A Very Unusual Air War (37 page)
Read A Very Unusual Air War Online
Authors: Gill Griffin
| Summary for:- January 1944 | 1. Mustang | 8–15 |
| Date:- 3/1/44 | 2. Oxford | 1–20 |
| Unit:- AFDU Wittering | 3. Proctor | 3–10 |
| Signature:- H.L. Thorne | 4. Spitfire VII | −55 |
| 5. Spitfire IX | 4–10 | |
| 6. Spitfire V | 1–10 | |
| 7. FW190 | −20 | |
| 8. Tempest | 1–45 | |
| | ||
| Signed T.S. Wade S/Ldr O/C Flying A.F.D.U |
| YEAR | 1944 | AIRCRAFT | Pilot or 1st Pilot | 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. | DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) | Flying Time | Passenger | ||
| MONTH | DATE | Type | No. | Dual | Solo | ||||
| February | 1st | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Test long-range tanks | | −35 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Comparative v. Tempest | | −45 | |
| | 2nd | Tempest | JN737 | Self | A/C Roscorla | Comparative v. Mustang | | −50 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | Cpl Mauker | Fuel consumption and firing | | 2–20 | |
| | 3rd | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | Cpl Mauker | Fuel tank change-over test | | 1–10 | |
| | 4th | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Climb to 35,000ft | | 1–30 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Cine gun | | −15 | |
| | 5th | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Assistance to Typhoon | | −15 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | To Poddington | | −25 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | To base | | −20 | |
| | 6th | FW 190 | PM679 | Self | | Air test | | −15 | |
| | 7th | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Comparative v. FW 190 & escort | | 1–35 | |
| | | FW 190 | PM679 | Self | | Comparative v. Mustang | | −30 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Night flying trials | | 1–05 | |
| | 8th | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Clims to 33,000ft & cine gun | | −50 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Comparative v. ’190 | | −45 | |
| | 9th | Spitfire IX | JL359 | Self | | Fuel consumption | | −25 | |
| | | Mustang I | AM107 | Self | | Compass test | | −20 | |
| | 10th | FW 190 | PM679 | Self | | Comparative v. Tempest | | −30 | |
| | | Spitfire Vb | AB169 | Self | | To Cranfield | | −25 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Test bubble hood | | −30 | |
| | | Spitfire Vb | AB169 | Self | | To base | | −35 | |
| | 15th | Spitfire IX | BS552 | Self | | Air test | | −20 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Consumption test | | 1–00 | |
| | 18th | Spitfire XII | EN222 | Self | | Air test | | −15 | |
| | 20th | Mustang III | FE107 | Self | | Fuel consumption | | −40 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Speed runs and climbs | | 1–05 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Fuel consumption | | −55 | |
| | 22nd | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | To Gravesend | | −50 | |
| | | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | To base | | −35 | |
| | 24th | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Climbs | | −35 | |
| | | Oxford | V3791 | Self | F/Sgt Bristow | To Cranfield | | −30 | |
| | | Oxford | V3791 | Self | F/Sgt Bristow | To base | | −30 | |
| | 28th | Mustang III | FZ107 | Self | | Comparative v. ME 109G | | 1–05 | |
| | 29th | FW 190 | PM679 | Self | | Comparative v. Spitfire L2C | | −30 | |
| | | | | | | GRAND TOTAL TO DATE 945 hours 30 mins | 3–30 | 10–20 | |
| | | | | | | | 60–00 | 871–40 | 16–15 |
2 February
: The fuel tanks of a Mustang held 176 gallons against the Spitfire’s 96, giving the Mustang an endurance of a little over 3½ hours at normal cruising speed.
5 February
: First trip. The ASI (Air Speed Indicator) had failed so I led the pilot in for his landing.
6 February
: We are still trying our best to get that engine right.
7 February
: To the best of my knowledge the Mustang was never flown operationally at night. However, with its long range there was always a possibility of having to land after dark, so we still had to check that everything was in working order.
10 February
: ‘Bubble hood.’ This was the same type of canopy as was fitted to the Spitfire IX. It was called the Malcolm hood; it bulged outwards and gave much improved all-round visibility.
