COMBAT AND COMPETITION.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

CHAPTER EIGHT IN A QUANDARY
or down induced noticeable yaw and vice versa. My first attempt at a
slow roll was an untidy excursion all over sky. Eventually one got
better, but it was always a difficult performance.
The two position flaps, controlled by a lever like an old fashioned
gas tap, had seemed quite in keeping with the Merlin engined versions.
On the Griffon Spitfire they felt strangely out of place. As for the rear
fuselage fuel tank, not to be used on take off, failure to empty it first
pushed the centre of gravity beyond the aft limits.
Despite its idiosyncracies the Spitfire XIV was an attractive
aircraft. But it was impossible not to compare it unfavourably with the
Tempest V, which had none of these problems, was about 40 mph
faster low down and an infinitely better gun platform.
A summons from Freddie Rosier at Group, resulted in an offer
which caused me to think again about my intended move to Glosters.
Meeting him for the first time I was struck by his visible scars and
burns, he had been shot down at least twice during the fighting in
France in 1940, and even more so by the enthusiasm and dedication of
a regular airman who believed in his calling. As I listened to him,
extolling the importance and the benefits of a Service career, I knew
that he spoke with total sincerity and conviction.
His message was simple. My permanent commission had come
through at a rank and seniority which was ideal in relation to age and
experience. If I decided to stay in the RAF there would be an
immediate posting, as a Squadron Leader, to the new BAFO School of
Army Cooperation.
I was in an absolute quandary. In prewar days the RAF had been
the height of my ambition - and here it was on offer, with the added
inducement of instant promotion. On the other hand I had a strong
commitment to Frank McKenna who had done so much to get me on
to the next course at ETPS. Freddie Rosier was sympathetic, but
adamant about the advantages of an RAF career, and insisted that it
was not too late to change my mind. Eventually he sent me back to
Celle with instructions to think it over carefully.
Glosters won, but it was a very close thing. If Freddie Rosier had
got in first it would almost certainly have gone his way. In the RAF at
war I had felt totally committed and happy. Peacetime might be
different. A service career could so easily be blighted by politically
inspired cuts and changes. There had been evidence enough of that
between the wars and the behaviour of the newly elected Labour
Government was hardly encouraging.
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