The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1910-12-02
THE NATIONAL
AIR RESERVES
Lieut.. Hugh L. WiIIoughby, Of Sc
walls Point, Organizes SQUADRON
EFFICIENT WAR POWER
Aeronautical Reserves Already Has Hum
bred Neutrality-suspicious. Of Militant
Aviators Expected TO Attend.

Now there's a national guard of the
air, says the Philadelphia North Amer
lean.
Ever imagine such thing possible?
Well, it's an assured fact, and already
there are several thousand persons en-
rolled as members.
Almost the last thing that Captain
Hugh l.. WiIloughby, wel-known asi-
ator, did before the late aero show
in this city closed was to mail to the
New York headquarters dozen more
applications for membership. By next
summer it is probable that these war.
riors who prefer to do their fighting on
the earth viii assemble in response to
something like this:
General Orders No, 4-ll-44. - The
various divisions of the United States
Aeronautical Reserve will assemble as
follows for the annual inspection and
instruction in the game of war. The
Middle States Division will report at
an altitude of 5000 feet, half point
SOU SOU west Of the Great Bear con.
stellation. The division will bivouac be.
hind great white cloud. If the cloud
is not there, the commander will detail
a squadron to 20 and get one.
Each plane will be provided with
| one dozen bombs, each sufficiently pow
erful to make confetti out of the most
powerful battleshp ahoat. Efforts will
be made to have foreign governments
| permit their men-o'-war to be used a.
targets.
1.-THE maneuvers will last for one
week, during which time the aeroplanes
will operate at an altitude beyond the
range. 81 human vision. In the war
game which will be played, each avia-
tor will be expected to sink at least one
ship. A supply plane, with food and
extra ammunition, will accompany the
expedition.
"By order Of Admiral Blank"
In this age Of progress, invention fol.
lows invention 50 fast that it IL difficult
TO keep track of them. Scarcely had
the heavier. than-air machine demon
strated its ability to fly, when the mod.
ern disciples of Darius Green cropped
up by hundreds, and some sort OF
record is broken every day or two.
France has a hundred aviators on its
army payroll, and Germany and Eng
land are shedding much coin to develop
air craft for war purposes; but the
| United States has not appropriated
enough money to buy gallon OF gaso-
line: SO the patriotic American aviators
are going it alone, and have formed the
Aeronautical Reserve, which it is ex-
pected will eventually be attached to
the navy department. In any event.
the navy departm mt has assigned Capt.
w. Irving Chambers to represent 1t in
dealings with the reserve, and the war
department has selected Brigadier Gem
eral James Allen, chief signal officer.
to do the same thing.
! So the United States Aeronautfcal
Reserve has the seal of official approx.
al. Moreover, it has clubhouse and q
magazine or official organ. The club
house is the old Lenox Library building
at 50 Fifth avenue. New York.
"Not many of these have flown yeti"
| it was gently sug yested to Captain Will
! loughly, who commands the depart.
ment of Pennsylvania.
"Well,!" retorIed the captain, show
! many fnember., of the army or navy or
| militiaA earth have had any expert
ence inactual warfare? We have many
! who haYe flown, and the others are will
Z ing to learn. This is young yet, but It
is bound 10 develop ands will be an inn
portaut factor in the next war.
Commodore John Barry Ryan is COM
mander of the reserve, and Clifford B.
/ Harmon is chief-of-staff. The general
board consists of Cortland Field Bishop.
of New York; Wilbur Wright, of Day.
iona, o.; Herbert L. Satterlee, of New
York, a son-in-law of j. Pierpont Nor
gan; Glenn H. Curtiss, of Hammonds.
port, N. Y; Prof. Albert Lawrence
Rotch, of Boston; Clifford B. Harmon;
Chas H. Allen, Of New York; John F.
Fitzgerald, of Boston, and John Barry
RYAN, of New York. The secretary is
| Richard r. Sinclair of New York, and
the treasurer is Charles H. Allen,
| The reserve is to be divided into six
divisions, covering the entire country,
and each division will he under the
command of q vice commodore.
Projectors of the reserve are conf
dent Of its Importance. The aviat0rs
are practicing throwing things at marks
| from appalling attitudes, and are con-
| fident that tucked safely behind cloud
they can peep around the edge and slam
dynamite things at dreadnoughts with.
out danger to themselves. II the cloud
sneaks out from under them, and the
dreadnought persons object to being
made targets of, and reply with 10 inch
shells, the aviator has but to pull
lever and skiddoo at the rate Of hun.
dred miles an hour or 90 until he Is out
Of range.
Commodore Ryan and his associates
(contipued on page G