H.—l9a.

To meet the commitments outlined in paragraph 7, an organization comprising the following units is being provided : — (a) One Initial Training School with a pupil strength of 250 under training ; (b) One Recruit Training Depot with a pupil strength of 200 under training ; (c) One Flying Instructors' School with a pupil strength of ten under training ; (d) Four Elementary Flying Training Schools with a total pupil strength of 324 under training ; (e) Three Service Flying Training Schools with a total pupil strength of 324 under training ; and (/) The Technical Training Organization with an annual output of approximately 800 airmen. A considerable increase in our aircraft requirements was also necessary, and these aircraft are being provided as follows : — (a) Elementary Trainers.— All suitable aircraft from the Aero Clubs were taken over on the outbreak of war for the use of the Elementary Flying Training Schools. In addition, orders have been placed in the United Kingdom for ninety " Moth" airframes and 120 engines to be delivered during 1940. Orders have also been placed with the de Havilland Aircraft Company (New Zealand) for a further one hundred " Moths " complete with engines to be delivered at the rate of six per month commencing in June. Once the Initial Equipment and Immediate Reserve Establishments of the Elementary Flying Training Schools have been provided the de Havilland factory will be able to meet wastage requirements. (b) Single-engine Trainers.—There will be sufficient " Gordons " and " Vincents " in New Zealand when all aircraft now on order are delivered to provide a surplus over our Single-engine Trainer requirements under the revised War Training Organization outlined in paragraph 8. These aircraft will meet our full requirements up to April, 1941. Thereafter, the obsolescent types will be replaced by " Harvards," one of the modern types of Single-engine Trainers in use in the Royal Air Force, for which orders for 105 airframes and 140 engines have been placed in the United States of America. Arrangements have been made for " Harvard " airframes and " Wasp " engines to be delivered at the rate of fifteen airframes and twenty engines per month commencing in April, 1941. (c) Twin-engine Trainers. —Arrangements have been made for the delivery of 140 " Oxford " airframes and 372 " Ch.eetah-10 " engines by October, 1940. Thereafter, " Oxfords " and " Cheetali-10 " engines will be delivered at the rate of six airframes and sixteen engines every three months to meet wastage. Thirty of the " Oxfords " have been especially modified for operational use so that they can be used as bombing aircraft in case of emergency. (d) Commercial Aircraft. —Three D.H. 86, five D.H. 89, and two D.H. 84 have been taken over from civil firms for Service purposes. These aircraft are being modified for military purposes, and will be employed for training purposes unless the situation at any time necessitates their employment on operations. PROGRESS TO DATE UNDER EXPANSION SCHEME. The present position regarding the expansion is as follows : — (a) Recruiting Organization.—A Central Organization has been set up to deal with recruiting of personnel for technical training and for the selection of candidates for training as pilots, air gunners, and air observers. The response has been magnificent, and our full requirements for the next year should be met without difficulty. (b) Flying Training Organization — (i) The Initial Training School was formed at Rongotai and later moved to Weraroa. This School provides personnel enlisted for training as pilots, observers, and air gunners, with a thorough grounding in discipline and elementary instruction in ground subjects. (ii) A Flying Instructors' School was formed at Mangere to train pilots for employment as Flying Instructors. This School moved to Hobsonville on the 15th March, 1940. (iii) No. 1 Elementary Flying Training School was formed at Taieri on the 16th October, 1939, and is now operating at full strength. (iv) No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School was formed at New Plymouth on the 14th November, 1939, and is now operating at full strength. (v) No. 3 Elementary Flying Training School will form at Harewood on the 26th August, 1940, and will be operating at full strength by the 23rd September. (vi) No. 4 Elementary Flying Training School will form at Whenuapai in January, 1941, and will be operating at full strength by the end of that month. (vii) No. 1 Flying Training School, Wigram, has been expanded considerably and will be operating at full strength by September, 1940. (viii) No. 2 Flying Training School was formed at Blenheim on the 11th December, 1939, at approximately half war strength and will be operating at full strength by September, 1940.

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