RAFVR Notes for the Information of Candidates
Title
RAFVR Notes for the Information of Candidates
Air Ministry pamphlet 62
Description
Detailed notes about what is expected from candidates for the RAF Volunteer Reserve.
Creator
Date
1937-06
Coverage
Language
Format
One booklet
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
MHitchcockJS740899-170926-01
Transcription
[underlined] A.M. PAMPHLET 62 [/underlined]
[underlined] 4th Edition, June, 1937. [/underlined]
[underlined] R.A.F. VOLUNTEER RESERVE (PILOT SECTION) [/underlined]
[underlined] Notes for the information of candidates [/underlined]
1. Reserves for the Royal Air Force are derived from two sources, firstly from officers and airmen who have had service with the regular Air Force, and secondly from men in civil life who are prepared to devote part of their leisure to the task of making themselves efficient for service in emergency.
2. The R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve has been created for men in the second category mentioned in the preceding paragraph, that is, for men who enter direct from civil life, and this pamphlet sets out briefly the conditions of entry and training of Volunteers as pilots. Later, it is contemplated to widen the field of recruitment to include other types of employment, and details of such developments will be announced from time to time.
3. The paragraphs which follow are subject in all respects to the detailed regulations which have been, or may be, issued from time to time by the Air Council. It must be clearly understood that while every consideration will be given to the reasonable and legitimate interests of individuals, it will be competent for the Air Council at any time to modify the regulations governing the emoluments of the Volunteer Reserve, and no Volunteer will be entitled to claim any pay, gratuity or other advantage conferred by any provision therein in the event of such provision being at any time added to, varied or cancelled.
[underlined] CONDITIONS OF ENTRY AND SERVICE [/underlined]
4. [underlined] Age limits [/underlined]
Candidates must have attained the age of 18 on the date on which the application is received, but must not at that date have attained the age of 25. Special consideration may however be given to candidates with special qualifications (such as the holders of the civil pilot's 'B' licence) who have passed the age of 25.
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5. [underlined] Nationality [/underlined]
All candidates must be British subjects of pure European descent. They must also be the sons of parents both of whom are (or, if deceased, were at the time of death) British subjects; a departure from this rule will only be made on the authority of the Secretary of State for Air. Candidates who possess foreign as well as British nationality may in certain cases be regarded as ineligible for entry. Where there is doubt of nationality or descent, the burden of proof will rest upon the candidate.
6. [underlined] Education [/underlined]
Candidates should have had a good public or secondary school education which should be approximately up to the standard required for the school certificate of the Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examination Board.
7. [underlined] Flying experience [/underlined]
No previous flying experience is necessary.
8. [underlined] Classes ineligible [/underlined]
(a) Registered medical practitioners, medical students, dental surgeons, dental students and members of police forces, prison services and fire brigades are not eligible for entry into the Volunteer Reserve as pilots.
(b) Candidates who are unable to give a reasonable assurance that they will be resident in the United Kingdom for a period of five years will not normally be selected. Obstacles are not however placed in the way of Volunteers who apply for permission to proceed abroad for short periods which do not interfere with their training.
(c) Applications cannot be entertained from candidates who have previously applied for enlistment in Class F of the Air Force Reserve and whose applications have been rejected.
(d) Candidates who are serving in any branch of H.M. Forces (regular or non-regular) are required to obtain their discharge therefrom before they can be enlisted in the Volunteer Reserve.
9. [underlined] Selection and medical examination [/underlined]
(a) Candidates who, from their application forms, appear to be suitable for entry are invited to appear for interview before a selection
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board, which is normally held locally. Candidates to whom it is not possible to grant an interview are informed accordingly. No appeal against this decision will be considered, nor will reasons for non-selection be furnished.
(b) Candidates considered eligible by the selection board are required to appear before a medical board; candidates in possession of current "B" licences as civil pilots may however be excused medical examination. Candidates are required to be fit for full flying duties in any part of the world, and are strongly advised before submitting their applications to consult their medical practitioner as to their physical fitness. The medical standards are described in Appendix 1. The fact that a candidate may be considered by his medical adviser to reach these standards does not, however, necessarily ensure his being pronounced fit by the medical board, with whom the final decision rests.
(c) A railway warrant at Government expense is supplied to candidates who are selected for interview. No claim can be entertained in respect of other expenses incurred by candidates in connection with the interview or medical examination.
10. [underlined] Period of engagement [/underlined]
Volunteers are attested for a period of five years service in the first instance, and they may be permitted to re-engage for further periods each of not more than five years. They will not however be permitted to serve as pilots after reaching the age of 42.
11. [underlined] Rank [/underlined]
With the exception of candidates who hold certificates of proficiency in respect of service in university air squadrons, who may be appointed to commissioned rank under the provisions of A. M. Pamphlet 65 (obtainable from the Chief Instructors of university air squadrons or from the Secretary S7(c), Air Ministry, Kingsway, W.C.2), all candidates are entered in the first instance on a common basis as sergeants; in practice they are attested as aircraftmen second class and are promoted to the rank of sergeant on the following day. From time to time a limited number of Volunteers will be selected for advancement to commissioned rank in the Volunteer Reserve.
12. [underlined] Liabilities [/underlined]
(a) On enlistment, every Volunteer accepts the following obligations:-
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(i) To report immediately should he receive a calling up notice or should he see a poster calling out the R.A.F. Reserve (which expression includes the Volunteer Reserve) in a national emergency, and to serve at home or abroad in such an emergency.
(ii) To attend for training.
(iii) To keep the Superintendent of the R.A.F. Reserve informed of changes of address.
(iv) Not to leave Great Britain or Northern Ireland without first obtaining written permission from the Superintendent of the R.A.F. Reserve.
(v) To go into the air whenever ordered to do so.
(vi) To attend for medical examination when so required.
(b) Volunteers when called out for training or for service are subject to the Air Force Act. At other times they are subject to the Reserve Forces Acts as applied to the Air Force Reserve.
(c) If at any time when his period of service would normally expire a national emergency exists or appears to be imminent, and he has been called up for air force service, a Volunteer may be retained for a further period not exceeding 12 months.
