Well, we still don't know who the fellow in the OP is.


He looks like Rick Nelson to me. He even sang about it:




He probably had shorter hair then.

WURH - I just love that story: I am still chuckling

The RAF never went to 'gaduates only' for its aircrew. Furthermore the chop rate amongst graduates (or at least those who had been through the UAS system) was way lower than it was for DEs.

Indeed there were 11 of us on my BFTS cse, all of us UAS graduates. All of us passed the cse which was not only the short JP cse, but an experimentally shortened short JP cse. Of the 11, one withdraw from training at AFTS (and went on to become something in the City), the other 10 of us all received our wings.

That sounds like a 'Whacky Wheeler' ism!

@ Vim Fuego :)

The five O-level entry was for a direct entry commission on the supplementary list for 16 years or to 38th birthday with terminal grant & pension, whichever was later, with opportunities to leave with a gratuity after five years (for some, not Hunter pilots though) clutching £750, eight years (£1,500) or 12 years (£3,000). Promotion was only to Sdn Ldr, with possibilities of selection for a permanent commission on the general list (possible promotion to the highest ranks), or a permanent commission on the supplementary list (possibly to Wg Cdr). Cadet entry to the general list needed 2 A-levels.

Much more important NCO aircrew such as yourself needed O-level Eng. Lang. and Maths only. ;)

I must have been lucky. Started at Kirton Lindsey Oct 1st 1955, still aged 17. First solo at High Ercall (Ternhill satellite) Provost OT492 March 2nd 1956 = 5 months and one day.
Everything ran smoothly until Duncan Sandys wielded his bloody axe and cancelled my Hunter course in November 1957.

Bassingbourne OCU over the winter of 1961/62. I shared a billet with a flying officer doing the PR course. I think I have remembered his name and would venture it if someone really wanted to know.

He seemed to have been peculiarly blessed, having either 'O' levels or even possibly no 'O' levels at all. He had blagged a five year commission, which must always have seemed to the P staff to be a bad return on the training costs. On top of that he got a first tour on PR. And he outranked me.

He had bags of personality for sure. I think he could have expected a permanent commission soon enough, to justify the wild card the system had given him. I believe he spoiled this blessed progression by barging through some power cables in a fiord somewhere, although I do not how he did after that.

Out of interest was there an OASC type experience to get through or was it a check of aforementioned 'O' levels, medical and flash of the old school tie before the de-baggings could commence?

Interesting. In '63 only 5 O levels required which for me were 5 standard grade school certificates as I was in Nairobi. Went to Aden for medicals and arrived at Cerney in Apr 63. 5 standard grades seemed to be OK as I went on to ETPS and ended up on the staff. So academic qualifications were not the only requirement. In fact I recall Brawdy becoming known as the Graduate Exit Scheme due to the chop rate!

I went through the OASC at RAF Hornchurch in 1955 and seem to remember it lasted two or three days. Usual medical and aptitude tests followed by group leadership exercises on the last day. Daedelus House tests at Cranwell in 1954 followed a similar pattern, but I wasn't good enough at that time.

ExAscoteer

You are correct overall, however in the mid 70s there was considerable disquiet at HQTC regarding the comparative suspension rates at Cranwell vs Leeming following the introduction of the Objective System of Flying Training. The CFI at Cranwell fought our corner well and HQTC backed off. Once a few courses had progressed through Valley he was seen to be fully justified as it became apparent that the Cranwell GE product was 3 times more likely to be successful at the next stage of training than the students coming from Leeming at that time.

I never liked the phrase "Chop early, chop often" as it sounded rather harsh and we were after all there to teach and get people through training , not remove them. However with the benefit of hindsight early decisions were probably best for all concerned although some on the receiving end may not have felt it at the time.

YS

As a national serviceman I reported to Padgate on 28Nov49 and did my first solo in a Prentice on 27Jun50. However this did entail a trip to Hornchurch for aircrew selection, a few days back at Padgate waiting for the results, a detachment for a week at Driffield (the smell of avtur from the Vampires), Christmas leave and then report to Wittering on 27Dec49 (No 1 ITS) until Easter when the whole outfit moved to Jurby, and finally to 6 FTS TernHill at the end of May. On 28 Dec I broke my right wrist and on 9Jan51 I flew my first Harvard famil with a plaster cast on it and a couple of weeks later my first solo on type. The cast stayed on for six weeks. The course finished the following May and after a weeks leave holding for a few days at Feltwell before off to Valley at the end of June for the Vampire (solo) and Meteor (dual) AFS then at the beginning of Oct to Chivenor for a Vampire OCU. On 28 Nov I became a civilian again, so they certainly packed a lot in in those two years. A few months later I rejoined the Service.


After a tour as a QFI I went to Pembrey , completed the OCU course, and was sent to 11 Gp, Uxbridge for an exercise, there being no postings in the offing. Like John Farley I took the opportunity to chat to the postings chap in his office who told me that 34 Sqn was about to reform at Tangmere. Would I like to go there? I remember getting a bollocking back at Pembrey for circumventing the usual channels but it all turned out well !

Oh dear Vim-Fuego - you'll be suggesting we bought our commissions next!

Did my OASC at Biggin Hill. I did the usual thing with oil drums and planks trying to get my team across an imaginary ravine. I hadnt a clue how to do it (maybe it was impossible) but I figured if I looked as though I knew what I was doing and kept everyone busy for the allotted 10 minutes or so then I might convince the DS.

I got through anyway!

(btw doubt if anyone would have recognised the tie from my unremarkable north country grammar school!)

That was where I went wrong then. I saw the solution to mine more or less straight away and finished it in twenty minutes. (We were alloted thirty minutes as I remember) They weren't impressed because I hadn't shouted at anyone or gee'd them up. Didn't need to, I told them what to do and they did it, and I had a north country Grammar School accent and tie too...:)

Paul Dandecker?

TTN

And he went to ETPS. But that was a mistake in the selection process: they thought he had a maths degree!

- he went through BFTS JP in 1966.

Pontifex - I'm sure he would have walked a maths degree if he'd ever bothered to take one ;)

Another advert a couple of years later said you could become a Vulcan captain by 23! Too young for marriage allowance and a quarter but old enough to bomb Moscow.

I knew at least one 23 year old captain in 1964.

I was led to believe that in the 60s it was just about possible for an FAA SL (P) to be CDQ before he made Sub Lt - the 2ic of RN EFTS in the late 70s was one, I was told.

20 and still a Middy and in the front seat - could it get better in the world of aviation? There could even have been a 19 y/o.

John Eacott may be able to expand/confirm this?