Training Young Pilots at North Taieri, 1940

[Dave Homewood]

This article appeared in the Otago Daily Times, on 25 January 1940:

WAR IN THE AIR

TRAINING YOUNG PILOTS

COURSE AT NORTH TAIERI

BUSY BUT ATTRACTIVE LIFE

That their course of training at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Station at North Taieri is hard but enjoyable seems to be the general opinion of the young airman pilots who are to-day leading a particularly busy life, that is completely different from their tasks in peace time. To them, there is still plenty of adventure to be had in modern life, for in the air they are daily having new experiences and new-thrills.

The value of air strength is being stressed to an ever-increasing degree in modern warfare, and these young pilots at North Taieri seem determined to play their part in ensuring that the British Empire is not lacking in fully-trained airmen. With the future kept conveniently in the background, it is an attractive, adventurous life, which the trainees at North Taieri enjoy to the full.

Dawn Patrol to Dark.
The two Squads of trainees have a very full day. Those in A Flight commence their  daily syllabus with "dawn patrol". They are served with tea and toast, at the early hour of 5.15, and at 6 take the air for the first flight of the day—"dawn patrol." It is not until 7:45 that they are free to have breakfast. They are in the air again at 10, flying being continued until 12.30, when they lunch. In the afternoon they have a drill period, a lecture, and then recreation. After dinner they usually have another lecture. Lights must be out at 10.30 p.m., but between the lecture and that hour the trainees are expected to do a certain amount of "swot."

Those in B Flight work to a different syllabus. They commence the day with physical training at 6.30, which lasts half an hour. They then have an opportunity to tidy up their, cubicles before breakfast at 7.45. They fly from 8.30 to 10.30, and then have a lecture. After lunch, they take the air again at 12.45 and instruction to different pilots continues until 3.30.They then have another lecture, a short drill period, and recreation, and then after dinner they have another lecture.

Both squads thus have their days fully occupied. It is not all work and no play, however, for the pilots are given plenty of recreation and fairly generous leave.

The First Essential
The chief object .of the training at North Taieri is to make the young men good pilots, and they have the best possible instruction during their total hours' flying. There is a pilot instructor to every three or four trainees, each of whom is given from 10 to 13 hours' dual flying, about 5 hours' blind flying; and the remainder in solo flying.

The chief flying instructor is Flight-lieutenant A. W. Burbidge, who is well known to Dunedin people as the instructor to the Otago Aero Club.

The trainee is first shown on the, ground how the controls on the plane operate, and then he is taken up for his first flight. It depends on his aptitude how many hours of dual flying he requires. Some need only about 10 hours, others; up to 20 hours.

Then comes the solo flying, which includes a cross-country flight of at least 100 miles with a landing at a strange aerodrome and a test in map reading. In this test they are given several points to find and they have to locate them and make a reconnaissance report.

They are given a certain amount of aerobatic experience; but blind-flying is regarded as more important in training for a war in which a lot of the flying will be done at night or in heavy cloud.

"A Very Bright Lot"
The pilot is also taught a great deal about his plane, and its care. Each pilot is required to pull out his own machine, start it up, and run it to see if everything is in order. He is given instruction in the overhaul and maintenance of the engine and aircraft; and is taught how to picket or tie down his plane in open fields where no hangar accommodation is available.

He is taught three types of landing — a tail down landing for general use, a wheel landing for high winds, and a cross-wind landing for use in a restricted area with a short run into the wind. For the blind flying instruction a canvas hood is drawn over the trainee's head and he has to fly entirely by instruments. It is rather a strain to begin with, and not much blind-flying can be done at a time.

"The trainees are a very bright lot," Flight-lieutenant Burbidge told a Daily Times reporter, "Very few are nervous in the air, and, in fact, I find that those who are a little nervous often best pilots. In many ways, men who have no previous training as a pilot are more easily taught than those who have had a few hours with aero clubs. Air sickness is practically unknown, but there have been one or two cases where a man has had to stop because of continual sickness in the air. On the whole, they are a fine lot of young men and are making good pilots. That, of course, is our chief concern — we teach them how to fly a plane well. More advanced training will be "carried out in the next two courses at Wigram."

