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Show Reveals detail 1 of i program j Basis of Plans of America Resulted From Appeal of Clemenceau. WASHINGTON, Dec. 11. An appeal by Premier Clemenceau of Fruuee for an American contribution of 2010 planes a month, and a total of 5000 aviators mid 0,000 specialized mechanics formed the basis for the aircralt program to which tho United States committed itself in the war. This was disclosed today by Ma-jor-Clenoral William I Kenley, diivrlur of military aeronautics, in his annual report. "This country hud never trained an aviator avi-ator sufficiently to meet the demands of overseas aerial warfare," General Kenley points out in illustrating the difficulties tho nation faced in seeking to comply with the urgent appeal for aid made by France. "It had not the slightest knowledge of trio instruction necessary for radio, photography, pho-tography, or enlisted personnel. Consequently, Conse-quently, tho first men laigcly trained themselves befors teach inir others and exptrfence led on from one course to what was to come next." Hespite this handicap 49S0 men had been graduated as reserve military aviators, avia-tors, the first rating for pilots by June 30. 191S. the report says, and HO bombers, bomb-ers, eighty-five bombing pilots, -Hit observers, ob-servers, 3.S0 observer pilots and IIIL pursuit pur-suit pilots had been graduated on that date from the advanced training schools. In tho year ending last June 30, there were 1.12 fatalities in training, or an average av-erage of one dea.th to hours and 201,-OOo 201,-OOo miles flown. Stalled engines, usually usu-ally due to an error of the pilot, caused oiRhty-six deaths; collisions, thirtv, and sideslips ten. "Uesret table as these accidents are." the report says, "it is felt that considering consider-ing the newness of the science', the early (state of development of the planes, the inexperience in-experience in Instruction and the neces-sily neces-sily of teaching stunts, In themselves, rather dangerous, this numlvr Is not large. As a matter of aerial statistics fatalities in American training are less than half as large as those of the other allied countries." The report says that 440 balloon officers also had been graduated, 1,15 of which were fully qualified observers during the year.' |