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Show 500,000 High School Youths Will Receive Pre-Flight Training Nation to Get Jump Over Axis by Readying Students For Future Aviation Career It's an ironical twist of fate that the most far-reaching change in our modern educational educa-tional system was set in motion mo-tion by a war. As September rolls around, public, pub-lic, private and parochial high schools through-i through-i 1 out the nation 0 I will have radical- ! Jte ly aered their ejijjti-) 'ii' curricula to in-L, in-L, l 3 elude instruction ' "j, J ' in pre-flight train- i ing under the aus-- aus-- vffi pices of the Air Training Corps of America, working work-ing in conjunction with the Civil Aeronautics Aer-onautics administration and the U. S. office of education. Educators themselves readily admit ad-mit that the war, with the attention it has focused on aviation, must be credited in large measure for the speed and efficiency with which ATCA's program has been launched, although the program's peacetime objectives are considered equally important. Studying With New Interest. Regardless of cause, this September Septem-ber some 500,000 boys who voluntarily volun-tarily are enrolling in ATCA units will be studying algebra, geometry, physics, and other subjects with a new interest. They'll be enthusiastic enthusias-tic about subjects they once considered con-sidered "dry" because these studies stud-ies will be taught in terms of aviation. avia-tion. During five, or more, hours each week, ATCA members will study subjects in pre-flight training such as air navigation communications, aerodynamics, meteorology, safety, and the structure and design of engines. en-gines. And if there are those who doubt the enthusiasm with which boys are taking these courses, they need only visit one of the schools where the ATCA courses already have been introduced. There these youngsters can be seen tackling the fundamental problems of aviation with an eagerness that is surprising. They build their own model planes to scale, following specifications provided pro-vided by the army and navy. These planes perform a useful function in the classes on spotting, where ATCA members learn how to distinguish dis-tinguish one type from another at a casual glance and from any angle. New Style School Arguments. The visitor will see these boys arguing over a problem in plane design de-sign discussing where stress and strain will affect the craft as though the chart on the wall were a real bomber and they were going to take off in it themselves. In classes on communications the pupils will be taking down the dots and dashes of the Morse code with the same zeal they might put into remembering the signals for an off-tackle off-tackle play on the football field. In classes on engine structure, in physics, in algebra, in whatever these future fliers now are studying in their pre-flight courses, the same TRYING HARD On the drill field, where members mem-bers of ATCA units learn marching march-ing formations and take callisthenics callis-thenics to build them up physically, physi-cally, these lads show the same earnest attitude. They're trying try-ing hard every minute, so that sometime they can earn the right to fly a plane for the army or navy, or become professional pro-fessional fliers in civilian life. degree of youthful eagerness is apparent ap-parent everywhere. This attribute of the Air Training courses in secondary schools, as much as the fact that the new studies stud-ies have called for a complete overhauling over-hauling of the curricula, is the reason that educators are quick to acknowledge that the system of teaching is going through the most radical change it ever has seen. And They Like It! They find it adding to their own enthusiasm to be met with such a ready response on the part of their pupils. When "x plus y" can be something to do with a pursuit plane : . fc f iff H r 5 '.--l A.t'iS-Jiiii''-, 'y K swwssswM" ' i t A v i ' f ! Vf ', few Hf-llKdl The theory of flight becomes a 'real thing to this student as, stick in hand, he controls the model plane while the wind tunnel, extreme left, whips a stiff breeze in the "flier's" face. This is another part of the course given in the pre-flight ATCA training throughout the nation. This lad some day may become an expert aviator in the U. S. army or navy. |