But the leading aircraftmen at North Taieri learn a lot more than how to fly. They have numerous lectures on a variety of subjects connected with flying and with the aircraft. They have lectures on engines and airframes, on navigation, on aerodynamics (the theory of flight), on armament, on reconnaissance and report writing, and on airmanship. These lectures entail a good deal of study, for examinations are held before the pilots are allowed to proceed to Wigram. The result is that they carry their books around with them, and between flights and in other portions of the day when their whole-attention is not required they may be seen "swotting" some of the diverse subjects that comprise their syllabus.

Romance in the Air
Despite the amount of learning that is necessary in the training, there is a romantic side to the course. The huge-hangar housing a large number of aircraft is an imposing sight which is enhanced in the cold light of early morning—when the flight of planes is lined up for the "dawn patrol,' as then something of the spirit or the Air Force in France is caught. With the engines ticking over gently in the cool morning air and with the pilots and-their instructors ready for the exhilarating flight over a waking countryside, it is a sight that must inspire the young pilots. Man's conquest of the air cannot help but catch the imagination; and this, coupled with the sense of duty in the hour of the country's need, makes the life for the trainees at North Taieri a romantic and inspiring one.

Every care is taken to see that the planes are in first-class order before they take the air. There is a daily check by the engineers and the n.c.o.'s in charge of the engineers, and then, at special intervals; the aircraft are given a thorough and complete check.

Recreation Not Forgotten
Busy as the life is at North Taieri, recreation and sport are not forgotten. A sports officer, Lieutenant W. N. Wood; of the King's High School staff, has been appointed to the station as station education officer and sports officer, and under his direction organised sport will be held. A new swimming pool has been constructed at the station, and tennis courts, cricket pitches, and a running track are being made. On Wednesday afternoons organised games are held; and all the men are expected to take part in them. Indoor games are given every encouragement, and there is even a billiard table.

A fair amount of leave is accorded the men on the station. They have a free picture entertainment at Mosgiel every Wednesday night, and they are given leave on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, with all Sunday free. Discipline is naturally strict in the youngest service, but the authorities certainly believe in the old saying that all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Perhaps their reward is to be found in the small number of " dull boys " they have on the station.

The Mess Arrangements
One important feature of any establishment like the Air Force Station is the' mess arrangements. At North Taieri, the mess for officers and men is voted as being more than satisfactory, and no complaint is to be found with the meals. The sergeant cook is an ex-chef from the Awatea and from a leading Christchurch hotel, arid he has three other cooks and the most modern equipment to help him provide remarkably good meals. In fact, the meals are considered by the men to be well above the average restaurant standard.

For breakfast, they are given a choice of fruit and cereals, followed by eggs and bacon or cooked meat and toast, and tea. Lunch usually comprises soup, cold meat and salad, scones, buns and tea. The men have dinner at night, and this is a first-class, three-course meal. Everything is excellently cooked by the latest methods and a feature of the mess is the cleanliness.

In every way, there is not much fault to be found with the life at the North Taieri station. It is a man's life, and the young trainees enjoy it. More and more men are, of course, required for the Royal New Zealand Air Force, but when they are as well treated as they are at the various stations, and when they have the additional incentive that they are doing their duty for their country, it seems unlikely that the required number will not be forthcoming.



SOME OF THE TIGER MOTHS OF B FLIGHT LINED UP ON THE TARMAC AT THE ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE STATION AT NORTH TAIERI.



A HAPPY GROUP OF TRAINEES STUDYING THE THEORETICAL SIDE OF THEIR COURSE WHILE AWAITING THEIR TURN TO GO UP.



CHANGING PUPILS: THE TRAINEE ON THE LEFT IS WALKING OFF THE TARMAC WHILE THE INSTRUCTOR (IN LEATHER COAT) HAS A FEW WORDS WITH ANOTHER PUPIL BEFORE TAKING OFF.



BLIND FLYING INSTRUCTION: THE PUPIL PILOT (IN THE REAR COCKPIT) IS ABOUT TO PULL OVER THE COCKPIT THE HOOD WHICH COMPLETELY SHUTS OUT HIS VISION.

