Pilot Training - Elementary Phase US AAC/AAF style
What
the reader will find here are several chapters taken from: Technical
Manual No. 1-210, Elementary Flying, Prepared under direction of
the Chief of the Air Corps ,War
Department, Washington, January 9, 1942."
TM 1-210 was intended to regulate the "Elementary" training phase in the Air Corps by giving a step by step description and explanation of the training curriculum. It was given to the flight instructors - not the students. In a historical context it was to help the many new instructors in the flight training establishments - come about in the vanguard of the pre-war "5000 airplane" expansion program - to find their way around in their new role. As such it is a proof of the Air Corps desire to hold up the high standards of peace time education of it's pilots - even in a period of fast paced - and later rather frantic expansion. Of course, the standards of recruiting got lowered in the course of the war and the training got later shortened to a 60 week schedule - which turned out more as an issue of efficiency than quality. And there where the constant complaints of the commanders in the theaters of operation about the quality of the training of their newly arrived pilots. But after all is said and done, the training in the Air Corps and the Army Air Force kept their high standards over the war.
Since TM 1-210 is a "training the trainers" manual in essence, it gives a full and step by step description of the training course. But not necessarily a full description of each flight maneuver - since the trainers where supposed to know about them. But it is about how to teach each evolution. It can be used as a guide for self study nevertheless - esp. by flightsimmers.
Table of contents:
Section VI Preliminary Phase
