A Very Unusual Air War Read Online Free Page A

seriously injured and invalided out of the service. Bearing in mind that some days in October and November we had to contend with the early winter weather, it says a great deal for the quality of our instructors and the dedication of the members of our ground staff who serviced the aircraft, that we were able to complete the course in a little over six weeks.
    On 30th November the Luftwaffe made their devastating bombing raid on Coventry, giving rise to the word ‘Coventrated’. We stood on the airfield only six miles from the city and watched it all happen. Two days later I was given a weekend pass and decided to hitchhike the forty or so miles to Redditch to seemy girlfriend Estelle Ludgate. There was very little chance of making the journey by public transport but I eventually got there, after many deviations for wrecked buildings and areas closed due to unexploded bombs. Searches were also continuing throughout the area for any inhabitants still alive but buried in the rubble.
    Early in December I was posted to No. 9 SFTF (Service Flying Training School), Hullavington, Wiltshire, between the old towns of Malmesbury and Chippenham.
YEAR
1940
AIRCRAFT
Pilot or 1st Pilot
2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass.
DUTY (Including Results and Remarks)
Flying Time
Passenger
MONTH
DATE
Type
No.
Dual
Solo
December
11th
Miles Master
8402
Sgt Barrett
Self
6A Gliding turns with and without flaps
−55
 
 
 
12th
Miles Master
8402
Sgt Barrett
Self
5, 6, 7 and 8
−50
 
 
 
14th
Miles Master
8402
Sgt Barrett
Self
6, 7 and 8
−30
 
 
 
 
Miles Master
8386
Sgt Barrett
Self
6, 7 and 8
−50
 
 
 
17th
Miles Master
8386
Sgt Barrett
Self
6, 7, 8 and 8A Action in the event of overshooting
−45
 
 
 
22nd
Miles Master
8386
Sgt Barrett
Self
SOLO TEST
−15
 
 
 
 
Miles Master
8386
Sgt Barrett
Self
FIRST SOLO
 
−25
 
 
23rd
Miles Master
8386
Sgt Barrett
Self
15 and 23, Navigation
1–00
 
 
 
27th
Miles Master
8386
Sgt Barrett
Self
6, 7 and 8
−35
 
 
 
28th
Miles Master
8386
Self
 
6, 7, 8 and 15
 
−50
 
 
 
Miles Master
8386
Self
 
5 and 6 Gliding turns with and without flaps 8 Action in the event of overshooting 15 Steep Turns
 
−50
 
 
 
Miles Master
8386
Sgt Barrett
Self
5, 6, 7 and 8
−40
 
 
    22 December : For the training of those lucky enough to be chosen to become fighter pilots (every boy’s ambition) our further training was on single-engine aircraft. The Miles Master was an all-wooden, low gull winged monoplane, powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel, liquid-cooled engine. Later versions were powered by the American Pratt and Whitney Wasp radial engine, as too were the American Harvard trainers which eventually took over the training role, particularly when the Empire training scheme came into being. The Master was a modern machine, a big step forward from the little Tiger Moth, with a retractable undercarriage, flaps and acontrollable pitch airscrew. It was now that certain initial letters were imprinted in my heart and mind, indelible for ever. Before take-off:

    TMPFFF standing for T – trim, M – mixture, P – pitch, F-fuel, F – flaps, and F – friction nut; these may be briefly explained:
T
trimming controls set neutral for take-off
M
mixture set rich
P
airscrew pitch of propeller fully fine
F
fuel on
F
flaps in the take off position (the Master did not require flaps for takeoff)
F
friction nut tightened to ensure that the throttle and pitch control was firmly held
    After take-off a slightly different set of letters applied, UMPFFF:
U
undercarriage up and locked
M
Mixture set for flight
P
pitch set for flight
F
flaps up
F
fuel as before
F
friction nut loosened as required
    Before landing, the same acronym, different meaning:
U
undercarriage down and locked
M
mixture rich
P
pitch fully fine
F
fuel as before (except that on some aircraft a particular tank had to be selected)
F
flaps down
F
friction nut tight
    These letters were our bible and applied in varying form to all aircraft. (Do they