[Dave Homewood]

Does anyone know if there is actually a list of the instructors and trainees who went through No. 1 EFTS between May 1941 and the end of the war? I know a couple of people who own ex-1EFTS Tiger Moths and it would be great to know who went through the school to help us hunt down logbooks, so we can piece together the history of who flew their aeroplanes.

[Dave Homewood]

Since writing the post above I have gone through the course photos on the Air Force Museum's FotoWeb8 site for 1EFTS and compiled at least a partial list, but I am sure it is pretty incomplete.

[Dave Homewood]

An interesting piece from the Otago Daily Times, 17 July 1940:

AIR TRAINING

CHANGES IN TWENTY-THREE YEARS

SQUADRON-LEADER STEDMAN’S EXPERIENCES

ADDRESS AT R.S.A. LUNCHEON

An interesting contrast in the training of air pilots in the last war and at the present time was given by Squadron-leader G. L. Stedman, officer commanding the Royal New Zealand Air Force Station at North Taieri, who was the speaker at the monthly luncheon of the Dunedin Returned Soldiers’ Association yesterday. The president of the association (Mr W. K. Cameron) presided over an attendance of nearly 100 members.

Squadron-leader Stedman described how he came to join the Royal Flying Corps while with the Mounted Rifles in Palestine. His services were nearly declined because a weight limit of 11st 7lb was in force, but he was eventually accepted and sent to a training school.

He had no idea what all the controls were for when he went up for the first time, and the method of instruction was done by the instructor placing his hands on the trainee’s shoulders and showing him what to do by moving him backwards, forwards, or sideways, so that he could check the movement of the plane. The pilots really taught themselves.

A Marked Contrast
“On my first flight, I remember noticing a loose piece of piping beside the instructor,” he said. “I thought it strange to have something loose like that in a plane, and I made inquiries. I was told by one of the men who had had some flying experience that his instructor had a spanner with a piece of rag round it. The weapons were used to hit a trainee on the head should loose his nerve and ‘freeze’ on to the controls. Such precautions are not necessary nowadays.”

Squadron-leader Stedman said that he had had only three hours and a-half in the air before he went up solo, and after only 25 hours’ solo flying was offered a job as instructor. He did not accept the position, and went to a good training school at Brooklands, England. There, the pilots were taught a great deal, and particularly how to co-operate with artillery.

After passing through the school he was sent out to the Near East. He recalled how he was sent up to drop bombs on a certain objective without having had any previous experience of bombing. He had a bomb-sighter, but did not know how to use it, and it was perhaps just as well, as he found later that it would not function.

Turning from those days of rackety rules. Squadron-leader Stedman briefly outlined the course of instruction given to pilots to-day. He contrasted the manner in which pilots were selected to-day with the way he obtained his entry into the Royal Flying Corps. Entrants now had to have educational qualifications up to matriculation standard or were given a special course to enable them to reach that standard.

“To-day, there are young men who have to wait eight or nine months to enter the air section,” he said, “but there should be an improvement in the position soon as more training schools are to be opened.”

Modern Aerial Warfare
Squadron-leader Stedman outlined the course of instruction for pilots and mentioned that they had 10, 12, 15 hours and more of flying before they went up solo. When a pilot did go solo he was sure of everything and sure of himself. He mentioned the various stages through which a pilot passed before being fit for active service and how they were given careful instruction in high, low and dive bombing, and in gunnery.

Pilots were taken up in the observer’s seat and fired the rear gun to give them an idea of the difficulties of the rear-gunner. Great stress was laid on navigation at the present time. In fact, when a pilot obtained his “wings” in New Zealand, Squadron-leader Stedman said, he knew more about flying than the speaker had learnt in two years in the last war.

“The modern bomb-sight is a remarkable piece of equipment,” Squadron-leader Stedman said. “Tuition is given in bombing in up-wind, downwind, and cross-wind, and, if a pilot and a bomb-sighter work well as a team, it is possible to drop a large bomb within 25 yards of a target from an altitude of 10,000 to 15,000 feet.”

