Evening journal., 1917-06-23
BY HOWARD &. COFFIN.
Chairman, Aircraft Production Board
Of Council Of National Defense.

OF COUNCIL OF national defense.
Americas aviation program. which
is being planned on a scale sufficient
to sweep the German flyers out Of the
air and literally blind the German
army, is already under way.
Congress will within the next few
days be asked to appropriate $780,,
O00. 900 to carry out these plans, but
In the meantime the various branches
of the federal government that deal
with aviation are pushing the work
OF G Preparation on a large scale with
mo ey already appropriated.
In &c OF the great aviation fields
which the war department has
planned are actually under construc-
ton; sites for the other six fields
have been chosen and work on them
will soon begin. Cadets are now in
training at he preliminary training
schools established In six represen-
tative engineering colleges and uni
versities. Training planes have al
ready been ordered and will be ready
by the time the aviation fields are
completed: and the instruction of the
first group Of 500 aviatOrs will begin
not later than August /.
France and Great Britain. as well
as our own experts, have made Il
plain they expect aircraft and avia-
tors to be one of Americas greatest
contributions TO winning the war.
The government can now say IL is
actually embarked on the task OF
overcoming its present deficiency In
military aviation. We believe the out
look promises a quick development
Of tie enormous latent air resources
Of the United States which may be
, unprecedented in the military history
OF the world.
America is responsible for the in
vention Of both the submarine and
the aeroplane. In the development of
both she has allowed Europe TO out.
strip her. It is for US to show we can
vet surpass both our enemies and
our allies in the development Of these
two great inventions which Ameri
cans first conceived
IL will surprise many people "a
know the United States has not only
rushed plans for completion OF a
large number OF aviation training
schools in this country. but has Sc
lected a site and let contracts for
construction of a duplicate OF the
American standard two-squadron fly
ing field in France TO receive the first
flyers graduated from the American
fields.
II takes only four months to train
a flyer. As Americas new airmen
finish their training they will EN-
bark for France. On French soil, un
der French instructors and with
French machines they will complete
their preparation for work at the
front.
mis- training field in France will
be entirely a product Of American
brains and American energy. The
buildings will be constructed and the
plans prepared by an American con
tracing firm with materials shipped
from the United States
Thousands Of men are now engaged
in preparation of the aviation fields
at Dayton, o.. Champagne. ILL.,, anC
Detroit. Mich The government ha'
made them emergency projects an'
nothing is being permitted TO hampe
their rapid construction. The work OF
these is being separately conducted
and they will in no way interfere VIII
the new army cantonments.
Work began more than two week
ago on the big four squadron field a
DAYTON. II is significant that this hel
OF $500 acres. the largest OF all,
on the site OF the original field o.
which the Wrights developed thei
first successful aeroplane. The modes
field OF sc acres in which the Wright
carried out their experiments
within the boundaries Of the big, ne'
government field
The Dayton field which is twic
as big as any OF the others. will az
commodate 144 aeroplanes and 30