ATA pilots - did they always fly single crew?
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ATA pilots - did they always fly single crew?
When ATA pilots delivered a multi-engine transport or bomber during WW2, did they also fly with a navigator and radio-operator? Or did they just have to manage on their own?
There were, in addition to pilots, other flying personnel in the ATA. The organization had its own Flight Engineers, among them four women, one of whom was killed in service.
Thread Starter
Thank you - a very interesting read. This quote made me laugh, concerning initial opposition to women ATA pilots:
"We quite agree . . . that there are millions of women in the country who could do useful jobs in war. But the trouble is that so many of them insisting on wanting to do jobs which they are quite incapable of doing. The menace is the woman who thinks that she ought to be flying in a high-speed bomber when she really has not the intelligence to scrub the floor of a hospital properly, or who wants to nose around as an Air Raid Warden and yet can't cook her husband's dinner."
"We quite agree . . . that there are millions of women in the country who could do useful jobs in war. But the trouble is that so many of them insisting on wanting to do jobs which they are quite incapable of doing. The menace is the woman who thinks that she ought to be flying in a high-speed bomber when she really has not the intelligence to scrub the floor of a hospital properly, or who wants to nose around as an Air Raid Warden and yet can't cook her husband's dinner."
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I had the great pleasure of meeting some ex-ATA ladies and gentlemen at a do at Lyneham a few years ago. What a splendid bunch they were! They took great delight in telling us about their ferrying exploits. As I recall, the inference was that they generally flew single pilot on the larger aircraft and took the essential operating crew (Nav, W/Op, etc) but no gunners.
One of the chaps had his original set of ATA FRCs with him. They were composed of a card per aircraft; one side was basically how to stop and go, the other had the emergency drills. The Lancaster was the exception as it had 2 cards.
A finer group of people you would be hard-pushed to meet.
One of the chaps had his original set of ATA FRCs with him. They were composed of a card per aircraft; one side was basically how to stop and go, the other had the emergency drills. The Lancaster was the exception as it had 2 cards.
A finer group of people you would be hard-pushed to meet.
Atc cadets
Read somewhere that occasionally on the Lancaster some of the women pilots carried a Cadet to help operate.
Did an instructors course with Joan Hughes in the 70s...qualified to instruct on All WW2 allied aircraft...
A posh Gem
Did an instructors course with Joan Hughes in the 70s...qualified to instruct on All WW2 allied aircraft...
A posh Gem
Originally Posted by blind pew
Read somewhere that occasionally on the Lancaster some of the women pilots carried a Cadet to help operate.
ATC Cadets and ATA
Someone spotted there was only one letter different and senior cadets found themselves co-opted to watch the t's and 'ps and yell very loudly if anything moved out of the green