An idea of the striking power of the Hurricane and the Spitfire was given by the speaker. A pilot aimed his whole machine at an enemy plane. On the joystick was a button operating eight machine-guns concealed in the wings, and their fire converged on a point 200 yards in front of the plane. The button was pressed for only a second or two at a time, for in that period no fewer than 200 to 300 shots would be fired. A vote of thanks was accorded Squadron-leader Stedman.

[Dave Homewood]

This is from the Evening Star (Otago) on 7 August 1945:

TAIERI AIR STATION'S HISTORY

(R.N.Z.A.F. Official News Service.) WELLINGTON, August 6.

The closing down of the R.N.Z.A.F. Station, Taieri, which is now in progress consequent upon the recent announcement by the Minister of Defence (Hon. F. Jones) of the cessation of aircrew recruiting in New Zealand, brings to an end a valuable contribution, lasting almost six years, to the R.N.Z.A.F.'s training programme.

Taieri has for five years served as No. 1 Elementary Flying Training School, and towards the end of 1944 it became the Grading School and Initial Training Wing. Young airmen from all parts of the Dominion have begun their service training at Taieri, and the welfare of the station personnel has always been very much a concern of the people of Otago and Dunedin. This was acknowledged in an interview by the Chief of Air Staff (Air Vice-Marshal L. M. Isitt).

"Taieri has been a happy and most successful station." he said. "Everyone who has passed through it has had reason to appreciate the interest of Otago people and the warmth of their hospitality. In return, Taieri has contributed much to the community. The closing of the station means that the Dominion's air strength has reached a strong position, and for that reason it will be welcomed generally. There is cause for regret in other ways. I take the opportunity of expressing the thanks of all Taieri personnel, past and present, to the people of Otago, for the keen interest which they have always taken in the station."

2,790 PUPILS — 17O,OOO HOURS.
There has been great development at Taieri since the days when the Otago Aero Club started an air school and incidentally, produced among its trainees one of New Zealand's most distinguished airmen—Wing-commander T.O. Freeman, .D.S.O., D.F.C. of Dunedin.

It was converted to service training immediately war broke out. and it became No. 1 Elementary Flying Training School on October 20, 1939, under the command of Squadron-leader G. L. Stedman. When it was closed down in that capacity, on October 14, 1944, 2.790 pupils had done their elementary flying in the little Tiger Moth trainers, which were a common sight over the Taieri Plain and the city.

The school's total flying record was about 170,000 hours, of which 5,490 were spent in night flying. Throughout that time there were seven fatal accidents, involving the death of 11 personnel.

Within a week of the closing down of No. 1 E.F.T.S., the Grading School, a promising innovation in R.N.Z.A.F.  training policy, was officially opened, and, with the Initial Training Wing, kept Taieri's resources fully employed until it became possible to review service commitments and put an end to recruiting. The fact that the first all A.T.C. course had passed through the school by that time is an indication of the great progress made by the Dominion's' training scheme.

FAMOUS NAMES
Many names famous in the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the Royal Air Force are associated with Taieri. Those of Squadron-leader (now Wing-commander) Stedman, who combined the duties of commanding officer and chief ground instructor, and Flying-officer (now Squadron-leader) A W. Burbidge the first chief flying instructor, were so well established in New Zealand flying circles that the station was assured of a good start. All but one of the original team of living instructors were aero club products.

Courses varied in size, but they went through steadily, and results were excellent from the beginning. The first course, of 16 acting pilot officrs, included J. A. Oldfield, now Wing-commander Oldfield, D.F.C., with a distinguished operational record to his credit.

Wing-commander G D. Sise, D.S.O, D.F.C, of Dunedin. a brilliant young airman, passed out with course 2 in January, 1940. Four graduates of course 8 completed in June. 1940. brought Distinguished Flying Crosses to the school's roll of honour.

New Zealand's V.C. winner, Sergeant J. A Ward left Taieri in September. 1940, and among his companions in course 3A were the future Wing-commander J F Barron. D.S.O., D.F.C., D.F.M. and Flight-lieutenant J. B Starkey. D.S.0., D.F.C.

So the story went on Wing-commander J. M. Checketts. D.S.0., D.F.C. was one of the nine members of course 7A to have honours ahead of him, and among the graduates of course 8A, who were to win 14 decorations between them, were Flight-lieutenant R. B. Hesselyn, D.F.C. D.F.M., and Flight-lieutenant A. E. Umbers, D.F.C. and bar.

