76 FLYPAST May 2018
FROM
THE GROUND UPTHE GROUND UP
THE RAF’S SCHOOL OF TECHNICAL
TRAINING (SOTT) TAUGHT THE
SERVICE’S GROUND CREW HOW
TO HANDLE AND MAINTAIN THE
AIRCRAFT ON THE SQUADRONS
THEY WOULD SOON JOIN. OFTEN,
MANY OF THESE ESTABLISHMENTS
USED OBSOLETE OR WAR-WEARY
TYPES TO CONDUCT THE TRAINING
ON, LEADING TO SOME UNUSUAL
SIGHTS. WE PRESENT A SELECTION
OF IMAGES TAKEN IN DECEMBER
1941 AT 3 SOTT BLACKPOOL AND
8 SOTT WEETON.
An unidentifi ed Westland Wallace was used for ground instruction duties at Blackpool. Despite the removal
of all fl ying control surfaces, it was still possible to run up the Bristol Pegasus engine as and when the need
dictated. The aircraft’s serial number has been painted out and the number ‘4’ appears instead.Ground crew gather round for an engine maintenance demonstration. The instructional engine was fully live,
as indicated by the large warning board and starting apparatus attached to it. In the background looms a
Handley Page Hereford. This short-lived variant of the Hampden was powered by the unreliable Napier Dagger
‘H’ type engine.1918 2018