DOMINION AIR FORCES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24685, 14 August 1941, Page 7

DOMINION AIR FORCES

STRENGTH GROWING HEAVY PROGRAMMES AHEAD (ReC, 8.30 p m.) RUGBY, Aug. 12. The steadily mounting strength of the dominions is reflected in decent news of Australian < and South African air programmes. ' ! • Australia’sexport pf aeroplanes in . exceed £12.000,000 in walue,'with a total production value of£ according to Mr John Storey, Commissioner for Aircraft Production. A large percentage of the aircraft produced will be Beaufort medium torpedo bombers, the fastest of the|r type in the world, - The opening of additional schools is.jenabUng a constantly increasing number, of Australian airmen to be trained in their own country. Ground crews are now trained entirely in Australia, while one-fifth of the pilots and a-quarter of the air gunners, observers and wireless operators still finish their training in Canada under the air training scheme, and some are sent to Rhodesia, but these proportions are growing less, . Speaking at the coming-of-age of the South African Air Force on Monday, Field Marshal Smuts said Sobth Africa, which started the* war with an air force of only one, squadron end a total of 1500 pilots and mechanics, to-day has over 2000 pilots and an additional;! personnel of at least 25,000, of which about 5000 are women. In cooperation with the British Government South ' Africa is building up a far more powerful air force, which will involve a total of 50,000 men and women.