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Show AVIATION NOTES MANY VETS FLYING Representing nearly one-third of total airline employment, more than 25,000 employes of United States scheduled airlines are veterans vet-erans of World War II, figures compiled com-piled by the Air Transport association associ-ation reveaL The veterans are working in a variety of jobs, ranging rang-ing from flight and ground operations opera-tions to sales and administrative positions. While a considerable number of the airlines' war veteran employes are men and women who left the lines to serve with the armed forces and have returned to their old jobs, a much larger number are new employes hired under the policy adopted by the airlines to give preference to servicemen and women. Several companies have inaugurated inaugu-rated courses designed for rehabilitation re-habilitation of the physically handicapped, handi-capped, one concern reporting that it can use regularly as many as 1,000 veterans with amputations. Courses of instruction also are provided in flight and ground operations, op-erations, communications, maintenance main-tenance and general administrative administra-tive work. In addition to veterans employed by airlines in this country, ATA member airlines operating in Alaska, Alas-ka, Canada and the Caribbean- area employ an additional 1,900 World War II veterans. UP IN THE AIR Mrs. Henrietta McGInnls, 72, of Chicago, went "up in the air" over the double wedding wed-ding of her grandson and granddaughter in Minneapolis. She used the event as an excuse ex-cuse for taking her first plane, ride, "something I've wanted to do for years," she added. ... SOARING HIGH Captured German gliders, including includ-ing one reputed to be the only "flying wing" model, attracted widespread interest at the 13th annual national soaring contest at Elmira, N. Y. Some of the captured cap-tured gliders were flown at the meet while others were only on display. Army gliders of the type used in airborne operations during the war were towed by gallant old Boeing Boe-ing B-17 flying fortresses and tough little Douglas C-47s. |