WORLD WAR II RAF FLYING CONTROL
The main purpose of the Royal Air Force Flying Control Organization was to provide navigational guidance for aircraft to and from Nazi Europe military objectives and to provide for the dispersal of arriving aircraft to those airfields where the most favourable landing conditions existed. Instrument flying was discouraged except for landing and then only if IFR conditions occurred at the landing fields. Flying Control support was only provided at landing areas and not for any en route flights: the famous 1000 bomber raids of the RAF used the "Big Sky" separation theory.
It was only after the war began, however, that the RAF Flying Control Branch was formed from personnel of the Administrative and Special Duties Branches, annotated for Flying Control Duties. These personnel had little opportunity to control take-offs, but were indispensable for landing. In point of fact, though the Flying Control Officer gave the executive clearance to land, without correct spacing of the aircraft by the pilots through visual methods, high landing rates could not have been achieved.
With the standardized procedures for flying, came a need for standardized lighting. Prior to 1942, RAF Stations suffered from a variety of airfield lighting which was introduced at the whim of the Station Commander. The result of this diversity was pilot confusion on landing and several preventable accidents. On 1 November 1942, a standard Approach lighting system was instituted, followed by Obstruction Lighting, Landmark Beacons and Aerial Lighthouses, all under control of the Flying Control Officer.
From 1 Jan 1943 on, Navaids became a top priority and resulted in installation of Beam Approach equipment, Radio Ranges and Radio Track Guides culminating in trials during late 1943 of Ground Controlled Approach.
In the early days of World War II the RAF decided that Emergency Airfields near the Cliffs of Dover would probably be needed and established 6 emergency runways each 3000 yards by 250 yards with a 1200 yard overrun at each end. As well, Prime Minister Churchill became involved with the Fog Dispersal Operations (FIDO) installations. Fog in Europe and particularly England, is prevalent in fall and spring. Under Churchill's direction. The Petroleum War Fuel Department laid down a system of pipe lines either side of several of these emergency airfields. These lines when filled with petrol, under high pressure, upon ignition, emitted a very fierce flame through spaced nozzles. It was conclusively proved this heat would raise the fog vertically some 300 feet above and along and some distance around the pipes. Nothing was said about the turbulence this would give to the landing aircraft. On many occasions when fog would have cancelled flying operations, the missions left UK knowing that FIDO was available for recovery of their aircraft.
Some WW II Flying Control statistics are of historical interest:
DIVERSION - from 1942 to 1945, there were 31645 diversions of aircraft from closed airfields to FIDO-equipped airfields.
LOST AIRCRAFT - there were 1608 saves made by Flying Control (roughly 10% of the lost calls from aircraft.
EMERGENCY AIRFIELDS - recovered 11,250 A/C in actual emergencies: not having these fields would probably have caused loss of the aircraft involved).
FIDO - was eventually established at 15 airfields and from May 1944 to May 1945, the installations were used 2500 times to effect successful landings in fog.
Initially, RCAF Flying Control Officers were sent to RAF bases for training in the Flying Control role and then moved to RCAF bases. In the case of #6 Group (RCAF Bomber Command) the Canadian personnel were posted in and replaced RAF personnel who were moved to RAF bases as RCAF personnel checked out. With the inception of Flying Control in #6 RCAF Bomber Group in mid-1942 there were 9 RCAF Stations with 10 RAF Flying Control Officers and 19 RCAF Flying Control Officers. By the end of August 1943, the 9 RCAF Stations boasted 37 RCAF Flying Control Officers while the RAF Flying Control Officer staff had been reduced to 4.
Herewith a quote from the #6 (RCAF) Group Flying Control report of 1 September 1943. "In view of the fact that a good Flying Control Officer very often has not had air crew experience, a brief outline of selection and training should be given.
Selection of these officers is made primarily on the basis of temperament and ability to act in emergency where the right decision is required at once as to the course of action to be taken.
All Canadian personnel were given a preliminary course in Canada in the rudiments of control and were, if successful, posted Overseas.
After a period of from two weeks to four months of understudy and familiarization on an airfield, they were posted to the RAF course of six weeks duration. The syllabus of this course includes Navigation, Meteorology, Airfield Procedures, Airfield Equipment and Airfield Lighting as well as the general subject of Flying Control. During the course each pupil had actual air experience on Single Beam Approach, Navigation, and Controlled Descent through cloud as well as night flying.
Examination papers were set by the Central Examination Board, and successful candidates were posted to Airfields for a period of one to three months, whereupon they are certified as competent and are posted to a junior position on the establishment of a station.
Altogether it is considered that a Flying Control Officer, to be competent, requires six months training and after certification three months experience before he can be considered to be an experienced capable Flying Control Officer."
Updated: November 24, 2004