Even if 130hrs/year explains it there is no doubt that for the last two or three decades his flying must have been much reduced (or do I misjudge the old rogue?) so his earlier decades had to make up for that. It would seen to me that a lifetime average of 130p/a and a death at age 100 he must have spent some decades flying at double that rate aor more.
And 250/300hrs p/a on top of a full-time job as one of the hardest-working members of 'the firm' isn't to be sneezed at - indeed many full-time Professional pilots didn't more than double that. (I know I didn't in a number of jobs)
Does anyone know to what level he would have been trained to take on such flying or what form this training would have taken?
I'm thinking of what was required to log these hours? Was it on a level that we might recognise ie genuinely undre/following proper training, genueinely as qualified P2 or does the logbook merely reflect untrained 'jollies' with a Training Captain in the other seat doing all the work?
Tales of the P of W's exploits in the cockpit include reliable descriptions I have heard of his familiarity and currency on type reduced to the level of requestng "Next Checks Please" - he didn't even know the names of the checklists so unfamiliar was he, which might explain the short-field performance issue this highlighted.
Was the D of E of this calibre too, or made of sterner and more dedicated stuff? I suspect the latter but it would be fascinating to hear from those in the know, if they can speak without breaching respect and protocol.
What fun he must have had!
Last edited by meleagertoo; 4th Jan 2022 at 19:32.