§ Sir C. CAYZERasked the Under-Secretary of State for Air whether the flying officer named Jones who was last week burnt to death, with his accompanying mechanic, in a flying crash in Flint-shire, was normally attached to the local aerodrome merely for the purposes of administrative work; whether it is the practice of the Department to take men from such office work and to put them to fly when they may not have flown for some time; and whether it will be laid down that such men should first go up with a regular flying officer before resuming solo work, seeing that the present practice is incurring unnecessary risk in entailing the loss of valuable lives?
§ Mr. LEACHIn answer to the first part of the question, the officer referred to, Flying Officer T. P. T. Jones, had been 1375W employed mainly on administrative duties since November last, but he was a qualified pilot, had been flying instructor at the station, was proficient on the type of machine on which he was killed, and was not excluded by his administrative work from flying also. As regards the second part of the question, officers of the general duties branch who are serving in an administrative capacity are required by the Regulations to keep themselves in regular flying practice, and the answer to this part of the question is, therefore, in the negative, and the third part does not arise.