§ 14. Captain Cobbasked the First Lord of the Admiralty whether flying duties from a shore base are counted as sea time in the promotion of naval officers; and, if not, is it proposed to amend King's Regulations and Admiralty Instructions to avoid this discrimination against air service compared with sea service.
Mr. AlexanderNo. Sir. No period of sea service is required as a condition of promotion of officers of the Air Branch. The only flying officers who are affected by the regulation in question are general service executive officers who have taken up flying duties. As these remain on the general list of executive officers they must be qualified for naval duties, including the command of H.M. ships, and for this purpose sea experience is essential. Their appointments are so arranged, however, that they undergo the short periods of sea time which are required for promotion, before they reach the promotion zone and they are thus not handicapped in their naval career by taking up flying duties.