No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAAF
Encyclopedia
No. 2 Service Flying Training School (No. 2 SFTS) was a flying training school of the Royal Australian Air Force
(RAAF) during World War II. It was formed in July 1940, under the command of Group Captain Frederick Scherger
. Responsible for intermediate and advanced instruction of pilots under the Empire Air Training Scheme
(EATS), the school was based at RAAF Station Forest Hill
near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, and primarily operated CAC Wirraway
and Avro Anson
aircraft. In 1942 the RAAF rationalised its EATS facilities, dividing the personnel and equipment of No. 2 SFTS between Nos. 5
and 7 Service Flying Training Schools at Uranquinty
and Deniliquin, respectively. No. 2 SFTS was disbanded that April.
(EATS). The Air Force's pre-war flight training facility, No. 1 Flying Training School
at RAAF Station Point Cook
, Victoria, was supplanted in 1940–41 by twelve Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTS), eight Service Flying Training Schools (SFTS), and Central Flying School
(CFS). While CFS turned out new flight instructor
s, the EFTS provided basic training to prospective pilots who, if successful, would go on to SFTS for further instruction that focussed on operational (or "service") flying. The course at SFTS typically consisted of two streams, intermediate and advanced, and included such techniques as instrument flying, night flying, advanced aerobatics, formation flying, dive bombing, and aerial gunnery. The total duration varied during the war as demand for aircrew rose and fell. Initially running for 16 weeks, the course was cut to 10 weeks (which included 75 hours flying time) in October 1940. A year later it was raised to 12 weeks (including 100 hours flying time), and again to 16 weeks two months later. It continued to increase after this, peaking at 28 weeks in June 1944.
No. 2 Service Flying Training School (No. 2 SFTS) was formed at RAAF Station Forest Hill
, near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, on 1 July 1940. Its inaugural commander was Group Captain Frederick Scherger
, whose strict discipline and German ancestry quickly earned his establishment the nickname "Scherger's Concentration Camp". One of the school's instructors was Flying Officer Bill Newton, later to be awarded the Victoria Cross
for bombing raids in New Guinea. Forest Hill was a new air base, and roads and buildings were still under construction when its first course of flying training commenced with Avro Anson
s on 29 July. One of the Ansons crashed in August, killing its instructor and a student. Later that month the second flying course began, on CAC Wirraway
s. The school was then reorganised into Initial and Advanced Squadrons. On 29 September, two Ansons collided in mid-air
and became locked together. Both navigators bailed out, to be followed shortly afterwards by the injured pilot of the lower aircraft. The pilot of the upper Anson, however, found that he was able to control the interlocked aircraft using his aileron
s and flaps
, coupled with the engine power of the Anson underneath. He then managed to make a successful emergency landing in a paddock
near the town of Brocklesby
.
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No. 2 SFTS underwent further reorganisation in February 1941 with the establishment of Intermediate Squadron; successful students from this unit were awarded their wings before proceeding to Advanced Squadron. Another new unit, Maintenance Squadron, formed in March. From this point on, the Ansons were phased out at the school, as single-engined and multi-engined aircraft training was split up on orders of the RAAF Air Board. By the end of July, only Wirraways were in operation, their numbers eventually reaching 96. In September, Group Captain Scherger departed Forest Hill to take over RAAF Station Darwin
, Northern Territory, from Group Captain Charles "Moth" Eaton
, who in turn assumed command of No. 2 SFTS the next month. Following the outbreak of the Pacific War
in December 1941, the school's Wirraways were classified as Second Line (Reserve) aircraft in the defence of Australia, while the base was fortified with sandbags, trench
es, and gun pits
. On 1 January 1942, No. 60 Squadron
was established at Wagga Wagga from No. 2 SFTS aircraft and personnel. This unit formed part of the expansion of the Australian military in response to the rapid Japanese advance in the first month of the war. A contingent of 68 WAAAFs
also began arriving at Forest Hill in January.
