Summary: African students from various commonwealth countries at the Oxford Air Training School in July 1975. Production is intended for African television.
Description: Paul Boateng introduces the film from the Air Training School at Oxford, where many commonwealth Africans study for their commercial pilots license: Gakweli Warrakah, a policeman from Kenya, is seen on an orientation flight. Many of the new students will become "the pilots Africa needs for the future" as her commercial airlines develop in parallel with the continent as a whole. After six weeks of intensive classroom learning at the Ground Training Centre, pilot training begins: shots of classroom training on instruments are intercut with in-flight training shots. Eventually, each trainee goes on his first solo flight (Gakweli is shown again). Kofi, a student sponsored by Ghana Airways, uses a Fresca flight simulator and studies navigation. Finally, the School's Principal, Jack Nicholls (former head of training at British Airways) talks of his high hopes for the African students, and stress is laid on their professionalism. (At end, the address LONDON LINE P.O. BOX 48 LONDON SE1 ENGLAND appears of screen.)
Production Details: Central Office of Information (Production sponsor)
London Television Service (Production company)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Boateng, Paul (person)
Nicholl, Jack (person)
British Army, Oxford Air Training School (regiment/service)
Keywords: training, African air civil (object name)
training, British air civil (object name)
GB, England & Oxford, Oxon <Air Training School> (geography)
Physical Characteristics: Colour format: B&W
Sound format: Sound
Soundtrack language: English
Title language: English
Subtitle language: None
Technical Details: Format: 16mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 1
Footage: 386 ft; Running time: 10 mins
