In 1953 the introduction of the PercivalProvost into Royal Air Force service as thebasic trainer brought about an entirely new

concept in pilot courses. Ever since organisedtraining had begun, British practice hadsupported the idea of a low-powered simpletrainer with a minimum of frills. The Avro 504and the Tiger Moth between them symbolisedthe instructional role for more than thirty years,but the Provost was quite different. In 1915the 504K offered 110hp and the Tiger Mothfollowed with only 20 more, but this newmachine from Luton confronted a pupil (whomight never have touched an aeroplanebefore) with no fewer than 550 horses to beharnessed and tamed. Certainly in betweencame the Prentice (reviewed in GA, August2005), but its career was brief and itsperformance far from sparkling.

Strangely, the Chipmunk joined the ranks ofthe RAF before the Provost was introduced;through its rugged economy it has outlived alltrainers, for despite starting its working lifewith Oxford University Air Squadron in March1950, two Chipmunks still earn their keep

with the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight astailwheel conversion trainers; also, of course,many are in use in private or group ownership.However, because it retired first the Provost isgenerally considered to be an earlier type.

Not surprisingly, the Central Flying Schoolwas the first unit to receive Provosts, but thefirst station to offer basic tuition on the typewas Ternhill, where No.6 Flying TrainingSchool operated these machines until after theother schools had exchanged them for JetProvosts in 1961. This was largely becausethe relatively short runways at Ternhill wereunsuitable for the later type. Unlike theProvost’s predecessor, the Prentice, which withits three seats retired from the training role toserve a useful purpose on communicationsduties, the Provost offered space for only twooccupants; nevertheless, a few specimensremained active for a further eight yearsserving as ‘targets’ for trainee controllers at theRAF’s Central Air Traffic Control School atShawbury.

At full weight the Provost registers 4,400 lbson the scales, making a sharp contrast with

the 1,770 lbs of the Tiger Moth. Weight,power, bulk and layout offered an awesomepresence to a student, but this accordedwell with the current military theme; thedesign and comparative complexity ofthe cockpit set the mind to work on theright lines and eased the latertransition to more advancedmachinery. Clearly though, it put paidto the earlier concept of just flyingrather than operating an aeroplane.

Adjustable seats and pedals, a lean-forwardtype harness, a handle for winding the canopyopen or closed, a 24-volt electrical system,variable-pitch propeller, pneumatic brakes andflaps, windscreen wipers, cockpit heating andventilation (the latter very necessary), anaccelerometer, trimming facilities for rudder aswell as elevators, ailerons with servo-tabs, oil-cooler control, three-position air-intake leverand so on combined to create an ‘advanced’atmosphere for the beginner.

After carrying out external and internalchecks that occupy nearly six pages in thePilots Notes, the main points for starting are to

38 General Aviation August 2007

A turn in the training tidePercival ProvostA turn in the training tidePercival ProvostComplex for a basic trainer, the Provost is one of the mostpleasant aircraft to handle, writes David Ogilvy

Percival provost rrr 17/7/07 2:40 pm Page 38

set the propeller at maximum rpm (fullyforward), unlock the controls (lever down) and,as a personal preference, direct some air intothe cockpit. After turning on the master switch,the fuel can be selected and checked audibly,for when the lever (on the central pedestal) ismoved forward for ‘on’, the electric pumpmakes welcome sounds. With the oil coolerclosed (lever out) and air intake at filter (up)we are ready to prime for 2-4 seconds. This iscarried out by a pushbutton on the end of thestarter lever which is pulled upwards to selectand fire a cartridge. The lever, whichincorporates a booster coil control, should behelp up until the engine is running steadily.

Warming at about 1,200 rpm may be a

fairly lengthy business, for if thepneumatic pressure is low, it is

necessary to wait for a build-up to atleast 220 lbs/sq.in for taxying, whilebelow this figure the flaps will not

operate. As the flaps are lowered aspart of the running down operation

and therefore are down for starting,any pilot guilty of moving forward

with reduced pressure may beaccused unwittingly of

taxying with his flapsdown! With thethree-positionlever in the upposition, the flaps

will raisethemselves very

smartly as soon as, butnot before, the correct pressure is reached.

By this time the oil temperature should havereached the prescribed minimum of 20oC forthe engine check. After the usual dead-cutprocedure, the throttle should be opened tostatic boost, for exercising the rpm fully twiceand for checking the magnetos and plugs. Theengine idles pleasantly at 600-800 rpm, butobviously this condition should be maintainedonly momentarily.

General Aviation August 2007 39

Left: the Shuttleworth Collection’s ProvostXF603 in a camouflage scheme not used inRAF service but applied for a ferry flight to

a Middle East air forceFar left: the cover of Percival’s sales

brochure for 1953Below: Percival’s civil Provost

demonstrator outside the factory at LutonAirport, then owned by Luton Corporation

Bottom: the prototype Provost which first flew with an

Armstrong-Siddeley Cheetah engine before the Alvis Leonides was

adopted as standard

via Philip Jarrett

Percival provost rrr 17/7/07 2:41 pm Page 39

Unlike many closed-cockpit militarymachines, the Provost has its hood closed fortake-off. This, apparently, is because of thewidth of the cabin which could causeconsiderable air flow difficulties. The swingingtendency is far less noticeable than might beexpected with 550 horses aboard and from thestart the rudder very effectively cures anyinclination to wander from the straight andnarrow path. However, a positive forwardmovement is needed to prevent a three-pointunstick, and then the Provost needs lifting offat 60-65 knots IAS which it does very cleanly.

