Show JS Our Crowing Air l Cor 1 Veteran n Officers c Work Overtime v o on By PAUL PAUlI HARRISON MAXWELL FIELD Ala Ala Ala- That tribute to the R RAF A F by Winston Churchill-about Churchill Churchill about so many owing so much to so few could be applied pretty well to our own air corps these days Because its it's a tremendous job that must be done by smaller and smaller groups of veteran flying officers and technicians in the swift expansion of aviation aviation avia avia- aviation tion training This is headquarters of the southeastern training district which will contain nine basic and advanced schools plus seven operated civilian super army elementary schools Nearly Nearly Nearly Near Near- ly all are in some stage of operation operation operation op op- op- op making this the busiest flight training region in the United States Naturally there just haven't been enough air corps officers to staff the mushrooming mushrooming mushrooming mush mush- rooming program nor enough veteran mechanics to carry carryon on the normal schedule of main main- But they all say proudly that there have been no compromises compromises compro compro- compromises with safety and scarcely any with efficiency Harder longer work is the answer with no complaints about overtime or multiplicity of jobs I talked with one squadron commander who until that morning had figured he couldn't possibly spare another officer or non- non com But he had just got an nn order to send almost half of his trained personnel as the nucleus of a new school being started in Georgia And now he was grimly doubling the duties of the few veterans who would be left Another officer newly as assigned assigned assigned as- as signed to a field in Georgia told me that he now has these official designations Engineering Engineer Engineer- ing officer technical inspector operations officer adjutant to the commanding officer military military military mili mili- tary intelligence and public re relations relations relations re- re lations officer At Gunter field where a state hospital building has been made into a military headquarters a captain with half a dozen different different different differ differ- ent jobs finds it especially appropriate appropriate appropriate ap ap- that his office is a former padded cell STILL ROOM FOR ARMY IY RED TAPE But still they find time for a little of the old army red tape I was told of a lieutenant who in the capacity of supply officer wrote a formal request regarding regardIng regarding regard regard- ing the storage of some materiel Then in the role of engine i officer he formally I his suggestion Near by Gunter field on other side of the city of M gomery is a basic school about the same size and p r ras as famed Randolph field I Texas But this one Isn't fancy w The first class was sent Gunter on Dec December 2 and h to be quartered in tents and i in relays from a field kite The site for the penman permam buildings was a sea of mud 1 field itself was a half the time and there vi W vino no hangars for the planes the class flew and graduated In some ways it has has' b better for us than a morce set up said Brig Braga General W. W R. R Weaver e c cw manding the training e cen nWe n- n We have been under wartime conditions hack fields out of farm lands using small auxiliary fields t til have produced more cap fliers Weve We've pretty well lear learn to lick the weather and to at Gunter you'll still se J serving their planes j of doors OFFICERS FRO FROM I I OTHER SERVICES Expansion of the cadet train trai training ing system has gone ahead rapidly that every officer fl has been needed on the line supervise the work of the ne nely net ly commissioned who regularly are being pl plow Yi back into the schools as teas ers ens as soon as they from them Consequently of cers from almost every bran of the reserve corps are belt assigned to the air corps to tota toai tai care of the purely military ac jobs at fields Du Duing ing lunch at the Officers Officers' lt here I chatted with majors at captains and lieutenants of can ca airy coast artillery engine and infantry But nobody the table wore wings It seemed heartening I th each of these officers the vital importance corps expansion seemed sat fied to be detached fro from own branch of the service in inder o 0 oder der to relieve some filer f technical duties In the ui fir World war one told me pile pil were sent into combat after hours of solo flying T Tod Toda da cadets at Maxwell field aver averal 1933 3 flying hours a their course here lasts 10 wee weel Primary basic and advani adval r frn u 1 f tau taut t I t I t This stubby little plane which looks like something out of om f amusement park is one of the enormously intricate train traino by which instrument flying is taught at Maxwell Field For a student shut inside it simulates every sort of in and air condition M courses total 30 weeks and ev ev after that they get special education with tactical un units And incidentally the the tn tra i ing lag program which i turning out finished fl fla flit flita fe fea a year now has progressed the point where fighting ji gun un of the G H Q air force forc no lor Jong will be handicapped by to pause to train newly com m pilots assigned th Within a few weeks new mei mj merl bers of pursuit and bomb bomba bombar ment meat squadrons will have havet Jr their specialized tr trail tra ring ing in new schools just e esl esta lashed i In the same way the gro crews soon will have beer bee by adequately trai train mechanics who know how to I the double and triple check checki so rigidly specified in the m mai ma and repair of all si sh shiI Just now though its it's pr pre pret tough on the veteran serge serg r rand and their crews who'll vo tvr v until dawn to keep their i few training planes in sen |