Pilot training in UK, WW2
Cross country exercises were done solo, then in pairs with one pupil as the navigator. He had a Bigsworth board on his knees to hold his chart, and a Dalton Computer, plus the usual Douglas Protractor, pencils, ruler and dividers. Very awkward keeping track of these items, as well as the plot on the chart. The route had about four turning points and the chief difficulty, as navigator, was to see your pilot stuck to the settings you gave him.
I was usually paired with my pal Ivan H....d, later to be recommended for a Victoria Cross on Bomber Command, (he received an Immediate CGM). Flying straight and level bored Ivan, who much preferred to fly above clouds and practice “landings” on the cloud tops. The following day we changed roles and flew a different route.
There were always clouds and, as most flying was above them, it could be rather hairy getting down at times. The ATA Pilots were prohibited from flying above clouds. We saw a great deal of these men and women of the ATA who collected and delivered Spitfires, Hurricanes and Wellingtons, to and from a unit at Lyneham, which “tropicalised” aircraft. Our favourite ATA pilot was a slim, dark haired Polish girl who avoided the muddy airfield, preferring to land and take off Spitfires on the perimeter track. Her “English’ became non-existent when the Flying Controller tried to explain that she should not do that.
One day, doing my stint as Duty Pilot in the Watch Office, an ATA officer landed a Wellington and reported in. The AC2 clerk booking him in said, “What name , Sir?”
“Mollison.” “What initial, Sir?” “J. J for Jim.”
The name of the famous record breaking pilot meant nothing to the Erk.
Mollison asked for transport to the Officers’ Mess and he was very indignant when I told him that Station Standing Orders were, “No Transport.”
Bombing training was based on the Mk IX bombsight using a white painted Camera Obscura in one corner of the dispersals. As there was no intercom, the pilot doing the bomb aiming lay down in the nose of the Oxford and guided the pilot by raising his legs. Left leg in the air meant. “Left,left.” Right leg raised was “Right.” Both legs raised meant meant “Steady.”
He clapped his ankles and dropped them for “Bombs gone.” We couldn’t work out a signal for, “Back a bit!”
The “Bombs” were Sashalite photo-flash bulbs in the 16 small bomb carriers under the wings. As each bulb was fired the bright flash was plotted on the table of the Camera Obscura. After allowing for height and wind vectors the accuracy of the bombing could be assessed. We dropped eight bombs then had to land to change over. The Oxford had too tight a cock-pit to change over in flight.
Occasional enemy intruders were still a hazard, even in day time flying. The only advice we were given was to get as low as possible and land if attacked. Low flying killed two Polish pupils on the senior course when they hit electricity cables, and two pilots on our course took the chimney of a cottage but landed safely. One night all pupils were roused from the huts and organised into search parties to look for an aircraft which had crashed on take off. Trudging over fields, ditches and hedges using our paraffin lanterns on a dismal November night was a hopeless task, only enlivened by a WAAF officer in her dressing gown, wanting to know the names of the airmen wandering round the WAAF billets at 2-00am. The search was called off and, at first light, an Oxford took off and spotted the wreckage with the instructor and pupil dead inside. fredjhh