| OCR Text |
Show 25,000 ANXIOUS TO BATTLE IN AIR Apply for Commissions in Aviation Avia-tion Corps. 7000 TO TAKE SCHOOL TEST Secretary of War Baker la 8atlif)ed There Will Be No Shortage of Good Flyers When the Country's New Immense Im-mense Air Fleet Is Ready Finished Fighters Train New Men. Since the United States entered tho war approximately i!5,000 men hnve applied for commissions in tho nvln-tlon nvln-tlon corps. Seven thousand most of them fresh from college have hcen accepted for tho educational and aerial aer-ial tests. Of this numher nhout CO per cent are expected to prove capable aild will ho accepted as flyers. Hundreds of applications contlnuo to he received nt tho departmriit dally. -Secretary linker Is satisfied tlio United Stntesvlll have no shortage of good llyers when tho country's new immense im-mense air fleet is ready. At present tho government hns tunny more nvnll-. nhlc men for training tliun It has machines ma-chines to train them with. Tlio aviation examination Is tho stlffest In the mllltnry branch. Tho men umst he almost physically perfect. per-fect. As between two men of generally general-ly equal qualifications a college man la given the preference. Working for Commissions. There nre 1,000 men In tho various ground schools nnd training camps working for commissions. Within three months tho war department expects ex-pects to have at least 8,000 in training. The Increaso will depend upon the rapidity with which training machines nro turned out by tho Air Production board. After the board has completed Its construction program upward of B.000 men will bo constantly in trolnlug. I As soon as a fcquadron completes Its work nnd proves Its ability the men1 will be shifted to France to complete their post-grndttato courses. I Finished flyers nro being used In training new men. Within n short time the general movement In small , numbers townrd Franco will start nnd ' men will contlnuo to cross the Atlnntlc at Intervals until tho spring when great numbers will go along with tho other forces. I Thero nro eight "ground" schools In ' tho country whero nppllcnnts for com-1 missions arc sent after being accepted ' by tho department. Tho schools nro attached at Princeton, Cornell, Mnssa-1 chusetts, Instltuto of Technology, Georgia Technology nnd tho Unlversl-1 Unlversl-1 tics of Illinois, Texas, Ohio and Call-' fornln. After courses in fundamental flying hero the candidates nro sent to tho mllltnry aviation fields. Aviation Fields. Theso aro located at MIncola, San Diego, Cal.; San Antonio, Tex.; Es-slngton, Es-slngton, Pa.; Fairfield, O.J Rantoul, 111.; Uollevlllo, 111.; Mount Clements, Mich.; Fort Sill, Okla., nnd Hampton, Va. Tho department soon will select fifteen additional sites. f New fields will ibo ready to recelvo I candidates ns soon as thero are J enough machines available with which to train them. In addition to the men already accepted, ac-cepted, it Is believed many thousands of applications will bo received from drafted men. Provost General Crow-der Crow-der hns ruled that nnjr. drafted rrian after reaching tho cantonments mnyj apply for a commission In the aviation avia-tion corps. Twcnty-flvo thousand men have' offered to enlist for tho mechanical t work connected with tho corps. When tho war department's program Is completed com-pleted It Is estimated tho corps will consist of 100,000 men of all grades or as many men ns the cntlro American Amer-ican nrmy consisted of two years ago. - |
