Straight to rotary
 

From Cranwell’s Facebook page

”Recently, a ceremony was held at RAF Barkston Heath to mark the standing down of No 674 Squadron Army Air Corps (AAC) from its role in the delivery of Elementary Flying Training (EFT) as part of Number 3 Flying Training School (FTS) based at RAF Cranwell.

As part of the modernisation of the UK Military Flying Training System, ab-initio Army Air Corps pilots in the future will no longer be required to train on the Prefect and instead will go directly to RAF Shawbury and train on rotary air systems.

On the stand-down of the squadron, Major Mark Beard said ‘It has been an absolute honour to serve as Officer Commanding 674 Squadron AAC. The professionalism and dedication of all the staff to provide the best possible training has been second to none, and the enthusiasm and focus of the student cadre has been outstanding. I hope that 674 Squadron AAC would stand back up in the future and play a fundamental role in the development of future Army aviators’.”

Probably a function of how long it takes to get an Army pilot up to wings and then onto OCU compared to what the AAC actually need.

Once upon a time an Army pilot pitched up at Middle Wallop, did grading, basic and advanced rotary and then went out to the Field Army on Gazelle in a year or a bit longer if they needed Lynx course.

Think most of the worlds army aviation apart from the Australian Army Aviation Corps and us do not have fixed wing flying grading / EFT before RW Training.

Mind you look across the pond at Mother Rucker grads over the last half century ...they don’t have to go into fixed wing flying screening before training on TH-13/TH-55/TTH-67 and now UH-72A Lakota unlike their navy/ marine corps and Air Force brethren.

So are we moving with the times or going two steps back?

cheers

I did the Army pilot course in 1985. After selection at Biggin Hill we went through Beaver training with the option to get a PPL on the side, then Basic and Advanced Rotary, a year at Wallop in total. Upon arrival at a Squadron we went through Theatre Qualification training (similar to Line Training for a civvy NS pilot), then the usual Standards/Check flights every 6 months.

Two courses after mine they changed to the "P2" training system where the pilot course was cut to 6 months and after Wings parade people were sent to Squadrons to carry out "continuation training". After a period determined by the Squadron QHI the pilot returned to Wallop and went through a Command course. Aircraft Commanders didn't fly as a routine, sitting in the LHS as weapons/sight operators.

It all seemed a bit a**e about face to us. The US had tried the P2 system and abandoned it a few years before.

From this thread it appears things have morphed even more. No idea whether it's for better or worse ?

NEO

Chipmunk, surely?

Choppers Arms, surely! ;)

I can always count on a fellow Ppruner to correct my fading memory ! Chipmunk it was. :ok: Fuel on, brakes on, throttle closed, switches off.

Ah, the Choppers Arms; crap beer served by surly staff in plastic glasses. It closed for renovations just after my course and AFAIK never reopened.

Cheers, NEO

and: my friend fred has hairy balls. :) :)​​​​​​​ :)​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Evening Sid. Long time no see.