AIMING AT 10,000

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 201, 23 May 1944, Page 4

AIMING AT 10,000

Commandant’s Ambition For A.T.C. Cadets RECRUITS FOR AIR FORCE “Our last return showed that, we had over 8800 cadets,” said Wing Commander I’. K. Fowler, Commandant, Ail Training -School, addressing a squadron of A.T.C. cadets before they passed out at the completion ol their school holiday training camp period. “My ambition is to reach 10,000 and retain that figure,” lie added. “That will mean we will be able to give the R.N.Z.A.F. a regular supply of trainees, with much ot, then initial training already completed. In pointing out that the Air Framing Corns was now one of the few sources for air force recruiting, Wing Commander Fowler stressed that, every attention was being given to the. corps by the AU Board, .particularly in the way ot providing additional modern equipment. More synthetic training devices were being added to the Mobile Instructional Unit, which would mean that boys tn the country would receive training equal to that given to A.T.C. cadets in the cities. The A.T.C. Touring Flight would soon be back in Wellington, and more flights would be arranged for cadets. Boys going up for their second and third m„nts would be encouraged to carry out mapreading and similar elementary flying exercises in conjunction with their tli o ni. Wing Commander Fowler stud that ne had hoped to get some dual control nights for cadets, but this had proved impossible as such flights would affect test, which would be given after the boys hart entered the R.N.Z.A.F. to determine io which branch of aircrew they were most SU \Ving Commander Fowler complimented the cadets on the appearance o their camp, and said he was extremely pleased with the en liusiastic way in which they had tackled their Some 3000 cx-A.T.C. cadets were now in the R.N.Z.A.F.. many of them on an operations. The value of then’ ear J training had been proved by repot ts . iron R N.Z.A.F. training schools, showing tmu the former cadets were almost above class averages. Another pomt was that an A.T.C. course satis actoi.'>? c »® pleted meant that much of training norraaly given to R.N.Z.A.t. le cruits could be omitted.