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(FSS) Flying Selection Squadron

Met an ex member of FSS, Swinderby yesterday who said it was the best, most cost effective Training System the RAF ever had. Anyone out there who was a staff member or knew how it worked?

I'm sure he won't mind me quoting him, but Dan Winterland posted this on another thread:

Quote:

The Flying Selection Squadron was formed for flying grading in about 1978 aimed for pilots who had done less than 30 hours flying (i.e hadn't done a RAF flying scholarship or held a PPL). The candidates did a 14 hour course with tests at 7 and 14 hours. Unlike the Navy course, they didn't go solo. In 1985, it was decided to give the students a 65 hour course which included solo time, IF, nav and formation. They then went to Cranwell to do the short course the graduate students from UASs did. This was some 30 hours shorter than the full basic course, all flown on the JP5. In about 1988, the experimental long course on the Chipmunk was made official and the unit was renamed the Elementary Flying Trining Squadron. The course had reduced to 54 hours and the students went on to any of the three FTSs, but still doing the short course. The last course was in early 1993 and I could check my logbook to see who was the last taildragger trained student. But I can confirm that I was the last QFI in the RAF to train on a taildragger.

Must have been a brilliant and effective system - it stopped the tosser who stole my wife from becoming a pilot :ok:

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.

fox 3

Class! :D

well, that made me laugh:)

F3 - that could be me! Not sure I am your ex-colleague but all of that applies equally well.

http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a2...s/DSC_0416.jpg

Love the packed lunch stowed in your leg pocket :ok:

That's not me in the photo - I was taking it. We didn't get those gucci new helmets, we had g helmets and shells.

Yep ... Mk1a Outer ... silver :ok:

Surprised that the head could be turned wearing that modern clobber ... especially in the front cockpit of a Chipmunk :eek:

Certainly the old Mk2 with it's G Bar weren't supposed to be used in a Chipmunk ISTR.

An intriguing photo indeed - the second variant of the Red/White/Lt Grey scheme, but with red wingroot panels (they should be grey with this scheme).

FSS Reprobates 1983

Any more? Most of my 14 sorties were with Willis and Turner, one each with Statham and Robinson. Not that I recognise any of those in the photo.

FSS Reprobates 1983

Any names & stories?

I reckon that Pete Frame and Dennis Winterbottom are both in there; they were both still present in 1987 when I did EFTS, although most of the ac still had the FSS markings on.

Subsequent conversations with QFIs who had been on the staff during both incarnations of the unit revealed that they, unsurprisingly, far preferred the EFTS version. FSS forced them to assess only, with no time for any actual instruction.

I'll also take a punt on John Lloyd, and the chap 5 in from the left looks a lot like Ron Powell, subsequently boss of ULAS. Not sure if he spent any time at Swinderby though...

I went through FSS as a student in 1983. Monkey-see, monkey-do with little/no teaching at all. It seemed to me to be a way to weed out those who had managed to slip through OASC but were never going to master flying.

Cheap & fun. Only ground-looped the old girl on trip 14! :}

My Friend Fred Has Hairy Balls! :E

Mixture Fuel Flaps Harness Hood Brakes ?