Chapter III - From Flying to Aviation Cadets in World War II
The onset of World War II and
the mobilization of millions of
Americans reshaped the military services
and, over time, was the crucible that
proved the need for an independent air
force in the United States.61 As the
international crisis deepened, the Army
planned for ever-increasing numbers of
pilots and fundamentally changed the
flying cadet program. By 25 March
1941, almost nine months before the
American entry into World War II,
Congress authorized the production of
30,000 pilots annually, with over 100
training bases. The Army Aviation
Cadet Act, Public Law (PL) 97 signed
on 3 June 1941, created the grade of
“aviation cadet” as a substitute for the
grade of “flying cadet” established 22
years earlier. The law specified that
“male citizens of the United States may
enlist as aviation cadets, and enlisted
men in the Regular Army may be
appointed by the Secretary of War as
aviation cadets.” Cadets agreed to
accept commissions as second
lieutenants in the Air Corps Reserve and
serve three years on active duty upon
completion of training, unless released
from service by the War Department
earlier. At the end of the three-year
period, the officers would be promoted
to first lieutenant, again in the reserve.
Base pay remained $75, as it had been in
1919, with a ration allowance of $1 per
day. As under the previous legislation,
cadets in flying programs qualified for
flight pay; as a new perk, all aviation
cadets received a $150 uniform
allowance upon the successful
completion of training. Reserve officers
who were not offered commissions in
the Regular Army and released from
active duty were given a lump sum equal
to $500 for each complete year of
service. Another new benefit included
government life insurance in the amount
of $10,000 paid for by the government
during initial training. After
commissioning, the officers could
continue the coverage at their own
expense. Initially, the Army simply
discharged aviation cadets who washed
out of training. After 1 February 1942,
the War Department required aviation
cadets to enlist as privates in the Air
Corps. Thereafter, if a cadet was
eliminated from his training program, he
reverted to the rank of private and could
be reassigned according to the needs of
the service. In November 1942, the
active duty commitment was extended
so that enlistments lasted for the duration
of the war plus six months.62 The three
Air Corps Training Centers established
in 1940 were realigned under the newly
established Air Corps Flying Training
Command (ACFTC) in January 1942.
32
AT-6 “Texans” and aviation cadets.
The AT-6 is the best known of the
World War II-era training aircraft.
(USAF Photo)
Later, in July 1943, the ACFTC would
become the Army Air Forces Training
Command, responsible for both flying
training and technical training
programs.63
PL 97 did not set age or
education qualifications, but the Army
would adjust its requirements throughout
the war according to its manpower
needs. Less restrictive qualifications
would allow more aviation cadets to
enter training, more restrictive
qualifications slowed the training
pipeline. Almost immediately following
the outbreak of World War II, the Army
Air Forces (AAF), established in June
1941, dropped the requirement that
aircrew trainees (pilots, navigators, and
bombardiers) had to have college
experience. Strict educational
qualifications, however, remained
throughout the war for those aviation
cadets entering ground duty programs.
In a 28 July 1941 memorandum,
officials outlined three general classes,
or tracks, for aviation cadets: “aviation
cadet (pilot and bombardier),” “aviation
cadet (navigator, non-pilot, flying),” and
“aviation cadet (ground duty, as
meteorologist and engineer).” Officials
believed that each of the training
programs would be of approximately the
same duration. In actual practice, by the
fall of 1941 the aviation cadet ground
duty courses varied in length from 10
weeks to 9 months, while pilot training
lasted about 7 ½ months. While there
had been sentiment to withhold the
commissions of the ground program
graduates until they had completed the
same length of service as pilot trainees,
the Secretary of War ruled that aviation
cadets should be commissioned upon the
completion of their training programs,
regardless of length.64
Recruiting brochures spelled out
application procedures and outlined
training programs. Aviation Cadet
Training for the Army Air Forces,
published in April 1943, for example,
emphasized the urgency of the
requirement—“Our nation's future
depends upon command of the air. The
future of freedom and liberty
everywhere is in the hands of our
youth.” Men between the age of 18 and
33
26 could apply for aircrew positions, and
those as young as 17 could apply with
the consent of their parents. The April
1943 publication spelled out the need for
meteorologists, noting that those up to
age 30 could apply.65
By the end of World War II,
nearly 200,000 men had been trained as
Army pilots, along with 100,000
bombardiers and navigators, and another
20,000 ground duty officers.
