Flying Training Command

Flying Training Command
source
Unit name	Flying Training Command
Caption	Training aircraft at a flight school
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Command
Role	Pilot and aircrew training
Garrison	Various RAF stations
Notable commanders	Sir John Slessor, Air Marshal Sir Ralph Cochrane
Active	1939–1968

Flying Training Command was a major formation responsible for the systematic instruction of pilots, navigators, and aircrew within the Royal Air Force and allied air services during and after the Second World War. It coordinated elementary, intermediate, and advanced instruction across numerous RAF stations, training schools, and central flying schools to produce aircrew for operations in theaters such as the Battle of Britain, the North African Campaign, and later NATO commitments during the early Cold War. The Command linked doctrine from Air Ministry policy through practical training at units like the Central Flying School and the Empire Air Training Scheme.

History

Formed from prewar training organizations, the Command evolved as the RAF expanded under the pressures of the Phoney War and the Battle of Britain. Wartime exigencies accelerated growth of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and the Empire Air Training Scheme, directing trainees from dominions such as Canada, Australia, and New Zealand into a coherent pipeline administered by the Command. Postwar demobilization, the onset of the Cold War, and the 1957 Defence White Paper (UK) prompted reorganizations that shifted emphasis to jet conversion, instrument flying, and NATO interoperability. The Command’s responsibilities were progressively rationalised into other RAF commands by the late 1960s.

Organization and Structure

The Command was hierarchically arranged around groups, schools, wings, and numbered units. Key components included the Central Flying School, No. 1 Flying Training School, and multiple Service Flying Training Schools, each reporting via regional Group Headquarters. Support elements such as the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment and the Royal Aircraft Establishment interfaced on aircraft development and evaluation. Administrative oversight connected to the Air Ministry and collaborated with civilian contractors like De Havilland and Fairey Aviation for aircraft and maintenance provisioning.

Training Programs and Curriculum

Curricula spanned elementary flying training, advanced pilot instruction, navigator and bomb aimer courses, and specialist programs for night, instrument, and carrier operations. Syllabi incorporated sections from the RAF College Cranwell academic programs, linking leadership and staff training with practical aircrew sorties. Conversion units taught pilots transition to types such as the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane, Gloster Meteor, and later jet trainers like the BAC Jet Provost. Joint programs aligned with Commonwealth training standards under the Imperial Defence College and liaison with the United States Army Air Forces during combined operations.

Aircraft and Equipment

A diverse fleet supported training: biplane types like the Avro Tutor and Hawker Hart in earlier years, monoplane trainers such as the Miles Master and North American Harvard/AT-6 Texan, and frontline conversion types including the Spitfire and Hurricane. Postwar inventory introduced jets and transits from firms such as Gloster, de Havilland (including the de Havilland Vampire), and English Electric for advanced training and navigation instruction. Ground-based equipment included flight simulators developed by the Royal Aircraft Establishment and instrument trainers influenced by technologies trialed at the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment.

Personnel and Instructor Training

Instructors were drawn from experienced fighter, bomber, and reconnaissance aircrews, many veterans of campaigns like the Battle of Britain and the Dieppe Raid. Instructor selection emphasized instructional technique taught at the Central Flying School and continuing professional development at establishments such as RAF College Cranwell. The Command maintained specialist cadres for Fleet Air Arm liaison, coastal patrol training with units tied to RAF Coastal Command, and joint NATO instructor exchange programs involving the United States Air Force and other allied air arms.

Operations and Deployments

Although primarily a training organization, the Command’s schools and units were occasionally mobilized for operational requirements: advanced training units provided conversion pilots for the Operation Husky landings and supported deployments during the Berlin Airlift through personnel exchanges and training of transport crews. Training stations across England, Scotland, and Wales were frequently dispersed to mitigate threat from Luftwaffe operations and to support overseas detachments in Egypt and India during imperial commitments.

Legacy and Impact

The Command’s systematic approach to aircrew production underpinned RAF operational effectiveness during key conflicts and fostered international training standards embodied in postwar NATO doctrine. Alumni include personnel who later served in commands such as RAF Fighter Command and RAF Bomber Command and in civil aviation with carriers like British Overseas Airways Corporation. Institutional contributions persisted in the curricula of successors and in the practices of the Civil Aviation Authority and contemporary military flying training establishments. Its integration with Commonwealth programs helped cement enduring military ties among United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

Category:Royal Air Force