(FSS) Flying Selection Squadron
Background Noise:
Yes you're correct, the colour scheme with the red outer wing panels and elevators SHOULD have grey wing roots. Oddly enough, in another photo supplied by Dan Winterland of FSS Chipmunks I reckon the front aircraft (WD310/H) has red wing roots too; note how the wing leading edge/fuselage junction differs from the aircraft behind:
Why the fuss about red wingroots (apart from me being pedantic)? These indicated the first variant of the Red/White/Light Grey scheme in which the Chipmunk had red wingtips, leading edges and wingroots plus grey elevators. For reasons that totally escape me this scheme was short-lived (1970-1973) and seemingly confined to 2 FTS Church Fenton.
Compare these with your second posted photo (all are 2 FTS aircraft except for WD347, a visitor from from CFS):
Yes you're correct, the colour scheme with the red outer wing panels and elevators SHOULD have grey wing roots. Oddly enough, in another photo supplied by Dan Winterland of FSS Chipmunks I reckon the front aircraft (WD310/H) has red wing roots too; note how the wing leading edge/fuselage junction differs from the aircraft behind:
Why the fuss about red wingroots (apart from me being pedantic)? These indicated the first variant of the Red/White/Light Grey scheme in which the Chipmunk had red wingtips, leading edges and wingroots plus grey elevators. For reasons that totally escape me this scheme was short-lived (1970-1973) and seemingly confined to 2 FTS Church Fenton.
Compare these with your second posted photo (all are 2 FTS aircraft except for WD347, a visitor from from CFS):
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GF ... I think you refer to establishing Min Diff on the brakes (typically 3 notches against full rudder) prior to taxiing so ICON that setting could be applied downwind for landing ... but not a technique used regularly. ISTR that if you needed that level of authority you were close to the XWind limit of 15 Kts and should find another runway 
Last edited by CoffmanStarter; 1st Jul 2013 at 08:00.
These indicated the first variant of the Red/White/Light Grey scheme in which the Chipmunk had red wingtips, leading edges and wingroots plus grey elevators. For reasons that totally escape me this scheme was short-lived (1970-1973) and seemingly confined to 2 FTS Church Fenton.
He simply said "You are NOT to indulge in illegal dog fighting! I know who it was who started it, because when you're flying the only red and white Chipmunk in Berkshire, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to find out who you are. DON'T DO IT AGAIN!!"
It wasn't me, incidentally!
Non standard wing roots can probably be explained by someone having stood on one and the replacement being stock in the old colour scheme. One FSS aircraft had a silver dope rudder for a while.
The rougues gallery (from L to R):
Dickie Duke, John ?, Al Staham, Roger Cooper, Dennis ?, Pete Frame, ?, Engine, Mike Dutton, ?,?,Dennis Winterbottom, ? (but must have been the adj ans he has a Nav Brevet), ?. The black lab was Dickie Duke's dog - imaginatively named "Duke", no idea about the other dog.
I'm not sure about FSS being that effective as a grading scheme. We had a big book in the office with a record of all the pilots who ever went through FSS/EFTS, the score they acheived on the course and where they ended up. It was quite noticeble that the scores during selection didn't really correalate with where they ended up. Many Harrier pilots only acheived a minimum pass score of 5 at FSS (including at least one Red Arrow) and the one 9 ever awared (the top score) went to someone who ended up on Hercs! The failure rate through FSS was quite high - at least 30% and many of those passing got chopped later on, whereas the pass rate through EFTS was about 85% with subsequent failure being very rare.
Would love to know what happened to that book. It went missing just before EFTS closed!
The rougues gallery (from L to R):
Dickie Duke, John ?, Al Staham, Roger Cooper, Dennis ?, Pete Frame, ?, Engine, Mike Dutton, ?,?,Dennis Winterbottom, ? (but must have been the adj ans he has a Nav Brevet), ?. The black lab was Dickie Duke's dog - imaginatively named "Duke", no idea about the other dog.
I'm not sure about FSS being that effective as a grading scheme. We had a big book in the office with a record of all the pilots who ever went through FSS/EFTS, the score they acheived on the course and where they ended up. It was quite noticeble that the scores during selection didn't really correalate with where they ended up. Many Harrier pilots only acheived a minimum pass score of 5 at FSS (including at least one Red Arrow) and the one 9 ever awared (the top score) went to someone who ended up on Hercs! The failure rate through FSS was quite high - at least 30% and many of those passing got chopped later on, whereas the pass rate through EFTS was about 85% with subsequent failure being very rare.
Would love to know what happened to that book. It went missing just before EFTS closed!
