EDUCATION OF AIRMEN

Evening Star, Issue 23689, 24 September 1940, Page 12

EDUCATION OF AIRMEN

REMARKABLE EXPANSION OF SCHEME OVER 3,0*00 MEN ATTEND SCHOOLS [Pint United Press Association.] WELLINGTON, September 23. The expansion of the educational training scheme for airmen, pilots, air observers, and air gunners was discussed by the Alinistcr of Defence (Hon. F. Jones) iu an interview this evening. He also referred to the adoption by Australia of the New Zealand scheme and to the use made there of the New Zealand educational programme, thus enabling the scheme to he applied immediately to the preliminary educational training of reservists in Australia. No. 3 course men commenced preliminary educational training on September 9, the Aluiist.cr said, and with the addition of this group to those already under training, a total of 3,102 men were undergoing educational training in mathematics and science, either in the various Air Force classes throughout the Dominion or on correspondence courses. Of these 1,817 were provisionally classified as pilots or observers mid 1,285 as air gunners. As indicating the rapid growth of this preliminary educational training, the Minister compared these figures with those he had given to the Press at the end of June. At that time only some 700 or 800 of those men selected for air crew were receiving this educational training. Almost all of these had completed their educational training, had passed the necessary educational tests, and were cither at the ground training school at Levin or at one of the Hying training schools, or were waiting to be posted to the ground training school. Of the present total of over 3,000 a total of 1,718 were receiving instruction in the 61 classes which had been organised throughout the Dominion. Of these 61 groups 15 were located iu Auckland and 14 in AVellington and. the Hutt Valley. Last week 374 men had attended the Air Force classes in various Wellington schools (Wellington College, Wellington Technical College, the Hutt Valley High School, and the Hutt Valley Memorial Technical College). The number on the Air Force correspondence courses was at present 1,384. All the men on the Air Force educational courses were, of course, carrying on with their ordinary jobs until such time as it. would be necessary to draft them to the ground training school at Levin. Signal training, to which lie had referred in previous statements, was, the Alinistcr said, now in full swing. The director of educational services (Air E. Caradus) had made arrangements with the Post and Telegraph Department to establish some 75 classes iu various towns of the Dominion. Some 2.214 men were receiving instruction in these classes under nearly 200 instructors, who wore all officers of the Post and Telegraph Department. In order to provide the necessary signal training for those men in small centres who could not be grouped into classes suitable arrangements had been made with the National Broadcasting Service, and signalling instruction was being broadcast from stations 2YC, IZAI, and 3YL every evening of the week except Sunday. It was quite evident already, Mr Jones said, that as a result of the work done iu the classes and over the air no difficulty would be experienced in getting every man going on to the ground training school at Levin up to at least eight words a minute in Alorse signalling, both sending and receiving. It was evident, too, that the broadcast of signalling instruction was arousing a great deal of general interest, and many requests had been made both to the director of broadcasting and to the director of educational services by others than Air Force trainees for the marking of the various tests put over the air._ There was so much work to be done in other directions that it was quite imposisble to accede to these requests. Arrangements had, however, been made for the tests to be published in the * New Zealand Listener ’ after they had been given, and those interested would thus be able to mark their own. In conclusion, the Minister stated that, although most of his previous statements in regard to educational training had had reference to air crew, the interests of the ground personnel were not by any moans being neglected. Education officers were attached to all Air Force stations, and were available for tho instruction of members of the ground personnel, not only during their recruit and technical training, but also when? on the completion of that training, they had been posted to stations.