Flying Training Command was an

organization An organization or organisation (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is an entity—such as a company, an institution, or an association—comprising one or more people and having a particular purpose. The word is derived fro ...

of the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

; it controlled

flight training Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills. Flight training can be conducted under a st ...

units. The command's headquarters were at

Shinfield Park Shinfield is a village and civil parish in the English county of Berkshire, just south of Reading. It contains and is administered by the unitary authority of Wokingham District. Shinfield Park is the northern part of the parish, becoming phy ...

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Be ...

History

Flying Training Command was formed from the elements of Training Command which were responsible for flying training on 27 May 1940;Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - RAF Home Commands formed between 1939 - 1957
, accessed 24 May 2008

Reserve Command The Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) is a major command (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force, with its headquarters at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia. It is the federal Air Reserve Component (ARC) of the U.S. Air Force, consisting of commis ...

, formed 1 February 1939, was absorbed into Flying Training Command on the same date. The remainder of Training Command became Technical Training Command on the same date.

No. 21 Group RAF No. 21 Group RAF is a former Royal Air Force group that existed from April-July 1918; 1926-1934, a redesignation of No. 1 Group RAF; after which it was merged into Inland Area; and from 1938 to 1955.Air of AuthorityGroup nos 21 -29 accessed June 2 ...

was transferred to Flying Training Command on 27 May 1940, responsible for the RAF College and the Service Flight Training Schools from the Midlands northwards. Nos 50, 51, and 54 Groups were flying training formations transferred from Reserve Command to Flying Training Command when it was formed. In March 1943 the command included Nos 21, 23, 25, and 29, 50, 51, and 54 Groups. No. 23 Group RAF was reformed as No 23 (Training) Group in Inland Area on 12 Apr 1926, at RAF Spitalgate, by re-numbering No. 3 Group RAF. Its stations were Digby, Eastchurch, Flowerdown, Manston, and RAF Sealand, while it commanded 1 (Netheravon), 2, and 5 FTSs; the Armament and Gunnery School at Eastchurch; the SoTT (Airmen) at

RAF Manston Royal Air Force Manston or more simply RAF Manston is a former Royal Air Force station located in the north-east of Kent, at on the Isle of Thanet from 1916 until 1996. The site was split between a commercial airport Kent International Airpo ...

; the Central Flying School at

RAF Upavon Royal Air Force Upavon or RAF Upavon is a former RAF station in Wiltshire, England. It was a grass airfield, military flight training school, and administrative headquarters of the Royal Air Force. The station opened in 1912 and closed in 1993 ...

, and finally the Electrical and Wireless School at RAF Flowerdown. 23 Group was transferred to RAF Training Command on 1 May 1936. The RAF List for 1938 records that it comprised the Central Flying School; 1-3 and 5-11 Flying Training Schools; the Packing Depot at Sealand; the School of Air Navigation and No. 48 Squadron RAF at Manston; the Station Flight and No. 24 MU at Tern Hill; and No. 27 MU at

RAF Shawbury Royal Air Force Shawbury, otherwise known as RAF Shawbury, is a Royal Air Force station near the village of Shawbury in Shropshire in the West Midlands of England. History The First World War The station at Shawbury was first used for militar ...

. In September 1939 it controlled Nos 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, and 12 Service Flying Training Schools, the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment at RAF Martlesham Heath, and the group communications flight co-located with Group Headquarters at RAF Spitalgate in

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershir ...

. It was then transferred again to Flying Training Command on 27 May 1940. It was reabsorbed into Training Command in 1968 and disbanded on 2 May 1975. In mid-1965 the Command was made up of No. 23 Group, No. 25 Group, the

RAF College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force military academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and ...

, the RAF Staff College, Bracknell, the Central Flying School, and the College of Air Warfare. Flying Training Command was eventually re-absorbed into the newly re-established Training Command on 1 June 1968.

Shinfield Park

After Flying Training Command left, the Meteorological Office College relocated from

Stanmore Stanmore is part of the London Borough of Harrow in London. It is centred northwest of Charing Cross, lies on the outskirts of the London urban area and includes Stanmore Hill, one of the highest points of London, at high. The district, whi ...

, Middlesex in October 1971. In 2004 both the College and the Met. Office HQ in

Bracknell Bracknell () is a large town and civil parish in Berkshire, England, the westernmost area within the Greater London Urban Area and the administrative centre of the Borough of Bracknell Forest. It lies to the east of Reading, south of Maidenhe ...

relocated to

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal c ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

.The Met Office in Exeter
Exeter City Council The site has since been developed into residential accommodation, although ''The Lodge'', the centrepiece of Shinfield Park and a Georgian listed building, remains and is waiting redevelopment.

Aircraft operated

Airspeed Oxford The Airspeed AS.10 Oxford is a twin-engine monoplane aircraft developed and manufactured by Airspeed. It saw widespread use for training British Commonwealth aircrews in navigation, radio-operating, bombing and gunnery roles throughout the Seco ...

Avro Anson The Avro Anson is a British twin-engined, multi-role aircraft built by the aircraft manufacturer Avro. Large numbers of the type served in a variety of roles for the Royal Air Force (RAF), Fleet Air Arm (FAA), Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) ...

* BAC Jet Provost *

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the World War II, Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden ...

T.III

Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief

Air Officers Commanding-in-Chief were: *27 May 1940 Air Marshal Sir

Lawrence Pattinson Air Marshal Sir Lawrence Arthur Pattinson, (8 October 1890 – 28 March 1955) was a Royal Air Force officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Flying Training Command from 1940 to 1941. RAF career Educated at Cambridge University, P ...

*7 Jul 1941 Air Marshal Sir William Welsh *17 Aug 1942 Air Marshal Sir

Philip Babington Air Marshal Sir Philip Babington, (25 February 1894 – 25 February 1965) was a Royal Air Force officer who served as Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Flying Training Command from 1942 to 1945 during the Second World War. He was the younger b ...

*6 Oct 1945 Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham *15 Oct 1947 Air Chief Marshal Sir Ralph Cochrane *1 Mar 1950 Air Marshal Sir Hugh Walmsley *1 Aug 1952 Air Marshal Sir Lawrence Pendred *20 Dec 1955 Air Marshal Sir Richard Atcherley *1 Mar 1959 Air Marshal Sir

Hugh Constantine Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh Alex Constantine, (23 May 1908 – 16 April 1992) was a Royal Air Force officer who became Air Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Flying Training Command. RAF career Educated at Christ's Hospital, Constantine joined the ...

*24 Sep 1961 Air Marshal Sir Augustus Walker *26 Jun 1964 Air Marshal Sir Patrick Dunn *1 Oct 1966 Air Marshal Sir John Davis

References

Citations

Bibliography

* Sturtivant, Ray, ISO and John Hamlin. ''RAF Flying Training and Support Units since 1912''. Tonbridge Wells, Kent, UK: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd., 2007. . *

External links

Air of Authority - A History of RAF Organisation - RAF Home Commands formed between 1939 and 1957
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flying Training Command Training units and formations of the Royal Air Force Royal Air Force commands Military units and formations established in 1940 Military units and formations of the Royal Air Force in World War II Military units and formations disestablished in 1968