Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-07-26
FRANCES FLYING SCHOOL
Seventy-two Americans, Including Ten Philaoel-
phians Are Receiving Instruction al Ihe
Great Airplane Academy at Avord
BY HENRI BAZIN
By HENKI BAIIN
s,,1 co,respordeut OF the EUenro Ledger IN France
1 me

IDenfn0 LedOeF IN TT"'Co'
1os. twenty.seven are men with front ex'
perlence, being temporarily dethcheu 10 ue
school as instructors and Interpreters
Fully 20 per cent have seen service of six
months or more in the American Ambulance,
and eleven boys have served In the forelgn
| Legion or various branches or the fTehcn
army during the last two years. VI these,
Eugene Bullard, twenty-six years ola, Oh
Columbus, Ga, is the only negro from
over the sea. He Ia as black as the
proverbial ace of spades, Bullard whose
physlognomy is full of intelligence. has
Roosevelt beaten forty blocks on white
teeth. This boy has served thirty montnS
In the Legion and was twice wounded. IN
each instance he was reported killed and
the news telegraphed to America as the
first black man from the United States to
give his life for France. He wears the
Croix de Guerre, the Military Medal and
the smile that won't come off. He Is a
qualified pilot on all types of machines save
| the fighting plane, In which he Is taking
final instruction. Finally, he has the dis
tinction of being the sole representative in
any Allied army of the millions Of negroes
in the United States. As such he is very
proud-and lonely.
Remembering he had been reported killed,
I said to him just before the photograph
was taken:
"rho next time you are going to die,
Bullard, send mo word In advance And if
your air courage is as good as your skin
is black, you'll be some fler."
AS I reached for his hand with the
words, he replied:
II am proud to have served France, and
now more proud to serve the United States.
The only part Of her that will be in the
air Is the bunch that will fly for her. And
won't you try and get some more black
men over there to come over and help on
this job?"
French, Belgian and Italian Machines
The machines used at Avord arc of the
Farman. Coudron. Voisln, Blerot. Spaed,
Nieuport and Caprona types. being thus
French, Belgian and Italian some with
one and others with two and three motors,
and serving in the varied branches OF OBJ
servatlon, photographing, bombthrowing
and fighting Upon our arrival every ma
chine In the outfit was drawn up as If on
parade before their respective hangers.
looking for all the world like so many gi
gantic insects And as more than n third
took the air. the sight was one of wonder
and admiration
| Before we left for Paris. Doctor Groh,
who has truly fathered the American Am
bulance and Lafayette Flying Corps gath
| cred all the American boys together about
us and spoke feelingly of and to these brave
make out In tho night, saying that they
were the real advance guard of a great
American army, and that those who had
| entered the school and the service before
American entry were entitled to special
| honor for serving their hearts as we'll as
| their country. And as we entered our
| cars. some youngsters yelled out: Boys,
give real cheer for the little old U. S. A."
1t came from their youthful throats with
vim and n will that sounded like home
Avord Aviation School is in charge of
| captain Max Boucher of the French Army
and under the direction of Lieutenant
| colonel Girod, Inspector General of Avla.
ton for France. Since America is going in
| strong for aviation. and since. too aviation
| is playing and destined to play a tremen-
| dous part in the war which must, in the
main, end through American arms, the
| more American boys that can come to
| Avord, the better. 1t might be fully possi-
| Die TO secure entire control of Avord School
and make 1t virtually a purely American
base for aviation pupils from the United
| States
For here are the machines, the shops, the
instructors and all the accessories that
| would permit teaching the game of ovine
more quickly and to better ADVANTAGE than
at any school existing or to be constructed
| IN the United States. Certainly it is undeni-
ably true that at Avord a thoroughly ex-
| perlehced progressive, methodcal course of
instruction is given, as is evidenced in the
record OF 300 able fliers turned out monthly.
rms means that for purely or almost purely
american purposes Avord means more than
words convey in American future air glory,
e tlere are al the needs for manufacturing
heroes whipping into shape intrepid soldiers
of the air, who take their lives in their hands
to degree impossible to any land or sea SOL
dler' no matter how brave and true. Here
more than 5000 aviators could be turned ont
In year, and twice that number at less
eNpenditure than 1000 in any school for
aviation in any part of the United states
Send would-be heIs for the cause Of
rlght TO Avord. And send them in ship
loads. Every man of them would be fun
welcome and what's more to the point
every man of them is needed.