failure rate, particularly in the earlier stages of the course. So with all things considered, action became necessary.
My first task was to introduce what was
known as ‘Role Confirmation’ at RAF Linton on Ouse, the Basic Flying Training station that fed students into 208 Sqn. This required my assessment of every student due to graduate from Linton to double check if they were indeed suitable to come to Valley. Understandably, this was not a popular measure, as several students who thought that they had finished their course were not able to progress in their chosen path. It did, however, ensure that 208’s entry standards were maintained. My second task was to ensure that standards throughout the AFT Course were rigorously adhered to, in order to give students the very best chance once they graduated onto 19 Sqn and Tactical Weapons Training. This may have meant that students received potentially less benefit of the doubt on 208 when they encountered difficulties, but it was necessary at the time. Lastly, 208 Sqn took on a much greater burden of the supervisory duties around the Station, thus relieving 19 Sqn instructors to focus on their own flying duties. Happily, the impact of all the above was successful; 19 Sqn was able to regain its output and the pool of holding students gradually reduced to almost zero. The down-side was that for around a year, the suspension rate on 208 Sqn was almost 25%. Most disappointingly, a ‘bloody’ axe mysteriously appeared beside my picture in the Sqn Photo Album…I can’t imagine why!
As well as the focus on flying standards, I was also very keen to maintain the Sqn’s more ‘enjoyable’ activities such as ‘Force Development’ and overseas detachments with our wonderful and versatile aircraft. I also planned to maintain the Sqn as the ‘owner’ of the singleton Hawk display. I felt particularly well prepared for supervision of this latter activity due to my own experiences when preparing for the Hawk display when I was first posted to Advanced Flying Training back in 1990. I vividly recall the development of my own display, with which I planned to win the Sqn aerobatics competition and therefore display the aircraft for the remainder of the year. The competition was fierce, so in an attempt to condense my own
…... within 4FTS itself. Much of this was due to the closure of the south Wales weapons detachment at St Athan which elongated the weapons phase of the Tactical Weapons Course on 19 Sqn significantly. As a result, 19 Sqn was having great difficulty keeping students ‘on the line’ with the resultant impact that their own student refresher burden was increasing, as students now had to hold for significant periods between 208 Sqn and their own. On 208, we also had started to note an increase in student
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