The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1917-06-06
u. S. TO TRAIN AIR
MEN IN FRANCE
Contracts Awarded For Camp
For Filters.
THREE FIELDS IN AMERICA

L
eattIe-pIsnes and Under French In
structors-work Begun at Dayton
(oJ Camp.
! Washington, June Am American
hrm has been awarded contracts for
the construction of a two-squadron
aviation field in France, where Amer-
lean army fliers will receive final
preparation before taking their place
at the front.
The aircraft production board Of
the national defense council an
nounce that the site had been select
ed and that all construction material
would be shipped from this country
to make the field an exact duplicate
Of similar fields now being equipped
here for the army.
Final training will be in French bat
tie fields and under French instruc-
tors. As yet the United States has
produced no airplanes Of sufficient
power and speed for use at the front,
and until American machines have
been developed to that point, foreign
built craft will be used by American
fiiers for battle purposes.
The announcement was made In Q
statement issued by the committee
on public information In which Chair
man oward E. Conn Of the board de-
scribes the progress that Is being
made with development Of aviators
and aircraft In the United States.
Three training fields will be so near
completed by July 80. that 500 stu
dent aviators, graduates OF the preli'
minary courses given at six colleges,
can begin their training In actual
flight by that time.
"As new airmen leave American
fields at the end of their four months
training" the statement says, they
will ny to the Atlantic coast and EN-.
bark for France. On French soil. I'M
der French instructors and with
French machines they will complete
their preparation for actual work at
the front
France and Great Britain have
made II plain again and again that
they expect aircraft and aviators to
be one Of Americas greatest contrf.
buttons to success in the war. Tie
government can now say that It ID
actually embarked on the task Of
overcoming It's present deficiency In
military aviation
America Is responsible for the IN
vention OF both the submarine and
the airplane. In the development Of
both she has allowed Europe to out
strip her. II is for US to show that we
can yet surpass both our enemies and
our allies In the development Of the
two great mechanical inventions for
which we ourselves are responsible"
The three aviation fields now under
construction are at Dayton, O.. De-
troit, Mich. and Champaign. ILL.,. and
nothing is being permitted to delay
their rapid completion.
1T may be q hard pull to get train
ing planes enough for all the cadets
from the universities who will be
ready for work In these aviation
camps when the camps themselves
are completed" said Mr.. Coffin. I'VE
expect to have them none the less"
Work began last week on the big
four-squadron field at Dayton, O.. un.
der Captin Warning of the signal corps
who was associated with General
Goethals in the construction Of the
Panama canal.
1T is significant that this Dayton
field Of $500 acres, built to accommo-
date the largest group of aviation
students to be trained in the great
project on which American has now
set forth. has been fixed on the site
OF the original field on which The
wrights developed their first success
full airplanes.