From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Pilot Training School
Pilot Training School
The Pilot Training Squadron based at RNZAF Base Ohakea
trains RNZAF pilots.
Origins
Military pilot training during World War I was undertak-
en by private contractors; principally the New Zealand
Flying School of the Walsh Brothers in Auckland and the
Canterbury Aviation Company formed by Henry Wigram
in Christchurch.
When the New Zealand Permanent Air Force was
formed in June 1923, war surplus Avro 504K and Bristol
F2B Fighters transferred from Britain were used for Harvards continued to be used until the mid 1970s
training purposes, supplemented from 1929 by de Hav-
illand Gypsy Moths and replaced from 1931 by Hawker
Tomtits and Avro 626s. A single two seat Gloster Grebe
provided conversion training on that type. in anticipa-
tion of the delivery of Vickers Wellington bombers, twin
engine monoplane training began on the first of 229 Air-
speed Oxfords in 1938.
World War II
By the outbreak of World War II the more modest of these
types had been formed into 1 Flying Training School
CT/4E Airtrainers at the Whenuapai air show in March 2009
(FTS) at Wigram, while advanced training on types such
as the Oxford had been separated. Due to the Common-
wealth Air Training Plan, other schools were under con- Advanced training on BAC Strikemaster and Aermac-
struction at Taieri, and Woodbourne. A large number of chi MB-339 shifted to No. 14 Squadron RNZAF, twin en-
additional FTS followed with the first few years of the gined training on Fokker Friendships and later Cessna
war, while from 1939 335 de Havilland Tiger Moths man- Golden Eagles and Beechcraft Super King Airs being un-
ufactured in Wellington provided the main primary dertaken by No. 42 Squadron RNZAF. No. 3 Squadron un-
trainers. Until 1941 much advanced training was done on dertook basic rotary training with the Bell 47. When Wi-
retired combat types such as the Hawker Hind, Vickers gram closed in 1993 the squadron shifted to Ohakea.
Vildebeest and Fairey Gordon but these were gradually
replaced by 202 locally assembled North American Har- Current Syllabus
vards.
Currently Students are put through a 34 week course of
lectures and flying, the later being 108 hours dual in-
Post war struction and 38 hours solo flying and then are streamed
After the second world war, primary flying training was into rotary or multi engine courses before acquiring their
conducted by No.1 Flying Training School at Taieri, and wings. Some Malaysian and Singaporean Air Force pilots
from 1956 Wigram. The Tiger Moths were phased out, are also trained.
Harvards being used for ab intio training, de Havilland The Squadron motto is ’ab ovo usque’, (Latin; ’from
Devon and two seat De Havilland Vampires being used the beginning’). Course Syllabus
for advanced training. 1 FTS became the Pilot Training
Squadron in 1966. The squadron received a small number External links
of AESL Airtourer in 1970 and re-equipped with Pacific
Aerospace CT-4B Airtrainers in 1976, these subsequently • RNZAF Squadron Web page
being replaced by more powerful CT-4Es.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Pilot Training School
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot_Training_School"
Categories: Royal New Zealand Air Force, Aviation schools, Military units and formations established in 1966
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