TRAINING OF AIR CADETS

Southland Times, Issue 24438, 19 May 1941, Page 12

TRAINING OF AIR CADETS

APPOINTMENT OF COMMANDER

The training of air cadets, to be known as the Air Training Corps of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, is expected to begin on August 1, and a Dunedin man, Mr W. H. Shepherd, has been chosen to be officer in charge of the Southern Command of the new branch. Mr Shepherd’s appointment, with the granting of a temporary commission in the rank of flight lieutenant (honorary squadron leader), was published in a Gazette notice last week. His command will include the whole of the South Island.

Mr Shepherd is president of the Otago Aero Club and vice-president of the New Zealand body, and when aero clubs throughout the Dominion were establishing a civil reserve of pilots he was in a large measure responsible for the success of the local activities.

The corps is for training boys between the ages of 164 and 18 years, and the period of instruction will be approximately one year. The present training at the Air Force stations is very thorough and efficient, and very fine pilots have been developed, but j it is pointed out that extra training is | always available. It is this extra inj struction that the Air Training Corps, i which will be an effective branch of I the Air Force, is intended to provide, j Tire programme of training will I cover the ground subjects taught at the regular Air Force Elementary Training Schools, typical subjects being signals, airmanship, theory of flight, engineering, navigation and gunnery, and it will’prove very interesting to I young men who want to know some- ! thing about aviation. Airman-cadets 1 who complete the course will have covered most of the ground training normally taught at elementary training schools such as the R.N.Z.A.F. station at Taieri. Those of the trainees who pass on to the Air Force will start there with a great advantage, and will be able to concentrate more on the actual flying.

It will be the aim of those in control of the scheme to disturb as little as possible the normal activities of trainees Especially will this apply to senior boys still attending high schools and technical college. Under the programme outlined by the department, very little interference, if any, with the normal education of the boys appears to be necessary.