Royal Air Force Training Command

Royal Air Force Training Command
Unit name	Royal Air Force Training Command
Caption	Badge of the Training Command
Dates	1936–1940, 1957–1968
Country	United Kingdom
Branch	Royal Air Force
Type	Command
Role	Pilot and aircrew training, specialist instruction
Garrison	RAF Upavon, RAF Brampton
Notable commanders	Sir William Sholto Douglas, Sir John Salmond

Royal Air Force Training Command was the central organisation within the Royal Air Force responsible for coordinating aircrew instruction, ground trade training, and specialist schools from the interwar period through post‑war reorganisation. It directed elementary flying training, advanced pilot conversion, navigation and signals instruction, and technical apprentice schemes, interfacing with air staff, civilian contractors, and international partner Commonwealth of Nations air arms. Training Command influenced doctrine development, equipment standardisation, and personnel pipelines that supported operations in the Second World War, the Cold War, and decolonisation-era commitments.

History

Training Command emerged from the reorganisation that created numbered and functional commands within the Royal Air Force in the 1930s, assuming responsibilities previously held by Inland Area and Coastal Area. Under commanders such as Sir John Salmond and Sir William Sholto Douglas, it expanded rapidly in response to the German rearmament crisis and the onset of the Second World War, establishing Elementary Flying Training Schools and Service Flying Training Schools across the United Kingdom. In wartime it worked closely with the Air Ministry, RAF Ferry Command, and the British Overseas Airways Corporation liaison elements to sustain aircrew throughput for theatres including the Battle of Britain, the North African campaign, and the Burma Campaign. Post‑war demobilisation, followed by Cold War rearmament and the creation of the Royal Air Force Regiment and the reallocation of technical training to apprentice schemes, saw Training Command disbanded and reformed during periods of structural reform, notably in 1957 and finally absorbed into RAF Support Command in 1968. Throughout its existence it coordinated exchanges with the Royal Australian Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Royal New Zealand Air Force, and air arms across South Africa and the India subcontinent.

Organisation and units

The command comprised a headquarters element at bases such as RAF Upavon and later RAF Brampton, regional groups, and specialist schools. Key components included Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTS), Service Flying Training Schools (SFTS), Operational Training Units (OTU), Navigation Schools, Bombing Schools, Air Armament Schools, Signals Schools, and Technical Training Schools. Units reported through numbered groups that mirrored operational group structures like No. 23 Group RAF and No. 25 Group RAF. The command integrated civilian contract schools and university air squadrons such as University Air Squadron units affiliated with institutions like University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and University of London. Apprentice training involved establishments at RAF Halton, RAF Cosford, and RAF St Athan, producing trades personnel who supported aircraft such as the Avro Lancaster, De Havilland Mosquito, and later jet types including the Gloster Meteor and English Electric Canberra.

Training roles and syllabuses

Training Command developed syllabuses for pilot flying, navigation, wireless telegraphy, air gunnery, bombing and reconnaissance, and ground trades. Elementary courses emphasised dual instruction, basic aerobatics, circuits and bumps, and night flying preparation for conversion at Service Flying Training Schools where instrument flying, formation, gunnery, and bombing practice were taught. Navigation schools taught dead reckoning, celestial navigation, and radio navigation techniques compatible with aids such as the Gee and Oboe systems; signals training covered radio telephony and morse proficiency used in coordination with units like RAF Coastal Command. Specialist syllabuses included radar operator instruction tied to innovations from Bawdsey Manor research and the Telecommunications Research Establishment, and maintenance modules based on manufacturer's data from firms such as Handley Page, Hawker Siddeley, and Rolls-Royce.

Aircraft and equipment

A broad range of aircraft served within Training Command, reflecting both piston and jet eras. Elementary training commonly used types such as the De Havilland Tiger Moth, Fairey Battle as a trainer in certain roles, and the Miles Magister. Service and operational conversion used the Avro Anson, Airco DH.9A in early periods, the North American Harvard/T-6 Texan for advanced instruction, and multi‑crew platforms like the Vickers Wellington and Avro Lancaster for bomber training. Jet conversion introduced the Gloster Meteor, de Havilland Vampire, and later the BAC Jet Provost for advanced jet handling. Ground training equipment included gunnery ranges, bombing ranges, link trainer devices, navigation plotting rooms, radar simulators developed by the Telecommunications Research Establishment, and inertial trainers supplied by contractors such as Miles Aircraft.

Bases and facilities

Training Command utilised a network of airfields, stations, and camps across the United Kingdom and overseas training sites in Canada under the Empire Air Training Scheme, in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and in Southern Rhodesia for climate‑advantaged flying. Principal UK stations included RAF Upavon, RAF Halton, RAF Cranwell, RAF College Cranwell, RAF Church Fenton, RAF Linton-on-Ouse, RAF Topcliffe, RAF Moreton-in-Marsh, RAF Syerston, and RAF Lossiemouth. Facilities ranged from class‑rooms and hangars to bombing ranges in Wessex and instrument flying areas over the North Sea, plus medical and survival schools liaising with establishments such as Royal Air Force Medical Services.

Notable operations and contributions

Training Command’s output underpinned key operational successes by supplying aircrew for the Battle of Britain, strategic bombing campaigns over Germany, maritime patrols in the Battle of the Atlantic, and support missions in the Mediterranean Theatre. It contributed to international training programmes including the Empire Air Training Scheme with Royal Canadian Air Force and Royal Australian Air Force partners, and post‑war NATO standardisation efforts alongside United States Air Force and Royal Netherlands Air Force training authorities. Innovations developed within its schools—procedures for instrument flying, navigation using Gee and Oboe, and radar operator training—were adopted by operational commands and influenced civil aviation practices at organisations like British European Airways.

Category:Royal Air Force commands Category:Military training establishments of the United Kingdom