News Letter 1941 Jul-Dec - Air Force Historical Studies Office

Flying Time Counted
~adets May Get ~AA Training ~redlt
By Lieut. George D. Daddoek
THE r~cent change in regulat ions which makes it
possIble for the Air Corps to credit a qualified
cadet with a maximum of 30 hours flying time
for previous flying instruction or experience,
will not necessarily shorten the cadet's term in
the elementary phase of instruction.
What it does do is permit the Air Corps to take
advantage of flying instruction given to those cadets
who come to the civil contract schools from
schools operating under the C.A.A. 's Civilian Pilot
Training Program, and to permit other cadets
having previous flying experience to forego at
least a part of the scheduled elementary training.
The ground school requirements remain the same,
however, and every cadet will still be required to
qualify in these subjects prior to graduation from
the elementary flying school.
Thus, any reduction in the time spent in the
elementary phase will depend upon the individual
qualifications of each student to forego a part of
the required 60 hours flying time and the required
ground school work.
Supervisors Determine Allowances
When a Civilian Pilot Training Program graduate
enters the military training, for example, his
knowledge and skill will be observed carefully to
determine whether or not any allowances will be
made to him. Partial or maximum allowances to be
made will be at the discretion of the Air Corps
Supervisor at the school concerned.
The Air Corps method in advancing aviation cadets
in five-week classes has been found to be advantageous
in many respects. Actual flight training
is but one of the phases of instruction necessary
to produce a skilled and dependable Air
Corps pilot. The important grounding in military
education in general, and the instillation of the
vital factors of morale and cooperation are among
the phases which cannot be neglected.
The move to make it possible to grant partial
flying time credit was the result of a desire on
the part of the Air Corps to take advantage of the
flying training provided by the Government-financed
CPrP, and thus help to reduce the cost of
such training to the War Department.
Graduates of the CPrP have furnished a major
source of aviation cadets since the beginning of
the Army Air Corps expansion program. Approximately
10,000 graduates have been sent to the Army
NOVEMBER 194/
and the Navy for training as military pilots, and
now, with the change in Au Corps regulat ions,
both services may allow credit for previous flight
instruction. The Navy can allow up to 33 hours.
Furnish Flight Instructors
One of the most important funct ions of the CPrP,
as far as the Air Corps is concerned. has been the
furnishing of flight instructors for the civilian
contract schools providing the elementary training.
Air Corps officers have found also that CPrP
graduates entering as aviation cadets in fewer
cases fail to qualify for the next higher phase.
A recent compilation showed that an average of 84
per cent of the CPrP graduates successfully passed
the elementary phase of flight instruction, with
some of the later classes reaching 92 per cent.
By compar ison it has been shown that approximately
39 per cent of non-eprp graduates fail during
the elementary phase of the Air Corps program.
This good showing by the trainees from the CPI'P
is credited in part to the fact that the men who
either cannot be or don't want to be military flyers
are weeded out before entering the Air Corps
training. Classes beginning Air Corps instruction
without previous training still must lose their
percentage of men not fitted to be military pilots.
STUDENTS LOSE RATINGS
ENLISTED men who hold air mechanic ratings and
who are detailed as students at flying schools
must fode it the ir rat ings, the Mil itary Personne I
Division, Office Chief of Air Corps, announces.
These men will not have opportunities to perform
the duties of air mechanics at the civilian flying
schools at which they will get their pilot training.
In the event such students fail to complete
the flight course successfully, however, they will
be considered eligible for re-rating when they return
to their regular units.
The division considers that this action will
work no hardship on air mechanics who may be selected
for flight training, since they will be on
full-time flying status while undergoing training.
The increased income from flying pay will compensate
for the loss of the extra incOme derived from
their mechanic's ratings.
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