Some more facts and figures
The following information is taken from an AHB document on Aircrew Training:
Wastage Rate
"It was soon apparent that the wastage rates were not going to be far short of those planned by USAAC (General Arnold had pointed out that the USAAC wastage rate was nearly 50% of the intake) - 36% during primary training, 8% during basic and 1% during advanced - giving an overall elimination rate of 45% which compared very unfavourably with those at RAF Schools"
Course Dates
Course No 1 commenced on 7th June 1941
Primary School Course No 1 passed out 16th August 1941
Advanced Course at Albany from 5th November 1941 to 3rd January 1942
Advanced Course commenced at ***ham (replacing Albany) on 17th December 1941 [the forum replaces three of the letters with *** for some unknown reason]
Course Intakes
Due to the high wastage rate the primary school intakes had to be increased from 550 to 750 commencing with No 4 Course [Think this should be No 5 Course] starting 4th October 1941
Acclimatisation Problems
British pupils needed time to acclimatise to American conditions. The climate was very hot in summer; the American food, because of its richness compared with the normal RAF diet, tended to make pupils airsick; difficulties were experienced at first in understanding the American instructors whilst flying owing to the minor differences in dialect and the slow southern drawl. British pupils also compared unfavourably with the American cadets (most of whom had already driven cars) in simple common sense over the use of engines and brakes
Acclimatisation Course
The acclimatisation course started with No 5 Course on 4th October 1941 (Replacement Centre, Maxwell Field [then Turner Field with effect from 24th January 1942]. Instruction lasted five weeks and consisted of drill, physical training, customs of the US Army, American History and Geography, American terminology used in flying. Pupils were also given experience in driving motor cars to make up for their short comings in mechanical knowledge. They were subjected to the strictest form of American discipline based on that of the military academy at West Point, and although it had its merits, it was found most irksome by the RAF trainees.
Help to alleviate initial problems
From 1st November, it was arranged that cadets selected for training in the US should be drawn from pupils at EFTS who had completed up to 15 hours of flying and who were reported as likely to be good. The first course to arrive in America with previous flying experience was No 7 Course which started training at the Replacement Centre on 18th December 1941
Last edited by Petet; 14th Sep 2015 at 22:11.