South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1916-02-22
AIR SERVICE IS
HELD INEFFICIENT
Senate Will Recommend In
veStigatiOn - BipIaneS
Are Anticipated.

WASHINGTON, Feb. % - The
senate military committee voted on
Monday To recommend an investiga-
ton OF the army aviation service by
congress. The decision was reached
after sen. Robinson who had intro
ouced a resolution for such an in
vestigation submitted further evil
dence 10 support his charges Of gen
eral inefficiency.
The resolution which will be ia
torably reported would appropriate
$4,000 for the inquiry and create
am investigating committee consist
ing of three mcmh ers Of the house
and two of the senate.
says Biplancs Anticipated.
sen Robinson produced before the
committee last week photographic
copies of letters alleged to have pass
ed between Lieut.. col samuel Re
Der head Of the aviation service and
capt Arthur :. Cowan. in charge OF
the san Diego station. which the sem
ator said revealed that the service
was 'contemptibly inefficient" In
his supplementary statement Mon
day ne declared that Of about "a Of
ucers who had qualified as filters.
T. had been killed several LOSING
their lives because "they we're re-
qUred 10 attempt flights i'm anti
quated biplanes known 20 be defect
i've"
An inquiry into The aviation ser
ice. which viii proceed Independent
of congressional action already has
been ordered hy the war departm ent.
The inefGciency and unsatisfac-
tory results Of the rresen+ manage
trent of the aviation section" Sen.
Robinson said i'm his statement 10 the
committee Monday lis disclosed 10y
the fact that during eight years or
about that in which the signal corps
as had control Of the aviation. only
about twenty qualified filters
with the military rating have been
produced. While the statement was
made before the house committee on
military affairs, that there are now
forty-six officers who are qualified
3s filters. and who are attached 10
the aviation section. / believe that
an investigation will disclose thai
there are only about "a
No Military Equipment.
VERY few of the sO-called quail
fled fliers' have ever done military
u ork OF even seen from an aeroplane
field gun fired. only one or two
Lave Unanswered i'm aeroplanes with
bombs attached to it for use. The
service has no bombs, no bomb sight
ing device. no method of mounting
a gun on an aeroplane, nor has a
gun ever been fired from an aero
plane We have no armored aero
planes and the machines on hand
are not efficient enough for flying
duty
During the eight years above re-
ferred to. which have netted only
about "a qualified filters, there have
occurred II deaths in connection
with military aviation. 10 officers
having been killed. The other two
cases embrace the death of one SOL
hdier and one civilian. Thus approx
imately sixty-five per cent as many
officers have been killed as there
are now officer pilots on aviation
duty.
Six Killed I'm Ten Months.
Six Of these aviators were killed
within ten months. and 1t is believed
tthat an investigation will disclose
/ that their deaths were due to tho
fact that they were required to at
/ tempt flights in antiquated bipIanes
/ known to be defective and danger
Gus. Following the death of Lieut.
+ Post four of these machines were
/ burned. 1t is believed that an inves-
/ LEGATION will disclose that other in
! juries we're due to the use Of unsafe
machines and that in some cases
where warnings had been given that
/ the machines were unsafe, office, s
who were required TO fly in them
were in some instances injured and
| others killed.
1T is a we'll known fact that a