3 EFTS) was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilot training unit that operated during World War II.

3 EFTS was established in January 1940 at Essendon, Victoria, and initially included a significant proportion of civilian staff and private aircraft; by mid-year these had been largely integrated into the military.

[1][2] The EFTS provided a twelve-week introductory flying course to personnel who had graduated from one of the RAAF's initial training schools.

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.

[4][5] Its inaugural commanding officer was Squadron Leader Roy King, a fighter ace credited with 26 victories in the Australian Flying Corps during World War I.

It was the airfield's position as the hub of civilian flight instruction in Victoria that led to it becoming the base for the third flying school the RAAF raised during World War II.

[4] All air cadets were subject to RAAF discipline, and the school's training program was directed by Squadron Leader King.

[4][8] The initial intake of sixteen students arrived on 8 January 1940, and received eight weeks of instruction that finished on 4 March; all but one of the trainees had prior flying experience, and the course was accident-free.

[4] Clyde Fenton, known for his exploits as a flying doctor in the Northern Territory before being commissioned as a pilot in the RAAF, served as an instructor at No.

The school started flying the recently introduced CAC Wackett Trainer in August 1941, but the type proved troublesome, delaying the training program.