PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - RAF Instructors - steely eyed or gentle and supportive ?
Old 22nd Oct 2015, 12:28
  #82 (permalink)  
BANANASBANANAS
 
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Formerly resident of Knoteatingham
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The other side

Just to put some balance back into this thread if I may.

Way back in the very early 1980's when I was a student pilot at Cranwell, I had the pleasure of Ray 'Fu?K1ng' Knowles as my Primary Instructor on the JP5A.

First time we flew together I barfed all over him, me and most of the cockpit.

Those of you that remember Ray will know that he had a reputation for 'telling it how it was' but he stuck with me.

My air sickness caused major problems for me in the run up to the spin aeros check as I needed 3 hands to fly the thing and most practice spins resulted in 'I have "fu&king"control' from Ray in the right seat while I fumbled for, then stared into the blue bag.

But in the run up to my spin aeros check Ray spent an hour or so every evening sitting in a JP in the hangar with me after work so that he could apply 'input force' from the right column commensurate for me to overcome on the left column as he felt that I was ripe for the chop due airsickness slowing my progress, but that if we could beat the airsickness there was a remote possibility that I may one day see a set of wings pinned on my chest. I got through that spin aeros check, got the wings and subsequently saw Ray again at Brize when he was on 101 Sqn.

I think the point I am trying to make is that sometimes an image is maintained, even encouraged, but underneath you may be pleasantly surprised what you find.

I was.
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