14/02/2014
Date Aviators' Certificates Granted
A list of those pilots who were awarded Aviators’ Certificates by the Royal Aero Club, numbered up to No. 9260, between 1910 and 1930, can be browsed in our Showcase section. The list shows the “date granted” for each Certificate. But to what does this date refer? A contemporary hand-written note dated 22.4.1913 (above), recently found in the archives, explains. “From No. 453 inclusive the date is that on which the tests were passed & not that of the committee meeting as heretofore.” This means that on Certificates up to No. 452 (below, left) the date - 1st April, 1913 in this case – is that on which the Certificate was awarded in Committee. Certificates from No. 453 (below, right) show the date – 31st March, 1913 in this case - on which the tests were completed. However, please note that the 14 Certificates numbered 39-52 are for some reason all dated 31 December 1910 – which represents neither of these categories of date. For the avoidance of doubt, it is recommended that information for these 14 Certificates is double-checked against “Flight” magazine, which frequently recorded the date on which an individual completed his tests, and the RAeC Minute Books that are available through this site.
