Pilot Training

[Pips]

Just trying to get a handle on the process a budding young pilot would go through from the time he starts his initial pilot training through to joining a Scout Squadron.

Would I be right in saying that the initial training was conducted at the CFS? If so that ywould get you solo'ing, but at what school would you learn how to handle a Scout? Was that conducted in France on your posting to a Squadron? Or done in England first?

[Pips]

Anyone?

[Bletchley]

Cobby, have you seen the article in the 'Articles & Reviews: People' section of the Forum on RFC training? This may answer your questions, as you seem to be interested in RFC training. Early war training in the RFC was very different to later training - in the early training fledgling pilots were taught the basics, discouraged from 'stunting' and packed off to operational squadrons. Later in the war there would be basic training followed by further training on type at an advanced flying school before they were shipped off to an operational unit. French and German training was different, and I don't know enough about it to comment, except to say that French pilots were taught to fly first on 'penguins' (aircraft that could not fly, or that could only fly a short distance in a series of hops and bounces). French and German training appears to have resulted in far fewer casualties in training schools than the early British training (although I think RNAS training was better in the early years than that of the RFC, and the 'Gosport' method was that later adopted for RFC/RAF training). The training in Canada was also superior to that in the UK, I believe.

Bletchley

[Pips]

Thanks for the pointer Bletch! I'll chase up the articals.