Volume 8 No 3 Jun 1957.pdf - Lakes Gliding Club

TOM DAVIDSON,C.FJ. - SCOTTISH GLIDING UNIONFrom among the varied brands ofcharacter to be found in any gliding club,we are indeed fortunate if we can select asC.F.I. one whose background of long andsound experience goes hand in hand withdependability and stamina.The Scottish Gliding Union is lucky inthis respect, as Tom Davidson, our C.F.Lsince 1950, is well endowed with all thesevinues.Tom's flying career began in 1916 whenhe joined the Royal Flying C01]lS. Afterone and three-quaner hours instruction heflew solo in a Maurice Farman Longhom,and so collected his Royal Aero Club Pilot'sCertificate at a time when a few of us werein short pants, and the fathers of our newermembers were still in their teens.Posted to No. 7 and No. 5 Squadrons inFrance, he flew B.E.s ~d B.E. 2cs, doingArtillery Co-operation, short.range bombingand photography. Then to single-seaterfighter work with 19 Squadron in RE.Us.Bristol Scouts and Morane two-seaters alsocame his way, and when 19 Squadron reequippedwith French Spads, Tom waspromoted to Flight Commander.In those days the life of a pilot wasestimated in weeks and, having miraculouslysurvived his first year of operational flying,he returned to England for a spen to takeover the A'vro Flight at Central FlyingBack to France again for a second bash atthe Boche-in 23 Squadron, noW flyingTom Davidson briefing a pupilfor her first solo at Ba/ado.School, Upavon. His job there was thetraining of single-seater fighter pilots.During this period he added more types tohis list of aircraft flown and he became oneof the first members of the C.F.s. Association.-133-