'Flying' on the ground and V-crew
Title
'Flying' on the ground and V-crew
Description
A flight simulator for V-bomber crew training and the crew of a Victor participating in a Battle of Britain air display.
Language
Format
Two newspaper cuttings
Publisher
Rights
This content is available under a CC BY-NC 4.0 International license (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0). It has been published ‘as is’ and may contain inaccuracies or culturally inappropriate references that do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the University of Lincoln or the International Bomber Command Centre. For more information, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ and https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/legal.
Contributor
Identifier
SIvesonD19171121v10030; SIvesonD19171121v10031
Transcription
[photograph]
[page break]
[photograph]
[symbol] ‘FLYING’ ON THE GROUND
The most secret item of training equipment at Gaydon is a £250,000 flight simulator in which V-bomber pilots receive their initial training. It is an exact replica of the crew cabin and reproduces every condition of actual flight. Here Flight Lieutenant W. A. Wright, in charge of the simulator, explains what is in store for these two pilots-in-training, Pilot Officer M. W. Carpenter (left) and Flight Lieutenant David Deadman both from Kent. Note the elaborate pressure suits and other equipment worn by the pilots even in the simulator. Once inside the “cabin” the pilots sit as they would in the aircraft. Behind them sits the instructor, watching every reaction, and behind him is an elaborate set of switches which reproduce up to 30 different “situations” on the pilots’ instrument panel.
[symbol] GAYDON’S FIRST V-CREW
The men who brought in Gaydon’s first Victor will be flying today during the Battle of Britain air display. They are (left to right): Squadron Leader A. W. Ringer, the captain; Squadron Leader K. W. Rogers, co-pilot; Squadron Leader P. J. Evans, navigator; Flight Lieutenant J. E. Walton, bomb aimer; and Flight Lieutenant H. D. Glendinning, air electronics officer. All are now engaged in Victor crew training at Gaydon. Pilots chosen for V-bomber training have to meet exacting standards of selection. Regardless of rank, they all have to “go back to the beginning,” as it were, and spend six weeks at a ground training school before switching to actual flying.
[break]
[photograph]
Servicing planes such as the Victor is a highly complex job. Each aircraft has its own permanent ground crew, working under a chief technician – known always as “Chiefy” – and each member is a specialised tradesman. The size of the Victor calls for special servicing equipment like this mobile “giraffe” ladder. Watching two of his crew at work on the tailplane is Chief Technician George Dutton. Tractors for towing the V-bombers carry their own generators to supply power to the aircraft for steering and braking when on the ground, plus a telephone system for speaking to pilot and aircrew.
[page break]
[photograph]
[symbol] ‘FLYING’ ON THE GROUND
The most secret item of training equipment at Gaydon is a £250,000 flight simulator in which V-bomber pilots receive their initial training. It is an exact replica of the crew cabin and reproduces every condition of actual flight. Here Flight Lieutenant W. A. Wright, in charge of the simulator, explains what is in store for these two pilots-in-training, Pilot Officer M. W. Carpenter (left) and Flight Lieutenant David Deadman both from Kent. Note the elaborate pressure suits and other equipment worn by the pilots even in the simulator. Once inside the “cabin” the pilots sit as they would in the aircraft. Behind them sits the instructor, watching every reaction, and behind him is an elaborate set of switches which reproduce up to 30 different “situations” on the pilots’ instrument panel.
[symbol] GAYDON’S FIRST V-CREW
The men who brought in Gaydon’s first Victor will be flying today during the Battle of Britain air display. They are (left to right): Squadron Leader A. W. Ringer, the captain; Squadron Leader K. W. Rogers, co-pilot; Squadron Leader P. J. Evans, navigator; Flight Lieutenant J. E. Walton, bomb aimer; and Flight Lieutenant H. D. Glendinning, air electronics officer. All are now engaged in Victor crew training at Gaydon. Pilots chosen for V-bomber training have to meet exacting standards of selection. Regardless of rank, they all have to “go back to the beginning,” as it were, and spend six weeks at a ground training school before switching to actual flying.
[break]
[photograph]
Servicing planes such as the Victor is a highly complex job. Each aircraft has its own permanent ground crew, working under a chief technician – known always as “Chiefy” – and each member is a specialised tradesman. The size of the Victor calls for special servicing equipment like this mobile “giraffe” ladder. Watching two of his crew at work on the tailplane is Chief Technician George Dutton. Tractors for towing the V-bombers carry their own generators to supply power to the aircraft for steering and braking when on the ground, plus a telephone system for speaking to pilot and aircrew.
Collection
Citation
“'Flying' on the ground and V-crew,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed May 13, 2026, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/collections/document/44815.