Arnold Scheme

The Arnold Scheme was established to train British RAF pilots in the United States of America during World War II.

Its name derived from US General Henry H. Arnold, Chief of the United States Army Air Forces, the instigator of the scheme, which ran from June 1941 to March 1943.

The United Kingdom was considered largely unsuitable due to a combination of enemy action, high operational traffic at airfields and unpredictable weather.

[1] In April 1941 General 'Hap' Arnold flew to London and met with RAF officers at the Air Ministry, offering to train four thousand British pilots alongside American aviation cadets.

[4] Prior to the USA's entry into the War following the Attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941, RAF cadets were required to wear civilian clothes.