The Air Board subsequently rationalised EATS facilities in southern New South Wales, dividing the staff and aircraft of No. 2 SFTS between Nos. 5
and 7 Service Flying Training Schools at the nearby RAAF Stations Uranquinty
and Deniliquin, respectively. Group Captain Eaton remained in command of the school until shortly before its disbandment on 3 April 1942. No. 2 SFTS had suffered a total of four serious accidents in Ansons and eleven in Wirraways, resulting in the deaths of three instructors and four students. Out of some 600 entrants, just over 550 pilots graduated from the school, among them Clive Caldwell
, later to become Australia's leading fighter ace
of the war, and future Prime Minister
John Gorton
. No. 60 Squadron was also disbanded on 3 April, after a brief career during which its activities had been limited to training exercises.
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force is the air force branch of the Australian Defence Force. The RAAF was formed in March 1921. It continues the traditions of the Australian Flying Corps , which was formed on 22 October 1912. The RAAF has taken part in many of the 20th century's major conflicts...
(RAAF) during World War II. It was formed in July 1940, under the command of Group Captain Frederick Scherger
Frederick Scherger
Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rudolph William Scherger KBE, CB, DSO, AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force...
. Responsible for intermediate and advanced instruction of pilots under the Empire Air Training Scheme
British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
(EATS), the school was based at RAAF Station Forest Hill
RAAF Base Wagga
RAAF Base Wagga is located in the New South Wales town of Wagga Wagga, in the suburb of Forest Hill.The RAAF no longer controls the airfield which, although still owned by the Commonwealth of Australia, is currently leased to the Wagga Wagga City Council...
near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, and primarily operated CAC Wirraway
CAC Wirraway
The Wirraway was a training and general purpose military aircraft manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation between 1939 and 1946...
and Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
aircraft. In 1942 the RAAF rationalised its EATS facilities, dividing the personnel and equipment of No. 2 SFTS between Nos. 5
No. 5 Service Flying Training School RAAF
No. 5 Service Flying Training School was a Royal Australian Air Force flight training unit of World War II. Its role was to provide intermediate and advanced flight training to new pilots as part of Australia's contribution to the Empire Air Training Scheme...
and 7 Service Flying Training Schools at Uranquinty
RAAF Base Uranquinty
RAAF Base Uranquinty was a Royal Australian Air Force base located at Uranquinty, New South Wales, Australia. Land was requisitioned in 1940 as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme during the Second World War for the formation of the No. 5 Service Flying Training School.The base was closed in...
and Deniliquin, respectively. No. 2 SFTS was disbanded that April.
History
RAAF aircrew training expanded dramatically following the outbreak of World War II, in response to Australia's participation in the Empire Air Training SchemeBritish Commonwealth Air Training Plan
The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
(EATS). The Air Force's pre-war flight training facility, No. 1 Flying Training School
No. 1 Flying Training School RAAF
No. 1 Flying Training School was a flying training school of the Royal Australian Air Force . It was one of the Air Force's original units, dating back to the service's formation in 1921, when it was based at RAAF Point Cook, Victoria. The school underwent a number of reorganisations during its...
at RAAF Station Point Cook
RAAF Williams
RAAF Williams comprises the two bases of Point Cook and Laverton. Both establishments previously existed as separate RAAF Bases until 1999 when they were amalgamated to form RAAF Williams...
, Victoria, was supplanted in 1940–41 by twelve Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTS), eight Service Flying Training Schools (SFTS), and Central Flying School
Central Flying School RAAF
The Central Flying School RAAF is a Royal Australian Air Force training establishment, based at RAAF Base East Sale. It was formed in March 1913, and during the First World War it trained over 150 pilots, who fought in Europe and the Middle East....