The climb is sustained at 100 knots with2,900 rpm and + 31/2 lbs boost, which

produces a very creditable ascent rate despitean enforced power reduction in the type’s earlylife. Originally, the Alvis Leonides 9 cylinderradial operated to +9 lbs, but problems –mainly blown cylinder heads – caused theauthorities to introduce a lower limit almost assoon as the type entered service. Before thatthe rate was considerably more than 2,000feet in a minute. I had the one-off pleasure ofexperiencing this temporary but very enjoyablesupply of surplus power, for whilst doing mythen annual RAF Reserve fortnight with 187(Ferry) Squadron at Aston Down, I collectedthe eighth production Provost from the factoryand delivered it to Ternhill. There were no

Pilots Notes and, apart from help from a fitteron starting procedure, there was no-one to tellme anything about it. Fortunately, it was analmost perfect day weather-wise so, by trialand error, I had the chance to discover a fewthings before I stepped out at the other end.Such opportunities, alas, disappeared manyyears ago. Before my next contact with thetype, the power reduction had beenintroduced.

As soon as the Provost is on the move, itsdelightful handling characteristics showthemselves. All three controls are remarkablylight and, to add to the pleasure, very effectiveat all normal operating speeds right down tothe stall, which occurs at 60 IAS with flaps atthe slope, or 65 clean. The ailerons workefficiently even down to the break-awaycondition, which is preceded by about 5 knotswith very mild buffeting on the elevators.

Normal cruise can be set up over a range ofspeeds and settings, with 2,000 rpm as therecommended minimum. This, with zeroboost, consumes about 17 gph and producesan IAS at the lower end of about 110 knots;endurance speed is 85 and it is possible to

cruise as fast as 140 and remain within theadvised power combination limits. Even at thelowest speeds handling is easy andcomfortable, especially as partial flap may beused at anything below 125 knots.

One experienced industry test pilot, who atone time had instructed extensively onProvosts, described the type as the mostpleasant machine to handle that he had everflown. Whether on the circuit, in the cruise oron aerobatics, the well-balanced controls leaveno cause for criticism; a strange personalmemory is that the Provost’s servo-tab aileronsfeel uncannily similar to those of the laterMeteors fitted with spring tabs.

For those who specialise in the aerobatic artthe Provost offers a host of opportunities, buteven for the rest of us it behavesencouragingly. It is possible to roll straight froma fast cruise of about 140 knots, but preferablywith 2,600/+31/2 established on the enginedials. Not much rudder is needed and anexcusable tendency is to apply more than isrequired, especially at the exit/roll-out stage,which then accentuates any proneness to abarrel effect. Power should remain constantthroughout the aerobatic regime, for the fuelsystem provides a supply for brief periods ofinverted flight, which eases the problem ofeffecting a genuine slow roll. Recommendedentry speed for a loop is 165 knots, with anadditional 10 at the start for a roll-off; theradius is sufficiently large to allow time for a

40 General Aviation August 2007

Above: John Lewis, at one time theShuttleworth’s senior pilot, makes a tight turnaround the viewing enclose at Old WardenRight: the ‘works’ of the Alvis Leonides seenduring a test ground-runBelow: another view showing the non-standardcombination of camouflage and RAF roundels

Percival provost rrr 17/7/07 2:41 pm Page 40

trainee – or an experienced pilot! – to commitdirectional errors on the way up.

In the circuit, filtered air should be selectedand rpm set at 2,600, when half flap and 3lbs boost will offer just over 100 knots IAS;about 90 is right for the final turn and, withfull flap, about 75 over the fence for a poweredapproach. The Provost sinks rapidly as speeddecays, especially from a slow run-in, and thetouch-down is solid. Keeping straight presentsno problems, while for an overshoot a climb-away IAS of 90 presents a healthy start on therapid return journey to circuit height.

There are several peculiarities to rememberand these accentuate the difference betweenthe Provost and its predecessors; the throttleand rpm levers must be fully back before thecontrol locks can be engaged, (intended, ofcourse, as a safety device at the start of a flight

when it becomes impracticable to start theengine with the locks in position) and, beforeleaving the machine, the flaps should beselected and left down.

No doubt the introduction of this relativelycomplex machine made trainee pilots learn toestablish completely new sets of values; on theTiger Moth, balanced flight was impossiblewithout generous use of the rudder, slightcrosswinds created problems and called forhandling skills, and the weather-related ‘feel offlight’ was a key feature. The Provost, on theother hand, would keep straight on take-offand landing with little help from the pilot, therudder came into full play only on the groundor in spin recovery while wind conditions,within reasonable limits, presented fewproblems. However, the knobs, levers andchecks associated with them made the later

pupil (known by then as a student) activate hismental processes from the very beginning.

Today, piston Provosts are scarce. However,there is a small nest of them at Brimpton, inBerkshire, where Alan House of SylmarAviation has become acknowledged as theprofessional specialist on the type. Threespecimens are based there, all still with theirmilitary markings and serials; currentlyairworthy are XF 597 and XF 877, while XF836 – which was acquired by theShuttleworth Collection when it was the lastProvost to be retired from RAF service in1969, but subsequently sold – is justcompleting a major rebuild. Others includeShuttleworth’s replacement machine XF603,one at North Weald and another at Shoreham.Although not surprisingly there are problemswith spares, it is encouraging to report thatthis pleasantly powerful and sprightly machineremains alive and active, especially on thedisplay circuit. �

General Aviation August 2007 41

Below: three Provosts in the care of SylmarAviation at Brimpton

Above: unlike many military types, the hood was closed for take-offBelow: the Provost sinks rapidly as speed decaysBottom: the pupil’s side of the cockpit, from the original brochure

via Philip Jarrett

Percival provost rrr 17/7/07 2:42 pm Page 41