A.F flyer after the war. On his first flight in a Harvard, he took off from St Athan ,his engine cut and he "landed" in the drink. Being well trained in "dingy dingy prepare for ditching " made a perfect "landing"., released his harness, inflated his Mae West and floated out as the Harvard sank. As he didn't like getting wet he decided to stay ashore.
Cliff.

Harrogate To Moncton New Brunswick
 

Before I start, if any one is expecting thrilling tales such as "there I was upside down, and nothing on the clock but the makers name" then this will not interest you . But if you are interested in what happened to me that's fine.

O.K so we have now arrived at Heaton Park plenty of classes and drill and P.T (now P.E). We are now getting somewhere, we can drill for fifteen minutes without a word of command and going through the complete drill book, also march for miles at 140 to the minute, the army marched at 120 with the exception of the Durham light infantry.

After a month we pack our worldly posessions into kit bag, side pack, and big pack, but minus, gas mask;gas cape, and gloves and take the train to Liverpool.
As we board the ship over the Tannoy we hear Frank Sinatra singing his latest song Nice and easy does it.
The captain then announces that he is ordered to maintain a minimum of twenty nine knots until we reach Halifax , so that Uboats can't catch us , and that if anyone falls overboard, all they can do is throw us a life belt( some comedian said "don't worry he will pick you up on the way back"). There were about eight thousand of us on board including German P.O.Ws, nurses, wounded Americans, and us. We were all allocated duties eight hours off, and four on, mine being to stand on the stern with a .303 S.M.L.E . I never found out why. The holds were scaffolded out to form bunks with about three feet (sorry we didn't have metres then) headroom, which were occupied night and day in shifts. We were really enjoying the cruise until we reached the Atlantic, when a storm blew up. Steaming at twenty nine knots into a gale was quite exciting, with the waves going over the bridge and even sailors being sea sick. I was later offered a commission in the fleet air arm but refused as I never wanted to go to sea again.

After four and half days we landed at Halifax and took the train to R.A.F Moncton, New Brunswick. More classes and drill. After a month we left for The Darr School of Aeronautics .Ponca City , Oklahoma.
Will describe the seven day train journey, and the flying training in my next contribution.
Sorry to be so long winded but, think I am bit annoyed that a certain gentleman received the coveted wings in four months, and forty hours flying. I had to do forty hours "under the hood on the Link trainer"
Cliff.

Top stuff Cliff. Keep it coming!:D

:ok::ok:
Quite humbling.

Cliff, more please.

A REPLY TO THE DOMINANT MALE
Only birds and fools fly, and birds don't fly at night (Confusius)

Well done
 

More please. J.F.B.