13. [underlined] Service with a foreign power [/underlined]
A Volunteer may not enter the service of a foreign power during his service in the Volunteer Reserve or for five years after discharge, without the consent of the Air Ministry.
14. [underlined] Discharge [/underlined]
(a) Candidates for entry into the Volunteer Reserve as pilots must be prepared to serve for the full period for which they engage (see para. 10), and only in very exceptional circumstances are they granted premature discharge from their engagement. In the latter event Volunteers serving on their first period of five years service are normally required to purchase their discharge at a cost of £50, reducible by £10 for each completed year of satisfactory service. Volunteers who have completed five years satisfactory
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service or who join the regular Air Force or the Auxiliary Air Force as pilots may however be granted a free discharge.
(b) A Volunteer may be discharged from the Volunteer Reserves at any time
(i) on account of medical unfitness,
(ii) on account of unsatisfactory conduct,
(iii) if it appears unlikely that he will become efficient in his duties, or
(iv) if his services are no longer required.
[underlined] TRAINING [/underlined]
15. [underlined] Aerodrome centres [/underlined]
(a) The flying training of Volunteers is given at selected flying schools (known as aerodrome centres) operated by firms under contract with the Air Ministry, and the location of such schools will be announced from time to time.
(b) Apart from limitations due to bad weather and limited hours of daylight in the winter months, facilities for flying training at aerodrome centres are available on week days and evenings and at week-ends throughout the year.
16. [underlined] Town centres [/underlined]
Linked with the aerodrome centres are a number of town centres, at which ground instruction is given. The town centres are also available for use as social centres; they are under the direct control of the Superintendent of the Royal Air Force Reserve.
17. [underlined] Supervision of training [/underlined]
(a) Instruction at both aerodrome and town centres is given by fully qualified instructors under the general supervision of the Superintendent of the Royal Air Force Reserve and his staff.
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(b) Volunteers must from time to time satisfy the examining officer on the staff of the Superintendent of the Royal Air Force Reserve as to their progress in both flying and ground instruction.
18. [underlined] Initial Training [/underlined]
(a) A large part of the initial flying training consists of dual instruction, and it is therefore necessary for each centre to maintain a timetable for the instruction of individual Volunteers who are under dual instruction, and for the Volunteers to adhere strictly to that timetable. Generally speaking they are required to attend at aerodrome centres at alternate week-ends (Saturday afternoon and Sunday) or to give equivalent attendance during the week. They are also required to attend regularly at the town centre on certain evenings (usually not more than two) during the week for ground instruction in such subjects as the theory of flight, airmanship, navigation, and aircraft and engine maintenance.
(b) For Volunteers who are able to spare the time, it may be possible to make arrangements for the initial training to be given at continuous whole time courses of about 8 weeks duration at an aerodrome centre; the course incudes 50 hours flying instruction and the appropriate ground instruction. Volunteers who attend this course of training are not required to attend in the same year the 15 days' training referred to in para. 20.
(c) When they have satisfactorily completed the course of instruction at the town centre and have attained the required standard of proficiency as pilots of elementary type aircraft, Volunteers become eligible to receive retaining fee (see para. 22) and the higher rate of pay applicable to sergeants (pilot) ([underlined] see [/underlined] para. 23).
19 [underlined] Subsequent training [/underlined]
(a) After completing the initial training, Volunteers are required to continue their attendance at aerodrome and town centres at week-ends and in the evening for further instruction. When sufficiently advanced they will continue their training on service type aircraft.
(b) Subject to the claims of other Volunteers, and the availability of aircraft, Volunteers who are not undergoing dual instruction are encouraged to spend as much time as possible in the air, provided that time is profitably employed.
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20. [underlined] Annual training [/underlined]
In addition to the attendances at week-ends and in the evenings referred to in the preceding paragraphs, all Volunteers are required to attend for 15 days' continuous training annually; Volunteers who are able to spare the time may apply for permission to extend this period. The training, which as far as possible is arranged at times convenient to Volunteers, may take place at the aerodrome centre or such other place as may be determined.
21. [underlined] Discipline [/underlined]
Volunteers attending at aerodrome or town centres for training are required to conform in all respects to the regulations as laid down for the performance of training at such centres.
[underlined] FINANCIAL PROVISIONS [/underlined]
22. [underlined] Retaining fee [/underlined]
After they have reached the required standard of proficiency ([underlined] see [/underlined] para. 18c), Volunteers become eligible for a retaining fee of £25 annually, payable at the end of each year of service. A pilot qualifies for his first retaining fee at the end of the year of service in which he completes his initial training, provided that in that year he has attended for 15 days continuous training (or has completed the long course of instruction) and has performed at least 20 hours flying and such ground training as may be prescribed. For subsequent issues of retaining fee a pilot is required in each year of service to attend 15 days' continuous training and to carry out at least 20 hours' flying and such ground training as may be prescribed.
23. [underlined] Pay and allowances [/underlined]
(a) Subject to the conditions laid down in the regulations, Volunteers when called up for service or when carrying out authorised continuous training ([underlined] see [/underlined] para. 18(b) and 20) receive pay at R.A.F. rates, which are at present as follows:-
Aircraftman, second class 3s.3d. a day
Sergeant under training as pilot 10s.6d a day
Sergeant (pilot) 12s.6d. a day
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(b) Volunteers undergoing continuous training at an aerodrome centre receive in addition a daily consolidated allowance of 6s. This allowance is intended to cover the cost of obtaining accommodation and messing near the aerodrome centre during the period of training, and travelling expenses will only be paid on the basis of one return journey for each period of training.
(c) Marriage allowance at the rates and under the conditions laid down for airmen of the regular Air Force is paid to married Volunteers who have reached the age of 26 years, when in receipt of pay and allowances for training.
24. [underlined] Travelling and other expenses [/underlined]
Provision is made for the refund of reasonable travelling expenses incurred in connection with training generally ([underlined] see [/underlined] para. 23). Allowances are also paid towards other out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance for week-end &c. training at aerodrome and town centres when payment under para. 23 is not admissible.
