The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-07-02
NAVY TAKES FIRST STEP IN BUILDING
 NEW AERO FLEET
SerioI1s Problem Faces Board In Spending $1,OOO,OOO
 Appropriation.

New York, July 2.-W1th $1,oooso00 to spend on aeronautics during the fiscal year which was ushered in to- fronted with the problem of how to expend it judiciously. The war In Europe Is hindering rather than aid ing the solution Of this problem, which was discussed in all it's phases by the new Naval Advisory Council today
 The council held it's first weekly meeting in the office of MT Daniels, Secretary of the Navy, and it is under stood that Captain Mark L. Bristol, U. a N. chief of the naval office of aero l nautics, was called in to consult with the council in regard to the whole subject of aeronauties.
 Congress has been generous to the Navy Department in respect to aero naut1cs this year-spe peaking from the standpoint of what has been appro- priated for tfds branch of the service tn previous yearsEand MT. Daniels Is anxious that the money be well ex- pedded However, his advisers have told him that if satisfactory motor cannot be developed the department will not be In a position to provide it. self with machines that will be any where nearly equal in military value to the aircraft now being used on European battlede1ds-
 Motor Is the Problem b The navy now has fourteen air ma chimes. only nine of which have any military value A conservative est1- mate of the number of machines re- qufred if the navy is to be put in a really efficient condition ts 200. On the face Of things, it would seem than an Appropriation of s1 600 600 would go long ways toward sba1i1ding up a. strong aerial feet, but this Is not the case. The cost of upzreep of machines is high. and other overhead charges aEas- ing out Of Inc aerial arm are numeTv ous It is believed that if the g, ,000, 900 or a part of it can be spent so as to induce American manufacturers Do develop a good motor the money will he well spent-
 The motors in the navy aerop1anes develop only ne-GozxrEh of the horse power which Is being developed in the mfa9fary machines in uee in Europe T1ais means that these European ma chimes have gre4Aer raa1Az18 of action, can make longer Journays and have a greafar fI5tdnE power. They are real ry guns and to dears scout or do any thing else required by military neces- s4ties The aerop3axreS in use by the United 6tatas navy could hardly be caaied fighting machines because of theAr inability to develop q large ra- dtus of action and to carry guns of sufficient power.
 This problem, of developing a mo- tor will be one of the matters to be studied by the Advisory Committee on Aeronauttcs, which will do what it can along experimental lines
 OfHIr@s Arc Selected The Department has trained about twenty ofncers in flying and fes next step will be to train nine more. Mir. Daniels announced tz11s afternoon the I names oR these newly selected offioaEs, seven from the Navy and two from the Marine Corpa
 The Navy Depastnent gave out t1ata staAeEnents-
 '-The class of ofnCers for tnstruc- ton in asronaut1cs at the United States navy aeronaufic station, Pensa- cola, will be lieutenant B. F. John ant (1untor grade1 E. G. Haas Lieu tenant (Junior gFRdso R. Paunack Lieutenant (1un1or grade) ". w. Corry. Ensign J. P. NorfIeat. Ensign H- ". Scfie1d, all of the navy, and | lieutenant F. F. Evans and IIeuten- ant A D. Cunningham of the Marine | Corps This class will assemble at once for a course of instruction in practical shop work in assembling, ad- 5usting and repairing aerOp1aues and aeropIane machinery, followed by fly 1 ing of all kinds. ThesS officers were
 
 cants. The selection was based upon \ special physical fitness and the availability of the applicants for this special duty considering the reports of fitness and sea experience of the applicants.
 sHThe applications of those not se- Iected now will be given consi derat1on, together with other applications that may be received in the meantime, when new class is formed. It is intended to form another class in three or six months. Other things being equal, applications will be con- sidered in the order of their receipt at the department g
 When the new navy d1rig1b1e Is completed, it will be necessary to construct for 1t at the Pensacola aeronau1ca1 station a hangar. This will have to come out of the S1,ooO,- Oo0 appropriation. It is the intention of the department to make Pensacola ultimately a general aeronautical training and experim ental station just as Indian Head has been turned into a proving ground.
 When the fleet maneuvers are held in the autumn, aerop1anes, it is ex- pected, will participate for the first time and do the scouting.