| Show E Expansion of Navy Army Air ir Forces Pilot Training Gets Under Way Editors Editor's note This is the thelast thelast thelast last of 01 a series of 01 four articles on expansion of the United States defense forces which will become the key to additional additional additional addi addi- basic changes in the event of enactment of the proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed compulsory military service plan By BRUCE CATON WASHINGTON July 5 The 5 The expansion expansIon expansion ex ex- which other arms of the service would undertake only Incase Incase in incase case of war war wa is already under way in army and navy flying forces Looking ahead to a huge enlargement enlargement enlargement enlarge enlarge- ment as a major part of the present present present pres pres- ent rearmament program the two flying services are now debating ways and means of hurrying up the pilot training programs Their job is infinitely tougher than it was during the World war since military flying Is a far more complex art now than it was then In 1918 a young aviation officer might be sent to active service after only 10 or a dozen hours in the air today It Is figured that a ayoung ayoung ayoung young man needs from 40 to 50 hours of flying time before he can even cven start to learn the precision flying necessary in both the army and navy Long Training Needed Base of the army's pilot trainIng trainIng training train- train Ing system is a group of nine civilian civilian civilian civil civil- ian aviation schools which have contracts with the government The cadet gets four months of this training Graduating he goes to one of the army's basic training fields for another month four-month course After this he is eligible for his final four month four month course in advanced advanced advanced ad ad- flying at famous Kelly field near San Antonio Cadets are drawn from two sources West Point graduates who elect to enter the air corps and youths from civilian colleges After graduation from Kelly field West Pointers may permanently transfer to the air corps The ex-civilian ex gets a commission in the reserve corps with seven years of active duty ahead of him In either case the rank Is second lieutenant Calculations Upset Up to the announcement of the airplane goal by the president president dent the army's plans provided for fora a total strength of fl flying ing officers officers officers cers by July 1 I 1941 The new plan of course has scrambled all calculations Although the new expansion program program program pro pro- gram may change things the navy so far does not take flying cadets from civilian flying schools Its air school is at Pensacola where a full year course is offered Cadets are either regular navy ensigns ensigns Annapolis Annapolis graduates graduates or or lads from civilian colleges subject to approximately the same requirements requirements requirements require require- ments as the army's air corps cadets The navys navy's training aims to give a flier all of the experience which the army splits up among among- its various various various vari vari- ous schools If he is an Annapolis man of course he continues with his regular regular regular reg reg- ular commission commiss on if he came from WI civil life he becomes an ensign in the reserves on extended active duty The navy hasn't a separate air corps but lumps all its flying activities activities activities ac ac- under the bureau of aero aero- This bureau is run by Rear Admiral J. J H. H Towers the oldest navy flier in service Pending legislation will expand the navys navy's pilot training facilities in line with proposed increase of the air force Plans would expand expand expand ex ex- two air fields located at Miami and Jacksonville Fla and establish emergency training facilities facilities facilities ties there The navy has 2623 flying officers now including reserves and enlisted men qualified as pilots Marines have pilots making the thc navy-marine navy total 2958 To Step Up Training The present program is turning out pilots a month under the proposed expansion this would be stepped up to a month That way It is figured that the navy will have the following to totals totals totals to- to of pilots By July 1 1941 by July 1 1 1942 by July 1 1 1943 and by July 1 I 1944 18 Army's air corps is rather more morea a separate Institution than the navys It is run by two major generals Henry generals Henry Arnold chief of the corps and his assistant Delos C. C Ammons There are three brigadier generals under them as assistant chiefs and five more who serve as wing commanders An exact picture of the way the services will rush their training programs so as to man their vastly enlarged air fleets 0 cant can't be given yet because the services themselves arent aren't sure Training time will assuredly be cut both bothin in the civilian schools and at the regular service training centers Also something will be done to tomake tomake tomake make available to the services the thousands of college and high school students who are getting training under the new Civil Aeronautics Authority program |
