Post Graduate Training
At Central Navigation School
(Republished from the 22 July 1961 issue of The Voxair)
The Central Navigation School of the RCAF, located on the top floor of building 84, is one of two schools in the world that provide advanced operational/technical training for aircrew officers. It is the only one in the RCAF. Since its inauguration in 1948 at RCAF Station Summerside, as the Specialist Wing of No. 1 ANS, it has grown steadily in status and ability until today it is recognized as an authority on Radio Navigator training, aircraft guidance and control systems and airborne communications.
Today, CNS regularly provides four advanced training courses: three staff courses, and a Specialist Navigation Course. The three staff courses,
- the Staff Officer Navigation Instructor (SONI),
- the Staff Officer Radio Instructor (SORI), and
- Staff Officer Airborne Interceptor (SO(AI)I),
are designed primarily to qualify officers as instructors for ANS and operational units and for junior operational staff positions. Two of each of the staff courses are held annually with about 10 students on each course.
The Specialist Navigation Course (SpecN) is designed to provide candidates with a solid technical background, a sound theoretical background, a knowledge of present and future developments and techniques, and the necessary practice in writing original aircrew operational/technical staff papers to qualify them for senior air staff duties. The course commences about 1 September each year and is of 40 weeks duration. The complement of this year’s course was 5 RCAF Radio Navigators, 2 RCAF pilots and 1 USAF Navigator. As has been reported in previous Voxair issues, the SpecN course takes trips around Canada, USA, and Europe in their efforts to study and collect up-to-date information on technical and operational advances in systems equipments and techniques related to avionics and astronautics. Candidates for SpecN training are chosen from SONI, SORI and SO(AI)I graduates and from pilots with an equivalent academic background.
Also located in CNS is the Radio Navigator Standards section which is employed at producing manuals for under-graduate and post-graduate Radio Navigator training. Radio Navigator Standards is also responsible for setting the graduation standards for Radio Navigator courses and for the monitoring of these standards. ‘
Throughout the year, as well as doing their usual duties, many people in CNS are involved in project work under the control of the Test and Development Section. These projects are usually assigned to CNS by some higher authority but some originate from ideas developed by members of CNS. For example, F/O G. N. Friesen developed a gyro correction graph which is gaining favor throughout the RCAF. Two of the more interesting projects presently under study by CNS are “The Application of Navigation Satellites to RCAF Operations” and “An All-weather Navigation System for Helicopters”
CNS also maintains the CNS-ANS library. This library contains many volumes, reports, and publications, most of which are technical in nature although there are some which could be considered “light reading”. Although this library is located in CNS, material is available to anyone on the station and inquiries are welcome.
Along with the library is the publications section which, as well as publishing all the reports produced by CNS, edits and assembles the Radio Navigator trade magazine “The Observer”. This magazine, a quarterly publication, contains articles on technical and practical aspects of flying as well as some of historical and general interest. “The Observer” enjoys a wide circulation in Commonwealth and NATO air forces.
With the rapid advances in aeronautical technology, post-graduate courses must impart a knowledge of new concepts and the potentials of new equipments. In a small service like the RCAF, with its many roles, personnel must be flexible. To be flexible, knowledge and appreciation are necessary and this is the challenge that CNS attempts to meet.