(CFS). While CFS turned out new flight instructor
Flight instructor
A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to fly aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate the knowledge and skill level of an aviator in pursuit...
s, the EFTS provided basic training to prospective pilots who, if successful, would go on to SFTS for further instruction that focussed on operational (or "service") flying. The course at SFTS typically consisted of two streams, intermediate and advanced, and included such techniques as instrument flying, night flying, advanced aerobatics, formation flying, dive bombing, and aerial gunnery. The total duration varied during the war as demand for aircrew rose and fell. Initially running for 16 weeks, the course was cut to 10 weeks (which included 75 hours flying time) in October 1940. A year later it was raised to 12 weeks (including 100 hours flying time), and again to 16 weeks two months later. It continued to increase after this, peaking at 28 weeks in June 1944.
No. 2 Service Flying Training School (No. 2 SFTS) was formed at RAAF Station Forest Hill
RAAF Base Wagga
RAAF Base Wagga is located in the New South Wales town of Wagga Wagga, in the suburb of Forest Hill.The RAAF no longer controls the airfield which, although still owned by the Commonwealth of Australia, is currently leased to the Wagga Wagga City Council...
, near Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, on 1 July 1940. Its inaugural commander was Group Captain Frederick Scherger
Frederick Scherger
Air Chief Marshal Sir Frederick Rudolph William Scherger KBE, CB, DSO, AFC was a senior commander in the Royal Australian Air Force...
, whose strict discipline and German ancestry quickly earned his establishment the nickname "Scherger's Concentration Camp". One of the school's instructors was Flying Officer Bill Newton, later to be awarded the Victoria Cross
Victoria Cross
The Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
for bombing raids in New Guinea. Forest Hill was a new air base, and roads and buildings were still under construction when its first course of flying training commenced with Avro Anson
Avro Anson
The Avro Anson is a British twin-engine, multi-role aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force, Fleet Air Arm and numerous other air forces prior to, during, and after the Second World War. Named for British Admiral George Anson, it was originally designed for maritime reconnaissance, but was...
s on 29 July. One of the Ansons crashed in August, killing its instructor and a student. Later that month the second flying course began, on CAC Wirraway
CAC Wirraway
The Wirraway was a training and general purpose military aircraft manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation between 1939 and 1946...
s. The school was then reorganised into Initial and Advanced Squadrons. On 29 September, two Ansons collided in mid-air
1940 Brocklesby mid-air collision
On 29 September 1940, a mid-air collision occurred over Brocklesby, New South Wales, Australia. The accident was unusual in that the aircraft involved, two Avro Ansons of No. 2 Service Flying Training School RAAF, remained locked together after colliding, and then managed to land safely...
and became locked together. Both navigators bailed out, to be followed shortly afterwards by the injured pilot of the lower aircraft. The pilot of the upper Anson, however, found that he was able to control the interlocked aircraft using his aileron
Aileron
Ailerons are hinged flight control surfaces attached to the trailing edge of the wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. The ailerons are used to control the aircraft in roll, which results in a change in heading due to the tilting of the lift vector...
s and flaps
Flap (aircraft)
Flaps are normally hinged surfaces mounted on the trailing edges of the wings of a fixed-wing aircraft to reduce the speed an aircraft can be safely flown at and to increase the angle of descent for landing without increasing air speed. They shorten takeoff and landing distances as well as...
, coupled with the engine power of the Anson underneath. He then managed to make a successful emergency landing in a paddock
Field (agriculture)
In agriculture, the word field refers generally to an area of land enclosed or otherwise and used for agricultural purposes such as:* Cultivating crops* Usage as a paddock or, generally, an enclosure of livestock...
near the town of Brocklesby
Brocklesby, New South Wales
Brocklesby is a small village situated north-west of Albury and west of Holbrook in Greater Hume Shire Council in the Riverina area of New South Wales. Nearby neighbours are Walbundrie to the north and Howlong to the south.-Historical significance:Brocklesby village was once a main railway...
.
