(FSS) Flying Selection Squadron
Gentleman Aviator
Was not the "notch of brake before X-wind landing/taxiing" to take advantage of the curious interconnection between rudder and brake cables. (Presumably designed in for that reason.)
IIRC (which I may well not!) one lot of cables were routed through pulleys on the other lot. Result: extreme rudder position applied a tad of (appropriate) brake.
Or am I confusing it with another system????
IIRC (which I may well not!) one lot of cables were routed through pulleys on the other lot. Result: extreme rudder position applied a tad of (appropriate) brake.
Or am I confusing it with another system????
Had a very good friend who was on the ground crew at FSS. They caused the DIs/DS at the recruit school hours of anger and angst with their antics in the hangar which he said was subdivided as a drill shed. They 'lineys' proved to be an example of the real Air Force, scruffy unkempt and generally disrespectful, but doing a very good job, not the rarefied atmosphere of omnipotence the DIs/DS tried too impose.
Watching BBC Fighter Pilot on the youtoobs and there is no mention of FSS or the Chippy. The studes seem to magically transfer from OCTU Henlow to Linton on the JP!
Episode 4 features the studes tipping in at Linton on the JP straight from Episode 3 at OCTU Henlow.
Was there a Flying Selection phase on Chipmunks first? If so, it is not mentioned by the narrator.
Also, if their 16 week IOT was at OCTU, does that mean there were Flight Cadets at Cranwell up to 1981 on a 2 year course (IOT, BFT and wings combined?)
Episode 4 features the studes tipping in at Linton on the JP straight from Episode 3 at OCTU Henlow.
Was there a Flying Selection phase on Chipmunks first? If so, it is not mentioned by the narrator.
Also, if their 16 week IOT was at OCTU, does that mean there were Flight Cadets at Cranwell up to 1981 on a 2 year course (IOT, BFT and wings combined?)
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As someone who went straight from OCTU Henlow to JPs at Linton in 1977 (about 8 courses before "Fighter Pilot"), I seem to remember that the Chipmunk flying came a little later.
Watching BBC Fighter Pilot on the youtoobs and there is no mention of FSS or the Chippy. The studes seem to magically transfer from OCTU Henlow to Linton on the JP!
Episode 4 features the studes tipping in at Linton on the JP straight from Episode 3 at OCTU Henlow.
Was there a Flying Selection phase on Chipmunks first? If so, it is not mentioned by the narrator.
Also, if their 16 week IOT was at OCTU, does that mean there were Flight Cadets at Cranwell up to 1981 on a 2 year course (IOT, BFT and wings combined?)
Episode 4 features the studes tipping in at Linton on the JP straight from Episode 3 at OCTU Henlow.
Was there a Flying Selection phase on Chipmunks first? If so, it is not mentioned by the narrator.
Also, if their 16 week IOT was at OCTU, does that mean there were Flight Cadets at Cranwell up to 1981 on a 2 year course (IOT, BFT and wings combined?)
Last edited by Background Noise; 7th Oct 2019 at 11:41. Reason: speeling
Indeed. I went through FSS in '83.
Monkey see....monkey do, that's how I'd describe it. No teaching, just do this and we'll decide if you can go on to the JP. JP3 for me at CF.
Monkey see....monkey do, that's how I'd describe it. No teaching, just do this and we'll decide if you can go on to the JP. JP3 for me at CF.
Avoid imitations
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A former colleague told me he passed FSS by hardly looking out of the window at all. He just watched the stick as the instructor demo'ed something, then replicated the movements.
He subsequently became a FJ display pilot, though he was looking out of the window by then.
He subsequently became a FJ display pilot, though he was looking out of the window by then.
that I once let him do my engine off all by himself
I never did an engine off landing. My instructor always did the last bit.
In Sep 1974 I was one of a number of newly commissioned student pilots involved in a trial to determine whether a grading system could predict success or failure of individuals through the RAF pilot training system. The idea, of course, was that by identifying early, those that were not going to make it, would save money by taking them out of the system before they started flying the expensive machinery. I believe it was instigated because experienced EFT QFIs often said they could predict students' (later) success or failure at an early stage.
Straight out of OCTU we went to Church Fenton Primary Flying Grading Sqn and were given 14 hrs flying all dual with a 'test' at 7hrs and 14hrs (or 13.5hrs in my case!). At the end of the 'course', the Staff predicted whether or not each student would reach a Group 1 (fast jet) OCU and sealed the results in an envelope. We were never told the result. We then went through the system of BFTS AFTS and TWU as normal - in my case OCU was 3 years later. At some point all the envelopes were opened and, as I understand it, the predictions were found to be very accurate and Primary Flying Grading was introduced. It seemed a bit unscientific at the time as we all had different previous flying experience. Some guys had no flying training at all, others like me, already had a PPL from a flying scholarship. Maybe this was all taken into account. I never did find out - did I get the yes or no?
