HIGH PRAISE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 175, 27 July 1942, Page 3

HIGH PRAISE

NEW ZEALAND FLYERS Reputedly Best Trained Airmen United Press Association.—Copyright Special Correspondent Rec. 10.30 a.m. LONDON, July 26. "New Zealanders are the best trained of all airmen we receive here from overseas." a group-captain at an advanced flying school told the High Commissioner for New Zealand, Mr. W. Jordan. "They evidently have a first-class organisation there."

At this school airmen arriving from the Dominion receive a refresher course before going on to operational training in their unit. Mr. Jordan learned that New Zealanders, in common with other men from overseas, find map-reading more complicated than when in their home countries, because of Britain's greater network of roads and railways. They also discover that night flying is different because with the total blackout there is no horizon on moonlight nights as in the Dominion.

New Zealand Fleet Air Arm fighter pilots at an operational training station were also visited by Mr. Jordan, accompanied by the "naval liaison officer, Lieutenant S. R. Skinner. Some of the pilots were trained in England and Canada, and others in America, where they gained their wings. They are now flying Hurricanes, Grumman Martlets and Fulmars before being drafted to aircraft carriers or fighter stations. Auckland Commander The commanding officer of the training station is Captain M. Somerset Thomas, D.5.0., R.N., of Auckland. He commanded a flotilla of destroyers in the Mediterranean when Italy entered the war. His flotilla sank three submarines in three months, for which he was decorated. Mr. Jordan also met Paymaster Commander E. N. R. Fletcher, R.N., who was Naval Secretary to tne New Zealand Division from 1926 to 1929. Sub-Lieutenants T. N. Bush, Wellington. A. C. Martin, Auckland, B. W. Nicholas, Christchurch, were trained at Pensacola, where they stayed for seven months and at Miami where they were for two months. They told Mr. Jordan: "We flew Kingfishers, Harvards and Buffaloes. It was a great experience and an opportunity for seeing America. We met Tom Heeney, former boxing champion at his Miami nightclub and had a long talk with him about New Zealand." Mr. Jordan also met Sub-Lieuten-ants A. R. Burgham and J. H. Jellie, Auckland, V. H. G. Cowper and A. T. Raines, Christchurch, J. A. Pankhurst, New Plymouth, P. A. Cromp-ton-Smith, Havelock North, R. W. Durrant, Feilding, H. A. Foote, Dunedin, G. H. Hooper, Hastings, J. D. Houston and F. H. Prosser. Wellington, H. Lang, Palmerston North, K. Seebeck, Greymouth, A. D. R. Webber, Nelson, J. D. McDonald, Central Otago, some of whom were trained in Canada. Mr. Jordan was told that others who were trained in America have now returned to Britain and included D. Forbes and S. Hamblett, Christchurch, A. D. Fyffe, Invercargill, E. S. Erickson, Waiuku. Flying Instructors Visiting the Empire Central Flying School, the High Commissioner met Squadron-Leader Trevor Silk, of Wanganui, who is on the school staff. I He commands a flight of examining instructors who fly all over Britain inspecting schools and testing instructors. He also met Flight-Lieu-tenant R. McKay, of Christchurch, who is taking a special course; Fly-ing-Officer A. D. Bull, of Auckland, who is an instructor; and Pilot-Officer A. S. R. McAllister, of Palmerston North.

Mr. Jordan recently arranged for Air-Commodore L. M. Isitt to meet informally Air Marshals Sir Phillip Babbington, who is Air Member for Personnel, A. G. R. Gar»d, who is Air Member for Training, and H. W. L. Saunders, who is Air Officer in charge of Fighter Command Administration. Mr. Jordan took occasion to farewell Wing-Commander F. R. Newell, of New Plymouth, liaison officer, and to welcome his successor, Wing-Commander D. W. Baird.