Central Flying School is the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) unit which is responsible for training the force's

flight instructor A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to operate 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 ...

s. It was established at the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

as the Flying Instructors School and assumed its current name 1941. The unit was stationed at RNZAF Base Wigram from 1945 until 1993 when it moved to

RNZAF Base Ohakea RNZAF Base Ohakea is an operational base of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Opened in 1939, it is located near Bulls, 25 km north-west of Palmerston North in the Manawatu. It is also a diversion landing point for civilian aircraft. The bas ...

History

Following the outbreak of World War II, the RNZAF established a Flying Instructors School (FIS) at Mangere near

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

. The unit was subsequently transferred to

Hobsonville Hobsonville is a suburb in West Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. The area was administered by Waitakere City Council until the council was amalgamated into Auckland Council in 2010. Hobsonville Point, formerly the location of t ...

and relocated again to

Tauranga Tauranga () is a coastal city in the Bay of Plenty region and the fifth most populous city of New Zealand, with an urban population of , or roughly 3% of the national population. It was settled by Māori late in the 13th century, colonised by ...

in 1941. At the time of the move to Tauranga the FIS was renamed the Central Flying School (CFS). After the conclusion of World War II, the CFS was transferred to

RNZAF Base Woodbourne RNZAF Base Woodbourne is a base of the Royal New Zealand Air Force, located 8 km west of Blenheim. Woodbourne was established in 1939 as the base for No. 2 Service Flying Training School (No.2 SFTS). Also located nearby during World War II ...

near the South Island town of Blenheim. At about this time the unit established an aerobatic team, which was renamed the Red Checkers in 1967. This team was disbanded in 1973 as a result of the 1973 oil crisis, but was reformed in 1980; the team is currently staffed by volunteers from the CFS and the RNZAF's Pilot Training Squadron. The CFS moved to

on the North Island in 1993, where it remains. In addition to its flight training role, the CFS also operates the RNZAF Historic Aircraft Flight's de Havilland Tiger Moth and

North American Harvard The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air forces ...

aircraft. As of 2013 the CFS shared Aerospace Industries CT-4E Airtrainer aircraft with the Pilot Training Squadron, and ran five month long flying instructor courses. Graduates of this course were posted to the Pilot Training Squadron, and may then be transferred to the RNZAF's operational squadrons after completing a six-month probationary period. In addition, the CFS was also responsible for auditing flying standards within the Air Force. At this time the CFS was the smallest flying unit of the RNZAF. RNZAF T-6 Texan II From 2015 the Airtrainers began to leave service with the introduction of the

Beechcraft T-6 Texan II The Beechcraft T-6 Texan II is a single-engine turboprop aircraft built by the Raytheon Aircraft Company ( Textron Aviation since 2014). A trainer aircraft based on the Pilatus PC-9, the T-6 has replaced the United States Air Force's Cessna ...

, and from about March 2015 the School came under command of the re-introduced position of Base Commander Ohakea, with the disestablishment of No. 488 Wing.

References

{{List of RNZAF Squadrons

Central Flying School The Central Flying School (CFS) is the Royal Air Force's primary institution for the training of military flying instructors. Established in 1912 at the Upavon Aerodrome, it is the longest existing flying training school. The school was based at ...

Air forces education and training Military units and formations of the RNZAF in World War II Military units and formations established in 1939