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Duke, Martin, Statham, Thorn were the names in my logbook, with Merv the adj behind the prop.
Blimey (probably a very bare 5 after a recount).
Blimey (probably a very bare 5 after a recount).
Last edited by blimey; 1st Jul 2013 at 15:04.
Non standard wing roots can probably be explained by someone having stood on one and the replacement being stock in the old colour scheme. One FSS aircraft had a silver dope rudder for a while.
I was wondering how long it would take you to post on this thread!
I think this is the most likely explanation, although to achieve the effect shown all three upper wing root panels would have been replaced. What a pity we don't have a photo of the other side! WP980 was with 2 FTS 1971-1974 (where it presumably wore the first variant of the R/W/LG scheme), then placed into storage and re-painted at 27 MU prior to being issued to FSS in 1980 - so it should have had the bog standard (grey wing roots and all) second variation.
Apparently by this stage interchange of mis-matched components wasn't unusual; there are even examples of RAF Chipmunks with RN canopies (oh, the horror of it all). Indeed, although the photo of the 2 FTS line-up can have been taken no later than 1973, if you look closely at WD347 note that it's in the overall LAG scheme but has the canopy frames in silver.
Cheers!
Painted Light Grey in the mid 80's - and they came from RN stock.
I went through FSS in December 83 and somehow got the thumbs up. I recall climbing to 5000' on one sortie and managed to knock the vent in the canopy roof wide open just as we reached the top of climb. My poor instructor in the boot couldn't close it and we had to return to earth before he froze to death. I got an extra 20 minutes free flying as a result, such was the scintillating climb performance of the Chippie!
I also recall Merv Astle giving up his "M3" lecture. Money, Money, Money! which informed us how to prise the maximum cash out of the blunties. I seem to remember it invovled marrying some old dear who lived at least 200 miles away so that one could claim additional travel warrants, free messing and had the extra benefit of providing us young bucks with an excuse for swerving the inevitable pressure to marry our current girlfriends! I can now report that next week I celebrate 25 years of happy marriage to my then girlfriend! Nevertheless thanks for all your invaluable advice Merv, I hope that somewhere someone like you is still passing on their experience to the next generation.
I also recall Merv Astle giving up his "M3" lecture. Money, Money, Money! which informed us how to prise the maximum cash out of the blunties. I seem to remember it invovled marrying some old dear who lived at least 200 miles away so that one could claim additional travel warrants, free messing and had the extra benefit of providing us young bucks with an excuse for swerving the inevitable pressure to marry our current girlfriends! I can now report that next week I celebrate 25 years of happy marriage to my then girlfriend! Nevertheless thanks for all your invaluable advice Merv, I hope that somewhere someone like you is still passing on their experience to the next generation.
Wednesday took a relative to La Rochelle to catch a Ryanair flight and as I was driving away the hangar door nearest the road was, unusually, open and peeking out was a Chipmunk looking like it was in RAF colours. Anyone know which one it is - is it UK or French registered. To the owner - you can fly over Le Pinier just 2km down the road from St Hilaire de Voust any time you like!
Thanks Coff - will be there again next week (for my flight to UK - 2 weeks gliding in Devon - hope the weather is good)so will look out for it. Flew WZ875 and WZ879 but not 877
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In June 1974, I took part in an experimental Flying Selection/Grading Course, to see whether that course should introduced to mainstream flying training. We were all assessed at the 7- and 14-hour point, but all progressed to flying training, regardless of our scores. When we had all finished/failed flying training, they then assessed the flying selection/grading course's utility.
My abiding memory of the course was, however, an early circuit at Church Fenton. There I was, flying downwind, desperately trying to get the correct airspeed and height, and recall the pre-landing checks. My knuckles were probably whiter than my flying gloves at this stage. Suddenly, I noticed an increase in noise level and I was somewhat puzzled to see the canopy slowly open. It went to almost fully open, then slowly closed again. Once it was closed, I glanced to the side to look at the airfield, to find that my instructor had written in large, red chinagraphed letters, the word 'TRIM!' on the inside of the canopy. It was a novel way of reminding me, and it worked!
My abiding memory of the course was, however, an early circuit at Church Fenton. There I was, flying downwind, desperately trying to get the correct airspeed and height, and recall the pre-landing checks. My knuckles were probably whiter than my flying gloves at this stage. Suddenly, I noticed an increase in noise level and I was somewhat puzzled to see the canopy slowly open. It went to almost fully open, then slowly closed again. Once it was closed, I glanced to the side to look at the airfield, to find that my instructor had written in large, red chinagraphed letters, the word 'TRIM!' on the inside of the canopy. It was a novel way of reminding me, and it worked!