Gaining An R.A.F. Pilots Brevet In WW11
Thank you Chugalug for the Horsa Pilots Notes. The Hastings did have a "tow rope" position in the tail, but by the time it came into service all the gliders had gone. We did, in fact have a jeep and trailer on a carrier under the nose, and I went to Abingdon as a co-pilot for the trials and then we dropped them in an exercise in the Canal Zone in 1952, but it was not a happy load and caused a lot of "waffle", but I will get back to Broadwell in January 1945.
We flew for 4 hours and 50 minutes in January, 9 sorties of which two of 1hour 30 and 1 hour 35 were "Balbos" using a number of our Horsas and landing en masse on Broadwell. The other trips were just single circuits. It must be remembered that it took quite a lot of effort to line up the glider and tug and there was a lot of waiting to fly. I managed a couple of trips in a Dakota to experience the problems of towing. On take off it was necessary for the Horsa to be kept as low as possible until there was definite climb from the Dakota. Once airborne and settled the technique was to use the clear vision panel and position the dakota as an artificial horizon. You would lower the Horsa until slight buffeting from the slipstream of the Dakota under the Horsa and then fly the clear vision panel. That was in the high tow position. Attached to the tow rope was a cord which was connected to an instrument in the cockpit (Horsa) known as the "Angle of dangle" to be used in the low tow in cloud and would give a reasonable indication of an horizon. The tow rope on the Mark 1 Horsa was attached to a connection in each wing, and to release the aircraft must be in "High Tow or the cockpit would be clobbered! In the low tow the technique was to come up until buffeting was felt on top! The Mk 2 Horsa had a single connection in the nose.
February we did 3 hours 25 on the Mk 1 and 15 minutes on the Mark 2.,all day and including another "Balbo" of 1 hour 30.
We still kept up our trips to the ranges, and escape and evasion etc.
By March we knew that an Operation was looming. We did another "Balbo" then an exercise carrying 21 members of the Parachute Regiment who decided that they would rather jump. A final rehearsal for what we "knew" was to be the Rhine crossing where we took a jeep and a trailer and eight members of the Royal Ulster Rifles for a two hour trip. We wer given leave from which I was recalled. My father took me to the station, put his head in the carriage window and said, dont forget, keep your head down. He had been in the 14/18!!