month course to gain wings in 1938.
Hi Cliff, keep up the postings.
I was just back in the UK and caught up with my grandpa (age 88+). He gave me his RAF logbooks for safe keeping.
It is interesting to see how swift he got his wings compared to you!
First flight Mar 7th 1938 in B2 G-ACEM w/ Flt/Lt Powell at Brough (4 FTS).
First solo Mar 18th after 8 hours 55 minutes.
RAF Depot Uxbridge 7-22nd May 1938 after a total of approx 82 hours.
From May22nd at 6 FTS Netheravon, Wilts, training continued on Hart and Audax aircraft. CFI test on 4th august in Hart K5024 with W/Cdr Toogood, with logbook certified as "Qualified for award of flying badge on 20th august".
Therefore 5 and a half months to get his wings in 1938 with a total of 99 hours 50 minutes flying experience (97.15 day/1.35 night) at the age of 18 years 10 months.
His training continued at 6 FTS until 17th December 1938 in the Hart and Audax with a total of 153 hours 10 minutes. Remarks for sorties in this phase of training include formation, quarter attacks, astern attacks, war load climb to 15 000' etc.
I don't intend to bore too much with details. As an airline pilot I found the total hours/experience vs age aspect of his logbooks quite interesting.
In 1939 he was target towing in a Seal at 2 AOS and 10 AOS/BGS, before going to CFS in Jan 1940 with a total of 436 hours as a Plt/Ofc, age 20.
Lot's of instructing followed at 8 FTS (Montrose) on the Magister Mar 1940 to Feb 41, and then 54 OTU Church Fenton (mainly Blenheim) until Nov 41 as a Flt/Lt with a total of 1404 hours, age 22 years 1 month.
First tour 219 squadron (Beaufighter NF) Nov 1941-Sept 1942 with first kill, a Ju88 in aug 42. Total hours 1715.
Second tour initially 255, then 600 squadron in north africa from Feb 43 until Feb 44. Sqd/Ldr DFC with total 2190 hours, total 7 kills, all at night.
54 OTU Beaufighter/Mosquito May 44 till Mar 45. With 2260 hours total experience, he became O/C 605 Squadron apr-aug1945 as a W/Cdr age 25 years 10 months.
My grandfather remained in the RAF until 1969, retiring still as a W/Cdr. Having joined the RAF on a 4 year short service commission (1938-1942) he was transferred to the reserve/ retained on the active list on the same date in 1942. In sept 1945 he went from a "war substantative W/Cdr" to a permanent commission Flt/Lt with a seniority date of 1 Dec 1942. (airline pilots will go "ouch" in sympathy).
His last flight was Jan 16th 1960 in a Chipmunk at Cranwell. Total hours 3360.
Total career 3360 hours/31 years = 108 hours per year!
It is nice to see such details in books/ and from logbooks etc, but the real stories are what make people understand what it was really like. It is not easy to get such details from my grandfather, so it is imperative that we get as much real history as possible in print or on the net.