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Early in 1941 the future of the School came under consideration. General Andrew McNaughton raised the question by stating that a second army co-operation squadron would be required to work with armored units then being organized in Canada, and it was suggested at Air Force Headquarters that the School should be continued in operation to train reinforcements (six pilots per month) for No. 1l0 (AC) Squadron in England, as well as to provide army co-operation work for the Army at home.  The Chief of the Air Staff, however, took the view that Canada was too out of touch with AC developments and requirements overseas, and as a result the School was disbanded on 19 April 1941 (Secret Organization Order 12. of 18 April 1941). "Active service operations," the official order stated, "had shown that Army Co-Operation was in a transitional state and not sufficiently stabilized to warrant the School's retention." The personnel and suitable equipment were transferred to No. 118 Squadron.

There was a break of six months between the third and fourth generations in No. 123's ancestry.  In the interval the Army’s requirement for land / air co-operation became more urgent and as a result the School of Army Co-operation was reopened at Rockcliffe on 22 October 1941 under the command of S/L W.W.S. Ross, The organisation order (0.0. 160 of 22 October 1941) defined the function of the School as "to provide air co-operation for the training of Canadian Army personnel, including work with army co-operation reconnaissance and army support bomber aircraft and defence against enemy dive bombers and enemy air-borne troops; also the training of Air Intelligence Liaison Officers and Army Air Support Bomber Central Officers, and the instruction of Army staff and other officers in the principles and practice of air co-operation."

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S/L Ross had been on the scene since the beginning of October engaged in discussions at Headquarters about the role of his unit. It was intended that the School should act as a combined close support and reconnaissance unit to work with and train Army units, which were about to go overseas.  There were to be two flights, a bomber flight equipped with Grumman Goblin aircraft, and a reconnaissance flight equipped with Lysanders.  The "School" title was intended as a tag measure only; as soon as the unit was trained and ready to operate as a squadron its designation would be changed, The first few weeks in the life of the new School were the usual story of no staff, no equipment.  By the end of October ten officers and 30 airmen were on strength.

The original officers were:

• S/L Ross,

• F/L L.C. Rankin,

• P/Os (Pilot Officer – equivalent to an Army 2^nd Lieutenant) 

• R.G. Johnson,

• H.R. Pinsent, 

• I. Gould, 

• W.K. Scharff, 

• R.G. McKessock, 

• J.B. Prendergast, 

• J.W. Saville, and 

• W.W. Hays.

The first four P/Os had just graduated from No. 1 S.F.T.S. (Service Flight Training School) at Camp Borden and the other four from No. 11 S.F.T.S. at Yorkton.  The Yorkton group arrived on 16 October as sergeants and received their commissions the next day. Throughout its tour in Canada the unit had an Army Staff Section attached to it to instruct the pilots in Army subjects and Senior Army officers in air liaison work. The first A.L.O. (Air Liaison Officer) was Major R.S. Odlum who arrived on 14 October 1941.