Warbird Information Exchange

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Fighters pilots are born to make movies , bomber pilots make HISTORY, cargo crews haul their material and fame.

Pretty good stuff

ALL FOOTAGE IS FROM THE JIMMY CAGNEY MOVIE " CAPTAINS OF THE CLOUDS"

ALSO "E.A.T.S. ?????

IN CANADA IT WAS CALLED "THE BRITISH COMMONWEALTH AIR TRAINING PLAN OR B.C.A.T.P.



Keep'em Flying

Fleet16

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...it was a plane adrift beneath the moon moving serenely thru beams like an angel of the night .....fair as a song ........aloof from mortal dreams

Originally it was called the Empire Air Training Scheme. It only changed later, around 1941 or so (the scheme began in 1939). You'll hear it referred to as "The Scheme" and "The Plan" as well. This earlier name was applied to the scheme all over - Canada, NZ, Australia, Rhodesia, etc, as far as I can tell.

After seeing the link on another forum (mine) I have ordered the film. I cannot wait.

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The Wings Over New Zealand Forum http://rnzaf.proboards.com

The Wings Over New Zealand Show http://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/WONZ_Show.html

Wings Over Cambridge http://www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz

Spoke with my Dad about it ( he was an instructor at #9 EFTS St Catherines 1939- 1944).
He does not remember it as the EMPIRE TRAINING PLAN.

Over here it was called the "British Commonwealth Air Training Plan".
Or as stated above simply "The Plan".

It was actually an off shoot of the Provisional Pilot Program that was happening in Canada between the wars.

The BCATP it seems has had many names depending on what country you are from but thats what we here called it.

Keep'em Flying
Fleet16b

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...it was a plane adrift beneath the moon moving serenely thru beams like an angel of the night .....fair as a song ........aloof from mortal dreams

The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan was also known as the Commonwealth Air Training Plan, Empire Air Training Scheme, Empire Air Training Plan, was a massive air-training program involving the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Southern Rhodesia during World War II. And don't forget the Newfoundlanders, they weren't part of Canada then and did man 125 Squadron RAF.
In Canada it was called the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.
The majority of those who successfully completed the program went on to serve in the RAF, over half (72,835) of the 131,553 graduates were Canadians.
This link will provide more info:

http://www.answers.com/topic/british-co ... ining-plan

However there were more Australian and New Zealand pilots trained in their own countries than came to the BCATP in Canada.
The movie "Captian of The Clouds" depicts the BCATP in Canada my father in law is one of the firefighters seen in the video. He remembers the movie as "Gone With the Wind" though can't convince him otherwise.
My aunt recalls with gratitude the New Zealanders from 75 Squadron who stopped to see her in Canada on their return. Her son, who was in the RCAF, was killed flying as a gunner on a 75 New Zealand Squadron Stirling. Guess it really doesn't matter what the program was called it certainly brought the youth of that generation together, my father and almost all my uncles served and went through the BCATP.

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“Try to fly in the middle of the air. The edges are filled with mountains and oceans and rocks and it’s much harder to fly there.”