AIR TRAINING CORPS

Southland Times, Issue 24597, 20 November 1941, Page 6

AIR TRAINING CORPS

INVERCARGILL UNIT STARTING SOON

The establishment of an Invercargill unit of the Air Training Corps of the Royal New Zealand Air Force has been brought several steps nearer with the visit of the divisional commander of the corps in the South Island (Squadron Leader W. H. Shepherd). Arrangements are now being made by Squadron Leader Shepherd for parade headquarters and for tutors. He said yesterday he expected the unit would be established next month. About 100 boys were ready to start training.

Details of the course should be of interest to the boys and others intending to apply for entry into the corps. It is a course of 80 weekly parades of two and a-half hours each and will be spread over two years. In addition the boys will attend one Saturday morning parade every month. This course is for boys in Invercargill. Those in the country may take a valuable correspondence course. In either case application for entry into the corps should be made direct to the Air Department, Wellington, or forms may be obtained at the Invercargill Post Office. Applicants should be between 161- and 18 years of age. It is laid down that there shall be no compulsion on boys, once they have taken the course, to join the Air Force, but it is expected that all will do so.

COMPREHENSIVE COURSES The course includes training for air crews, radio specialists and ground staff. All groups will take lectures in Air Force administration, aircraft recognition, air raid precautions and anti-gas work, first aid drill and physical training. The air crew group will take lectures in mathematics, care and maintenance of aero engines, theory of air frames and theory of flight, aircraft armament, navigation, meteorology and signalling. The radio group will take lectures in electricity and radio mechanics and they will do practical work. The maintenance group, or potential ground staff, will take lectures in servicing aircraft on the ground, general science, electricity and magnetism, extra courses on aero engines and air frames, and lectures on aircraft maintenance. In addition the members of this group will have 60 periods on basic fitting. Aii - Corps units have already been started in Christchurch and Dunedin as well as at some secondary schools, including the King’s High School, Dunedin, the Ashburton Technical College, and the Timaru and the Christchurch Boys’ High Schools. A recruiting campaign which started in Auckland two months ago has proved most successful in all centres where it has been held. It is expected that a campaign will be held in Invercargill next month.