22 February
: To Gravesend. This was a winter cross-country exercise when I chose to fly there in order to visit my brother-in-law, LAC Ron Davies, who served in the RAF Regiment. It took me some time to locate him in an open anti-aircraft gun-pit on airfield defence duty. Although I arrived across the Thames in a blinding snowstorm, I treated them to 10 minutes of beat-up and low-level aerobatics. Stupid really, as gunners were notoriously trigger happy and quite likely to shoot at one of ours. Ron was frequently in action and probably saw more of the Luftwaffe than I did in this vulnerable and dangerous area of Britain.
28 February
: The ME 109G, known as the ‘Gustav’, was the latest version of that excellent fighter and still able to give a good account of itself in the hands of an experienced pilot.
29 February
: This was co-operation with NAFDU against a Fleet Air Arm fighter designated an L2C but actually a Seafire, used effectively as a carrier-borne fighter.
| Summary for:- February 1944 | 1. Mustang III | 18–00 |
| Unit:- AFDU Wittering | 2. Mustang I | −20 |
| Date:- 1/3/44 | 3. Tempest V | −50 |
| Signature:- H.L. Thorne | 4. FW190 | 1–45 |
| 5. Spitfire IX | −45 | |
| 6. Spitfire V | 1–00 | |
| 7. Spitfire XII | −15 | |
| 8. Oxford | 1–00 | |
| | ||
| Signed T.S. Wade S/Ldr O/C Flying AFDU |
| YEAR | 1944 | AIRCRAFT | Pilot or 1st Pilot | 2nd Pilot, Pupil or Pass. | DUTY (Including Results and Remarks) | Flying Time | Passenger | ||
| MONTH | DATE | Type | No. | Dual | Solo | ||||
| March | 1st | Mitchell | 208 | F/Lt Lane | Self | Ait test | | −35 | |
| | | Tempest V | 737 | Self | | Air test | | −20 | |
| | 2nd | Typhoon | 512 | Self | | Test drop tanks | | −40 | |
| | 3rd | Typhoon | 512 | Self | | Test drop tanks | | −55 | |
| | 4th | Typhoon | 512 | Self | | Cutting tests | | −30 | |
| | 5th | Spitfire IX | BS552 | Self | | Comparative v VII | | −25 | |
| | | Spitfire VII | BS229 | Self | | Comparative v IX | | −45 | |
| | | Spitfire VC | 372 | Self | | Comparative v VII | | −50 | |
| | 7th | Spitfire VC | 372 | Self | | Test dive brakes | | −50 | |
| | | Spitfire VC | 372 | Self | | Test dive brakes | | −25 | |
| | 9th | Spitfire XIV | RB179 | Self | | Air test | | −15 | |
| | 13th | Typhoon | 512 | Self | | Comparative v Tempest | | −30 | |
| | | Tempest | 737 | Self | | Comparative v Typhoon | | −45 | |
| | 14th | Tempest | 737 | Self | | Beat-up | | −20 | |
| | 15th | Spitfire VII | BS229 | Self | | Test dive flaps | | −35 | |
| | 16th | Tempest | 737 | Self | | Comparative v Typhoon | | −55 | |
| | | Oxford | V3791 | Self | | To Wakely | | −10 | |
| | | Oxford | V3791 | Self | | To base | | −15 | |
| | 17th | Spitfire | AB169 | Self | | Air test | | −30 | |
| | 18th | FW 190 | PM679 | Self | | Comparative v. Spitfire XIV | | −35 | |
| | 19th | FW 190 | PM679 | Self | | Air test | | −10 | |
| | 22nd | Tempest | 737 | Self | | Guns and camera | | −40 | |
| | 25th | Spitfire | MH415 | Self | | Rate of roll | | −35 | |
| | | Tempest | 737 | Self | | Rate of roll | | 1–05 | |
| | | Spitfire | 179 | Self | | Rate of roll | | −25 | |
| | | | | | | GRAND TOTAL TO DATE 959 hours 30 mins | 3–30 | 10–20 | |
| | | | | | | | 60–00 | 885–40 | 16–15 |