25. [underlined] Uniform [/underlined]
Volunteers are not required to wear uniform whilst attending for training at aerodrome or town centres; flying kit is kept at these centres and issued on loan as necessary. Volunteers will be required to wear uniform on any occasion on which the training takes place at R.A.F. units and uniform will be issued free of charge for this purpose.
26. [underlined] Pensions and gratuities for disability [/underlined]
Pilots of non-commissioned rank who, in the time of peace, are invalided from the Volunteer Reserve in consequence of injury or disease directly attributable to the conditions of service may be awarded pensions and gratuities as follows:-
[underlined] For disabilities resulting from flying accidents [/underlined]
A pension ranging from 10/- a week for a disability assessed at 20% to £2.8.0d. a week for a disability assessed at 100%, with proportionate rates for each intervening 10% of disablement. For disability of less than 20%, gratuity may be paid at a rate fixed by the Air Ministry.
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[underlined] For disabilities resulting other than from flying accidents [/underlined]
A pension ranging from 6/6d. a week for a disability assessed at 20% to £1.12.6d a week for a disability assessed at 100%, with proportionate rates for each intervening 10% of disablement. For disability of less than 20%, a gratuity may be paid at a rate fixed by the Air Ministry.
Separate rates of disability pensions are laid down for officers of the Volunteer Reserve.
27. [underlined] Insurance [/underlined]
(a) Volunteers are strongly advised to consider whether their individual circumstances or those of any person dependent on them render it desirable that they should effect private insurance to supplement such compensation as may be payable from official sources, or to cover contingencies in which no official compensation is payable at all.
(b) As stated in para. 26, liability is accepted, subject to the conditions laid down in the Regulations, in cases of death or disability attributable to the conditions of service. No liability would however be accepted in the event of a Volunteer being killed or injured (say) while participating, in a private capacity, in a civilian air display.
(c) Information regarding the facilities offered by different companies for insurance against flying risk may be obtained from the Air Ministry.
28. [underlined] Applications [/underlined]
Applications for entry into the Volunteer Reserve as pilot should be submitted on Form 1764 in accordance with the directions in the note accompanying this pamphlet.
29. [underlined] Entry into the regular Air Force [/underlined]
Volunteers are not debarred from consideration for entry into the regular Air Force as pilots provided they satisfy the appropriate regulations for entry. The purpose of the Volunteer Reserve is however to provide a reserve of personnel for employment in times of national crisis, and candidates should be aware that the Volunteer Reserve is not a normal channel for
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entry into the regular Air Force, nor will service in the Volunteer Reserve necessarily enhance a candidate's prospects of selection for service with the regular Air Force.
Air Ministry.
June, 1937.
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[underlined] APPENDIX I [/underlined]
[underlined] THE MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR THE R.A.F. VOLUNTEER RESERVE (PILOT SECTION) [/underlined]
1. A candidate for the pilot section of the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve must be in good mental and bodily health, and free from any physical defect likely to interfere with his instruction in aviation and the efficient performance of his duties at home or abroad.
2. The examination will be conducted on the following lines:-
(i) Interrogatory and psychological examination.
(ii) Routine medical and surgical examination.
(iii) Examination of the eyes.
(iv) Examination of ears, nose and throat.
(v) Special medical examination in regard to aptitude for flying.
[underlined] Medical Examination [/underlined]
3. (i) The candidate must be possessed particularly of sound lungs, heart and nervous system. Evidence of chronic bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, pleuritic or tuberculous lesions absolutely disqualify. The condition resulting from operation for empyema is not a bar to acceptance, if the lungs are healthy and the vital capacity is satisfactory. Owing to the importance of these systems, they will, in addition to the usual clinical examination, be tested by special tests* employed by the board.
(ii) The urinary system must be healthy, and the urine must be free from abnormal constituents.
(iii) In regard to the circulatory system, valvular or myocardial disease will disqualify a candidate.
[underlined] Surgical Examination [/underlined]
4. A candidate found to be suffering from a complaint which would entail rejection but which is curable by operation, will be marked unfit, but the
*Full particulars of these tests are contained in "The Medical Examination for Fitness for Flying* (Air Publication 130) which is on sale at His Majesty's Stationery Office or through any bookseller, price 2. net.
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board may recommend re-examination after operation. The following conditions require special mention:-
(i) [italics] Head injury or concussion [/italics]. – A history of severe head injury is a bar to acceptance. The degree of severity may be gauged by evidence of a focal lesion (e.g., altered reflexes, various pareses or aphasia), occurrence of a convulsive attack, or the persistence of sequelae such as headaches or dizziness which incapacitated from work and exercise for a considerable period. Fracture of the skull need not be a bar to acceptance unless there is a history of associated inter-cranial damage, or of depressed fracture or loss of bone. Less severe head injuries need not necessarily entail rejection provided that sequelae did not persist unduly and have been completely absent for the past three months.
(ii) [italics] Neck [/italics]. – Scars, the result of removal of glands, will not necessarily be considered a cause for rejection, but the time that has elapsed since operation, the question of recurrence, and signs of tuberculosis elsewhere are all points needing consideration.
(iii) [italics] Abdominal operations [/italics]. – The fact of an abdominal operation having been performed will not, in itself, disqualify a candidate, provided that no hernial protrusion or marked weakness of the abdominal wall has resulted. Operations on the stomach and those involving either short-circuiting of the alimentary tract or partial or total excision of any important organ will disqualify.
(iv) A history of tuberculosis disease of joints or bones, recent or remote, will disqualify the candidate.
(v) A dislocated semilunar cartilage may prove a permanent disability, even after operation. If, however, there has been freedom from pain or disability in an injured joint for over two years, in spite of thorough testing by games or physical exertion, the candidate may be admitted, provided that the joint is sound at the time of examination. Fluid effusion of a chronic or recurrent type will be regarded as a cause for rejection.
(vi) [italics] Surgical abnormalities [/italics] which are the result of developmental defects or disease will be noted. Attention is directed particularly to varicose veins, haemorrhoids, undescended testis, hernia and goitre. Hernia, undescended testis if in the canal or at the external abdominal
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ring, goitre, severe varicose veins and severe haemorrhoids are causes for rejection.
