Coll 5/73 ‘Afghan Air Force: Reports on’ [‎199r] (397/431)

(f) (cont).
- 3 -
Sergeant Murray has organised an excellent Photo Section
and early in January an Afghan Pilot flew with him and took
part of a mosaic required by the Town Planning Department of the
Ministry of Public Works. The photographs were a complete
success, although through lack of training the pilot naturally
did not produce a faultless mosaic; the job will have to be
repeated by the British instructor, but the Afghans are satisfied
that their photographic equipment is of the highest order.
3. RQMBO SQUADRONS.
(a) Flying Hours .
The lack of spares from Italy to make serviceable the Borneo
aircraft of this Squadron has limited flying to a total of not
more than 10 hours a month. The morale of the Squadron is
therefore very low. One flight of 3 Romeos went to Kan d all a r
for the winter in the middle of December and reports state th^t
only a very limited amount of flying is being done.
(b) Operations .
No operations were carried out.
(c) Standard of flying efficiency .
The general standard of the Romeo squadron seems to have
deteriorated, obviously owing to the lack of flying practice.
(d) Accidents .
A Romeo crashed on the aerodrome at Kandahar at the end of
January. Full reports difficult to obtain, but it appears
that the pilot was approaching to land in a wild side-slip and
crashed; these aircraft are completely unsuitable for side
slipping owing to the extremely small comparative area of the
tail unit. Both occupants of the aircraft were injured and are
in hospital; one report stated that they were not seriously inj
ured ’’although the observer had broken his back”. When news
of the crash reached Kabul a Kind aircraft was sent to Kandahar
to investigate the circumstances, and returned after 4 days
stay there.
(e) Maintenance.
The Italian Instructor has stated th^t as no supplies nr^
arriving from Italy maintenance problems are becoming acute.
4. Flying Training School.
During the training of the new pupils on Breda Trainers, the
Afghan ’’Instructors” broke four aircraft by swinging on landing
and the Italian Instructor contributed a further breakage by
colliding with a pupil when taxying. Breda serviceability has
thus now been reduced to one Breda 25 and the Breda 28 (a special
aerobatic machine given by.the Italian Government) which however
nevers flies as according to Mazzini, the Italian Instructor,
it has the nasty habit of whipping into a spin on the slightest
provocation owing to some structural defect.