The army’s first pilots were gentlemen trained by civilian schools and then, if accepted into the air battalion, their expenses were reimbursed. Wg. Cdr. Jeff Jefford tells the fascinating story of how pilot training evolved in peacetime and was revolutionised in the heat of war, most notably by Major Robert Smith-Barry and his Gosport System.

Wg. Cdr. Jeff Jefford addressed a meeting organised by the Royal Aeronautical Society’s Historical Group on 8 November 2012. The lecture is introduced by Peter Elliott and the podcast was edited by Mike Stanberry FRAeS.