[underlined] Eye Examination [/underlined]
5. (i) The examination for determining the visual acuity will be conducted with the well-illuminated standard test types at a distance of twenty feet. The candidate must be able to read the test types without hesitation. A candidate with 6/12 vision in each eye, without the aid if correcting lenses will be accepted provided that the conditions laid down in sub-paras. (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) are fulfilled.
(ii) The candidate must not possess a manifest hypermetropia exceeding 2.25 D.Sph. when both eyes are uncovered.
(iii) Both eyes must have good fields of vision as tested by hand movements.
(iv) Colour vision must be either [italics] (a) [/italics] normal or [italics] (b) [/italics] colour defective safe.
[italics] (a) Colour normal [/italics]. – The candidate reads all the Ishihara plates correctly, and is perfect on the Edridge Green lantern.
[italics] (b) Colour defective safe [/italics]. – The candidate reads correctly certain Ishihara plates. In the sixth edition published in June, 1932, these plates numbers 1, 7, 9, 12 and 13; in other editions plates which correspond in colour contrast with the above must be used. On the Edridge Green lantern he must be normal for all ordinary red and green tints, although he may interpret pale green as white, or orange as yellow.
(v) There must be good fusion and balance of the eye muscles.*
[underlined] Examination of Ears, Nose and Throat [/underlined]
6. In the examination of the ears, nose and throat, it must constantly be borne in mind that symptoms apparently trifling in importance on the ground tend to become considerably aggravated in the air.
* See footnote on page 11.
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(i) [italics] Hearing [/italics]. – The hearing in either ear must be acute, equivalent to a forced whisper at 20 feet, each ear being tested separately with the other ear blocked and the face turned away. When it is considered that treatment may bring defective hearing up to standard, the candidate may be temporarily deferred and re-examined at a later date.
(ii) [italics] External ear, Meatus and Membranes. – (a) [/italics] Meatal infections and obstructions, while not permanently disqualifying a candidate, must be satisfactorily cured or removed before acceptance.
[italics] (b) A permanent perforation [/italics] in a membrane without discharge constitutes a disqualification for air work unless from its nature and history the examiner is satisfied that the condition is not likely to prove a disability, [italics] and no active disease is present [/italics].
[italics] (c) [/italics] Cicatrices of the drum may be passed, provided that the scar is sufficiently strong to withstand the sudden alterations of pressure encountered in air work, that the hearing is up to standard and that there is no cause in the nose, pharynx, or naso-pharynx for re-infection of the middle ear, or the production of Eustachian obstruction.
(iii) [italics] Middle ear and Eustachian tubes. – (a) [/italics] Catarrhal or suppurative otitis media. If the condition is acute or sub-acute, the candidate may be referred for treatment and subsequently re-examined. Chronic suppurative otitis media is a cause for rejection, as is also the radical mastoid operation, successful or otherwise. A healed operation for acute mastoid suppuration is not a cause for rejection provided that the hearing is up to standard and the tympanic membrane is sound.
[italics] (b) Oto-sclerosis [/italics] constitutes a cause for rejection.
[italics] (c) [/italics] Both [italics] Eustachian tubes [/italics] must be patent. Permanent obstruction entails rejection, but cases of temporary obstruction may be passed, or, if considered necessary, deferred for re-examination.
(iv) [italics] Internal ear. – (a) [/italics] Cochlear apparatus. – Nerve deafness (see i) or any other affection of the cochlea or cochlear nerve tract must not be present.
[italics] (b) Vestibular apparatus [/italics]. – Tests * for gauging the vestibular stability are employed by the Board.
* See footnote on page 11.
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7. [italics] Nose [/italics]. – (i) [italics] Deviated septum [/italics]. – If this causes marked nasal obstruction or is associated with frequent colds or headaches, it must be remedied by operation before a candidate is accepted. Slighter degrees may be ignored.
(ii) [italics] Turbinal hypertrophy [/italics], associated with definite symptoms or signs, must be remedied by adequate treatment before a candidate is accepted.
(iii) [italics] Infection of the accessory sinuses [/italics]. – Acute infection must be cured before a candidate is accepted. Chronic suppuration is a cause for rejection until cured by treatment. If the antra alone have been affected and a satisfactory operation has been performed, leaving a free opening into the inferior meatus and the candidate is free from signs or symptoms, he may be accepted.
(iv) [italics] Fasal polypi [/italics] must be removed and the cause cured before a candidate is accepted.
(v) [italics] Atrophic rhinitis [/italics] is a cause for disqualification.
8. Mouth. – Teeth. – Carious teeth, gingivitis and pyorrhoea must be successfully treated before acceptance. Dentures do not disqualify, but care must be taken that the plates are well fitting and of a permanent nature.
9. Tonsils. – (i) Enlarged tonsils which produce obstruction, or become repeatedly inflamed or associated with attacks of quinsy, must be enucleated before a candidate is accepted.
(ii) Septic tonsils, even small remnants, which are the cause of repeated sore throats or chronic enlargement of the glands of the neck, must be enucleated before acceptance.
10. Naso-Pharynx. - Adenoids, however small in amount, if they cause repeated colds, with acute or sub-acute Eustachian obstruction, or catarrhal or suppurative inflammation of the middle ear, must be removed before a candidate is accepted.
11. Height standard. – For admission to the Royal Air Force there is no minimum height standard. Candidates with a leg length of 39 inches combined with a height of 64 inches will be accepted. A practical test in a service aircraft to ascertain:-
(i) that they have an unobstructed view from the cockpit, and
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(ii) their ability to manipulate rudder bar and breaks will be given to all candidates who are found to have a leg length of less than 39 inches and/or a height of less than 64 inches.
This leg length is taken as follows:-
The candidate is seated on the floor, with the sacrum hard up against the wall, the legs fully extended and the bare feet at right angles to the legs. A box or similar object at least 10 inches high is placed on the floor so that the balls of the feet and the heels bear simultaneously on one of its vertical surfaces. The distance between the wall and the box is the "leg length".
Air Ministry,
June, 1937.
