Originally Posted by
Ant T
My Dad died last year aged 85, and I now have his logbooks.
He was Fleet Air Arm.
Basic training between Feb 56 and March 57 was 6 months/135 hours on Provost T1, at Syerston, followed by 6 months/115 hours on Vampire T11/FB5 at Valley, before going on to Gannets, and eventually anti-submarine helicopters via Hiller12, Whirlwind, Wessex.
Very similar to Ant T’s post. Dad died 3 years ago aged 86. BFT/AFT at Syerston Dec 52 - Sep 53, Prentice and Harvard. 200 hrs of which nearly 100 solo- an excellent ratio. Had to wait a short time before starting OFT at Culdrose, so held at RNAS Gosport and RNAS Lee-on-Solent. In just 6 weeks, in addition to some more Harvard time, he managed to qualify on the Tiger Moth, 2 marks of Firefly and the Sea Fury T20. His log book reveals that a day after his first flight in the Sea Fury, he took his future wife (3/O WRNS) flying in said aircraft - those were the days! Like Ant’s dad, Gannet, Hiller, Whirlwind and Wessex followed.