Unfortunately, the historical record does
not accurately detail how many of these
were aviation cadets. The AAF's
Statistical Control Division did,
however, provide a quarterly total of
aviation cadets in training through
World War II. In December 1941, only
17,614 cadets were in training, 16,733 of
them in flying training programs and the
rest in ground duty training. By the end
of the next year, this had ballooned to
94,003 aviation cadets in training,
89,973 in flying programs and 4,030 in
ground duty programs. The highest
quarterly total, 114,336, was reached in
December 1943, with over 109,000 of
those aviation cadets in aircrew training
programs. By December 1944, the
training drawdown was well underway
and 38,929 cadets were in training, only
133 of whom were in ground duty
programs. To manage the cadet
programs, the Office of the Chief of the
Air Corps established a Flying Cadet
Section early in 1940, renamed the
Aviation Cadet Section with the passage
of PL 97. Subsequently, the
Headquarters of the Army Air Forces
absorbed the Aviation Cadet Branch.66
Aircrew Qualification – The
Classification Battery
To meet the ever-growing need for pilots
and aircrew, in January 1942, the AAF
abandoned the requirement that cadets in
the flying programs had to have two
years of college experience. Aviation
Cadet Examining Boards administered a
three-part battery of tests, in addition to
a rigid physical examination, to help
identify those who might make the best
pilots, navigators, and bombardiers. The
first part of what was being called the
“classification battery” was the Aviation
Cadet Qualifying Exam (ACQE).
Designed to measure the candidate's
comprehension, judgment, math skills,
mechanical ability, alertness, and
leadership qualities, the ACQE replaced
the education test used in earlier years to
measure the candidate's general
knowledge and intellectual skills.
Instead of being used to judge
educational qualifications for those who
did not possess the required school
transcripts, the ACQE better predicted
qualification for aircrew training and
duty as an air force officer. A
psychomotor test measured eye-hand
coordination, reflexes, ability to perform
under pressure, and visual acuity.
Finally, the candidates underwent an
interview with a trained psychologist.
34
School of Aviation Medicine staff testing a
machine used to measure eye-hand
coordination. (USAF Photo)
Stanines
After completing all three of the
tests, officials scored the results on a
nine-point scale. Called a standard nine,
or “stanine,” this composite score
evaluated physical, psychomotor, and
psychological attributes in an attempt to
best match those entering the
comprehensive training programs to the
needs of the service. Initially, pilots and
bombardiers required only the lowest
stanine, 1, to qualify; in December 1942,
air force officials raised this to 3. While
pilot candidates only needed a low
stanine score, reflecting the enormous
need for aviation cadets to enter pilot
training, navigator candidates typically
required the highest stanine scores.
Initially, navigator candidates needed a 5
stanine to qualify for training, and
officials raised this to 7 in November
1943. Bombardier candidates needed a
6 stanine by mid-July 1943 to qualify for
training. In February 1944, AAF
officials had pretty much leveled the
stanines for the aircrew training
programs. At that time, navigator
candidates needed to score 6,
bombardiers and pilots 5, to qualify for
training. Students who had high stanines
typically graduated at higher rates than
those with lower scores. A faculty board
at the training centers also considered
the trainees' personal preferences in
making the assignments. However,
because 97 percent of the cadets wanted
to be pilots, the classification procedure
first took into consideration the type of
aircrew training needed by the service,
then the stanine score, and finally
individual preferences.67
As spelled out in the Aviation
Cadet Manual of 1942, those who would
train as fighter pilots had to be between
64” and 69” tall, while other pilots could
be as tall as 76”. Navigators and
bombardiers had to measure between
60” and 76” in height. The allowable
weight was adjusted for height and
weight, but no one who weighed more
than 160 would be accepted into fighter
pilot training and no one over 200 would
be accepted into any of the aircrew
programs. In July 1943, AAF officials
relaxed the physical qualifications for
aircrew members somewhat. Instead of
requiring 20/20 vision, for example,
20/30 was acceptable so long as it was
correctible to 20/20. In addition to
eliminating the requirement for two
