Originally Posted by
BEagle
Back to boarding school, then PPL courtesy of an RAF Scholarship the following Easter before RAFC Cranwell in September!
I did graduate to a single seat glider in Autumn 1967 though - the mighty Slingsby Tutor with it's nigh-on perpendicular glide ratio. My next single seat aeroplane was the Hunter GT6 8 years later....
That does sound rather more 'interesting' than scratching around Halesland in a Prefect to get that third gull on the little enamel badge, and just look at the THOUSANDS of Cadets that went through the system, which even if they never continued in aviation was a great start in the ability to make decisions and 'think ahead'.
It was a 'system' that evolved with almost zero paperwork other than signing daily MT and Glider inspections with briefings out on the field (minimal) as how long can you brief for a (3 minute) rocket launch followed by a one shot descending circuit (observing the 45 deg rule). I truly think there is merit in revisiting the whole 'model' of why it worked so well as we now have a World that is unable to make decisions in a timescale that actually gets things done when needed !!!. It was also damm good fun driving those MK1 landrovers around stripped of everything (windscreen flat) with three up front (the middle one changing gear)
And who would have ever thought that they went to Space in a shuttle that landed like a MK3. (although a bit faster)