Robert Smith-Barry
Robert Smith-Barry | |
|---|---|
Robert Smith Barry (right) with his Commanding Officer F. F. Waldron (left) at Gosport in 1916 | |
| Birth name | Robert Raymond Smith-Barry |
| Born | 4 April 1886 London, England |
| Died | 23 April 1949 (aged 63) Durban, South Africa |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Flying Corps Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve |
| Years of service | 1912–1918 1940–1943 |
| Rank | Major (temporary Brigadier-General) |
| Commands | No. 60 Squadron RFC |
| Battles / wars | First World War Second World War |
| Awards | Air Force Cross |
Robert Raymond Smith Barry AFC (4 April 1886 – 23 April 1949) was an officer in the Royal Flying Corps and its successor, the Royal Air Force. His most notable contribution was in developing flying instruction methods.
In December 1916 he masterminded a complete reorganisation of flying training methods at Gosport. This new training method later became known as the "Gosport System" and was adopted worldwide. The curriculum combined classroom training and dual flight instruction. Students were not led away from potentially dangerous manoeuvres but deliberately exposed to them in controlled environments so they could learn to recover from errors of judgement. The choice of training aircraft later settled on the Avro 504J.
Smith-Barry was later described by Lord Trenchard as the man who "taught the air forces of the world how to fly".