Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-10
ROJS AVIATION SCHOOL, AUGUSTA Ga

This flight must be made at an average
altitude of 100 feet. This is regarded
as the finishing touch to the education
of a military pilot. 1t means that man
who can accomplish the test success
fully has gone SO far in the art OF man
aging his machine as to make such man
agement virtually mechanical. In other
words. he will be able to observe things
eXtraneous to the manipulation of his
machine.
Before this order prescribing tests for
military aeroplane pilots was issued by
the War Department there were no spe-
cial qualifications required. The tests
we're recommended by the officers of the
Signal Corps Aviation School. and were
considered by Brig Gen. James Allen as
excellent sp .cial pilot tests for military
aeroplane pilots. An officer qualifying
under the conditions of this test will re-
ceive certificate signed by the Secretary
of War. setting forth the fact of such
qualitica tons. and the names of such Off
GERS will be carried on the army register
as military aeroplane pilots. with the date
of examination.
The requirements for a military pilot
cover wide range and demand much Of
an officer. First he must become ex-
pert cross-country pilot. Second. he must
become at least a good wireless telegraph
operator Third, he must become eX-
pert topographer. Fourth, he must know
enough military art to enable him to
grasp the military Significance of what he
sees and make an excellent report there
on This disregards entirely the aggres-
siVe side of the proposition, for that has
not yet been worked out sufficiently to
warrant any rules on the subject
Without discussing the relative mer-
of soma q "a
aviation corps as branch of the Signal
Corps" said a high official at the War
Department, lit must be admitted that
the United States is in immediate need
of at least fifty ayiatorS drawn from its
commissioned officers This means the
placing in commission of twenty-five aero
planes. An organization based on the
French experience would call for "a total
commissioned force of fifty-nine officers
and four hundred and two enlisted men.
This contemplates three companies. of
which the commissioned personnel has
one major. nine captains and eight first
lieutenants 1t also calls for large num-
Der Of automobiles and automobile trucks
for the transportation OF aeroplanes and
aeroplane supplies and repairs. All of
this is in direct accord with the French
organization.
Everything today is flying machine just
as ten years ago it was the automobile.
And while on the subject of aviation il is
interesting to know of the many new
things developed as a result of the giant
strides made in the crt OF flying even In
the short period Of the past year For in
stance, there is the air mile a unit of
measurement that has come into use with
the science of aviation. We had the land
mile and the sea mile before. which is ap-
proximately one-seventh longer than the
land mile of America. The nautical mile
is often incorrectly called a knot, while IL
is really a measure OF both distance and
time 1t is correct to say that vessel
makes ten knots, but to say that she
makes ten nots an hour is needless repe-
tition. The air mile Is measured different
ly from the hand mile and the sea mile.