AIR TRAINING

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20625, 28 November 1941, Page 4

AIR TRAINING

GISBORNE FORMATION ORGANISATION BEGINS Organisation of the Gisborne squadron of the Air Training Corps is taking place, and it is expected that the unit will be placed on an official footing at an early date. Seventy candidates have offered themselves for entry into the Gisborne town unit, and a lai'ge number of High School students have enrolled in the school unit, in which the entrance age is’a year and a half lower than that for the town unit. Selection committees are sitting from time to time to pass upon the qualifications of the candidates for the town unit. No official appointments have been made as yet, but. offices for the squadron will be men of mature vears with some experience of handling youth. Those selected wf'S proceed to a Royal New Zealand Air Force depot for a course of training, as a preliminary to tailing over their responsibilities. Much of the training to be given to cadets in the Air Training Corps will be in the form of lectures and demonstrations. Educational subjects will be included in the schedule, so that students may be equipped to follow the more specialised practical work. In this connection, the services of High School staff members will be available, it is understood. As was stated when the Air Training Corps recruiting campaign was opened recently, the intention is to give to interested and suitable youths a course of study, drill, and technical work which will enable them, if they desire to do so, to pass into the Royal New Zealand Air Force on attaining the minimum age of 18 years. Entrance into the Air Training Corps is conditional upon the consent of parents or guardians, who also will exercise the right of veto when the trainees reach the age for entry into the air force proper.

•Mr. K. B. Garland has been authorised to supervise the preliminary organisation of the Gisborne squadron, and already has taken up this duty.