British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP) - Canadian Training
In Jim’s case like many others he was sent to Canada, under the auspices of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan (BCATP), for his initial flight training. This was part of (by this stage of the war) a well-structured training programme that was continually updated.
Jim enjoyed his time in Canada not least because it was far away from the war and the UK with its black-outs and food rationing. He travelled to Canada on the Queen Mary (now permanently berthed in Long Beach California), which had been one of the most glamorous transatlantic cruise liners before the war, before being used as a troop carrier. It was fast enough to make the journey unescorted as it could outrun German U-boats. In a strange coincidence his future father-in-law was on-board in the ship’s crew serving as a steward.
Jim was trained at Winnipeg Manitoba. It was in Canada that Jim was informed that there was a surplus of trainee pilots but a deficit of trainee navigators. To be a navigator required a good level of mathematical ability which not all had and as Jim had the necessary education and skills he was then persuaded to train as a navigator.
His first logged flight in Canada was in July 1943 in an Avro Anson, a twin engine aircraft which was used extensively in Canada for air training.
During his training Jim would have started out with the basics of Dead Reckoning and getting familiar with map reading from the air before progressing onto more advanced concepts. He also learnt Meteorology, Signals, Air Photography and Armament.
These were tested in Ground school by tests and also by practical exercise and tests whilst in the air. The course also included other elements more associated with the “Observer” role including photography and gunnery.
His course, the Navigation Course for Navigators or Air Bombers (course #79A) lasted from 28th June 1943 to 12th November 1943. It was an assessed course with Jim receiving 79.9% in Ground Work subjects and 77.9% in Air Work. During the course he logged nearly 100 hours flight time (including day and night flying), flying only in the Avro Anson.
Course Completion Certificate
Astro
As part of his navigation training he also had to learn and practice Astronavigation (Astro). Astro is the calculation of a position by taking observations of astronomical bodies such as the Sun, Moon and stars, effectively measuring their observed angle and then using some complex mathematics or as in the case of the RAF navigators, a set of tables, together with some basic maths to derive a series of position lines and ultimately your position (or fix). From taking the sights, to reading the tables and doing the basic calculations would take a good navigator quite a few minutes to finalise.
Given an aircraft might be flying at 200 knots, if you took five minutes to do the calculations, you’d have calculated where you were around 16 nautical miles away – and 5 minutes would typically be good going. Most aircraft of the time would have an Astrodome, a Perspex dome on top of the aircraft to allow the navigator to use the standard RAF issue Bubble-Sextant (so called as it had a bubble of air in a liquid to ensure it was kept level) for navigation.
From his training notebook he records that he needed to have done a minimum of 450 Astronavigation ‘shots’.
A Qualified Navigator
Jim completed his training in Canada and qualified as a Navigator on 12th December 1943 at No.5 Air Observer School RCAF Winnipeg, Manitoba. He was awarded his Wings (Navigator’s Wings) and was promoted to Flight Sergeant.
He then enjoyed a Graduation Meal with his other trainees and instructors, before heading back to the UK to continue his training.
Minimum Astro Sights Required - Jim's Notebook
Graduation Banquet at the Marlborough Hotel, Winnipeg
UK Training
AFU
In the UK he progressed to an AFU (Advanced Flying Unit) where he did the ‘Air Navigators Course’ (No. 205) at Wigtown continuing to fly the Anson aircraft.
OTU
Jim then undertook a further two months training at an OTU (Operational Training Unit) at Chipping Warden where he flew in the twin engine but larger Wellington aircraft (Course #72).
HCU
His next stop was at the HCU (Heavy Conversion Unit) at Wratting Common where, as the name implies, crew were introduced to a four engine heavy bomber for the first time, in this case flying the Short Stirling aircraft. By this stage of the war the Stirling had been relegated to a training role as it suffered from a low service ceiling making it more vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire. It was at the HCU where he was to meet the rest of his operational crew.
LFS
His final posting was, now as a member of a fully formed crew, to the No.3 LFS (Lancaster Finishing School) at Feltwell where they learned to operate the Avro Lancaster heavy bomber which they would be flying on operations.
Operational Squadron
Jim joined his first operational squadron, 622 squadron at Mildenhall with 233 flying hour’s experience.
