le opportunity to test their own ideas
in the course of their training at the Central Flying School or the
other training stations. The great practical School of Research for
pilots was the war.

During the first winter of the war, the training given at the Central
Flying School and the other training stations was still very elementary
in character. The main part of the pupil's business was to learn to fly
with safety, and when he could do this he was passed out to the
squadrons. Such a training would have been terribly inadequate a year or
two later, when no one could hope to fly long without fighting. At the
training station in Shawbury, during the winter of 1917-18, Lieutenant
W. L. S. Keith-Jopp, who, after losing a hand in the war, continued to
be a capable pilot, was in the habit of teaching his pupils all the
acrobatics of the air, and would urge them on with the motto--'Stunt, or
die.' Those who could not or would not learn to side-slip, to loop, to
imitate a fall out of control, and to perform a dozen other gymnastic
feats in the air had little prospect of a long flying career in France.
But the first winter of the war was innocent of all these fighting
manoeuvres. Group Captain J. G. Hearson, who made acquaintance with the
Central Flying School at that time, has kindly contributed some notes on
the system then in vogue. The Central Flying School, he says, was the
Mecca of all who wished to learn to fly. For serviceable machines,
competent instructors, and the material and knowledge necessary to turn
out a finished pilot, it was believed to be better than any other
training centre. Some of the instructors had seen active service in
France, and all were veterans in aviation. Of the pupils a certain
number were regular officers, army or navy, but the majority were
civilians of promise. The ambition of all was the same, to get into the
air as quickly as possible, and to qualify for the coveted wings, which,
once obtained, assured their wearer of immediate service, either in
France, or with a naval unit. There were lectures on engines,
aeroplanes, wireless telegraphy, meteorology, tactics, and organization.
Flying was taught in four flights of service machines, two of them being
made up of various types of the B.E. machines, while the other two
consisted of Henri Farmans and Avros. The pupil was first taken up as a
passenger, and the method of using the controls was demonstrated to
him. He was then allowed to attem