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[underlined] 4th Edition, June, 1937. [/underlined]
[underlined] R.A.F. VOLUNTEER RESERVE (PILOT SECTION) [/underlined]
[underlined] Notes for the information of candidates [/underlined]
1. Reserves for the Royal Air Force are derived from two sources, firstly from officers and airmen who have had service with the regular Air Force, and secondly from men in civil life who are prepared to devote part of their leisure to the task of making themselves efficient for service in emergency.
2. The R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve has been created for men in the second category mentioned in the preceding paragraph, that is, for men who enter direct from civil life, and this pamphlet sets out briefly the conditions of entry and training of Volunteers as pilots. Later, it is contemplated to widen the field of recruitment to include other types of employment, and details of such developments will be announced from time to time.
3. The paragraphs which follow are subject in all respects to the detailed regulations which have been, or may be, issued from time to time by the Air Council. It must be clearly understood that while every consideration will be given to the reasonable and legitimate interests of individuals, it will be competent for the Air Council at any time to modify the regulations governing the emoluments of the Volunteer Reserve, and no Volunteer will be entitled to claim any pay, gratuity or other advantage conferred by any provision therein in the event of such provision being at any time added to, varied or cancelled.
[underlined] CONDITIONS OF ENTRY AND SERVICE [/underlined]
4. [underlined] Age limits [/underlined]
Candidates must have attained the age of 18 on the date on which the application is received, but must not at that date have attained the age of 25. Special consideration may however be given to candidates with special qualifications (such as the holders of the civil pilot's 'B' licence) who have passed the age of 25.
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5. [underlined] Nationality [/underlined]
All candidates must be British subjects of pure European descent. They must also be the sons of parents both of whom are (or, if deceased, were at the time of death) British subjects; a departure from this rule will only be made on the authority of the Secretary of State for Air. Candidates who possess foreign as well as British nationality may in certain cases be regarded as ineligible for entry. Where there is doubt of nationality or descent, the burden of proof will rest upon the candidate.
6. [underlined] Education [/underlined]
Candidates should have had a good public or secondary school education which should be approximately up to the standard required for the school certificate of the Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examination Board.
7. [underlined] Flying experience [/underlined]
No previous flying experience is necessary.
8. [underlined] Classes ineligible [/underlined]
(a) Registered medical practitioners, medical students, dental surgeons, dental students and members of police forces, prison services and fire brigades are not eligible for entry into the Volunteer Reserve as pilots.
(b) Candidates who are unable to give a reasonable assurance that they will be resident in the United Kingdom for a period of five years will not normally be selected. Obstacles are not however placed in the way of Volunteers who apply for permission to proceed abroad for short periods which do not interfere with their training.
(c) Applications cannot be entertained from candidates who have previously applied for enlistment in Class F of the Air Force Reserve and whose applications have been rejected.
(d) Candidates who are serving in any branch of H.M. Forces (regular or non-regular) are required to obtain their discharge therefrom before they can be enlisted in the Volunteer Reserve.
9. [underlined] Selection and medical examination [/underlined]
(a) Candidates who, from their application forms, appear to be suitable for entry are invited to appear for interview before a selection
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board, which is normally held locally. Candidates to whom it is not possible to grant an interview are informed accordingly. No appeal against this decision will be considered, nor will reasons for non-selection be furnished.
(b) Candidates considered eligible by the selection board are required to appear before a medical board; candidates in possession of current "B" licences as civil pilots may however be excused medical examination. Candidates are required to be fit for full flying duties in any part of the world, and are strongly advised before submitting their applications to consult their medical practitioner as to their physical fitness. The medical standards are described in Appendix 1. The fact that a candidate may be considered by his medical adviser to reach these standards does not, however, necessarily ensure his being pronounced fit by the medical board, with whom the final decision rests.
(c) A railway warrant at Government expense is supplied to candidates who are selected for interview. No claim can be entertained in respect of other expenses incurred by candidates in connection with the interview or medical examination.
10. [underlined] Period of engagement [/underlined]
Volunteers are attested for a period of five years service in the first instance, and they may be permitted to re-engage for further periods each of not more than five years. They will not however be permitted to serve as pilots after reaching the age of 42.
11. [underlined] Rank [/underlined]
With the exception of candidates who hold certificates of proficiency in respect of service in university air squadrons, who may be appointed to commissioned rank under the provisions of A. M. Pamphlet 65 (obtainable from the Chief Instructors of university air squadrons or from the Secretary S7(c), Air Ministry, Kingsway, W.C.2), all candidates are entered in the first instance on a common basis as sergeants; in practice they are attested as aircraftmen second class and are promoted to the rank of sergeant on the following day. From time to time a limited number of Volunteers will be selected for advancement to commissioned rank in the Volunteer Reserve.
12. [underlined] Liabilities [/underlined]
(a) On enlistment, every Volunteer accepts the following obligations:-
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(i) To report immediately should he receive a calling up notice or should he see a poster calling out the R.A.F. Reserve (which expression includes the Volunteer Reserve) in a national emergency, and to serve at home or abroad in such an emergency.
(ii) To attend for training.
(iii) To keep the Superintendent of the R.A.F. Reserve informed of changes of address.
(iv) Not to leave Great Britain or Northern Ireland without first obtaining written permission from the Superintendent of the R.A.F. Reserve.
(v) To go into the air whenever ordered to do so.
(vi) To attend for medical examination when so required.
(b) Volunteers when called out for training or for service are subject to the Air Force Act. At other times they are subject to the Reserve Forces Acts as applied to the Air Force Reserve.
(c) If at any time when his period of service would normally expire a national emergency exists or appears to be imminent, and he has been called up for air force service, a Volunteer may be retained for a further period not exceeding 12 months.
13. [underlined] Service with a foreign power [/underlined]
A Volunteer may not enter the service of a foreign power during his service in the Volunteer Reserve or for five years after discharge, without the consent of the Air Ministry.
