大象传媒

The War broke out just six years after the first official aeroplane flight in Britain. Among pilots, training accidents and fatalities were high. But in 1916, Major Robert Smith-Barry was given command of a flying school at the Grange Airfield in Hampshire. His new 'Gosport' system revolutionised pilot training, and he was credited by the head of the Royal Flying Corps, Lord Trenchard, as "the man who taught the air forces of the world to fly."

At the start of the War it was common for pilots to be allowed to go solo after no more than an hour's tuition, with predictable results: of the 14000 British pilots killed during the War, 8000 died in training accidents. An unintended spin was regarded as certain death and there was little emphasis on aerial combat skills.

Major Smith-Barry introduced competent instructors and a standard training aircraft with enhanced dual-control, the Avro 504. He enabled instructors and pupils to communicate verbally through the 'Gosport tube' - a rubber speaking-tube worn on the pilot's helmet. The Gosport system laid down standards for flight training which are still in use today.

Location: Fort Rowner, Gosport PO12 3BY