roving (#11817),
Rings so many bells ! In order, therefore:
Don't know about prewar, but later the RAF didn't have a dedicated core of flying Instructors. Each generation of pilots had to train the next. Obviously the best pilots of each vintage were "Creamed off" for the job. In the States I think 527 of the RAF Cadets were so selected, to remain a further year on instructional duties before return to UK.
It makes sense: I don't buy the "empathy" bit, but they knew the "patter" off by heart - they'd had it drilled into them for six months, they could remember the sequence of their training exercises, they knew the pitfalls and what the dread of the "chop" felt like, they were accustomed to the routine of a flying school.
Did they whoop with joy at the prospect ? Most certainly NOT! In the first place, instructing a well meaning but a clumsy "Prune" (war) or "Bloggs" (peace) can be more dangerous than wartime operations: it can be a fine line between giving him time to recover from his own error before intervening - or taking over too late - so's he kills you both !
Of the time just after Pearl Harbor (I was half way through my training in the States), I said here something to this effect:
"Our instructors (US Army officers) were not happy bunnies. Creamed off from last year's Graduation Class, they now saw their former classmates going off overseas to fame, promotion and glory, while they were left behind chanting their patter: it might be All Over before they got there. In the event, of course, there was plenty of War for everyone, and too much for some".
I'm surprised your Dad had to apply to get off Instructing, I thought they were "joe'd" for a fixed period only, but there you go. Have we got a "Creamie" in the House ? (Was I ever a QFI ? - Good God, No!)
..."the Royal Air Force did not need partially trained pilots".., This seems to be true. They didn't want to have to winkle out all the bad habits you'd formed before starting to teach you how to fly properly. Previous flying experience was an actual disadvantage in selection, (we have a distinguished contributor on here who was shabbily treated [IMHO] by the Navy in this way - but "no names, no packdrill").
But suppose I'd had a few hour's training, using an ASI - and then been stuck in a Stearman and told to manage without one ? A scary prospect, don't you think? But then "what you've never had, you never miss", and we were quite happy, thought it was normal, and that all aircraft were flown like that (well, neither did the Wright Brothers have an ASI, and they made out all right).
Happy Days! - Danny.