14. [underlined] Discharge [/underlined]
(a) Candidates for entry into the Volunteer Reserve as pilots must be prepared to serve for the full period for which they engage (see para. 10), and only in very exceptional circumstances are they granted premature discharge from their engagement. In the latter event Volunteers serving on their first period of five years service are normally required to purchase their discharge at a cost of £50, reducible by £10 for each completed year of satisfactory service. Volunteers who have completed five years satisfactory
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service or who join the regular Air Force or the Auxiliary Air Force as pilots may however be granted a free discharge.
(b) A Volunteer may be discharged from the Volunteer Reserves at any time
(i) on account of medical unfitness,
(ii) on account of unsatisfactory conduct,
(iii) if it appears unlikely that he will become efficient in his duties, or
(iv) if his services are no longer required.
[underlined] TRAINING [/underlined]
15. [underlined] Aerodrome centres [/underlined]
(a) The flying training of Volunteers is given at selected flying schools (known as aerodrome centres) operated by firms under contract with the Air Ministry, and the location of such schools will be announced from time to time.
(b) Apart from limitations due to bad weather and limited hours of daylight in the winter months, facilities for flying training at aerodrome centres are available on week days and evenings and at week-ends throughout the year.
16. [underlined] Town centres [/underlined]
Linked with the aerodrome centres are a number of town centres, at which ground instruction is given. The town centres are also available for use as social centres; they are under the direct control of the Superintendent of the Royal Air Force Reserve.
17. [underlined] Supervision of training [/underlined]
(a) Instruction at both aerodrome and town centres is given by fully qualified instructors under the general supervision of the Superintendent of the Royal Air Force Reserve and his staff.
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(b) Volunteers must from time to time satisfy the examining officer on the staff of the Superintendent of the Royal Air Force Reserve as to their progress in both flying and ground instruction.
18. [underlined] Initial Training [/underlined]
(a) A large part of the initial flying training consists of dual instruction, and it is therefore necessary for each centre to maintain a timetable for the instruction of individual Volunteers who are under dual instruction, and for the Volunteers to adhere strictly to that timetable. Generally speaking they are required to attend at aerodrome centres at alternate week-ends (Saturday afternoon and Sunday) or to give equivalent attendance during the week. They are also required to attend regularly at the town centre on certain evenings (usually not more than two) during the week for ground instruction in such subjects as the theory of flight, airmanship, navigation, and aircraft and engine maintenance.
(b) For Volunteers who are able to spare the time, it may be possible to make arrangements for the initial training to be given at continuous whole time courses of about 8 weeks duration at an aerodrome centre; the course incudes 50 hours flying instruction and the appropriate ground instruction. Volunteers who attend this course of training are not required to attend in the same year the 15 days' training referred to in para. 20.
(c) When they have satisfactorily completed the course of instruction at the town centre and have attained the required standard of proficiency as pilots of elementary type aircraft, Volunteers become eligible to receive retaining fee (see para. 22) and the higher rate of pay applicable to sergeants (pilot) ([underlined] see [/underlined] para. 23).
19 [underlined] Subsequent training [/underlined]
(a) After completing the initial training, Volunteers are required to continue their attendance at aerodrome and town centres at week-ends and in the evening for further instruction. When sufficiently advanced they will continue their training on service type aircraft.
(b) Subject to the claims of other Volunteers, and the availability of aircraft, Volunteers who are not undergoing dual instruction are encouraged to spend as much time as possible in the air, provided that time is profitably employed.
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20. [underlined] Annual training [/underlined]
In addition to the attendances at week-ends and in the evenings referred to in the preceding paragraphs, all Volunteers are required to attend for 15 days' continuous training annually; Volunteers who are able to spare the time may apply for permission to extend this period. The training, which as far as possible is arranged at times convenient to Volunteers, may take place at the aerodrome centre or such other place as may be determined.
21. [underlined] Discipline [/underlined]
Volunteers attending at aerodrome or town centres for training are required to conform in all respects to the regulations as laid down for the performance of training at such centres.
[underlined] FINANCIAL PROVISIONS [/underlined]
22. [underlined] Retaining fee [/underlined]
After they have reached the required standard of proficiency ([underlined] see [/underlined] para. 18c), Volunteers become eligible for a retaining fee of £25 annually, payable at the end of each year of service. A pilot qualifies for his first retaining fee at the end of the year of service in which he completes his initial training, provided that in that year he has attended for 15 days continuous training (or has completed the long course of instruction) and has performed at least 20 hours flying and such ground training as may be prescribed. For subsequent issues of retaining fee a pilot is required in each year of service to attend 15 days' continuous training and to carry out at least 20 hours' flying and such ground training as may be prescribed.
23. [underlined] Pay and allowances [/underlined]
(a) Subject to the conditions laid down in the regulations, Volunteers when called up for service or when carrying out authorised continuous training ([underlined] see [/underlined] para. 18(b) and 20) receive pay at R.A.F. rates, which are at present as follows:-
Aircraftman, second class 3s.3d. a day
Sergeant under training as pilot 10s.6d a day
Sergeant (pilot) 12s.6d. a day
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(b) Volunteers undergoing continuous training at an aerodrome centre receive in addition a daily consolidated allowance of 6s. This allowance is intended to cover the cost of obtaining accommodation and messing near the aerodrome centre during the period of training, and travelling expenses will only be paid on the basis of one return journey for each period of training.
(c) Marriage allowance at the rates and under the conditions laid down for airmen of the regular Air Force is paid to married Volunteers who have reached the age of 26 years, when in receipt of pay and allowances for training.
24. [underlined] Travelling and other expenses [/underlined]
Provision is made for the refund of reasonable travelling expenses incurred in connection with training generally ([underlined] see [/underlined] para. 23). Allowances are also paid towards other out of pocket expenses incurred in connection with attendance for week-end &c. training at aerodrome and town centres when payment under para. 23 is not admissible.
25. [underlined] Uniform [/underlined]
Volunteers are not required to wear uniform whilst attending for training at aerodrome or town centres; flying kit is kept at these centres and issued on loan as necessary. Volunteers will be required to wear uniform on any occasion on which the training takes place at R.A.F. units and uniform will be issued free of charge for this purpose.
