Page 97 - Demo

97turned out to be something of a curate%u2019s egg. Its strength lay in astro, which was well taught but, because PanAm was an airline, its only concern was getting from A to B; it had little appreciation of aviation in a military context and, understandably, it provided no instruction in tactical matters relating to reconnaissance techniques, search procedures, signalling and photography, let alone bomb8aiming and gunnery. The practical aspects of the course also left much to be desired as the only aeroplanes available for airborne work were four Consolidated Commodores. The contract called for each cadet to spend fifty hours in the air (half of them at night) but, flying in batches of up to ten at a time, only four or five of these hours were spent as %u2018navigator in charge%u2019 %u2013 which meant that the essential %u2018adrenaline factor%u2019 was lacking.24 Nevertheless, the RAF was pleased to take advantage of these facilities. The last British course to use them graduated in October 1942, by which time Pan American Airways had trained 1,177 observers for the RAF.25 *%u0017%u0006 %u0019%%u0015%u0016%u0015)*%u0006 %u0008+8%u0015/,%u0006 %(%u0015/%u0015/,%u0006 %u000c&*%u0013%u0013+)%u0006 fl%u0006 %u0016*%u0017%u0006 %u0019%u0008%u000c)? On 6 March 1941, on the specific direction of the President, Maj8Gen Hap Arnold, Chief of the US Army Air Corps, offered to set up in the USA, six civilian8run schools, to train RAF pilots to %u2018wings%u2019 standard via a 208week, 1508hour course (raised in January 1942 to 28 weeks and 200 hours). They were to be equipped with no fewer than 545 aeroplanes, all which would be furnished by the US Government A Stearman PT?17 of No 6 BFTS, Ponca City, OK.