Realism in flight simulation is partly about the creation of aircraft, panels, sounds and scenery in the right detail. It is also about creating the right mindset for flying and the sense of purpose for the flight.

This article provides information on a set of relatively simple but unusual VFR flights with some associated background information. It also leads to some interesting aviation history - the work of the civilian pilots delivering military aircraft in the UK in World War II.

The cover photograph of the 16 September 1942 'Picture Post' magazine showing Maureen Dunlop, a World War Two ferry pilot, brought extensive public visibility to the organization that had been formed to provide the ferry service in Britain for these aircraft - the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA). Their delivery from factory (or Transatlantic arrival point) to the Air Force, Army or Navy was a critical element of the war effort. During the period 1939 to 1945 male and female civilian pilots were employed in this role.

Maureen Dunlop

Hugh Bergel, sketched by the artist Sir William Rothenstein (scanned from the book Fly and Deliver ISBN 0 906393 17 5, published 1982 by Airlife Publishing Ltd.).

Hugh Bergel was a pilot with the ATA who later became Commanding Officer of the No. 9 Ferry Pool. Fly and Deliver - a Ferry Pilots Log Book is the title of his 1982 book describing his experiences. The four flights I have prepared for MSFS are selected from the many deliveries described in his book as best as I can create them. In an era where ATA pilots flew their own routes, often following railway lines and roads or relying on a growing memory of their country from the air this is, at best, guesswork.

The routes Bergel flew that I selected are:

1. Brize Norton to Middle Wallop (7 June 1941, a Havoc)
2. Kidlington to Dumfries (November 15, 1941, a Hurricane)
3. Boscombe Down to Scampton (May 16, 1943, a Lancaster - the delivery of one of the Lancaster's used in the 'Dambusters' flights)
4. Prestwick to Dyce (Aberdeen) then on to Sumburgh in the Shetland Isles (March 28, 1942, a Beaufighter)

Nearby Carlisle airport has been substituted for Dumfries, which no longer exists.

In the library file (flydeliver.zip) I have provided some summary notes on ATA flying, information about the flights plus the flight plans in FS2004, FSX and Plan G formats.

Flying these routes is meant to be an exercise in 'hands on' VFR flying, weather selection and landmark identification - and if you feel initially a little unfamiliar and uncomfortable with the aircraft you choose for each flight, so much the better! The more you 'make it real', the more you will enjoy it.

Beaufighter (David Garwood's beaufsx.zip) departing Prestwick - see flight HB4

Beaufighter (David Garwood's beaufsx.zip) changing course over Lossiemouth - see flight HB4

Flight rules for the ATA pilots were straightforward - stay below 5000', always have the ground in sight (sometimes not so easy in the British climate) and no radio contact or instrument flying procedures, whether or not the aircraft was equipped accordingly. Once qualified in one aircraft of a particular class (e.g. heavier single-engined planes) a pilot was required to fly any aircraft in that class using the ATA 'Ferry Pilot Notes' but without further flight training. A pilot with light aircraft experience with ATA who moved up a class to more powerful single engine fighter aircraft, probably with a little time in a Hurricane, could find his or her first delivery to be a Typhoon or Walrus.

The motto of the ATA was Aetheris Avidi (Eager for the Air) but the pilots' informal creed was "Anything to Anywhere". From Bergel's notes the ATA lost 153 pilots in WWII (8% of total complement over the life of the service) largely due to bad weather accidents. While this is unthinkable for a civil aviation role these days, pilots were flying in wartime conditions and faced daily the challenge of getting newly-manufactured aircraft away from production sites (where they could be more easily bombed) to the maintenance units and operational airfields. The ATA pilots took risks - but then so did everyone else in the UK in war time, whether in the Armed Forces, in a factory or simply living in a city.

Bergel was 35 years old when he joined the ATA and had 153 hours of light aircraft 'club' flying experience. By 1945 he had amassed a further 1200 flying hours, delivering 950 aircraft around the UK covering 80 types - from light single engine aircraft to fighters and heavy bombers.

Hurricane passing over the River Mersey estuary with the Runcorn Bridge below - see flight HB2.

After peace in Europe was declared, the ATA was rapidly disbanded. The Commanding Officer (Gerard D'Erlanger) with some ATA staff went on to form British European Airways (BEA) but most pilots returned to former occupations and lives, where flying for some became a hobby again - when they could afford it - but for many others their flying days were over. Their skills, low level VFR flying with a multitude of military aircraft, did not match the needs of the emerging airlines for fully trained pilots with experience in one or two commercial aircraft types. Also there was also a glut of highly experienced military pilots demobilized and looking for employment.

The final words of 'Fly and Deliver' express Bergel's sense of gratitude for having had the opportunity to fly so many aircraft and, in doing so, for surviving the experience. His one regret on leaving the ATA was that he would never fly another Spitfire. I hope you enjoy simulating some of his experiences.

Allan Jones
allanj12@gmail.com

Resources

I used default sceneries in both FSX and FS2004 and freeware aircraft of the type flown by Bergel, but you can use any appropriate plane. Tim Arnot's excellent program Plan G3 was my method of planning the routes, which I then exported to flight plans. Google maps on my tablet computer worked well as a convenient surrogate for aviation charts to check my progress en route, with the added bonus of scale change at a touch! Bones Aviation Page: A catalogue of UK Airfields was invaluable for more information on the UK airfields, past and present.