Originally Posted by
Chris Scott
[...]
I've now seen images of the first two pages of the RCAF logbook he was using in Canada. Curiously, it omits a FROM/TO column and the exercises are number-coded. But an accompanying certificate confirms his primary flying training was conducted at RCAF Centralia (near Exeter, Ontario), as Squipdit F suggested. His first recorded sortie, in a Chipmunk, was on 2/7/57.
I don't have a decode to establish the exercises flown but, after a week and 6 hours' dual in Chipmunks, he recorded "FIRST SOLO". That's pretty quick, unless he had previous experience with, for example, a UAS at his university in England. But no earlier logbook has been found. The certificate recording completion of Primary Flight Training is dated 2/8/57.
Thanks for that link to the
Scottish Saltire Aircrew Association, SF. Well written and most illuminating.
It's now become clear that Tony had no previous flying experience when he arrived at Centralia. He had graduated from a well-known university in S.W. England with a BSc. Assuming that, after his arrival by sea at New York, he was sent initially to RCAF London, Ontario, for classroom instruction, the latter seems to have been brief, and Centralia was just up the road. Going solo on the Chipmunk from scratch after only six hours' dual (not unusual, according to a contemporary National Serviceman), he finally completed a total of 25:25 (10:55 solo) on that type in one month to complete his primary flight training.
Tony's following logbook entries, starting about 4 weeks later, record Harvard flights. Again, the logbook doesn't record "FROM/TO" information but - from
John Nish's account - it seems likely his intermediate flying training on the Harvard was at Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, over a period of about six months in the winter of 1957/8. He went solo after 6:30 and completed about 167 hours on the Harvard, of which 60 were solo.
Advanced training started - presumably at RCAF Gimli, Manitoba - in April 1958 on the Canadair CT-133 Silver Star (as previously noted, a Canadian version of the Lockheed T-33 Shooting Star with a Rolls Royce Nene engine). Tony soloed on type after 9:30 and completed about 87 hours on it, of which about 37 were solo. During this posting, he was regraded from Acting Pilot Officer to Pilot Officer [
London Gazette].
Jet training was completed by July 1958, after which he returned to the UK, arriving by sea at Liverpool on 3/8/58. After that, he was able to do another 5 hrs flying before being officially transferred to RAF Reserve on 8/11/58. The
London Gazette records his promotion to Flying Officer on 8/2/59, two years and two days after his "service to count from" date in the same publication.
On behalf of Tony's friends and family, I'd like to thank everyone who has provided invaluable advice and/or information via this thread.