Show y S 'S Civil Pilots Eagerly Await Army Assignments t c. c Rapidly Expanding Air Force Will Be in Need Meed eed of ot Aviators Good Future In Skyways Seen in Time of Peace 1 By BAUKHAGE News NUs Analyst and Commentator i J Jf f Service Union Trust Building r Washington D. D C. C Washington of late has become 3 increasingly air minded and md al alL although ll al- L though the war has caused it it peace ll i will benefit r- r I advertisement A recent expressed t l the idea strikingly It said We exist ex ex- ex- ex 1st upon one globe and inside an an- h. h other Our planet earth is the center center center cen cen- ter of a larger larCH globe air both 1 f globes as one unit follow the same orbit We take our air with us and r always have It is our activity in that larger i globe the heavens which is going to be vital to America when the war waris j is over Now we are concerned with it t i small sectors of the sky our scattered scat scat- t c air lir fronts Later we shall be ft concerned with linking them all together together together to to- gether in peaceful and profitable air nir commerce In recent weeks many members r of congress have been giving thought thoughtS IS S d to preparation for that day and x I thousand the number is a military rt r secret ecret young oung men who have in the f past months learned to fi fly under the Civil Aeronautic Authority's War y Training program the program the boys who i will be the nucleus of our pilots after aft aft- er the war war are are fairly bursting with i impatience to spread their wings i Train Civil Pilots America is planning a military air force of some three million men s Since the rule of thumb says eight men on the ground to one in the theair theair air that means we are going to need some four hundred thousand pilots t The x at in the x thousand men menI I mentioned as being civilian trained M ri I f. f r 1 2 Jil i Many pilots like these who have haver been trained under the Civil Aeronautics Aeronautics Aeronautics Aero Aero- r- r Authority program arc are eagerly awaiting a a call to regular I army service Many have qualified J for combat duty while others expect f to enter other phases of flying Ice i. i or in training does not equal four hundred thousand now but it will help Before we went into the he war f this need was visualized and the r Civil Aeronautics Authority created r the civilian pilots training courses to which there tremendous and t. t was a 1 enthusiastic response Not only from J boys and men of fighting age I. I which is young for combat pilots but butof butor or 3 of fellows from 18 to 37 who could rt 1 become flying instructors or or could ti i. i pilot transport and cargo planes Some of these civilian trained pilots pilots pi- pi lots are enlisted in the United States er t. t Army Air Force Reserves those who passed the physical and age requirements require- require Q 4 ments for combat flying The othera others oth- oth J. J J ers era hoped to get into some kind of f. f military aviation service other than combat The army in January called all aU of i i. i t its enlisted reserve except those I who were in the midst of a college q l. l term they will be called when the f 1 current term is over But because of lack of facilities for training the reserves who were in the air force have to be called slowly and those t who are found to be eligible to qualify ly fy as flying cadets will wiil begin their final military instructions by April 1 i i first The complete list of colleges where they will receive this trainIng train- train I i 4 Ing fag will soon be announced Meanwhile the boys in the reserves re re- j serves and those who are training 1 4 for tor transport flying are becoming very restive They have been given J free instruction and subsistence but bul I they receive no pay as DS flying Cadets cadets ca Ca- do and they have to furnish part of their own uniforms Many Many- gave up jobs to take the training or orare orare orare are hesitating to take jobs because they expect to be called Some of them have been expecting a long longtime longtime longtime time and their morale has sunk to the depths I have talked with many of or them and they have my sympathy for the they are so anxious to spread their wings so anxious to serve their country and so weary with waiting Of course some have been able to get into the air lir force but not many have and the brass hats of the army incline to look down their noses at anyone not army Army Fliers Experts Of course there is no denying that flying a training plane and flying a combat plane are two quite different things As one air force officer who vho really is sympathetic with the CAA program said to me Remember that a 3 man who has spent fifteen to twenty hours In the theair theair theair air is not a combat pilot pHoto You might be able to take off from a field in a power horse crate and land all allright allright allright right but that doesn't mean you ou can handle a ton 25 four-engine four job with its instruments and spend perhaps perhaps perhaps per per- haps 12 to 14 hours in the air without without with with- out seeing anything but those those instruments Of course you'll get along faster the first days in school If your mother moth moth- er has taught you your your ABCs That is the attitude of or the professionaL It is hard to take and a lot lotof lotof lotof of people in the army and out think it is somewhat cavalier They think that if It hadn't been for leaning very heavily on tradition a lot of these boys who have their ABCs would be showing their stuff right now instead of breaking their hearts waiting They feel it is pretty hope hope- less They are lre wrong there It wont won't be long now But it Is easy to understand how that fine enthusiasm can fade when the effort the time and the sacrifice of civilian plans seem to be passed over with I little more than a shrug It is to be hoped th that t shortly after this appears in print the boys will vill willbe be on Uncle Sams Sam's payroll They have friends in Washington who are working for them Then even if they have to mark time a little longer longI long long- I er they will feel that their Uncle I believes they are worth their salt Burma Air Road I It is easy to see the reason why these and a lot of other boys will willbe willbe I be needed in the air now We are going to open a Burma road of the air Supplies are going to China by byI I that route now but it is only a trickle We have the transport planes and man many more of them will soon be in service And what the theair theair theair air traffic will bear is not to be sneezed at atAn An airplane that can carry five tons or ten tons can make a run in a couple of hours which thich would take two weeks on the ground Of course moving freight by ar isn't the most economical wa way but money doesn't matter in war And it must be remembered that in peace time it is cheaper to ship by water than by rail But where would America be if it weren't for the railways After the war it will be the same with the airways which are being blazed by bombers and will be f fl fc- y- y lowed by freight and passenger planes in a happier day Every time our bombers take off oR something is learned that can be turned to time peace-time profit And so far we have not begun our bombing in Europe One observer who knows aviation said to me just after Casablanca Casablanca Casa Casa- blanca All Au we have done over Germany and France so far Is really experimental mental It Is really a testing A Afew Afew few sporadic daylight raids The bombings by the American air force are insignificant compared to what will be done when we get under way And remember weve we've got good goodweather goodweather goodweather weather coming up And so the x thousand boys who have learned to fly most fly most of 01 them them will will soon have their chance One of the enthusiastic supporters of the civilian pilot training program program program pro pro- gram said to me Dont worry Unless the war stops ily y the army will soon be sayIng saying saying say- say Ing Can you fly All AU right heres here's your plane get in And when peace I comes civilian demand is going to keep em flying |