Hours- Hours- Hours !!
Hours- Hours- Hours !
What do hours tell us ?
Or is SKILL more important?
Francois Sommers Logbook for 6 Jun1944
Unit: 12 FAFL (Forces Aériennes Françaises Libres)
Acft: Douglas DB-7/Boston 3A
Regn: BZ 332
Mission: From 0600hrs create a smoke screen every 10mins between the naval bombardment force and the coast - at UTAH beach.
Flight hours: Before 6Jun44 Day: 244:45hr Night: 6:20hr
6Jun44: 1:35hr
Perhaps some other 'experienced avaitors may satisfy your egos? (and hours)
Commandant René Mouchotte
Squadron commander of No. 65 Squadron RAF, the first RAF squadron to be commanded by a non-Commonwealth officer.
Accumulated 1,748 flying hours, including 408 operational hours flying 382 combat sorties.
Flight Lieutenant Harry Hooper
At 19 one of the youngest pilots to fly the Lancaster Bomber during the Second World War. (Lancasters only had ONE pilot)
Hans-Joachim Marseille (13 December 1919 – 30 September 1942)
20yrs old during the Battle of Britian
158 victories against the British Commonwealth's Desert Air Force over North Africa, flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter for his entire combat career
and one from the Spitfire stable
42925 Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum
Joined RAf at 18, Battle of Britian at 19 etc etc.
Its not just Air Force pilots that were skilled, Operation Deadstick- an ARMY Glider Operation - SSgt Jim Wallwork landed his Glider only 45m from the bridge, at night, without lights or an FMC etc etc, just SKILL.
You will have to visit the Pegasus Bridge Museum to see his log book- only approx 100hrs more than todays Integrated CPL course.
"Their operation is equivalent to forced landing the largest sized aircraft without engine aid- than which there is no
higher test of piloting skill" Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Arthur Travers Harris
What are we/they looking for?
- Hours or SKILL?
- - or perhaps the indication that one has potential to develop skill?