I emailed Chuck Myers that link. This is what I got back: "Having graduated from both the Army Air Corps and Navy flight training programs I observed a lot of instructor pilots. The best was a Navy AP, why? Perhaps because ALL he did was fly: no interruptions for career focused schools and other collateral duties to prepare him to possibly someday become CNO.
And, the world's top ace was Eric Hartman (352 kills): after graduating from flying school he was assigned to a fighter squadron where his mentor was a Luftwaffe flying sergeant pilot who taught him his tactics and got him thru the initial stage where one is most apt to be shot down.
My version of an ideal squadron of 18 would have a permanent core of about at least a half dozen enlisted or warrant officer pilots who would serve to evolve and refine tactics and procedures."
I first leaned about the Flying Sergeants at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola. It appears that, in difficult times, tough choices are made that go against the wishes of the "the system." We needed killers in the sky and didn't have time for them to learn witch fork to use and how to avoid manual labor. Many of these guys were commissioned but then had to revert back to their enlisted rank if they wanted to keep flying. There were a couple that stayed on active duty into the 80's. The Navy had some to but the obviously were not called Sergeants. Best info on the web about the program: http://www.bluejacket.com/sea-service_nap_index.htm
I emailed Chuck Myers that link. This is what I got back:
ReplyDelete"Having graduated from both the Army Air Corps and Navy flight training programs I observed a lot of instructor pilots. The best was a Navy AP, why? Perhaps because ALL he did was fly: no interruptions for career focused schools and other collateral duties to prepare him to possibly someday become CNO.
And, the world's top ace was Eric Hartman (352 kills): after graduating from flying school he was assigned to a fighter squadron where his mentor was a Luftwaffe flying sergeant pilot who taught him his tactics and got him thru the initial stage where one is most apt to be shot down.
My version of an ideal squadron of 18 would have a permanent core of about at least a half dozen enlisted or warrant officer pilots who would serve to evolve and refine tactics and procedures."
I first leaned about the Flying Sergeants at the National Museum of Naval Aviation at Pensacola. It appears that, in difficult times, tough choices are made that go against the wishes of the "the system." We needed killers in the sky and didn't have time for them to learn witch fork to use and how to avoid manual labor. Many of these guys were commissioned but then had to revert back to their enlisted rank if they wanted to keep flying. There were a couple that stayed on active duty into the 80's. The Navy had some to but the obviously were not called Sergeants. Best info on the web about the program: http://www.bluejacket.com/sea-service_nap_index.htm
ReplyDelete