AIR TRAINING CORPS

Wanganui Chronicle, Volume 88, Issue 121, 23 May 1944, Page 5

AIR TRAINING CORPS

VALUE IN RECRUITING FOR R.N.Z.A.F. (P.A.) Wellington, May 22. | "Our last return showed that we had over 8800 cadets,” said WingCommander P. K. Fowler, commandant of the Air Training School, addressing a squadron of A.T.C. cadets before they passed out at the completion of their school holiday training camp periou. "My ambition is to reacn the 10,000 and retain that figure. That would mean we would be able to give the R.N.Z.A.F. a regular supply of trainees with much ot their initial training already completed." In pointing out that the A.T.C. was now one oi tne few sources tor Air (Force recruiting, Wing-uommanuex ; r owier stressed that every attention • was now being given to me corps b> •tne Air Boaru, particularly in tne way ot providing auditiona; modern equipment. More syninetiu training devices were being added to tne mobile instructional uii.., whicn mean that hoys, m Hie country receive training equal to that given to A.i.C. cadets m the cities. The A.i.C. touring flight ’would soon be back m vveinngton, I anu more ilignts wouia be arranged | lor the cadets. Boys going up tor their second and third flights would be encouraged to carry out mapreading ana similar elementary flying exercises in conjunction witn tneir 1 night. I Wing-Commander Fowler sLited that he nau nopea to gel some aualcontrol flights tor the vadets but Hus had proved impossible, as such flights would affect the which would be (given aiter the boys had entered the I R.N.Z.A.F. to determine lor which igrancn of an air-crew they were most i suited. I Wing-Commander Fowler compli|mentea the cadets on the appeal ance |of their camp and said he was txItremely pleased with the enthusiastic I way in which they tacKied tneir i training. Some 3UUO former A.i.C. cadets were now in the R.N.Z.A.F., [many of them on air operations, hl [value of their early training had I been proved by reports from R N.Z. ' A.F. training schools, these showing : that former cadets were almost invariably above class averages. Another point was that the A.T.C. [course, satisfactorily completed, meant [that, much of the elementary training [normally given to R.N.Z.A.F. recruits could be omitted.