Coff
Flying RAF Recruits in small light aircraft at RAF Halton takes it back to the very beginning. The Halton Aero Club was established in 1925 for the RAF Apprentices to design, build and fly their very own aircraft. They built, flew and raced the HAC1 Mayfly in 1927 (registration G-EBOO) and even won some early Air Races
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halton_Mayfly
The brain child of this was Flt Lt C H Latimer Needham who went on to gain the first Soaring licence on gliders in the UK, was the inspiration behind the 'Colditz Cock' glider and formed the Luton Aircraft Company that produced the Luton Minor and Major. He also designed and patented the hovercraft skirt...
...not bad for an Observer from the First World War! Certainly, there were some RAF Pilots flying in the Club in the early days (just as there are now) but the opportunity to fly Apprentices was often given by non-pilot RAF personnel. This also reflects the RAF Gliding and Soaring Assoc's goals when it first started 60 odd years ago and now, via the Joint Service Gliding Centre, teaches Servicemen to fly gliders for free as a Force Development and Adventurous Trg activity - again not a RAF pilot in sight.
I don't believe that using expensive RAF pilots and expensive DE&S assured military-spec hardware should ever be needed for this basic flying activity. i often wonder why we bother with teaching almost the same as a PPL at UASs at probably much more cost than is needed - why not attach a system like the Army's OTC to a local flying school (even better a Service Flying Club) and save some money to spend on Front Line aircraft and hardware?
Just an opinion, though. That is all.
LJ
