Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1915-11-17
D, S. AERO SQUADRON
N LONG FLIGHT
viii Fly From Fort Sill 70 San An.
tonic Under Conditions the
Same az War.
tBy Associated Pr.ss.i

aero squadron of the United States
army. designed for use In the field In
connection with troop operations win
fly from its temporary station at Fort
SIN to its permanent home in San
Antonio. Texas. tomorrow. Six aero
planes will make the fiight-the first
OF Its kind In this countrx
The aerial journey will be made un.
der conditions as nearly like those
In actual war time as possible. The
distance to be covered Is $50 miles.
Stops win be made at these points N
Texas: Wichita Falls. Bowie. Deca.
tur. Fort Worth. Cleburne. Hillsboro.
Waco. Georgetown. Austin and posi-
bly, at Granger and Temple.
The flight Is intended to give line
on just how army ayiators may be ex.
pected to work during a. war. II is
desired TO test to the utmost the
ability OF the fiiers to follow a pre-.
viously designated route over un.
known country; Il will give an oppor.
tunity to try the army transport sys.
TEN under stipulated war conditions
since trucks following the aeroplanes
will be forced 10 make an average OF
eighty miles a day on land; Il will
test the power OF the motors 10 stand
up under service conditions and the
resourcefulness and adaptability OF
the army flying organization. partieu.
larly Its supply department.
To each aeroplane win be assigned
one truck as tender carrying the
oreN tools. spare parts and other
supplies. A newly developed ma
chine shop truck. carrying lathe and
forge. will be along to maintain the
squadron on the way. For miuor re-
pairs TO aeroplanes forced TO land
through motor trouble. corps Of six
motorcycles carrying emergency re-
pair kits. and all capable of great
speed. will be depended upon.
The first aero squadron. signal
corps. 4. 5. A.. Is the official designa'
ton OF the flying unit. The squadron
Is divided into six flying sections a
transport section. supply section. an
engineer section charged with motor
repairs and a headquarters section.
The officers are Captain p. ID. Fou.
lois. commanding. and Lleutenants T.
D. Milling. c. G. Chapman. J. +. Car.
berry. T. s. Bowen and l. A. RAIDER.
Captain Foulois is the oldest military
flyer in the United States in point OF
service. With Orville Wright he COM
pleted the first cross country Hight
made by a military aeroplane. This
was made at Fort Myer Va in 1908.
As the first army squadron is for
service with field troops. it'must be
separated from the army aviation
school at San Diego. Cal, for oppor.
tunities for the preliminary training
Of aviators are excellent, but where
no large bodies OF troops are availa'
bic for reconnaissance work. observa-
ton Of military FIRE. and many other
important duties demanded OF the
military flyer today.
Fort sill was chosen as a temporary
station for the squadron because OF
the opportunity for work In co-opera'
ton with the artillery arm. the school
OF FIRE. for training artillery officers
In the conduct OF fire and in the dif'
fcult art of supervising a battery I'M
der war conditions. Is held every fall
AZ Fort sill. because its terrain and
great extent OF reservation AFFORD the
best opportunities for operations.
Conditions on the Texas border. which
took many troops from Fort sill'
made II impossible to hold the school
OF FIRE this year. However. the avia-
tors OF the squadron have taken adj
vantage Of many opportunities to OBJ
serve the batteries remaining at the
Oklahoma reservation. Much expert.
ence also has been gained In aerial
map reading. In locating targets
watching the fall Of shots fired by
the batteries and spotting the hits
on the maps and picking up the bat
teries themselves on the march and
In position.
The invention OF an automatic sur
yey camera has occupied much OF the
time OF the aviators. This apparatus.
when set in operation by the pilot OF
the aeroplane In which II Is Installed.
takes a continuous serious OF photo !
craps OF the ground underneath the
line OF flight. The photograph can be
made ready instantly on landing and
gives a connected group Of overlap
ping pictures to which scale can be
applied and from which the range to-
any point shown on them can be al !
once obtained. In addition to this
survey camera teiephoto lens can