Rustler, 2021
Johanna Rustler's “The British Air Mechanic at War, 1914-1918” carefully and precisely and clearly describes many aspects of the role of British aircraft mechanics in WWI.
It was presented as one of the U of Texas-Arlington Webb talks in April 2021: https://www.uta.edu/history/research/webb-lecture-series/current-webb-lectures.php Clearly it will be published or has been published.
There is a standard distinction between "air crew" and "ground crew." These mechanics were ground crew, but occasionally flew, perhaps informally. They were a large proportion of the people working in the air forces. An astonishing fraction of these mechanics were killed in the war.
Training: Early in the war, new mechanics would get 3 months of training. Later in the war it would be just 3 weeks or so then would learn on the job.
The mechanics had to keep airplanes working under difficult conditions. The machines they worked on became much more complex during the course of the war. Engines alone, for example, increased in complexity from hundreds of parts to thousands of parts.
They were creative with not very much equipment. Rustler characterizes their standard equipment -- just a few hand tools and materials. They were obliged to carry this kit with them regularly so it would be immediately at hand any time.
They were positioned near the front so aircraft did not have to make long flights -- 90-120 minutes was a normal flight length.
Rustler describes how experimental changes were recorded and evaluated. If proven successful they eventually became part of protocol and were disseminated to mechanics throughout the armed forces. This process would constitute a recorded channel of innovation, not visible in patent records, but perhaps still documented in military records. As at least one auditor observed, similar channels may have existed in other countries.
| Original title | The British Air Mechanic at War, 1914-1918 |
|---|---|
| Simple title | The British Air Mechanic at War, 1914-1918 |
| Authors | Johanna Rustler |
| Date | 2021 |
| Countries | GB |
| Languages | en |
| Keywords | WWI, aircraft mechanic, innovation, motor |
| Journal | |
| Related to aircraft? | 1 |
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