US testing the concept of single pilot C130 and KC46 assisted by a lone loady
It would all depend on what the task really required..ie short ferry ,airfield to airfield,gear down,light weight
Anything more complex and I would have a GroundEngineer(not a Mech),who was trained to do ground-runs,etc,in the middle seat,Loady RHS,not only as an extra pair of eyes/hands,and voice,but as a`confidence` builder.Not disparaging `Mechs`,as they could be carried as well....
I would also add ,that any selection process should be done in the Sim,as a starter,with strict emphasis on `crew terminology` where systems have to be operated iie `u/c`..check ,pause `UP`.. you don`t want anybody with `fast hands`,otherwise it may end up like the Nepal ATR CRASH...
Anything more complex and I would have a GroundEngineer(not a Mech),who was trained to do ground-runs,etc,in the middle seat,Loady RHS,not only as an extra pair of eyes/hands,and voice,but as a`confidence` builder.Not disparaging `Mechs`,as they could be carried as well....
I would also add ,that any selection process should be done in the Sim,as a starter,with strict emphasis on `crew terminology` where systems have to be operated iie `u/c`..check ,pause `UP`.. you don`t want anybody with `fast hands`,otherwise it may end up like the Nepal ATR CRASH...
Last edited by sycamore; 19th Mar 2023 at 19:47.
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I would remind everyone young ladies would often ferry the likes of Lancaster’s and Wellington bombers on their own with no other crew.
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In World War II the ATA flew 415,000 hours and delivered more than 309,000 aircraft ranging from smaller planes such as the Spitfire and Mustangs to heavy bombers such as the Lancaster and American B17 Flying Fortress. 174 men and women pilots of the ATA were killed during the War – around 10% of the total who flew for the ATA. Initially, as the pilots were civilian and/or women, the aircraft were ferried with unloaded guns or other armaments. However, after encounters with German aircraft in which the ferried aircraft were unable to fight back, RAF aircraft were then ferried with guns fully loaded.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/a...Spitfires.html
Was line training a new entrant F/O , ex RAF rotary .
At a coffee before walking out , he goes over to chat to another skipper ....
Comes back , '' that skipper used to be my crewman ! ''
Likely the senior ex-crewman skipper , flew with his junior F/O who in a previous life had been the skipper .
rgds condor .
At a coffee before walking out , he goes over to chat to another skipper ....
Comes back , '' that skipper used to be my crewman ! ''
Likely the senior ex-crewman skipper , flew with his junior F/O who in a previous life had been the skipper .
rgds condor .
When I joined 72 we had a crewman who did a lot of civilian flying to get his PPL. He eventually left the air force and went onto be an airline pilot retiring finally having flown Concorde. But of course we couldn't be pilots as we were only NCO's and didn't have the right qualities.
When I joined 72 we had a crewman who did a lot of civilian flying to get his PPL. He eventually left the air force and went onto be an airline pilot retiring finally having flown Concorde. But of course we couldn't be pilots as we were only NCO's and didn't have the right qualities.
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When I joined 72 we had a crewman who did a lot of civilian flying to get his PPL. He eventually left the air force and went onto be an airline pilot retiring finally having flown Concorde. But of course we couldn't be pilots as we were only NCO's and didn't have the right qualities.
On the squadrons I served on ex-public school boys were a rarity, almost all were state school educated, not that it really mattered. So the point is that personal qualities mattered more than background. Obviously the RAF used to have NCO aircrew pilots, but I don’t think they were considered to be lesser beings as many were commissioned later, but in those days a person’s background was considered more relevant as to whether they were commissioned from the start.
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Wellingtons were operated with 2 pilots, Lancasters, Halibags et al were single pilot with a Flight Engineer to assist, the logic being that pilots took a long time to train while Flight Engineers were quicker so it was easier to replace losses.
Wellingtons were in service pre-war so that rather grim logic didn’t apply.
Wellingtons were in service pre-war so that rather grim logic didn’t apply.
I presume this is one of those "for emergency use only" type plans... but if a serious shooting war starts (i.e. the emergency), which would we run out of first, KC-46 pilots or KC-46s for them to fly?
Apparently the Air Force thinks it's KC-46 pilots...
Apparently the Air Force thinks it's KC-46 pilots...
It must be a proposed “solution” to not meeting manning requirements. Military aviators need better pay, job stability etc. It should be much easier than it seems to have been to recruit and train enough Air Force pilots. Perhaps the post-career opportunities with the airlines are not attractive enough. The cost of training alone should be a huge incentive. But reducing pilot force by using non-pilots is plain silly. Have the accountants taken over?
