AIR TRAINING CONTROL

Dominion, Volume 33, Issue 190, 8 May 1940, Page 10

AIR TRAINING CONTROL

Two R.A.F. Commands RAPID EXPANSION OF SERVICE (British Official Wireless.) RUGBY, May 6. ' The large and rapid expansion of the R.A.F. has necessitated reorganization of the training arrangements, which will now be divided into two commands, one dealing with flying training and the other with technical training. Hitherto there have been two training commands, each of which has undertaken both air and technical instruction. In February, 1939, a separate reserve command was formed in order to relieve the regular training command, and it concentrated special attention on the R.A.F. volunteer reserve, whose training, being on a parttime basis, had to be dealt with' on different lines from the whole-time training of the regular It.A.F. Fulltime training was, of course, assumed by the volunteer reserve directly the war broke out, and thereafter the training distinction largely disappeared. Moreover, competent authorities point out that it is desirable that the intensive training of the personnel should remain under one command. It has, therefore, been decided to create a technical training command under Acting Air Marshal W. L. Welsh which will undertake the complete training of an exceedingly large number of high-skilled men required for the maintenance of aircraft, and equipment, and a flying training command under Acting Air Marshal L. A. Patterson, which will be responsible for the training of pilots and air crews.

Expanding Alloy Industry.

Another result of the rapid increase in the Air Force has been that the British light alloy industry has had to undergo a violent expansion of nearly 20 times in order to meet the factories’ requirements, and though the production has always been good, wellinformed London circles state that the Air Minister will not be satisfied till it has reached the highest possible level. The considered appointment of Brigadier-General H. A. Jones as Controller of Light Alloy will enable this to be accomplished more easily, and today’s announcement of his nomination is received with gratification. The Air Ministry’s determination to expand the factory output as widely as efficient organization can carry it applies also to the training personnel for the R.A.F. It is pointed out in authoritative quarters that the hard winter conditions caused an interruption in the regular flow of trained men, and it is stated that the reorganization into two training commands will provide a much faster flow of competent personnel which, in conjunction with the tremendous training resources of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Kenya, Rhodesia, and South Africa, will give unsurpassed facilities for the vigorous growth of a most powerful Air Force. These resources will now be added to by the French, who have afforded facilities not only in France but throughout the French Empire.