One of the most interesting careers to begin at Taieri is that of the recent commanding officer of the station. Wing-commander W. R. Kofoed, D.S.0., D.F.C. L.A.C. Kofoed did his first solo flight at Taieri in January, 1941, and after four years of operational experience in the United Kingdom, Europe, and the Middle East, he returned to the station as commanding officer in November, 1944.

Still another Taieri name to become prominent, this time highly prominent in the councils of the R.N.Z.A.F., was that of Flight-lieutenant R. B. Bannerman. D.F.C. and bar, a distinguished veteran of 1914-18. who was chief ground instructor from November, 1940, to May, 1941. Air-commodore Bannerman, C.B.E., D.F.C. and bar. A.D.C., is now a member of the Air. Board as Air Force Member for Personnel.

PREPARING FOR JAPANESE.
Two important events, widely different in character, in the early history of the station were the arrival in November, 1941, of the first members of the W.A.A.F. — a party of 61 on a very rainy Taieri day — and Japan's entry into the war on December 7, 1941. The latter happening, of course, caused considerable re-organisation of the service as a whole. At Taieri aerodrome protection measures and patrols were introduced immediately.

At the beginning of 1942, the 41st Light Bomber Squadron, an extraordinary unit, came into existence. Tiger Moths were fitted with racks to carry 20lb bombs, and dive-bombing was practised. Long-range auxiliary tanks made it possible for coastal patrols to be undertaken, and the unit showed its mettle at least on one occasion.

In September. 1942, an unidentified vessel was reported off the coast, and for the first time on record, Tiger Moths were briefed for interception duties. The vessel was found; but it established its identity as a New Zealand freighter and the Tigers did not have the chance to demonstrate their prowess.

At different times during that period Taieri was used as a base for the operations, of Baffins from No. 3 G.R. Squadron. and Hudsons from No. 2 G.R. Squadron.

A.T.C. AND A.D.U.
In July, 1942, the first batch of A.T.C. graduates arrived to enter the Aerodrome Defence Unit, the first squadron of which was formed in that month.

The A.D.U. at Taieri was disbanded in March, 1943, and was replaced by No. 307 Elementary Ground Training School, composed of 200 A.T.C. graduates. The final E.G.T.S. draft left for the Advanced Ground Training Wing, Delta, in November, 1943. No. 1 Technical Education School had been established a month earlier, and its last draft, left for the Preliminary Technical Training School, then at Rongotai, in March, 1944.

Flying training went on steadily throughout this period. The future of the station was in doubt toward the end of 1944, but the decision to establish the grading school there, along with the Initial Training Wing, brought new life to Taieri: The air was still filled with the little, yellow trainers, and the station remained busy and important.

The original commanding officer, Squadron-leader Stedman, saw Taieri well on its feet before he was posted to Rongotai in January. 1942. Wing-commander R. J. Sinclair, who took over from him, was succeeded three months later by Squadron-leader, A. C. Parsons, and then came Squadron-leader (now Wing-commander) S. L. Gilkison and Squadron-leader P. A. Matheson, each of whom filled the post for a year. Wing-commander Kofoed was at the head of an experienced and most efficient administrative team during the last chapter of the station's service history.

MANY ACTIVITIES.
In association with its purely service functions, Taieri became a name well known in Otago sports, social, and patriotic activities. Teams have been prominent in various Dunedin athletic competitions. A choir, an orchestra, and revue parties have entertained many audiences, and parades and demonstrations have been features of patriotic functions.

Dunedin people will remember when a Tiger Moth taxied through the main streets of the city with a truck "in tow" — to keep its tail down. Many other events, grave and gay, have gone into the building of Taieri's traditions. They are proud traditions indeed. Many of the men who helped to build them have given their lives for their country and their ideals. They can never be forgotten, any more than Taieri will be forgotten by those who learned to fly there or by those people of Dunedin and Otago who have always taken such an active interest in the welfare of the station and its personnel.

