AIR DEFENCE

Wairarapa Times-Age, 1 September 1938, Page 7

AIR DEFENCE

REPORT ON AUSTRALIAN FORCE SIR E. ELLINGTON EXPRESSES GENERAL APPROVAL NEED OF BETTER TRAINING STANDARDS By Telegraph—Press Association. Copyright. CANBERRA, August 31. General approval of the air defence development programme laid down early this year by the Commonwealth Government is expressed by Air Marshal Sir Edward Ellington, InspectorGeneral of the Royal Air Force, whose report on trie Australian Air Force was made available tonight. Sir Edward emphasises the need for improved training standards within the Australian Air Force and greater cooperation with civil and commercial aviation for defence purposes. He pointed out that the civil aviation routes now being established, if properly equipped for their efficient working, would ensure that the Air Force could reach all parts of Australia rapidly and fulfil all strategic purposes. His investigation revealed that all the service squadrons were below strength. He recommended an enlargement of the training organisation, which should take precedence over the the formation of new units, while the training of pilots at Point Cook, Victoria, should be extended to include such instruction as was given in the advanced training squadrons of the British flying schools, together with a course in air navigation lasting at least ten weeks. He emphasised the need for improvement in flying discipline, since a large proportion of accidents here were due to disobedience and lack of flying discipline. Nevertheless, he was impressed with the high quality both of officers and men entering the Air Force. It was essential that conditions for permanent officers should be improved. Sir Edward recommended that efforts should be made to get flying clubs or civil transport companies to train young men as pilots, both for the reserve service and also as a preliminary to the flying-school course. He approved of the idea that Air Force and civilian pilots should be exchanged for short periods. Further, he advised the formation of a volunteer air force on the lines of that recently inaugurated in England. “After it has been enabled to fulfil all strategic purposes, what is required,” said Sir Edward, “is an air force fully trained and organised for mobility and familiar with all the necessary routes and bases which would enable an adequate force to be .concentrated to meet any threat to the wide expanses of Australian territory.” Dealing with the selection of aircraft types, Sir Edward emphasised the importance of “übiquity of purpose,’ rather than specialisation. The Prime Minister, Mr J. A. Lyons, announced that the Government haa adopted the report.