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Aviation History
1936
1936 - 0655.PDF
286 FLIGHT. MARCH 12, 1936. 1936 at a first-line strength of approximately :/6 first-line aircraft, though, as stated in Cmd. 5107, the formation by 1939 of a further 12 squadrons for service overseas has been approved. - . As above stated, the Fleet Air Arm is to be increased during the year by 27 first-line aircraft. Proposals are also under considera tion for a reorganisation of catapult units. On this basis the Fleet Air Arm will attain a strength approximately equivalent to 21 squadrons with a first-line strength of 217 aircraft by the end of the current year. As explained in Cmd. 5107 there will be further sub stantial increases in the Fleet Air Arm in 1937 and subsequent years. The Government of the Straits Settlements have lately approved the formation of a small Volunteer Air Force for co-operation with the fixei defences of the Singapore Base. A contingent of officers and men of the Royal Air Force will be attached to the new unit for instructional purposes and to assist in its technical maintenance. Vote A (numbers) stood at a total of 33,000 officers and men in the original estimates for 1935. This figure was raised to 45,000 in the Supplementary Estimate of July last. It is now necessary to make provision for a total of 50,000, which compares with a corres ponding figure of 31,000 two years ago. This figure is exclusive of officers and men serving on the Indian establishment. The next paragraphs in the Memorandum deal with opera tional activities of the Royal Air Force and other events overseas during the past year. Among the activities reviewed are frontiei patrol work in Africa since the outbreak of the Italo-Abyssinian war, army co-operation on the North-West Frontier of India, preparedness for action following warnings to tribes in the Aden Protectorate, and good work at the time of the Quetta earthquake. Survey flights, long-distance flights and special exercises are also reviewed, and the section ends with a note on the Roval review of the R.A.F. PERSONNEL AND TRAINING The succeeding sections deal with (a) personnel and train ing, and (b) technical equipment. Since they form a concise summary of the steps taken under the expansion scheme, we quote them at length : — Personnel and Training.—Vote 1 (Pay, etc., of the Royal Air Force), at £6,518,000 net, shows a rise of £1,516.000 on the current year's provision, as increased by the July Supplementary Estimate. The enlarged and greatly accelerated expansion announced in May last involved the entry of very large numbers of officers and airmen, and a total of some 2,500 pilots and over 22,000 airmen (mostly for skilled trades) has now to be trained in less than two years. Whilst the permanent entries through the Royal Air Force Col lege, Cranwell, and from the Universities are being increased, the hulk of the new requirements in pilots are being met by officers entered on short service commissions and by a new class of airman pilot entered direct from civil life for four years' service on the active list followed by six years in the reserve. To secure the very large number of airmen required, the London Recruiting Depot was enlarged and ten supplementary depots were opened in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The new scheme for the training of pilots referred to when the Estimates for 1935 were presented, under which the initial flying training is given at civil schools, has been successfully put into .force, and has enabled the much larger number of pilots required by the expansion to be provided according to programme. Thirteen civil training schools in all are now operating, nine of these having been formed since June, 1935. Training at these schools has been carried out on a progressive scheme and the pupils who have received preliminary instruction at them are successfully continuing their training at service Flying Training Schools. To cope with the more advanced stages of training, it has been necessary to form five additional service schools, bringing the total number of these latter up to eleven. A similar expansion in training facilities has been necess: ry to meet the essential demands of armament training, and arrangements have been completed which will bring the number of Armament Training Camps up to five. Four more such Camps are required, and further sites for these are under investigation. As the Royal Air Force Depot at Uxbridge was not adequate to deal with the preliminary disciplinary training of the large body of newly entered airmen, a subsidiary depot was opened at Orping ton. At the same time the schools at Halton, Cranwell and Man- ston have been enlarged to meet the greatly expanded needs of technical training and a new school for the same purpose has been instituted at Henlow. Auxiliary and Reserve Forces.