AERODROME BUILDINGS THEIR FUTURE USE
Is it premature to suggest that we should write to the Government to see what its intentions are regarding the future of the buildings at the Taieri aerodrome? " asked Mr L. M. Wright at a meeting of the City of Dunedin Development Council yesterday. Mr Wright said that the buildings would provide valuable factory space. The Mayor (Mr D. C. Cameron) said that Mr Wright's suggestion was worth keeping in mind, but he pointed out that while the Taieri aerodrome would not be used .for flying he had been informed that it would be used for engineering and repair work for a long time. He had been told that 150 engineers and mechanics would be employed there for at least two years to come.

[Dave Homewood]

Aug 28, 2024 14:31:52 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

I suspect the Tiger Moth in the second photo was ZK-AGG, which became NZ706 with 1 EFTS after being impressed. Interesting that the adf.serials site says, "Successfully force landed by Pilot Officer Bayly near Mosgiel on 06 March 1942 after the propellor fell off at 3000 feet." 

As for the Tiger in the top photo, it could be any one of these....
ZK-AGL - NZ701
ZK-AGW - NZ703
ZK-AGZ - NZ704
ZK-AGG - NZ706
ZK-AGF - NZ710
ZK-AGX - NZ712
ZK-AGA - NZ717
ZK-AGY - NZ718
ZK-AGI - NZ721 
ZK-AGH - NZ722

[corsair5517]

Dad did his initial training there…and Bob Butt was his instructor. Hope that helps…

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks John. Ah yes, I have your Dad's logbook copy and already located the entries in there.

I should have said the two Tigers I am trying to track the history for are Bevan and Lucy's NZ861 (ZK-ANL) and Brett's NZ847 (ZK-AKC).

I am also trying to locate any wartime history of Amanda's NZ677 (ZK-ANN), but I am not sure where it was in WWII.

[camtech]

NZ677: some logbook dates

7 Aug 41 1EFTS; 10 Sep 41 2EFTS 20 Sep 41; 26 Oct 41 2EFTS 5 Nov 41; 24 Dec 41 2EFTS 19 Jan 42; 30 Mar 42 2EFTS 31 Mar 43; 17 Oct 42 Rongotai-Ashburton; 7 Dec 42 2EFTS; 2 Mar 43 2EFTS;

I'll have a dig for more info later - dealing with palliative family member at the moment.

[Dave Homewood]

On Tuesday I visited the Archives in Wellington and copied the two RNZAF accident reports for NZ861.

That aircraft was Brought On Charge with the RNZAF on 6th of May 1940. It then joined No. 1 EFTS shortly afterwards.

It's first minor accident was a forced landing on the 8th of December 1941.

In that short time the airframe had already amassed 1219.05 hours!

I found that staggering. It had to have been flying an average on 71 hours a month!

That is around 3 hours per day, six days a week. Quite staggering.

[tbf2504]

Dave, the individual aircraft hours are not surprising when you take into account that each ab-initio pilots course was six weeks long and at that time Taieri was the main flying training school (formed October 1939) for the South Island with 2EFTS being formed at Bell Block in November 1939.

[Dave Homewood]

Yes but considering now, almost 85 years after it was manufactured, ZK-ANL has just 4600 hours, that first 18 months was more than a quarter of all it's flying.

[camtech]

Found some references for NZ861: Flown several times between 18 Oct 42 and 16 Feb 42 by Sgt then P/O then F/O John Royce Zainey as the instructor.
Zainey went on to other various instructing roles, then to 41 Sqn. After the war, he went topdressing and was killed in an aircraft crash - details escape me at the moment. I worked with his son at Whenuapai in the 70's.

[davidd]

Dave,
I do not consider 71 hours a month to be exceptional for Tigers with wartime EFTS's, I have copies of the logbooks of six Tigers (NZ665, 740, 848, 894, 1403, 1450) which all ended up with Canterbury Aero Club postwar, and the club retained their RNZAF logbooks. The accumulation of flying hours on wartime aircraft varied greatly, but I think it can be said that it all depended on the type of unit operating the particular aircraft. I would say that training aircraft would rack up flying hours faster than all others, as wartime training was constant (weather permitting), and would be pushed along as fast as possible, only being slowed down by bad weather, including strong winds (Tigers and other light aircraft were notoriously prone to being blown about in strong winds such as the infamous Nor'Westers at Harewood and Ashburton). Operational aircraft would be next in accumulating flying hours, and perhaps some would have been almost as productive as the training types. Note that operational types used for operational training (as in OTUs, gunnery training schools, or navigation training schools) would probably be not far behind the flying training types in accumulating hours. The slowest accumulators would be those aircraft such as Tigers and Harvards, as well as miscellaneous light aircraft as used for unscheduled flights with various units such as squadrons, or specialised communications units. And unpopular aircraft (such as the slow, noisy, draughty and uncomfortable, or those with open cockpits) would be used the least.

