§ 67. Lieut.-Commander KENWORTHYasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether there are any regulations laying down the number of hours of actual flying per month that must be done by each member of the flying personnel; and how many hours actual flying per month is actually done by the flying personnel?
§ Mr. LEACHThe answer to the first part of the question is that there are no regulations laying down the number of hours' flying. Every officer of the General Duties Branch, up to and including the rank of Wing Commander, whose medical category indicates that he is fit for flying, is required to keep himself in regular flying practice so far as the circumstances of employment and station permit. An air officer, or other officer commanding, is required to take such steps as are possible to enable officers to obtain a certain amount of flying each month, but it is not possible or desirable to lay down any regulation for any fixed number of hours. The second part of the question could only be answered satisfactorily by giving the number of hours flown by each individual pilot, which is clearly impracticable. Any figure representing the average number of hours per pilot is very misleading, since it includes those who are employed on work on the ground and carry out only sufficient flying to keep their hand in, as well as those who are engaged on full-time flying duties, but, for what it is worth, I may say that the average during 1923 was six hours per month. This figure will, of course, materially; in crease as the number of squadrons increases and as the proportion of officers employed on full-time flying duties in creases as compared with those employed chiefly on ground duties.