—The net total of Vote 7 (Auxiliary and Reserve Forces) is £557,000, as compared with £527,000 for 1935. The system, introduced in 1934, under which candidates from civil lif- are entered direct into the Reserve for training as airman pilots was successfully continued in 1935. A further substantial increase in the strength of the pilot reserve will take place in 1936 and the system of training will be adapted to bring the Reserve within the reach of candidates who are unable to devote any long continuous period to flying training. New Auxiliary Air Force squadrons have been formed in the West Riding of Yorkshire, Cheshire and West Lancashire, and steps are being taken to convert existing Cadre (Special Reserve) squad rons into Auxiliary Air Force squadrons. This will have the advan tage of bringing all non-regular squadrons into one organisation on a common model. As foreshadowed in the Memorandum which accompanied Air Estimates, 1935, an Air Squadron has been formed at the Uni- versitv of London. Technical Equipment.—The net total of Vote 3 (Technical and Warlike Stores) is £18,491,000; the total for 1935 was £irri52,ooo— including the Supplementary grant of £3,150,000 voted in July. There is thus the substantial increase of £7,339,000 on the 1935 pro vision and this Vote now represents over 47 per cent, of the net total of Air Estimates. The re-arming programme covers eleven squadrons, including one ABSTRACT of AIR ESTIMATES, 1936. 1 > A 1 2 8 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Subject I.—NUMBERS : Maximum Number of Officers, Cadets and Airmen to be borne on the Establishment of the Royaf Air Force, exclusive of India... II.—EFFECTIVE SERVICES : Pay, etc., of the Royal Air Force Quartering, Stores (except Technical), Supplies and Transportation Technical and Warlike Stores (including Experimental and Research Services) • ... Works, Buildings and Lands Medical Services Technical Training and Educational Services... Auxiliary and Reserve Forces . Civil Aviation Meteorological and Miscellaneous Effective Services... Air Ministry Total Effective Services ... £ III.—NON-EFFECTIVK SERVICES : Half-Pay, Pensions and other Non-Effective Services Total Effective and Non-Effective Services ... ... ... / Estimates, 1936. Gross Estimate. — £ 7,188,000 2,975,000 21,779,000 6,748,000 391,000 671,000 557.1 (JO 908,000 (a) 849,000 960,000 43,006,100 (a) 484,500 43,490,600 Appropria tions in AM. — £ 650,000 137,000 3,288,000 148,000 £5,000 14,000 100 148,000 32,000 10,000 4,450,100 40,500 4,490,600 Net Estimate. Total Numbers. 50,000 £ 6,518,000 2,838,000 18,491,000 6,600,000 368 000 657,000 557,000 760,000 817,000 950,000 38,556,000 444,000 39,000,000 Estimates, 1935. Including Supplementary Gross Estimate. — £ 5,611,000 2,148,000 13,201,000 4,275,500 333.000 501,000 527,100 748,500 574,000 837,500 28,756,600 429,500 29,186,100 Appropria tions in Aid. — £ 609,000 104,000 2,049,000 183,000 17,000 13,000 100 153,000 28,000 5,500 3,161,600 39,500 3,201,100 Estimate (b). Net Estimate. Total Numbers. 45.000 £ 5,002,000 2,044,O(H) 11,152,000 4,092,500 316,000 488,000 527,000 595,500 546,000 832,000 25,595,000 390,000 20,985,000 Differences on Net Estimates. Increase. Numbers. 5,000 £ 1,516,000 794,000 7,339,000 2,507,500 52,000 169,000 30,000 164,500 271,000 118,000 12,961,000 54,000 13,015,000 (b) Decrease. Numbers. — £ — — — — — — — — — — — „• 1 > A 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 (a) Certain non-effective charges in respect of staff for Meteorological Services are provided under Vote 9. (b) Total, Original Net Estimate, 1935 £20650000 Add—Supplementary Estimate (H.C. 102 of 1934-35) "... s'335'oOO Net Increase, £13,015,000 Excludes further Supplementary Estimate for £1,611,000 25,685,000
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