Flying Instructor Training

On 23rd May 1941 my Grandfather bid farewell to P/O Stearn and 22 E.F.T.S and moved on to train as a Flying Instructor at 4 S.F.I.S ((Supplementary) Flying Instructors School) at R.A.F. Cambridge. 

The Log Book shows that on 26th May, he had a flight in a Miles Magister L.8176 under the instruction of P/O Tompkins. This is the first new aircraft type my Grandfather flew in. Miles Magister - Flight tests

Affectionately known as the "Maggie" this open cockpit monoplane had a much better viewing position for the pilot plus the introduction of flaps, brakes and a tail wheel for the trainee pilot to contend with. It also had it's own flying idiosyncrasies, too much pressure on the rudder bar and the aircraft would pitch abruptly earthwards!

Here's a clip of a "Maggie" in flight

For the remainder of May and June 1941 my Grandfather went through a rigorous set of flying tests to assess his abilities.

Finally, on the 25th June 1941, following the "C.O's Test" with S/Ldr A.D. Bennett he qualified as an Elementary Flying Instructor.

At the same time, Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of Russia by the German forces, had commenced. This was the largest military operation in World history, and would be both the salvation of the Western allies and the ultimate downfall of Hitler and the Nazis.

Sequence of Instruction

Throughout April and into May 1941, my Grandfather continued training in D.H. 82 Tiger Moths, with endless circuits and 'bumps' (landing and take off), as well as a bewildering series of numbered activities. By now, these numbers were so mundane that my Grandfather no longer bothered to fill in what the numbers referred to in the "Duty" column. So following some investigation, I have found out the following 'Sequence of Instruction';

1. Air experience 
1A. Familiarity with cockpit layout 
2. Effect of controls 
3. Taxying 
4. Straight and level flying 
5. Climbing, gliding and stalling (includes stall off steep turn. High speed stall) 
6. Medium turns 
7. Taking off into wind 
8. Powered approach and landing 
9. Gliding approach and landing 
10. Spinning (with instructor only) 
11. First solo 
12. Sideslipping 
13. Precautionary landing 
14. Low flying (with instructor only) 
15. Steep turns 
16. Climbing turns 
17. Forced landings 
18. Action in event of fire (with instructor only) (including abandoning an aircraft to be given on the ground) 
19. Instrument flying 
20. Taking off and landing out of wind 
21. Aerobatics 
22. Air navigation 
23. Air navigation test 
24. Night flying (record number of landings) 
25. Formation flying

I guess that the more often repeated activities were the ones that had not quite been mastered satisfactorily. 

One of the strangest things to happen in the War occurred in May 1941. While the Luftwaffe was making one last effort to bomb London into submission, a lone Me 110 was flying to Scotland. The pilot baled out and upon being apprehended, announced himself as Rudolf Hess, Hitler's deputy in the Nazi Party. There is more about this on the World War 2 Today Website .