Bit odd this thread leaping into life again, I'd completely forgotten about it...
I've got about 30 hours now and am at the stage where if the weather was good I could do a short (40-50 nm round) navigation trip on my own, not landing away of course. Not flying much lately, but I did break my 2 months without flying a couple of weeks ago which was lucky - and fun. Also re-assuring as I was just as good as the last time I'd flown.
I'm in a much better position flying wise now than ever before because I'm in a gap year before university so I'm working full time so when the summer comes I'll be able to do loads of flying instead of scraping along like before and not booking enough lessons because if I did get to fly each time ~I couldnt afford it.
About this harvard business: I had thought that nearly all WW2 RAF pilots flew the harvard (or equivalent) after the Tiger Moth, I certainly didnt think they would go straight from Moth to operational type, especially not at 30 hours. It seems like it probably varied a lot, but I read a really good book called First Light by Geoffrey Wellum who learnt ot fly just as WW2 started and then fought in the Battle of Britain. He had about 40 hours on Moths before going onto Harvards to do his advanced training and probably had at least 100 hours before he got near a spitfire. The book gave the impression that the Harvard was the RAFs standard advanced trainer and I swear I've seen this in loads of other places too, but I can't remember where.
ChrisVJ, are you sure that most pilots went right from tigers to spits after only 30 hours because Ive always thought, through reading loads about the period that they'd have closer to 100 hours by the time they got to spit/hurricanes and that they would have had an advanced trainer. Are u sure 30hours then onto spits was the norm?
See where you're coming from lowtimer. The main reason I might fly say a chipmunk or pitts ( which i like the look of by the way, and what are it's rates?) before a harvard is money. Having said that I do see the sense of flying a less advanced type first because it would mean I might get 2 or 3 times the hours I'd have got if it had been an advanced type. But if I were a millionaire I would go straight onto the harvard after the Moth. Then get myself a spitfire! Anyway, didnt esperto do his first solo on a Harvard?