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. 

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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