AIR TRAINING

Wairarapa Times-Age, 3 April 1941, Page 7

AIR TRAINING

NEW ZEALAND ORGANISATION REAL WAR EFFORT. OPERATIONS AT RONGOTAT AND ELSEWHERE. "My Experiences with the Royal New Zealand Air Force," was the subject of an address at today's luncheon of the Masterton Rotary Club by Mr. C. E. Wheeler, of Wellington. Mr. Wheeler stated that he had enjoyed unusual opportunities, for a civilian, of living in many training stations of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and was thus able to speak from personal knowledge of the remarkable organisation which had been built up so rapidly so that New Zealand could make a contribution in war effort far more than a patriotic gesture, but a real one as the record of distinctions awarded to New Zealanders in the R.A.F. gave proof. Manj' of the young men who enlisted in the R.N.Z.A.F.. he said were trained completely in the Dominion, though New Zealand provided its quota' ot trainees for the great Empire Air Training scheme in Canada. He described how future pilots, observers and air gunners first undertook a ground training course at Levin, while the flight mechanics and riggers went through their preliminary training at Harewood, prior to entering Rongotai, which had been turned from its peace time purpose of a great Centennial Exhibition into a splendidly fitted technical training school, where the pupil:' not only studied the theory of their work, but handled service aircraft, constructing and demolishing them in order to thoroughly understand every part which they would have the responsibility of maintaining. Air Force personnel, said Mr Wheeler, applied themselves very closely to study and practical work. Leave from these training stations was not liberal, because of the intensive nature of the various courses. War time necessities did not reduce the extent of the practical and theoretical instruction, but time was saved by closer application to the work. There was a high standard of comfort in the R.N.Z.A.F.. where one found hardly anything in the nature of fatigues, most of these duties being carried out by permanent staffs. The introduction of women into many of the training camps would, in his opinion release many young men for military duties.and provide a still higher stand; ard in the airmen’s messes in the way of better utilisation of the excellent food provided good male cooks being at a premium. Mr. Wheeler described service flying experiences in highly interesting and sometimes humorous terms, and gave details of the famous Link Trainer, a remarkable machine which, in the lecture room enables future pilots and observers to gain knowledge of aircraft instruments and flying conditions, their errors being corrected without the consequences of a crash.