26. [underlined] Pensions and gratuities for disability [/underlined]
Pilots of non-commissioned rank who, in the time of peace, are invalided from the Volunteer Reserve in consequence of injury or disease directly attributable to the conditions of service may be awarded pensions and gratuities as follows:-
[underlined] For disabilities resulting from flying accidents [/underlined]
A pension ranging from 10/- a week for a disability assessed at 20% to £2.8.0d. a week for a disability assessed at 100%, with proportionate rates for each intervening 10% of disablement. For disability of less than 20%, gratuity may be paid at a rate fixed by the Air Ministry.
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[underlined] For disabilities resulting other than from flying accidents [/underlined]
A pension ranging from 6/6d. a week for a disability assessed at 20% to £1.12.6d a week for a disability assessed at 100%, with proportionate rates for each intervening 10% of disablement. For disability of less than 20%, a gratuity may be paid at a rate fixed by the Air Ministry.
Separate rates of disability pensions are laid down for officers of the Volunteer Reserve.
27. [underlined] Insurance [/underlined]
(a) Volunteers are strongly advised to consider whether their individual circumstances or those of any person dependent on them render it desirable that they should effect private insurance to supplement such compensation as may be payable from official sources, or to cover contingencies in which no official compensation is payable at all.
(b) As stated in para. 26, liability is accepted, subject to the conditions laid down in the Regulations, in cases of death or disability attributable to the conditions of service. No liability would however be accepted in the event of a Volunteer being killed or injured (say) while participating, in a private capacity, in a civilian air display.
(c) Information regarding the facilities offered by different companies for insurance against flying risk may be obtained from the Air Ministry.
28. [underlined] Applications [/underlined]
Applications for entry into the Volunteer Reserve as pilot should be submitted on Form 1764 in accordance with the directions in the note accompanying this pamphlet.
29. [underlined] Entry into the regular Air Force [/underlined]
Volunteers are not debarred from consideration for entry into the regular Air Force as pilots provided they satisfy the appropriate regulations for entry. The purpose of the Volunteer Reserve is however to provide a reserve of personnel for employment in times of national crisis, and candidates should be aware that the Volunteer Reserve is not a normal channel for
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entry into the regular Air Force, nor will service in the Volunteer Reserve necessarily enhance a candidate's prospects of selection for service with the regular Air Force.
Air Ministry.
June, 1937.
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[underlined] APPENDIX I [/underlined]
[underlined] THE MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF CANDIDATES FOR THE R.A.F. VOLUNTEER RESERVE (PILOT SECTION) [/underlined]
1. A candidate for the pilot section of the R.A.F. Volunteer Reserve must be in good mental and bodily health, and free from any physical defect likely to interfere with his instruction in aviation and the efficient performance of his duties at home or abroad.
2. The examination will be conducted on the following lines:-
(i) Interrogatory and psychological examination.
(ii) Routine medical and surgical examination.
(iii) Examination of the eyes.
(iv) Examination of ears, nose and throat.
(v) Special medical examination in regard to aptitude for flying.
[underlined] Medical Examination [/underlined]
3. (i) The candidate must be possessed particularly of sound lungs, heart and nervous system. Evidence of chronic bronchitis, asthma, emphysema, pleuritic or tuberculous lesions absolutely disqualify. The condition resulting from operation for empyema is not a bar to acceptance, if the lungs are healthy and the vital capacity is satisfactory. Owing to the importance of these systems, they will, in addition to the usual clinical examination, be tested by special tests* employed by the board.
(ii) The urinary system must be healthy, and the urine must be free from abnormal constituents.
(iii) In regard to the circulatory system, valvular or myocardial disease will disqualify a candidate.
[underlined] Surgical Examination [/underlined]
4. A candidate found to be suffering from a complaint which would entail rejection but which is curable by operation, will be marked unfit, but the
*Full particulars of these tests are contained in "The Medical Examination for Fitness for Flying* (Air Publication 130) which is on sale at His Majesty's Stationery Office or through any bookseller, price 2. net.
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board may recommend re-examination after operation. The following conditions require special mention:-
(i) [italics] Head injury or concussion [/italics]. – A history of severe head injury is a bar to acceptance. The degree of severity may be gauged by evidence of a focal lesion (e.g., altered reflexes, various pareses or aphasia), occurrence of a convulsive attack, or the persistence of sequelae such as headaches or dizziness which incapacitated from work and exercise for a considerable period. Fracture of the skull need not be a bar to acceptance unless there is a history of associated inter-cranial damage, or of depressed fracture or loss of bone. Less severe head injuries need not necessarily entail rejection provided that sequelae did not persist unduly and have been completely absent for the past three months.
(ii) [italics] Neck [/italics]. – Scars, the result of removal of glands, will not necessarily be considered a cause for rejection, but the time that has elapsed since operation, the question of recurrence, and signs of tuberculosis elsewhere are all points needing consideration.
(iii) [italics] Abdominal operations [/italics]. – The fact of an abdominal operation having been performed will not, in itself, disqualify a candidate, provided that no hernial protrusion or marked weakness of the abdominal wall has resulted. Operations on the stomach and those involving either short-circuiting of the alimentary tract or partial or total excision of any important organ will disqualify.
(iv) A history of tuberculosis disease of joints or bones, recent or remote, will disqualify the candidate.
(v) A dislocated semilunar cartilage may prove a permanent disability, even after operation. If, however, there has been freedom from pain or disability in an injured joint for over two years, in spite of thorough testing by games or physical exertion, the candidate may be admitted, provided that the joint is sound at the time of examination. Fluid effusion of a chronic or recurrent type will be regarded as a cause for rejection.
(vi) [italics] Surgical abnormalities [/italics] which are the result of developmental defects or disease will be noted. Attention is directed particularly to varicose veins, haemorrhoids, undescended testis, hernia and goitre. Hernia, undescended testis if in the canal or at the external abdominal
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ring, goitre, severe varicose veins and severe haemorrhoids are causes for rejection.
[underlined] Eye Examination [/underlined]
5. (i) The examination for determining the visual acuity will be conducted with the well-illuminated standard test types at a distance of twenty feet. The candidate must be able to read the test types without hesitation. A candidate with 6/12 vision in each eye, without the aid if correcting lenses will be accepted provided that the conditions laid down in sub-paras. (ii), (iii), (iv) and (v) are fulfilled.
