HE TAUGHT THEM.

Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 150, 26 June 1940, Page 6

HE TAUGHT THEM.

PLYING MYSTERIES. FATHER OF TRAINING. SECRET OF B.A.F. SUPREMACY. ... ..'■■:./ '••' LONDON, Hay 25. If imitation is the hallmark of, excellence, then the Royal Air Force flying training system is the finest in the world. It has been copied by every major air Power. ■ , The father of that system is Colonel R. B. Sinitli-BniT.v—genial, bearded, powerfully built. .Smith-Barry is now 5-1 years old. He retired from the Air Force some time ago, but still takes nil interest in flying.

It was while he was commander of Xo. 1 Reserve Squadron, K.F.C., Gosport, in 1010 that Smith-Barry revolutionised the flying training of lighter pilots, and by eo doing brought the day of Britain's iiir supremacy very much nearer. It was bv the force of his personality as much as by the cflicnev of his methods that he brought about the changes.

In 1910 the behaviour of an aircraft ill flight was only vaguely understood. There were few instructors who could give nil explanation of the part played by the various controls at each stage of a particular manoeuvre.

Explanation was the basis of SmithBarry's flying training. He taught the then revolutionary doctrine that "a spin was not an act of God but a simple manoeuvre that could be explained."

In the words of one of his instructors, "the gospel he preached was that the aeroplane is a nice-tempered, reasonable machine that obeys a simple, honest code of rules at all times arid in any weather.

Smith-Barry.put the greatest emphasis on dual-control flying which he employed to teach every possible manoeuvre, including landing and taking off across wind "and spinning.

The next most important innovation was that quite half the dual-control training was given after' the pilot had flown solo.

Instructors were made to teach from the passenger's seat so that the pupil did not experience an embarrassing change of seat cither just before he flew solo or at any other time.