RAAF Base Darwin
RAAF Base Darwin is a Royal Australian Air Force base located in the city of Darwin, Northern Territory. The base shares its runway with Darwin International Airport.-History:...
, Northern Territory, from Group Captain Charles "Moth" Eaton
Charles Eaton (RAAF officer)
Charles Eaton OBE, AFC was a senior officer and aviator in the Royal Australian Air Force , who later served as a diplomat. Born in London, he joined the British Army upon the outbreak of World War I and saw action on the Western Front before transferring to the Royal Flying Corps in 1917...
, who in turn assumed command of No. 2 SFTS the next month. Following the outbreak of the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
in December 1941, the school's Wirraways were classified as Second Line (Reserve) aircraft in the defence of Australia, while the base was fortified with sandbags, trench
Trench
A trench is a type of excavation or depression in the ground. Trenches are generally defined by being deeper than they are wide , and by being narrow compared to their length ....
es, and gun pits
Defensive fighting position
A defensive fighting position is a type of earthwork constructed in a military context, generally large enough to accommodate at least one person.- Terminology :...
. On 1 January 1942, No. 60 Squadron
No. 60 Squadron RAAF
No. 60 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force fighter squadron of World War II. The Squadron was formed in January 1942 and disbanded three months later without seeing combat.-Squadron history:No...
was established at Wagga Wagga from No. 2 SFTS aircraft and personnel. This unit formed part of the expansion of the Australian military in response to the rapid Japanese advance in the first month of the war. A contingent of 68 WAAAFs
Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force
The Women's Auxiliary Australian Air Force was formed in March 1941 after considerable lobbying by women keen to serve and by the Chief of the Air Staff who wanted to release male personnel serving in Australia for service overseas. The WAAAF was the first and largest of the World War II...
also began arriving at Forest Hill in January.
The Air Board subsequently rationalised EATS facilities in southern New South Wales, dividing the staff and aircraft of No. 2 SFTS between Nos. 5
No. 5 Service Flying Training School RAAF
No. 5 Service Flying Training School was a Royal Australian Air Force flight training unit of World War II. Its role was to provide intermediate and advanced flight training to new pilots as part of Australia's contribution to the Empire Air Training Scheme...
and 7 Service Flying Training Schools at the nearby RAAF Stations Uranquinty
RAAF Base Uranquinty
RAAF Base Uranquinty was a Royal Australian Air Force base located at Uranquinty, New South Wales, Australia. Land was requisitioned in 1940 as part of the Empire Air Training Scheme during the Second World War for the formation of the No. 5 Service Flying Training School.The base was closed in...
and Deniliquin, respectively. Group Captain Eaton remained in command of the school until shortly before its disbandment on 3 April 1942. No. 2 SFTS had suffered a total of four serious accidents in Ansons and eleven in Wirraways, resulting in the deaths of three instructors and four students. Out of some 600 entrants, just over 550 pilots graduated from the school, among them Clive Caldwell
Clive Caldwell
Group Captain Clive Robertson Caldwell DSO, DFC & Bar was the leading Australian air ace of World War II. He is officially credited with shooting down 28.5 enemy aircraft in over 300 operational sorties. In addition to his official score, he has been ascribed six probables and 15 damaged...
, later to become Australia's leading fighter ace
Flying ace
A flying ace or fighter ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down several enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The actual number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an "ace" has varied, but is usually considered to be five or more...
of the war, and future Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Australia
The Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia is the highest minister of the Crown, leader of the Cabinet and Head of Her Majesty's Australian Government, holding office on commission from the Governor-General of Australia. The office of Prime Minister is, in practice, the most powerful...
John Gorton
John Gorton
Sir John Grey Gorton, GCMG, AC, CH , Australian politician, was the 19th Prime Minister of Australia.-Early life:...
. No. 60 Squadron was also disbanded on 3 April, after a brief career during which its activities had been limited to training exercises.