An example of a Tiger Moth flying with an EFTS in 1943 is NZ1450, one of the later Tigers at 3 EFTS (Harewood). It had 60 hour inspections on 10/12/42, 21/1/43, 13/2/43, 20/4/43, 15/5/43, 10/6/43, 10/8/43, 25/8/43, 8/9/43, 27/10/43, 14/11/43, 4/12/43, 26/1/44.

Another example is NZ894 (one of the very early Tigers from UK), with 240 hour inspections, which occupied 1 to 2 weeks on average, on following dates in 1943, when serving at 2 EFTS, Ashburton: 22/3 - 6/4/43 (@ 1743 hours), 12 - 17/7/43 (@ 1989 hours), 24/9 - 1/10/43 (@ 2221 hours), 18 - 29/12/43 (@ 2460 hours).

Earlier in the war, Tigers were flying at various rates, such as NZ740 at the Flying Instructors' School at Hobsonville, June 1940 to November 1942. At various inspections this aircraft was noted at the following total flying hours: At 150 hour inspection, between 17 - 26/7/40, had reached 150.5 hours, at 180 hour inspection (9 - 25/11/40) attained 281 hours; at 180 hour inspection (14 - 21/5/41) had attained 457 hours; at 180 hour inspection (29/11 to 5/12/41) attained 647 hours; at 240 hour inspection (30/4 - 13/5/42) had attained 877 hours; at 240 hour inspection (1 - 9/10/42) had attained 1138 hours; at 240 hour inspection (2 - 14/6/43) had attained 1443 hours; at 240 hour inspection (27/8 - 6/9/43) had attained 1686 hours; and at 240 hour inspction (20 - 25/11/43) had attained 1925 hours.

Of course accidents (minor and major) always slowed down accumulated hours, as did major inspections by De Havilands (Rongotai), which could also be slowed further by late deliveries of vital parts from overseas, although robbing same vital parts from aircraft under repair could provide some temporary relief.

Did some brief work on the hours attained by operational aircraft in the Pacific forward areas, but came to conclusion that hours accumulated there were not very high (except for a few slightly larger operations which did not last long) and I doubt that many wartime operational aircraft exceeded 2,000, let alone 3,000 hours in their service life. Aircraft at OTUs almost certainly flew more hours as again they had to get the pilot courses through to maintain those strengths in the forward area. It is possible that our transport aircraft did get up some slightly better averages, in the long flights up to the frontlines and home again, but I don't think these would exceed flying hours of operational aircraft by very much. Also the RNZAF (and no doubt just about all other air forces) usually had stocks of surplus aircraft in storage at any given time, which generally did not fly at all.

Some wartime statistics were compiled officially on the flying hours attained by operational squadrons, as well as those by transport squadrons and these were included in the Appendices to the Journals of the House of Representatives, but it would probably be difficult to get any comprehensive statistics on training units.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks David.

[Dave Homewood]

All the comforts... these four photos appeared in the Otago Daily Times on the 22nd of November 1939, just a month after the EFTS had opened.


CATERING FOR THE PILOTS AT THE TAIERI AERODROME The splendidly equipped kitchen at the Taieri aerodrome is modern in every respect, and is considered the best of its kind in the Dominion.


THE OFFICERS’ MESS


A CORNER OF THE SPACIOUS DINING BOOM OF THE PUPIL PILOTS AT TAIERI AERODROME


ONE OF THE ROOMY, WELL-VENTILATED DORMITORIES, EACH BED BEARING ITS PILE OF NEATLY-FOLDED BEDDING.