Toome

[P Bellamy]

AAF personnel training with adapted RAF equipment, 2902nd Combat Crew Replacement Center Group, later 3rd CCRC, at RAF Toome, 21st September 1943.

Harwell Box with AAF radios:



Grope Trainer:



Grope Trainer cubicle:



All the best,
PB

[ww2ni]

There was a book called "Toome's Wartime Airfield" written by John Hughes.

The ISBN number is 1-873345-20-8

It was printed by Northern Whig Ltd and published by Moyola Books.

75 pages of interesting information.

There are a number of buildings remaining on site and the Control Tower is now a private dwelling.

[PETERTHEEATER]

Finally I get to see what a Harwell Box looks like! Thanks Paul.

But, 'Grope Trainer'? Where are the WAAFS?

[P Bellamy]

Or even WACs in this instance.....

However, it appears the Grope Trainer was a GEE simulator.
I've found another photo of the equipment and I'll get it online shortly.

TTFN,
PB

[Carnaby]

Fascinating photos again, Paul.

Must admit I'd never heard of a Grope trainer, wish we'd had one when I was a teenager. - there again I suspect the term 'village-bicycle' possibly came into the equation .

On a more serious note - from the wonderful ADM1/18969, Synthetic Training devices - there were a number of 'Combined Trainers' incorporating several independent established devices.

The C3 Crew Procedure Trainer or Gropes (STC paper No.7)
A series of cubicles preferably simulating the interior of an aircraft, are fitted for navigators and wireless operators.
Pilot acts as a master back plotter and sits at a separate table, or in adjacent cubicle.

Complete flights are undertaken, and operational conditions simulated by the introduction of:

Engine noise (M10 - Synthetic Sound Generator type 1)
Synthetic D/F Bearings (W9 - C100 type 3, D/F Loop trainer), or (W25 - Synthetic D/F Trainer for Harwell Boxes).
Synthetic stars ( (N29 - Synthetic Star Sextant Trainer),
Flak
Searchlights
and, if desirable, temperture and pressure variations (as at Cottesmore).

Pin-point, coast lines, enemy aircraft etc, are (when required by each master plotter), projected on a lantern onto a screen visible to the navigators.

Each cubicle flies independently, and lantern slides must be prepared to anticipate all likely pin-points on the pre-arranged flight.

A continuous picture of the ground would be preferable as in the Volarium trainer.

Wonder if 'Grope' came from 'Group / Operational /Procedure /something or other'

Graham

[PETERTHEEATER]

Paul used the spelling 'Grope' and Carnaby used 'Gropes' from the documents they have seen. Probably the latter is correct?

[Carnaby]

... Carnaby used 'Gropes'

I wondered about that too. 'Procedure Trainer' was singular, but 'Gropes' appeared to be plural.

Paul's suggestion that it was a GEE trainer is a possibility. After all it was teaching navigation skills, and when GEE came on line it would make sense to use it. D/F and astro were fine but why not give the navigator all the tools available.

Graham

[P Bellamy]

Another Grope Trainer in AAF use, this time at Bovingdon:



This photo was originally captioned as a "Grope GEE Trainer".
Looks like they've rigged a Link Trainer plotting table to display the course.

TTFN,
PB

[Carnaby]

Wonder if 'Grope' came from 'Group / Operational /Procedure /something or other'

Found it - it's a Ground Operational Exercise.

Graham

[PETERTHEEATER]

Look at he expression on the face of the man seated. And Windows VISTA hadn't been invented then!