Chugalug (#10622),
Thanks for the prompt reply ! My general impression (admittedly 75 years old) was that the civilian flying schools taken over by the Army Air Corps were under tight rein from the South-East Air Corps Flying Training Center; and the (junior) Army officers appointed to each place were tasked to ensure that only the AAC Syllabus was taught there. I can hardly imagine that they would allow our (civilian) instructors at the Embry-Riddle School of Aviation at Carlstrom Field to teach the "No ASI" method unless it was AAC Policy.
The British Flying Training Schools, on the other hand, which were under RAF Command, would teach only the RAF Syllabus (although at the beginning using US civilian instructors, but later by their own or Arnold Scheme "creamies").
Overall Command was in the benevolent person of Major General "Hap" Arnold, who had been taught to fly by the Wright Brothers and had a colourful career, although it would seem that he and President Roosevelt did not get on too well (Wiki knows the full story).
As for the Stearman, I have never been a QFI (not good enough !), or a TP, but yet: "
The Toad Beneath the Harrow knows......." I did 60 hours on the Stearman as a stood, and later at Thornaby much the same on TMs doing Air Experience Flights and some (unofficial) instructing.
I would say that both Tiger and Stearman were excellent primary trainers, but the Stearman had the edge IMHO, as being bigger, heavier and more rugged and powerful. The Stearman has been in the news over the past year or two, because of one ("The Spirit of Artemis") in the hands of "The Bird in a Biplane" (full, entertaining story on Private Flying Forum, "Tracey Curtis-Taylor" Thread). As for the two monoplane US trainers, I would suppose that they were in the same league as our Miles Magister. Never flew any of 'em.
Your: "...High performance WWII operational aircraft would not be very forgiving of such a routine..." Oddly enough, Peter C. Smith, somewhere in his authoritative "Vengeance!", tells a story by a "Red" McInnis (RCAF), who got airborne in a VV, only to find that he had no ASI
(I suppose a fat bug had set up home in the pitot tube). But he was on an 'op', and so all he had to do out and back was to keep station in the "box", the ASI is irrelevant in the dive, and when they broke for landing, used attitude and normal power settings. Easy-Peasy !
"Red", btw, was in 110 with me, and I took over 1340 Flight from him when he went back to Canada in April, 1945. ...... Which brings me to a further appeal for help from the brethren.
Peter Smith is trying to trace "Red"s full Christian Names for a projected new edition of "Vengeance!". We know: "J.17891 F/Lt V.B. McInnis, RCAF" already. With that, it should be easy to get hold of a copy of his service records, right ?
Wrong ! Peter has had no success in getting this from the R.C.A.F. It is not that he is an idle gawker off the street - he is a well respected Aviation historian, and is asking for a legitimate purpose.
????????
Cheers, Danny.
