joy ride
13th Apr 2015, 10:33
When my father was diagnosed with having Alzheimer's I started trying to note down some of his memories, including flying. In WW2 he was a trainee Fleet Air Arm Observer/Navigator, finishing on Barracudas, ready to embark for the Pacific just days before the war ended. Many of his memories have been corroborated but I am seeking comments on some of them.
He recalled sitting behind the pilot, with curved side windows, so this is a clear memory of the Mk I. He said that when practicing torpedo runs he used to enjoy standing up on a platform or ledge with his head outside the canopy. On another occasion when talking about his time in Barracudas he said that when attacking, the pilot's job was to concentrate on the target, and O/N's job was to look over the pilot's head to look out for enemy aircraft and/or approaching ammunition and advise the pilot accordingly.
Dad seemed pretty clear that this was in Barracudas but it seems more likely to me to have been while he was in the even slower Swordfish and Albacore.
Does anyone here have any knowledge of this? Thanks for any comments.
He recalled sitting behind the pilot, with curved side windows, so this is a clear memory of the Mk I. He said that when practicing torpedo runs he used to enjoy standing up on a platform or ledge with his head outside the canopy. On another occasion when talking about his time in Barracudas he said that when attacking, the pilot's job was to concentrate on the target, and O/N's job was to look over the pilot's head to look out for enemy aircraft and/or approaching ammunition and advise the pilot accordingly.
Dad seemed pretty clear that this was in Barracudas but it seems more likely to me to have been while he was in the even slower Swordfish and Albacore.
Does anyone here have any knowledge of this? Thanks for any comments.