The war experiences of 2nd Lt. C. E. Gregory RFC/RAF in 1918
Today was the turn of the turns to be practised, in two different DH.6s:
Date: 3.5.18 Hour: 3.50 Machine type and No.: DH 7670 Passenger: – Time: 15 m Height: 1000 Course: Aerodrome Remarks: Turns etc.
Date: 3.5.18 Hour: 6.25 Machine type and No.: DH 9762 Passenger: – Time: 15 m Height: 1000 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: [Turns etc.]
Three flights today: the first in an RE8 around the aerodrome – with an intriguing entry (‘Vacuum Control’) in the Remarks column – and two further afield flying in formation and on a compass course.
Log book entry
Date: 25.4.18 Hour: 2.50 Instructor: – Machine type and No.: RE 6647 Passenger: – Time: 45 m Height: 4500 Course: Aerodrome Remarks: Vacuum control
Date: 25.4.18 Hour: 5.55 Instructor: – Machine type and No.: DH6 7670 Passenger: – Time: 55 m Height: 2000 Course: Marlboro. Swindon. Aerod. Remarks: Formation
Date: 25.4.18
Hour: 1.10
Instructor: Lt Gowler
Machine type and No.: RE 3551
Passenger: –
Time: 50 m
Height: 2000
Course: Compass course (Wootton Basset, Chippenham &
Devizes. 5 forced landings)
Remarks: DUAL
So what was the ‘vacuum control’ of the first entry (but not the first flight) of the day? I’m grateful to Duncan Curtis, who has provided this authoritative explanation:
‘Vacuum Control’ relates to a feature on some aircraft/engines, whereby the carburettor/s were equipped with vacuum controls. The vacuum control feature allows the pilot to adjust engine mixture for altitude: on early engines no adjustment; then on some engines manual adjustment; and finally all engines gained automatic adjustment via vacuum bellows (post-WW1). For service types equipped with these engines (of which the RE8 was one), the pilot had to demonstrate correct operation prior to graduating ‘B’ on his operational type.
[Topic updated 25 September 2018]
The second aerial event of the day was some formation flying on a circuit from Yatesbury to Marlborough to Swindon and back, a distance of some 30 miles (48 km):
The third entry in the log book, but actually the first flight of the day, was a cross-country compass course under dual control with Lt Gowler as instructor. The course was a 34 miles (54 km) circuit from Yatesbury to Wootton Basset to Chippenham to Devizes and back.
Today was spent getting more familiar with the RE8, under dual control with Lt Thomas, and doing some consolidation solo work in the DH.6 – despite being forced down by storm:
Date: 2.4.18 Hour: 8.45 Instructor: Lt Thomas Machine type and No.: RE3551 Passenger: Self Time: 35 min Height: 2500 Course: Aerodrome Remarks: Dual. Turns & landings
Date: 2.4.18 Hour: 10.10 Instructor: – Machine type and No.: DH7670 Passenger: – Time: 10 min Height: 1000 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: Left hand flying. Forced down by storm
Date: 2.4.18 Hour: 11.15 Instructor: – Machine type and No.: DH7670 Passenger: – Time: 25 min Height: 1000 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: Landings (3)
Making up for lost time in view of yesterday’s bad weather, Greg had three outings today in DH.6s, concentrating on practice turns:
Date: 29.3.18 Hour: 4.15 Machine type and No.: DH5452 Passenger: – Time: 20 mins Height: 1500 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: Practice turns
Date: 29.3.18 Hour: 6.10 Machine type and No.: DH2130 Passenger: – Time: 35 mins Height: 2300 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: [Practice turns]
Date: 29.3.18 Hour: 7.30 Machine type and No.: DH7670 Passenger: – Time: 30 mins Height: 2100 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: [Practice turns]
The fact that it was Good Friday did not mean it was a holiday.
More practice flying in DH.6s:
Date: 26.3.18 Hour: 5.15 Machine type and No.: DH5452 Passenger: – Time: 20 mins Height: 1000 Course: Aerodrome Remarks: Practice
Date: 26.3.18 Hour: 7.25 Machine type and No.: DH7670 Passenger: – Time: 20 mins Height: 1500 Course: Aerodrome Remarks: Practice
It’s hard to tell from the log book whether these were
Sunrise for today in Yatesbury was at 6.58 am and sunset at 7.29 pm (British Summer Time, which had started on 24 March 1918), so it is more likely that they were evening flights. As the afternoon turned to evening and night, the weather, as reported by the Met Office for Salisbury Plain, turned from blue sky (not more than a quarter of the sky covered) to partly cloudy (one half covered), with gentle winds (Force 2) from the northwest. A lovely evening for a 20 minute flight as the sun was setting.
Building up the hours of solo flying:
Date: 25.3.18 Hour: 7.55 Machine type and No.: DH7666 Passenger: – Time: 20 mins Height: 1500 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: Practice
Date: 25.3.18 Hour: 8.30 Machine type and No.: DH7673 Passenger: – Time: 40 mins Height: 2000 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: Practice
Date: 25.3.18 Hour: 10.15 Machine type and No.: DH7670 Passenger: – Time: 10 mins Height: 1000 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: Practice
After 4 hours and 45 minutes under instruction in a dual control aircraft, Greg’s second flight of the day is his first solo: a 45 minute flight in a DH.6, reaching an altitude of 1500 ft. 20 minutes after returning, he was up in the air again…and again later in the afternoon.
Date: 22.3.18 Hour: 9.30 Machine type and No.: DH7226 Passenger: [Self] Time: 40 mins Height: 1200 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: Dual
Date: 22.3.18 Hour: 10.15 Machine type and No.: DH7670 Passenger: – Time: 45 mins Height: 1500 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: First solo
Date: 22.3.18 Hour: 11.20 Machine type and No.: DH7670 Passenger: – Time: 45 mins Height: 1200 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: Practice
Date: 22.3.18 Hour: 5.50 Machine type and No.: DH7673 Passenger: – Time: 40 mins Height: 1500 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: Practice
A bit more dual work in a DH.6 before first solo
Date: 21.3.18 Hour: 3.50 Machine type and No.: DH7670 Passenger: Self Time: 1 hour Height: 1000 Course: Aerodrome Remarks: Dual
Date: 21.3.18 Hour: 6.25 Machine type and No.: DH7670 Passenger: [Self] Time: 10 mins Height: 800 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: Dual
DH.6 Serial No. 7670 must be starting to get familiar by now, with two more flights today:
Date: 18.3.18 Hour: 9.0 Instructor: [Thomas] Machine Type and No: DH7670, DH7670 Passenger: CEG Time: 25 min, 20 min Height: 1200 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: Dual
Another view of a DH.6 at Yatesbury, with the hangars in the background.
Two different aircraft, each a DH.6, today:
Date: 16.3.18 Hour: 2.50 Instructor: [Thomas] Machine Type and No: DH2130, DH7670 Passenger: CEG Time: 20 min, 15 min Height: 1000 Course: [Aerodrome] Remarks: Dual
