"In at the deep end"

[JDNSW]

I have just been reading a book written in 1942 by a Group Captain Cobby, about his experiences in the Great War. Joining the AFC in 1916, initial training was at Point Cook, where a new squadron was formed, but they were shipped to England after no more than two or three hours flying in Farman aircraft - only three trainers for sixty pilots, and lots of aircraft downtime. After some months of training in England, having soloed and converted to flying single seaters (Camels) the squadron transferred to the front line - with an average of twelve hours total flying time!

Some of the pilots had never fired a gun in the air. Is it surprising that the casualty rate was fairly high? As much from accidents as from enemy action - the squadron's first fatalities in France were from a midair collision between three aircraft flying in formation.

Another interesting item mentioned - during the 1919 Anzac Day parade in London, a large number of AFC pilots managed to get hold of aircraft and rendezvous over London. Cobby, flying a Camel, and one other in another type, flew the length of The Strand, over the parade - below the wires crossing the street. He was a Wing Commander at the time!

Times have changed.

John

[Pedro_The_Swift]

maybe not John

[JDNSW]

maybe not John

Although similar in spirit, not quite the same as a crowded city street. Although I am reminded of the chap about forty years ago who flew up the Brisbane River under the bridges early one morning, and then landed in a football field. He was in a lot of strife, partly because he 'borrowed' a plane, I think from RQAC.

Or the last DC6 flight out of Lae - the captain asked for a clearance for a celebratory flypast, and got it - but apparently the controller did not envisage this taking place twenty feet over the control tower at a speed just below VNE. Never heard what the passengers thought, but according to the story, the captain was grounded when the flight landed in Brisbane.

John

[richard4u2]

i take my hat off to those boys, who after a few hours training were thrown into the deep end of the war