CIVIL AIRLINE PILOTS

Press, Volume XC, Issue 27455, 15 September 1954, Page 6

CIVIL AIRLINE PILOTS

ADEQUATE SUPPLY IN N.Z. ARRANGEMENT WITH AIR FORCE (New Zealand Press Association) WELLINGTON, September 14. No fears are held for the steadiness of the flow of pilots into the National Airways Corporation’s employment in the foreseeable future, thanks to a mutually satisfactory arrangement with the Royal New Zealand Air Force. The situation in Britain, as described in the “Economist” in a recent article, is becoming critical. In New Zealand, since the immediate post-war pool of trained pilots was exhausted, the National Airways Corporation has been collaborating with the Air Force for the recruitment of pilots. Some years ago, with the approval of the Minister of Defence, a scheme was evolved whereby initial training for pilots was given by the Air Force to members of the Territorial Air Force, and advanced training by the National Airways Corporation. This was not a continuing scheme, though it helped to get territorial squadrons up to strength. For longterm training, the Air Force takes pilots tor three to five-year commissions. Under this scheme, the corporation recruits pilots with about 800 flying hours to their credit, and about 23 years of age. These pilots are ready for the established conversion and training courses required for civil airline pilots. “This plan is to the mutual advantage of the Air Force and the corporation,” said a corporation official today- “It supplies us with pilots, and encourages recruits to join the Air Force in the knowledge that they will have good jobs to go to as a result of their time in the force. ’ Unless there were a complete change in the policy of the Air Force, he did not foresee any difficulty in the supply of civil airline pilots, said the official.