(ii) The candidate must not possess a manifest hypermetropia exceeding 2.25 D.Sph. when both eyes are uncovered.
(iii) Both eyes must have good fields of vision as tested by hand movements.
(iv) Colour vision must be either [italics] (a) [/italics] normal or [italics] (b) [/italics] colour defective safe.
[italics] (a) Colour normal [/italics]. – The candidate reads all the Ishihara plates correctly, and is perfect on the Edridge Green lantern.
[italics] (b) Colour defective safe [/italics]. – The candidate reads correctly certain Ishihara plates. In the sixth edition published in June, 1932, these plates numbers 1, 7, 9, 12 and 13; in other editions plates which correspond in colour contrast with the above must be used. On the Edridge Green lantern he must be normal for all ordinary red and green tints, although he may interpret pale green as white, or orange as yellow.
(v) There must be good fusion and balance of the eye muscles.*
[underlined] Examination of Ears, Nose and Throat [/underlined]
6. In the examination of the ears, nose and throat, it must constantly be borne in mind that symptoms apparently trifling in importance on the ground tend to become considerably aggravated in the air.
* See footnote on page 11.
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(i) [italics] Hearing [/italics]. – The hearing in either ear must be acute, equivalent to a forced whisper at 20 feet, each ear being tested separately with the other ear blocked and the face turned away. When it is considered that treatment may bring defective hearing up to standard, the candidate may be temporarily deferred and re-examined at a later date.
(ii) [italics] External ear, Meatus and Membranes. – (a) [/italics] Meatal infections and obstructions, while not permanently disqualifying a candidate, must be satisfactorily cured or removed before acceptance.
[italics] (b) A permanent perforation [/italics] in a membrane without discharge constitutes a disqualification for air work unless from its nature and history the examiner is satisfied that the condition is not likely to prove a disability, [italics] and no active disease is present [/italics].
[italics] (c) [/italics] Cicatrices of the drum may be passed, provided that the scar is sufficiently strong to withstand the sudden alterations of pressure encountered in air work, that the hearing is up to standard and that there is no cause in the nose, pharynx, or naso-pharynx for re-infection of the middle ear, or the production of Eustachian obstruction.
(iii) [italics] Middle ear and Eustachian tubes. – (a) [/italics] Catarrhal or suppurative otitis media. If the condition is acute or sub-acute, the candidate may be referred for treatment and subsequently re-examined. Chronic suppurative otitis media is a cause for rejection, as is also the radical mastoid operation, successful or otherwise. A healed operation for acute mastoid suppuration is not a cause for rejection provided that the hearing is up to standard and the tympanic membrane is sound.
[italics] (b) Oto-sclerosis [/italics] constitutes a cause for rejection.
[italics] (c) [/italics] Both [italics] Eustachian tubes [/italics] must be patent. Permanent obstruction entails rejection, but cases of temporary obstruction may be passed, or, if considered necessary, deferred for re-examination.
(iv) [italics] Internal ear. – (a) [/italics] Cochlear apparatus. – Nerve deafness (see i) or any other affection of the cochlea or cochlear nerve tract must not be present.
[italics] (b) Vestibular apparatus [/italics]. – Tests * for gauging the vestibular stability are employed by the Board.
* See footnote on page 11.
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7. [italics] Nose [/italics]. – (i) [italics] Deviated septum [/italics]. – If this causes marked nasal obstruction or is associated with frequent colds or headaches, it must be remedied by operation before a candidate is accepted. Slighter degrees may be ignored.
(ii) [italics] Turbinal hypertrophy [/italics], associated with definite symptoms or signs, must be remedied by adequate treatment before a candidate is accepted.
(iii) [italics] Infection of the accessory sinuses [/italics]. – Acute infection must be cured before a candidate is accepted. Chronic suppuration is a cause for rejection until cured by treatment. If the antra alone have been affected and a satisfactory operation has been performed, leaving a free opening into the inferior meatus and the candidate is free from signs or symptoms, he may be accepted.
(iv) [italics] Fasal polypi [/italics] must be removed and the cause cured before a candidate is accepted.
(v) [italics] Atrophic rhinitis [/italics] is a cause for disqualification.
8. Mouth. – Teeth. – Carious teeth, gingivitis and pyorrhoea must be successfully treated before acceptance. Dentures do not disqualify, but care must be taken that the plates are well fitting and of a permanent nature.
9. Tonsils. – (i) Enlarged tonsils which produce obstruction, or become repeatedly inflamed or associated with attacks of quinsy, must be enucleated before a candidate is accepted.
(ii) Septic tonsils, even small remnants, which are the cause of repeated sore throats or chronic enlargement of the glands of the neck, must be enucleated before acceptance.
10. Naso-Pharynx. - Adenoids, however small in amount, if they cause repeated colds, with acute or sub-acute Eustachian obstruction, or catarrhal or suppurative inflammation of the middle ear, must be removed before a candidate is accepted.
11. Height standard. – For admission to the Royal Air Force there is no minimum height standard. Candidates with a leg length of 39 inches combined with a height of 64 inches will be accepted. A practical test in a service aircraft to ascertain:-
(i) that they have an unobstructed view from the cockpit, and
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(ii) their ability to manipulate rudder bar and breaks will be given to all candidates who are found to have a leg length of less than 39 inches and/or a height of less than 64 inches.
This leg length is taken as follows:-
The candidate is seated on the floor, with the sacrum hard up against the wall, the legs fully extended and the bare feet at right angles to the legs. A box or similar object at least 10 inches high is placed on the floor so that the balls of the feet and the heels bear simultaneously on one of its vertical surfaces. The distance between the wall and the box is the "leg length".
Air Ministry,
June, 1937.
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Collection
Citation
Great Britain. Air Ministry, “RAFVR Notes for the Information of Candidates,” IBCC Digital Archive, accessed April 24, 2024, https://ibccdigitalarchive.lincoln.ac.uk/omeka/collections/document/36963.
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