AIR DEFENCE.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 210, 6 September 1938, Page 9

AIR DEFENCE.

TRAINING OF PILOTS.

TWO-YEAR ARRANGEMENT.

BUILDING VP OF RESERVE.

(By Association.)

HASTINGS, Monday.

. An intimation that the Air Department would be recommending to Cabinet that a two-year arrangement be entered into by the Government with aero , clubs in New Zealand for the training of civil reserve and Royal Air Force pilots was given by Mr. T.E. O'Dowd, president of the Royal New Zealand Aero Club, in an interview this morning. Mr. O'Dowd returned to Hastings during the weekend after a conference with officials of the Department in Wellington regarding the- future policy to be adopted in the matter of training pilots for defence purposes.

Associated with Mr, O'Dowd were members of a special sub-committee of the New Zealand Aero Club, which was given authority to make an arrangement with the Government. The purpose of the conference was ■to discuss the question of the renewal of the present agreement, which had been in force for 12 months and which had just lapsed. Under this agreement various aero clubs in New Zealand trained pilots for the civil reserve and the Royal Air Force and the Government met the cost of training, the idea being for clubs to train pilots and build up a reserve for defence purposes. "The Department has agreed to recommend to Cabinet that a fresh arrangement "be entered into with clubs, the period being two years and the terms very much along the lines of the previous agreement," said Mr. O'Dowd.

Government to Meet Cost. "Under this arrangement clubs are to train 100 pilots each year for the civil reserve and 50 pilots for the Air Force. The training is to be entirely free of -cost to the trainees. The Government will meet the cost involved along the lines adopted previously. "The question of the supply of machines to clubs was fully discussed," said Mr. O'Dowd, "and the Department is to recommend the appropriation of £15,000 for this year. An arrangement was entered into whereby the Government would supply a limited number of machines, which would be purchased by the clubs as required and paid for out of the funds received for the training of pupils. "A point discussed with Departmental officers was the question of another club. Eleven aero clubs are officially recognised by the Government, but as a result of the conference the Department agreed to the establishment of another aero club district, embracing Waikato and the Bay of Plenty districts. "Provided that each of the aero clubs trains its quota of pupils for the civil reserve and the Royal Air Force, the Government has intimated that it is prepared to make a grant of f 400 yearly to clubs during the period of the arrangement," affid Mr. QDowd. "This subsidy will be in addition to the payment of costs involved in the training of pilots."