Talk:No. 4 Service Flying Training School RAAF

GA Review

This review is transcluded from Talk:No. 4 Service Flying Training School RAAF/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Reviewer: Peripitus (talk · contribs) 09:08, 27 January 2016 (UTC)

A rather short article on an interesting topic.

• It's well written. Except for the one I've corrected I can't find any textual errors, everything is understandable and the lead section reads as a good summary of the article. Article layout looks good given the text size. I've not used twin-engined before (usually drop the "d") but online searching shows this is common in use in this context.
• It's well referenced and I have no issues with the quality of any of the references used. Two notes though
  • Does Ref 5 refer to volume 8 or volume 1 ?
    • Volume 8: Training Units.
• It's neutral and stable.
• Images are appropriate and correctly licensed.

The only issue I have is with broadness, and then only because the article is so short. I was left wanting to know more and went searching online to find out. I don't know what of this can be reliably sourced

• • There is nothing on the facilities as of 1941, or those built during the war for the SFTS. this self-published work makes some mention of building, radio facilities etc.
    • Actually that's a good find. It appears to be an extract of the unit history, incorporated into an official report on the loss of HMAS Sydney, so would therefore be considered a reliable source. I always look for unit histories at the National Archives of Australia website to double-check facts and figures but unfortunately 4SFTS's hasn't been digitised/published, so this extract is helpful. The only annoyance as far as citing goes is that it's not quite clear to me exactly where these RAAF records fit into the overall Sydney report. Did you just find these by a general search in Google or did you go into the Defence website/search engine?
      • Just google using about 20 variants on the name. Lots of confusing hits from the same named entity in the UK - Peripitus (Talk) 09:07, 28 January 2016 (UTC)
  • Perhaps something on the total number of aircraft operated. I can find notes talking about > 100, not sure though if there is an RS for this type of thing given the constant movement of aircraft.
    • Yes, I saw that in the above extract -- we can certainly use that as a snapshot in time of the number and type of aircraft operated.
  • Something about the number of personnel at the SFTS - this shows 1570 by december 1941 but I can't find documents for 1942–44
    • Again, I'd be happy to include that as a snapshot at that particular time -- better than nothing!
      • I decided to use the one-page extract from the ops record book listed here, as it's a subset of the extract you found and linked above, and I could see easily where it fit into the Sydney inquiry report. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 22:32, 28 January 2016 (UTC)
  • Isn't N Brearly Sir Norman Brearley?
    • Could well be, will double-check.
      • Checking his online BIO (see here ) confirms this - Peripitus (Talk) 09:07, 28 January 2016 (UTC)
        • Tks, incorporated. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 22:32, 28 January 2016 (UTC)
  • At least in one place I read the Squadron Leader G.A.Cowper was Temporary commander until Wing Commander Heffernan took over
    • Where was that?
      • In the above self-published work - Peripitus (Talk) 09:07, 28 January 2016 (UTC)
        • I wouldn't be surprised if that's entirely correct but self-published sources are not generally considered reliable for citation and we do have the COs list from the RAAF Historical Section; in any case I did list that particular work under Further Reading. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 22:32, 28 January 2016 (UTC)
  • I'd love to see an arial photo of the installation. - nothing to do with a GA review but just a personal comment.
    • I sometimes use the aerial photos belonging to the Bases section of the RAAF Museum site, but in Geraldton's case it's a ground-level shot of an Anson and hangars (nice shot but I preferred the one of the pilot climbing in that's currently in the article).
  • There is a Sundial memorial formed of a replica of part of an Anson at the airport commemorating the SFTS, and a display in the airport's terminal regarding the SFTS. (see here
    • Tks, will look into it.
      • Noted the sundial from a news report. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 22:32, 28 January 2016 (UTC)

- Peripitus (Talk) 09:08, 27 January 2016 (UTC)

• Thanks for taking the time to review and for your reference searches. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 12:40, 27 January 2016 (UTC)
  • @Peripitus: I think I've covered just about everything above now. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 22:32, 28 January 2016 (UTC)
• That looks much better. I've added a couple of sentences on the structure from a council submission to the productivity commission in 2011 - Peripitus (Talk) 09:52, 29 January 2016 (UTC)