Flight training 1941

[bobhegf]

In 1941 Army and Navy flight training was always changing. Not untill Feb 1942 did the Military organise it into what we had later.First you had to have two years of collage be 21 years old by the time you got your wings and no more than 27 years old .There were only 300 pilots that graduated a year from flight school in each service.The president decided that he wanted to go from 300 a year to 25000 a year and that is when things became organised.This is the 1941 version of navy flight training.You inlisted as a seaman recrute promissing to stay in the service for four years and not get married for the 1st two years of service.You went to an E base for preflight and there you soloed in about 10 hours.Flyin consisted of stalls stall recovery spins ,spin recovery and landings and emergency landings in an N3N or Stearman.Once you completed this 1st part of the course you resigned from the Navy and went home to wait for an opening.The problem was alot of the men didn`t return when an opening was found so what the navy did was insted of you getting out they put you in this case in Jacksonville Florida untill an opening was found.Once an opening was found you then resigned and signed up as a cadet in flight training.You started out in Primary flying a kingfisher on wheels at Pensacola learning to fly formation.I forgot to mention that there was a class systum and the lower classmen caught hell.Once this phase was finished you went on to Navigation and insterment flying along with 10 hours max night flying.When you had completed this phase you then went to phase three learning to fly the SNJ.Durring this phase of training you went back over everything you had learned up to this point and continued on to advanced aerobatics and field carrier landings.Once this phase was complete you then went to a training squadron to learn about ATCM as well as more carrier field landings navigation and insterment flying. At this point you picked the type of aircraft you wanted to fly such as mullity engine patroll aircraft land or sea scout bombing single engine or fighters.I would have picked fighters so I would have been flying an F3F-3.Once this phase was complete you received your commission and 30 days leave.To go back a bit thoes that picked seaplanes stayed at Pensacola thoes that picked land based patroll bombers went to another base and thoes that picked single engine scout bombers or fighters went back to Miami where they had gone through E base training.Also at this point you decided what service you wanted to be in the Marines or the Navy.If you picked the Marines ,once leave was over you were assigned to a Marine Fleet sqaudron.If you stayded in the Navy you were assigned to ACTG, Aircraft Carrier Training Command at NAS Norfolk VA.There you learned to land on a carrier. The 1st Jeep carrier the Long Island would steam back and fourth in the Bay and you made two touch and goes and the last was a complete landing.Once this was complete you were assigned to a fleet carrier squadron.You loged about 240 to 280 hours total flight time durring this process.The training was broken down into E Base Perflight, E base Primary, Basic,Advanced and Squadron training in early 1942.

[Helldiver]

I would sort it out a little different. They would go from Pensacloa flying N3-Ns to NAATC Jacksonville and flying SNJs.
There a division would be made. Those that had no college went on to be enlisted, Avation Pilots 3/rd class and did not go for carrier training. Instead they would go for multi-engined classes I think at NAS Memphis. They would fly R4-Ds, PBYs, PBMs. We had anumber of APs in our barracks.
As far as flying F3-F, since they were withdarwn from service in 1941 you probably would be flying the much faster F4-F Wildcat.

[Cowboy1968]

My references list both the F3F and the F2A being used in the advanced training into 1943.

[bobhegf]

Helldiver and Cowboy you are correct.At this time period the Navy didn`t have enlisted pilots but did starting in the last part of 41 or the 1st part of 42.The info I got was from a person that lives in my hometown.He started his flight training in Jan 1941 and completed it in Nov 1941.He was home one week on a 30 day leave when Pearl was attacked.He reported to Norfolk VA. and from there to the Pacific.He did his 1st carrier quals in an SB2U and on the way back from the Doolittle Raid on the Hornet he was checked out and did his carrier Quals in an SBD.He was on the Yourktown when it was sunk at Midway in 1942.He did his 1st carrier Quals on the 1st Jeep carrier The Long Island out in the bay off of Norfolk VA.The long Island was the Carrier to deliver the 1st part of MAW 23s air group to Guadalcanal VMF 223 and VMSB 232. At this time the F2A was still in front line use.After the battle of Midway the F2A along with the TBD and most of the F4F-3s were pulled from front line service and used in training squadrons.

[Cowboy1968]

Helldiver and Cowboy you are correct.At this time period the Navy didn`t have enlisted pilots but did starting in the last part of 41 or the 1st part of 42.The info I got was from a person that lives in my hometown.He started his flight training in Jan 1941 and completed it in Nov 1941.He was home one week on a 30 day leave when Pearl was attacked.He reported to Norfolk VA. and from there to the Pacific.He did his 1st carrier quals in an SB2U and on the way back from the Doolittle Raid on the Hornet he was checked out and did his carrier Quals in an SBD.He was on the Yourktown when it was sunk at Midway in 1942.He did his 1st carrier Quals on the 1st Jeep carrier The Long Island out in the bay off of Norfolk VA.The long Island was the Carrier to deliver the 1st part of MAW 23s air group to Guadalcanal VMF 223 and VMSB 232. At this time the F2A was still in front line use.After the battle of Midway the F2A along with the TBD and most of the F4F-3s were pulled from front line service and used in training squadrons.

Actually the USN and USMC did have enlisted pilots in the 1940-41 peried. Enlisted pilots were known as Naval Aviation Pilots as opposed to Naval Aviators (commissioned officers). Naval Aviation Pilots can be traced all the way back to the 1920's when the USMC started to put qualified sergeants into the cockpit.

And not all enlisted pilots became glorified bus drivers in R4Ds. A prime example of this would be VF-2 aboard USS Lexington. This unit was known as the "Flying Chiefs" because of the fact it was made up non-commisioned officers. This VF-2 fought at the Battle of the Coral Sea, but was disestablished (July 1, 1942) following the loss of the USS Lexington.

[TARPSBird]

Excellent article here on the history of NAP's:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0IAX/is_1_86/ai_111694955/
Back in the Vietnam era just about every NAS had one or two of these guys assigned, usually to Station Ops where they bagged time in R4D's and SNB's. Mostly CWO's or Master Chiefs but a lot of them were commissioned previously.

[bobhegf]

Fellows all I can say is that I have done all I can do to find out as much as possible about Navy Pilot training just before and after the attack on Pearl Harbor and I thank all who added information to help out.What I am trying to do is to put togeather a short flight training program using the correct aircraft for the time period aswell as the correct place to conduct said training.I have found that none of the info I have found matches any of the other info I have found.The most important thing is to give us a place where we can go pratice and improve our flight skills and have it in the correct location.Another thing I want to do is to put togeather a series of missions that follow a pilot from the time he goes to flight school and follow him all the way through the war giving a personal touch about what it was like to be a pilot durring this time period,this I am going to do in the form of a diary.Anyone that can help with info makeing aircraft scenery or anything please feel free to do so.

[bobhegf]

Fellows I just took alook at the stock training missions in CFS2 in the missionbuilder. All I can say it must have taken who ever made each mission a week or more to do just one.How can I change the location to the area I want to train in?