Air Loadmasters are responsible for a wide variety of 'cargo' from personnel to para-dropped stores. Fixed-wing Air Loadmasters can serve on the Hercules, Tristar or VC-10, whilst their rotary-wing counterparts can be employed on the Puma, Chinook, Wessex or Sea King.
RAF fast-jet navigators learn the fundamentals of formation flying at the Tucano Air Navigation Squadron which flies from Topcliffe using aircraft from the pool operated by No 1 Flying Training School at Linton-on-Ouse. The old and new (upper) colour schemes applied to the type are seen on two 1 FTS aircraft flying over Sutton Bank near their base.
Navigator training for the USAF’s large multi-engined aircraft fleet is carried out by the 12th FTW’s 562nd FTS from Randolph AFB, Texas, using Boeing T-43A aircraft. Typical of the fleet is 73-1151 seen here at Nellis AFB on April 25, 1997.
Distinguishing features of the Jetstream T.2 used for Fleet Air Arm observer training are its blue cheat line colour scheme and distinctive nose radome.
A Royal Navy student navigator using the basic tools of navigation, dividers, protractor and slide rule, to plot his route in one of the Navy’s Jetstream navigator trainer simulators at RNAS Culdrose.
Workhorse of the RAF navigator and rear crew training syllabus, the Dominie T.1 has been in service for more than 30 years. All eleven aircraft operated by 55(R) Squadron at Cranwell have received the Dominie avionics upgrade and have started to be repainted in the now-standard overall black colour scheme with white topped cabin.
Configured with a number of instructional consoles, the Dominie can be used to train navigators (right-hand station) and air electronic operators (left).
19(R) Squadron's XX238 has been modified to the Hawk T.1N standard for use by the Navigator Training School; by the time this article is published, the School's task will have transferred to 100 Squadron at Leeming.