Straight out of OCTU we went to Church Fenton Primary Flying Grading Sqn and were given 14 hrs flying all dual with a 'test' at 7hrs and 14hrs (or 13.5hrs in my case!). At the end of the 'course', the Staff predicted whether or not each student would reach a Group 1 (fast jet) OCU and sealed the results in an envelope. We were never told the result. We then went through the system of BFTS AFTS and TWU as normal - in my case OCU was 3 years later. At some point all the envelopes were opened and, as I understand it, the predictions were found to be very accurate and Primary Flying Grading was introduced. It seemed a bit unscientific at the time as we all had different previous flying experience. Some guys had no flying training at all, others like me, already had a PPL from a flying scholarship. Maybe this was all taken into account. I never did find out - did I get the yes or no?
FSS as a grading unit only lasted 5 years before the EFTS course was resurrected. There were two reasons for this, as I understood later when I went back to Swinderby as a QFI. The first was that it as cost effective to do more hours on the cheaper aircraft. The 65 hours on a full time course bought the students up to the same standard as someone with 120 hours from a UAS and they did the short course at Cranwell, saving about 35 JP hours. The backlog at this time was on BFT, so this got the students through faster.
Second, there were doubts about the efficiency of grading. The FSS pass criteria was Group 1 standard as this is where the demand was and all Group 2 and 3 slots could be filled by BFT and beyond with students who hadn't made fast jets. Later, this was not the case and there was a requirement for more BFT pilots to fill these slots. This was achieved by passing more at FSS. But it was soon noted that many of the Group 2/3 only assessed pilots were doing really well at BFT, whereas the Group 1 assessed guys had the usual pass rate. This raised questions as to the effectiveness of grading.
This was analysed and explained by the two very different instruction styles. Compared with conventional instruction, grading was very formal and offered no flexibility to allow exercises to be repeated. Some students did not respond well to this style, particularly the younger ones. There was no debriefing and students were not aware of how they were doing until they got the news at the end of the course. It was also noticed the RN grading system did use a conventional syllabus and the students were sent solo by the end of the course. Their system had a better pass prediction - although they had different requirements with the majority of their pilots going to rotary.
Also, candidates could 'cheat' by doing some flying before FSS. The cut-off criteria was the 30 hours Flying Scholarship and this meant that someone could attend FSS with quite considerable flying experience . Gliding didn't count at all leading to some pilots being assessed with several hundred hours flying already under their belt. My airline recruits about half of it's pilots through a cadet scheme. Candidates used to do ten hours of grading first - but this has been discontinued. Partly due to cost, but also because it was proving ineffective. Several candidates were found to have been paying to learn to fly before grading to ensure a pass at the first stage.
Second, there were doubts about the efficiency of grading. The FSS pass criteria was Group 1 standard as this is where the demand was and all Group 2 and 3 slots could be filled by BFT and beyond with students who hadn't made fast jets. Later, this was not the case and there was a requirement for more BFT pilots to fill these slots. This was achieved by passing more at FSS. But it was soon noted that many of the Group 2/3 only assessed pilots were doing really well at BFT, whereas the Group 1 assessed guys had the usual pass rate. This raised questions as to the effectiveness of grading.
This was analysed and explained by the two very different instruction styles. Compared with conventional instruction, grading was very formal and offered no flexibility to allow exercises to be repeated. Some students did not respond well to this style, particularly the younger ones. There was no debriefing and students were not aware of how they were doing until they got the news at the end of the course. It was also noticed the RN grading system did use a conventional syllabus and the students were sent solo by the end of the course. Their system had a better pass prediction - although they had different requirements with the majority of their pilots going to rotary.
Also, candidates could 'cheat' by doing some flying before FSS. The cut-off criteria was the 30 hours Flying Scholarship and this meant that someone could attend FSS with quite considerable flying experience . Gliding didn't count at all leading to some pilots being assessed with several hundred hours flying already under their belt. My airline recruits about half of it's pilots through a cadet scheme. Candidates used to do ten hours of grading first - but this has been discontinued. Partly due to cost, but also because it was proving ineffective. Several candidates were found to have been paying to learn to fly before grading to ensure a pass at the first stage.
One of the first aspirant pilots who took part in the pre-FSS trial was later told that, if they'd had any say in the matter, he was the one person who they would definitely have failed...
...he subsequently breezed through fast jet training and became a Lightning pilot.
FSS did seem rather a pointless concept, whereas Chipmunk EFTS seemed a lot more sensible - as the UASs and the old Flt Cdt Chipmunk flying system at Cranwell North had already proved!
...he subsequently breezed through fast jet training and became a Lightning pilot.
FSS did seem rather a pointless concept, whereas Chipmunk EFTS seemed a lot more sensible - as the UASs and the old Flt Cdt Chipmunk flying system at Cranwell North had already proved!
Thanks all. That makes sense now. In fact it is quite fun watching the 1978-1981 series and comparing it with the 2019 ITV effort. Some of the instructional patter never changes.
