TRAINING PILOTS

Wairarapa Times-Age, 17 April 1941, Page 2

TRAINING PILOTS

HOW RISKS ARE REDUCED CAREFUL PREPARATION. SIGNS OF STRAIN WATCHED. War flying is a risky business, just as all war action is risky; but while the training of future pilots, observers and gunners for the R.N.Z.A.F. must be conditioned by the realities of combat flying, every care is taken to.eliminate risk in training. Mr Hamilton, a member of the War Cabinet, said: “It is better' to have men well trained here than to send out ill-trained men to almost certain death at the front.” Airmen must be fitted for the ordeal of war. How is the R.N.Z.A.F. reducing to a minimum the inevitable risks of war training? It must use machines completely airworthy, its instructors

must be competent, and there must be a constant watch on the human element to see that it does not become stale through overwork or lack of confidence, either in aircraft or the instructors (says Charles E. Wheeler). These are the ideals —does it achieve them? I have talked about these points with all classes of people to be found in the air stations —padres, Y.M.C.A. officers, the instructors, trainees, medical officers, and the O.C’s. of the stations. This has; been an informal process carried out during visits to the stations, “living the life,” privileged to go everywhere, chatting with all ranks about their work and their outlook on Air Force service. What is being done to avoid overstrain? “Browning off” is the Air Force term for a condition constantly in the minds of responsible officers.

This refers particularly to flying personnel, and means that a man is becoming nervy, easily irritated, possibly tired out mentally or physically, or even in some cases suffering from a sense of being “put upon.” The business of discovering and acting on these symptoms is delicately and discreetly managed in all the stations. One might almost call it a benevolent conspiracy on the part of, everyone to watch fdr the signs, and protect one’s friends from the consequences of “browning off” if the signals of warning are neglected. In a score of ways the symptoms of strain becorpo evident to the experienced observer. Medical officers on the stations are very accessible to all ranks,

and explicit instructions’ are given all flying officers and instructions that if a trainee -is not a hundred per cent fit if he is but 99 per cent fit —he must rpport to the medical officer at once. I When the patient belongs to the flying personnel, the medical officer regards even a headache as something more than a matter for routine concern. In a private interview he finds out whether the appetite is normal and the trainee is getting 'adequate sleep, and so the story generally unfolds—the young fellow might be worrying. His medical adviser discovers the reason, and this might lead to consideration of someone else as a possible case of “browning off.” Airmen are encouraged to interview their medical officer at any time, not waiting for the morning sick parade which is the familiar thing ,at every military establishment.

In advanced flying, the instructor has his own roster of pupils to whom he becomes well known. I found in many conversations with the flying officers that they regard each pupil as an individual problem for careful study. Temperaments differ. One pupil may require to be told in emphatic language what he must do during flights, but another does better -under jnore gentle guidance. 1

Risky flying is discouraged by all the means which regulations and lecturing can devise. A pilot undertaking a cross-country flight is instructed that .if unusual conditions are encountered he must turn back, or if completely “closed in” he must make for the nearest aerodrome. This warning appears on the form handed to the pilot authorising the flight. A summary of the most vital regulations relating to safety of personnel and aircraft appears in the pilot’s order book. One rule emphatically prohibits low flying. It will not be tolerated, it says, and steps have been taken to secure the co-operation of the public in reporting breaches of the regulation. There might be occasions when the pilot finds it necessary to fly low, but he must enter that fact in his log, and give the reasons.

Contrast the flying mileage of New Zealand’s training aircraft with the •number of fatal accidents, and it is found that for each crash the distance flown equals twenty times round the earth. Can motoring in New Zealand equal this good record? '