Pilots flying hours

[PeteS]

I'm looking at a Lancaster crash which occurred in 1944, the pilot is recorded as having completed almost 700 flying hours but only 7 in Lancasters, with 229 of those hours being at night (6 hours in Lancs)

Would I be right to view this chap as a pretty experienced pilot with a fair bit of night flying experience, recently converted to Lancs . I have seen a similar ratio of day/night hours several times but usually substantially less hours for a novice Lanc pilot, is it likely that he had done a previous tour on a different type or transferred from Coastal ?

Thanks for any opinions
PeteS

[jossleclercq]

Hello Pete


I'd rather think your pilot was a flying instructor. Some pilots were retained as instructor as soon as they were awarded their own wings, as they displayed the sought after qualities. They went through FIS Flying Instructor School and then were sent to EFTS or SFTS. More likely than a previous tour in Coastal Command.

Joss

[JDCAVE]

Hello Pete

I'd rather think your pilot was a flying instructor. Some pilots were retained as instructor as soon as they were awarded their own wings, as they displayed the sought after qualities. They went through FIS Flying Instructor School and then were sent to EFTS or SFTS. More likely than a previous tour in Coastal Command.

Joss

Dad was in this category. He obtained his wings and commission in December 1941. He went to an FIS to train as an instructor and then went to Fairoaks as an instructor. I only have his 2nd logbook and his 3rd logbook for operations at 419, but this should give you an idea:

He left No.10 FIS as an instructor, instructing instructors how to instruct in January, 1944 with 1,351 hrs, 30 minutes.
He left No 3 AFU March 7 1944 with 1,378 Hrs, 15 minutes
He left No. 1532 BAT with 1,388 hrs 15 minutes. Back to No AFU.
He left No 3 AFU May 14, 1944 with ~1,448 hrs 15 min.
He left No 22 OTU July 26, 1944 with 1,525 hrs 05 minutes.
He left No 1659 HCU Sept 17, 1944 with 1,574 hrs 15 minutes.
Last Op with 419 Squadron And last entry in his logbook with 1,844. Hrs 05 minutes.

So, essentially 425 hours training from AFU through HCU. 71 hours 50 minutes daylight operations, 141 hours 05 minutes night operations. 56 hours 30 minutes training at 419. All hours at 419 were on Lancasters.

To conclude, I think 700 total hours would not indicate to me that he was an instructor. Just not enough hours.

Jim

[jonny]

I wuld agree that he was probably employed as an instructor prior to moving onto ops. I have a log book to a pilot who followed this route, and the hours look very similar.

[JDCAVE]

I wuld agree that he was probably employed as an instructor prior to moving onto ops. I have a log book to a pilot who followed this route, and the hours look very similar.

My brother reviewed Dad’s first logbook and reports dad had logged 162 hours as first pilot at the end of his training with No. 4 FIS Cambridge, April 1942. So with that:

700 hours
-162 training through FIS,
-425 hours from AFU through HCU
Leaves 113 hours as an instructor?

Doesn’t seem a lot to me. I don’t think the individual identified in the first post was an instructor. You need to verify this either from his service records or logbook, before you could legitimately conclude he was an instructor. He may have done some time flying some navigators around at a navigational school, but probably not an instructor.

Jim

[PeteS]

Thank you Gents
I dont have his service records and the family apparently didnt claim his logbook, one day I may have to apply for his service record.
many thanks PeteS