335 AEROPLANES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23718, 26 July 1940, Page 6

335 AEROPLANES

TRAINING MACHINES GOVERNMENT ORDER OXFORDS AND HARVARDS PROGRESS OF AIR FORCE [BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTEII] WELLINGTON, Thursday The placing of orders for a total of 335 training aircraft for New Zealand, required tinder the Empire air training scheme, is recorded in tho annual report of tho Air Department, presented in the House of Representatives to-day by the Minister of Defence, tho Hon. F. Jones. The report states that the orders include an additional 90 Tiger Moths for elementary training and a total of 140 Airspeed Oxfords and 105 Harvards (American machines) for advanced training. Discussing personnel, the report says that at the outbreak of war the regular Air Force comprised 91 officers and 665 airmen. In addition, a number of tho Civil Reservo who, by virtue of their civil trade, were suitable for immediate employment, were posted to service units, and territorial squadrons were brought up to war strength. Crews and Maintenance Details are given of the war, training organisation and steps taken to Implement the agreement to train for the Royal Air Force 650 pilots and 650 air gunners and observers a year. Modifications became necessary as a result of the Empire air training scheme, under which tho Government agreed to set up an organisation which, when fully developed in January, 1941, would be capable of providing each year 880 fully-trained - pilots, 520 pilots trained to the elementary standard to do their advanced work in Canada, and 546 observers initially trained.

In addition the Government has agreed to train maintenance personnel for the Royal Air Force as soon as the immediate requirements of the New Zealand training organisation have been met. Under this scheme approximately 800 trained mechanics will be sent overseas each year, commencing early in 1941. Magnificent Response The progress made under tho expansion scheme is reviewed. The report says that a central organisation has been set up to deal with recruiting of personnel for technical training, and for the selection of candidates for training as pilots, air gunners and air observers. The response has been magnificent. To March 31 a total of 4644 applications were received for crew training and 4436 for maintenance training. "Steps are being taken to use the industrial resources of the Dominion in the production of supplies and equipment for the Air Forco as far as possible," the report adds. "Progress in the manufacture of aeronautical equipment, however, is limited to the supplies of aeronautical materials which can be obtained and, moreover, is dependent very largely on the capacity of the aeronautical inspection organisation in the Dominion. Efforts are being made to expand this division as quickly as trained staffs and technical test equipment can be secured."

Harvard aircraft are made by North American Aviation, Incorporated. They are single-engined, two-seater monoE lanes of the low-wing type, capable of igh speed, and are used for training ¥ilots in the advanced _stages_ of flying, hey are used extensively in Britain and' Australia in the training of airmen. Airspeed Oxfords are twin-engined monoplanes used for advanced training in navigation, bombing, gunnery and all aspects of twin-engined flying. They are used in large numbers by the Royal Air Force as they serve in training pilots to fly medium and heavy bombers.