Gaining An R.A.F Pilots Brevet In WW II

[Danny42C]

The "Vissim".

MPN11,

I refer to an excerpt from your #5549 (my underline and numbering):

1. "We sat at a local control desk, with the usual pin-board and comms, and for 'realism' looked out through sheets of perspex at a scale model of an airfield with 1" high hangars. You had to imagine where the aircraft were with reference to the airfield diagram on your pin-board, and correlate that with the R/T messages being transmitted through your headset by the Instructors".

2. "During the Advanced Phase of the course, as you noted earlier, students did live training in Shawbury Tower. The problem with that training in Local was that it was totally traffic-dependent for training value. Cr@pweather = minimal/nil traffic, Valley diversions = too busy for student ATCOs".

3. "In my later career I was able to procure a proper dynamic visual simulator which allowed structured, progressive training. It went live in 1992/3, IIRC. Still in service ... It will be a relic one day!! RAF Shawbury | Christie - Visual Display Solutions"

To all of the old ATC hands who may be reading this, I say "Click on this link, and see the marvels of science !" I have some pertinent remarks and questions:

1. This was not so far from reality as it may sound. In a very busy circuit, Local has no time to twist around and look for every real aircraft that calls, but must rely on his pin-board to a great extent. All he can do is to flash quick glances at the "Finals, three greens" point, to see if a dangerous situation is developing (and the Runway Controller, itchy finger on the trigger of a red Verey pistol, is his long-stop there).

Take the case of the Local one late, dark, murky afternoon at Thornaby in'54, who (thought) he had one aircraft (me) in circuit, but went through his entire patter with me without seeing me at all because (a) the vis was so bad that he didn't expect to and didn't bother to look, and (b) because I wasn't there, actually - I was six miles away at MSG ! (whole sad story miles back on this thread).

2. Even in fair weather the bulk of the traffic at Shawbury consisted of Marshalls' pilots, only two or three at a time, their Vampires or Piston Provosts up for an hour or two for radar training at Sleap and well spaced out. Then there would be the odd Javelin airtest (always flown by "Fred" - did he have another name ?). And of course whatever Fate chose to throw at you, which could be anything but was mostly nothing.

3. Now the questions start. The VISSIM simulation looks marvellous; the five screens give as much of a panorama as you might see in a real Tower without turning round in your chair. Could you manipulate the "cyber" aircraft to fly to match your patter ? (For example, could you "fly" your aircraft into the ground and synchronise that with the flames and smoke ?) Or taxy them out and "take off" at will ? How many Instructors were needed to "fly" the "aeroplanes" and do
the R/T - one each ? (in which case it would then be very labour-intensive). But then, IIRC, the "Mock" sessions were carried out by only one Instructor, weren't they ?

Or was the whole thing pre-recorded in some way, and you just had to supply the R/T ?

I throw it open for others to join in (this is our Forum at its best). Danny.