CFS Completes Winnipeg Move
(Republished from the 13 November 1964 issue of The Voxair)
Central Flying School is now firmly established in No 11 hangar. The major move involving personnel and equipment was completed in August, but it was not until early November ’64 that the various sections in CFS finally all got together under one roof.
The school has been on the move three times since 1959. It moved from Trenton to Saskatoon in ’59, from Saskatoon to Gimli in September ’62, and from Gimli to Winnipeg in August ’64. All these moves involve a great deal of personnel changes, but in the latest move from Gimli, most of the staff personnel remained with the school.
The Officer Commanding CFS is W/C W. J. Smith, who was transferred to CFS Saskatoon in July ’62, and has accompanied the school on all its subsequent moves. W/C Smith has a varied RCAF background, serving as OC Flying at 1 (F) OTU Chatham, N.B., and as Commanding Officer Stn. Lac St. Denis, P.Q., prior to his arrival at Saskatoon in 1962.
CENTRAL FLYING SCHOOL
The major role of Central Flying School is to examine pilot training within Training Command so that techniques of pilot instruction are Maintained at the highest level. This is accomplished through regular visits to all training units, during which the flying instructors are categorized. CFS is also responsible for publishing pilot training syllabi, manuals and examinations used at PTS, FTS’s and AFS’s, and Collaborating in the preparation of aircraft operating instructions and check lists.
Staff members of the school are required to keep abreast of the latest developments in flying, including instrument flying and use of navigational and approach aids; and in flight procedure trainers. CFS also makes recommendations concerning aircrew practices and techniques for all types of flying and all types of training aircraft in the RCAF.
The unit is comprised of five flights; three flights, Basic, Advanced and Multi Flight, regularly visit flying training units to monitor and report on the standard of basic, advanced and multi engine flying training, respectively. The standard of academics is also examined during these visits. The other two flights, UICP and Projects and Research (P & R), are concerned with conducting the UICP courses, handling research projects and supervising unit flying operations.
Among the responsibilities of Basic, Advanced and Multi Engine flights are included a variety of duties. The flights assess and report on the functioning of flying training and testing, and supervise the examination of aircrew pilot training at the schools in Training Command. They also prepare and maintain training publications, examinations and directives for pilot training, and make recommendations concerning aircrew flying practices and techniques for all flying training within Training Command, In addition, these flights supervise the evaluation of new types of training aircraft and equipment and initiate the development of new training techniques and methods to meet changing operational requirements.
The Unit Instrument Check Pilot Flight carries out the only flying instruction, as such, at CFS. The UICP flight conducts seven courses per year, each of six weeks duration. The eight students for each course arc selected from pilots of all commands in the RCAF, from RCN pilots, and from USAF exchange pilots. Course members received approximately 2,000 flying hours and 700 hours academic instruction during 1963. Besides the regular flying and academic training, the courses make liaison visits to ICAO in Montreal, the Directorate of Air Services at AFHQ, the school of Air Traffic Control at Camp Borden, and the DOT Control Centre and CNS at Winnipeg.
A newly formed flight at CFS is designated as Projects and Research. This section is responsible for everyday flying operations, programming of aircraft and planning for future commitments. Its major responsibility, however, lies in the Research and Planning field concerning new academic and flying training concepts, as well as study of advanced training aircraft and equipment. Projects and Research also supervises the preparation, continuous review, and amendment of all pilot training syllabi and publications used in pilot training schools within Training Command.
The aircraft in use with CFS date from the ancient Dakota to the modern Tutor. All aircraft are modified for TACAN installation and twelve of the eighteen aircraft at CFS are TACAN equipped. Two Dakotas are also fitted for VOR and will possibly be equipped with a modern Flight Director System in the future. More optimistic staff members feel the unit will reequip with a modern replacement.