The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-05-12
AIR SCOUTS
Do GREAT WORK
Renort in So Minutes What it
Would Have Taken Cavalry
Days to Learn.

Those officers of the United States
ia ,nv who have come in touch most
closely with practical experiments
- the use of the aerOplanc in
scouting and field work are enthusiast
- over it's possibilities and highly de-
.irons of having this branch of the
service further extended. An expert
"a aviation, not himself connected
With the army, returned recently from
california greatly elated over the re-
.nlt of experiments carried on there.
Those which impressed him most were
an relation to reconnaissance and
were held from the aviation field of
tbe United States Signal Corps at San
Diego. BY means Of air o sent
ort from his field the movement of
troops was ascertained accurately and
yeported in a fraction of the time
which would have been required for
This work under ordinary conditions.
The results of these experiments
were reported to this man, who pre-
(ers to be nameless, although his u
thority to speak and his information
in the matter are beyond question, by
Capt. Arthur G.. Cowan, commanding
officer of the aviation field. Selecting
bodies Of troops from different army
corps, including cavalry, infantry, and
wagon trains. Capt. CoWan dispatch
ed them to the eastern end Of San
Diego county for m~anoeuvres. He
gave them definite instructions as to
their movements, the rate of march,
the positions they should occupy, and
their relations one to another. Then
came the work of the aviatoFS.
ON the morning after the troops
had marched away the commander
sent out two air scouts, each
a3anied, of course. by a pilot, with in
structions to bring in definite reports
in detail of the movement of any
troops which they might discover in
the county. The men took to the air
at exactly 9 o'clock. At So minutes
spast 9 they returned and presented
a report complete in every detail.
IN fifty-three minutes they had To-
Gated the soldiers sen out on the
previous day, estimated their number
SO accurately that their report was
snot out Of the way by more than
twenty men, noted their exact posi-
ton and the nature of the country in
(which they were operating, and re-
corded the rate and direction Of such
sbodies as were in motion. In other
words, their information was COM
plete, and, by checking 1t with the
orders he had previously issued and
the reports Of the troops themselves
when they returned from the manoeu-
vres, Capt. Cowan found that it was
almost precisely exact
Naturally, the Captain was delight.
ed with the result Of this test. HI
said that it established a record ir
point of time In obtaining informa'
ton as to the movement of troops IL
the field that could hardly be e
emphasized. With cavalry, he point
ed out, 1t would have taken two day.
under the most favorable circum
stances to obtain the same informa
in the best. To obtain it within al
lhour would be, Of course, an inesti
mabie advantage to any commando
IN time Of war.
The prectice for a reconnaissance
work of this kind at the San Dieg'
held is to send up two men in eacl
acceptance; one, an air scout, to maxi
The necessary observations, the Other
a pilot, whose duty 1t is to attend t
The running Of the monoplanes O
ftiplane. Both these types Of air
craft are used by the Signal Corps i
work of this character. At the Sa
Diego post they have fourteen avia
tors. They are men drawn from a
branches of the service, ten of ther
at this time being graduates of tn
tnited States Military Academy g
West Point. The other four hav
come up through the service in il
different divisions. Capt COwan e1
ormant that there was no difficulty
procuring men for this service,
spite Of its hazards, as there were a
ways more volunteers han could
made use of.-New York Times.