Originally Posted by
rolling20
A lot depended on luck, no early returns, the weather and the leave roster.I would say mid 43, around 5-6 months was about right. That may have decreased slightly as the war went in their favour after DDay.
Thank you for that reply. I've always wondered given the number of variables involved.
"
Many of the flight engineers were former Halton "Brats" chosen for their engineering knowledge, and likely to be above the average age. Likewise some of the wireless operators would have had prior experience in a ground wireless trade."
I once met a former Whitely pilot who was more than a little scathing about the above becoming aircrew,
not because he was antagonistic towards engineers, but , because in his opinion, there was a desperate need for well trained / experienced engineers and transferring to aircrew reduced their numbers.