Three of the schools at the 231 facilities were established in a rural area just south of the village of Malton. It was here the No. 1 Elementary Flying Training Schools (EFTS), which later became the No. 1 Air Observer Schools (AOS) and Inspection School, were established on lands once farmed by the Rowland family. The EFTS provided basic aviation instruction. Recruits were given 50 hours of basic training. Pilots who adapted well and showed promise were sent on to advanced training at other facilities while those who didn’t fare as well were assigned to other specialties such as bombing and gunnery, navigation or communications.
Not all went smoothly with the BCATP start-up. Glitches are inevitable and Malton was no exception. It has been documented that when the EFTS at Malton got underway in June of 1940, the air force had dispatched parts and tools for Fleet Finch trainers while, in fact, the tarmac was dotted with Tiger Moth aircraft. Also there were parts provided from Britain which had threaded bolts not commonly used in North America. The BCATF crews showed great ingenuity and handcrafted tools to accommodate the oversight.
The idea of training crews in Canada originated in England years before the start of the war. The military in Britain had discussed the concept of training its fighting forces far from the reaches of the enemy. Canadian soil was a natural. Several concepts were floated between the two governments over the years. Even though Canada’s climate is one of extremes, none of the conditions would be comparable to the adverse flying weather experienced in England and flying in Canada could be continued with few interruptions throughout the year. Climatically, Britain was frequently encased in fog or rain, which restricted the number of flying days.
When the plan entered into its final stages, just three months and one week following Canada’s official declaration of War against Germany, Canadian Prime Minister MacKenzie King was enthusiastic that Canada’s support should be concentrated on the air force.
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