ATA Training System

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 Without doubt, one of the keys to the ATA's success was its training system. When the pool of qualified pilots had been depleted but the demands for ATA services were growing, the ATA took the decision to train their own pilots. They then devised a customised training program that produced qualified pilots in record time.

 

Critical to the success of ATA's training program was that it had been designed to meet the demand for ferry pilots. ATA pilots were trained for a specific purpose: ferrying. They did not need to master the skills required of fighter, bomber, recce pilots, or airline pilots. This meant there were many aspects to flying that they did not need to learn in order to do the job assigned them. They were not supposed to fly at night or in poor weather so they did not need instrument training, for example. They certainly didn't need to master aerobatics! On the other hand, they had to be very good at navigating without instruments and they needed to be comfortable flying a variety of different aircraft. The goal of ATA training can be summarized as producing pilots with great versatility with regard to the type of aircraft flown and great circumspection with regard to style of flying. 

The design of the ATA's training program was entrusted to BOAC's Chief Flying Instructor, A.R.O. MacMillan. He devised a scheme based on the following principles: 1) training by class of aircraft; 2) gradual progression from one class to the next starting with light, single-engine aircraft and ending with multi-engine flying boats; 3) emphasis on cross-country flying and navigation; 4) progress at one's own pace; 5) no training in extraneous skills such as instrument flying, aerobatics, formation flying or R/T use.

MacMillan sought to master the problem of the need to fly a variety of aircraft by grouping aircraft with similar flying characteristics into "classes." The idea was that a pilot trained on any aircraft in a specific class was then qualified to fly any aircraft in that class without additional training. This, naturally, required very careful classification! It also required succinct "Handling and Pilot's Notes" that summarized the characteristics of each aircraft.  The 'Pilot's Notes' provided a pilot flying a new type of aircraft with the most vital information in a concise and comprehensive fashion. These were printed on 4x6 cards covered with fine print carrying information about engine types, flaps, fuel tanks, brakes etc. They also provided "Flying Particulars" that gave the recommended particulars (boost, rpms, mixture, speed etc.) for take-off, climb, cruise, stall, approach and landing -- and sometimes comments on exceptional quirks, risks or difficulties. 

The system worked. All pilots flying with the ATA proved capable of flying aircraft they had never seen -- much less flown -- before on the basis of the training they'd had on other aircraft in any class and the Pilot's Notes. 

The classes of aircraft were:

  • Class I: light, single-engine aircraft, predominantly training and liaison aircraft, e.g. open cockpit, biplanes like the Gypsy Moth or the Gladiator
  • Class II: powerful, single-engine aircraft, such as modern fighters, e.g. Hurricanes, Spitfires, Mustangs etc.  
  • Class III: light, twin-engine aircraft, such as advanced training aircraft such as Oxfords and small passenger aircraft such as Ansons.
  • Class IV: advanced, twin-engine aircraft, predominantly medium bombers, e.g. Blenheims, Wellingtons, Beaufighters and Mosquitos.
  • Class V: four-engine aircraft, predominantly the heavy bombers such as Halifaxes, Lancasters, Flying Fortresses and Liberators.
  • Class VI: flying boats. 

The ATA required pilots to qualify on the classes in order, one step up at a time, but it did not allow pilots to 'specialize' in any particular class. Thus, if the need arose or scheduling issues made it the most efficient use of resources someone qualified on flying boats might be required to take a training aircraft somewhere. 

The pace at which a pilot progressed from one class to another was completely flexible. Each pilot progressed at their own pace. There was no compulsion to qualify on any class after a set amount of service and no threat of being "washed-out" for failure to meet a deadline. It was possible to accommodate the different aptitudes of pilots-in-training because training was confined to short periods at the training schools followed by 'on the job' training with a Ferry Pool. In short, pilots were rapidly given the opportunity to put their newly acquired skills into practice and these skills were quickly solidified in the working environment. Pilots recall that while becoming familiar with a new class of aircraft, the Ferry Pool operations officer would see that they received 'easy' flights at first and were gradually eased into their new work. By putting pilots back out into the Pools as rapidly as possible, it was possible for them to learn from their fellow pilots on a daily basis rather than in the more artificial environment of a flying school with instructors and fellow (equally incompetent) students. 

A former ATA woman pilot is one of the leading female protagonists in the Bridge to Tomorrow Trilogy about the Berlin Airlift.  Find out more about the series at: https://helenapschrader.net/bridge-to-tomorrow/

Watch a video teaser here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7rS_Mwy3TU 

                                      

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