DMD Posted June 3, 2015 Share #1 Posted June 3, 2015 What is a G1-A trainer? I am looking at flight records from a WWII bombardier. After graduating from bombardier school in the spring of 1944, he got an additional 120 hours training in a B-17 F and G models, plus 11 hours in a G1-A trainer. I can't find anything about what a G1-A trainer was used for. No, it's not the A-2 synthetic trainer used in bombardier school, shown below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfixer Posted June 4, 2015 Share #2 Posted June 4, 2015 Sounds like a glider...there is a TG-3 and TG-5 glider trainers...maybe ther was a TG-1A glider?? Just did a quick search on google for TG-1A and sure enough.....there it was Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfixer Posted June 4, 2015 Share #3 Posted June 4, 2015 the TG-1A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share #4 Posted June 4, 2015 I don't think so. There was no reason for a bombardier to get glider time. Anyway, the flight records have a column labeled "instrument trainer" and that's where the G1-A time is recorded. Also, the time is not included in flight time. It has to be some sort of ground trainer or simulator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfixer Posted June 4, 2015 Share #5 Posted June 4, 2015 Well who knows...good luck with the search.. I hope you find the elusive G1-A....if a standard trainer of sorts for the average bombardier..there should be records of it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMD Posted June 4, 2015 Author Share #6 Posted June 4, 2015 I wonder if it might have something to do with radar. He did optical bombing, but he flew on a pathfinder B-17 that had a radar observer for bombing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the330thbg Posted June 5, 2015 Share #7 Posted June 5, 2015 Dad received Glider Training at 29 Palms in 1942. He was a powered pilot, but they pulled several hundred pilots to train a massive Glider Force envisioned by Hap Arnold for the Army. https://www.flickr.com/photos/330thbg/sets/72157648242424662 Scroll down into this album a few photos and there is Dad and his TG-2. There were plenty of bombardiers who were once either pilots or being trained as pilots. The USAAF would frequently just take an entire class of pilots and make them gunners or bomardiers.., or what ever else they needed at the time to fill vacancies. Everyone wanted to be a PILOT.., so the USAAF had plenty to chose from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phantomfixer Posted June 5, 2015 Share #8 Posted June 5, 2015 That is what I was thinking....... bombardiers were a dime a dozen with the AAF switching to a lead crew concept and "carpet" bombing...and glider pilots were in short supply...not saying the Op became a glider pilot, it seems he went on the serve as a bombardier...... but maybe received some glider training while waiting for orders .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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