Coll 5/73 ‘Afghan Air Force: Reports on’ [‎120r] (239/431)

2
2. Hind Squadrons,
(a) Flying Hours.
During November Afghan pilots carried out snort
training flights of 20 minutes per pilot every 14 days.
Between December 1st and December 26th tne number of these training
flagnts were increased to 20 minutes per pilot per week,
l om December 27th, 1§42, to 31st January, 1943, no flying training was
carried out as the airfield at Sherpur was out of use owing to snow.
No dual training flights were carried out during the quarter,
(b) Operations. Nil.
(c) Standard of Flying Efficiency.
There is no change to report during
the quarter. Squadron commanders have now been given perriseict to
authorise training flights by pilots in their squadrons Formerly no
flying was permitted except on the express orders of the Commandant ox
the Air Force.
(d) Accidents.
'(i) On 16th November a Hind aircraft flown by an Afghan
pilot was damaged througn the port oleo leg hitting a pest erected
for practising tne picking up of messages. Tne repair of the
damaged lower port main-plane and port oleo leg is now nearing
completion.
(ii) On 26th December an Afghan pilot crashed a Hind
aircraft shortly after taking off from tne Snerpur airfield,
Tne accident was due to tn^ engine cutting out as a result of the
f pilot misnandling the controls. The aircraft was badly damaged
land tne fusilage, wings and esplanage will have to be rebuilt as
soon as spares become available.
(e) Maintenanc e.
(i) Minor repairs to 4 Hind aircraft are be:
out during tne winter montns as spares become availuo
1
(ii) Tne British instructors describe the spares pnsi J.on
as worse than last quarter, and even items like fabric are urgently
required.
They report that unless spares can be obtained from Irdia within
the next three months all the Hind aircraft in the Afghan Afr 'force
will become unsafe to fly. The fabric of most of the aircraft ^
is now 6 years old and reouires replacement. No spare propellers
are available and several of those in use have cracks in tne
propeller boss and may become unserviceable in the near future.
In the event of a call being made on the Afghan Air Force fox 1
operations involving the maintenance of the internal security of
the country, the British instructors are of the opinion that it
will be extremely difficult to make mere than 8 Hind aircraft
available for operations. 1
(iii) The 500 gallon petrol storage tank for refuelling
purposses has arrived in Kabul from Pesnawar, and is to be fitted
onto a moto£ lorry.
(f) Photograpnic Section.
No training nas been carried out during the
quarter. Tne valuable equipment is still in store, and is deteriorating
through lack of use, and a proper system of care and maintenance,
(g) W/T Section.
"~(i) The 5 students who joined the sect!on fast year,
and pilots belonging to squadrons, are expected to attend instrued .onal
classes in Morse and the theory of wirelss telegraphy, but many of them
fail to attend the classes, and those who do are inclined to sit by the
fire and take no interest in their work.
«•••*••(ii) The yapconi