No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School RAAF

No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School RAAF
Tiger Moth trainers of No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School at Narromine, New South Wales
Active	1940–44
Country	Australia
Branch	Royal Australian Air Force
Role	Introductory flying training
Part of	Central Area Command
Garrison/HQ	Narromine, New South Wales
Engagements	World War II
Commanders
Notable commanders	Roy King (1940–41)
Aircraft flown
Trainer	Tiger Moth

No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School (No. 5 EFTS) was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilot training unit that operated during World War II. It was one of twelve elementary flying training schools employed by the RAAF to provide introductory flight instruction to new pilots as part of Australia's contribution to the Empire Air Training Scheme. No. 5 EFTS was established in June 1940 at Narromine, New South Wales, and primarily operated Tiger Moths. It ceased training in June 1944, after more than 3,700 students had passed through.

Flying instruction in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) underwent major changes following the outbreak of World War II, in response to a vast increase in the number of aircrew volunteers and the commencement of Australia's participation in the Empire Air Training Scheme (EATS). The Air Force's pre-war pilot 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) and eight service flying training schools (SFTS). The EFTS provided a twelve-week introductory flying course to personnel who had graduated from one of the RAAF's initial training schools. Flying training was undertaken in two stages: the first involved four weeks of instruction (including ten hours of flying) to determine trainees' suitability to become pilots. Those that passed this grading process then received a further eight weeks of training (including sixty-five hours of flying) at the EFTS. Pilots who successfully completed this course were posted to an SFTS in either Australia or Canada for the next stage of their instruction as military aviators.

No. 5 Elementary Flying Training School (No. 5 EFTS) was formed at Narromine, New South Wales, on 24 May 1940, and came under the control of Central Area Command, headquartered in Sydney. Its inaugural commanding officer was Squadron Leader T.C. Curnow, who was previously in charge of No. 2 Elementary Flying Training School at Archerfield, Queensland. No. 5 EFTS's airfield had been home to the Narromine Aero Club before being taken over by the RAAF. Twenty de Havilland Tiger Moth training aircraft were flown in from Laverton, Victoria, on 24 June, and flying training commenced three days later when the first forty-six students arrived from No. 1 Initial Training School. Within a month, student numbers had grown to ninety-four, and the school's total strength was 346.