The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1917-08-06
Special to The Times.)

III special 10 Inc llIEeS.I
MINEOLA, N. Y, Aug. cts
easier to learn to fly warplane
than to learn to run an automo-
bile!
That's what / learned at Mine
ola, the eagles aerie-the nesting
place of the great American bird,
king of the skies.
For Uncle Sans great Mineola
aviation field is the school where
the eagles young are taught to
swoop over the fields of France,
carrying terror to German vul-
lures.
Easier to learn to fly than
to learn to run an auto!
How long did 1t take you, or
your neighbor, to gain the
confidence of his machine?
Well, at Mineola mere boys
become expert pilots, ready
for the finishing touches of
instruction in war combat,
IN FOUR HOURS.
Most autOists stay out OF
the downtown traffic cOnges-
ton foN four weeks, to say
nothing of four days. And
as for auto mastery in four
hours-unheard of!
THAT boy is one of our best
graduate airmen."
| followed the gesture Of my
officer-guide to a figure in khaki.
Then like a jolt in the ribs
came from the officer:
"HE LEARNED IN FOUR
HOURS. HE is READY FOR
FRANCE
| had turned my gaze back to
the sky. Things had seemed in
teresting there. Half dozen
huge planes were circling, passing
and repassing. | had been think
ing a collision was about due.
! But-"Became a star air pilot
in four hours!" l studied the
boy-yes, boy, apparently about
20, slim, cool. no swagger, just
plain American boy.
had made mistake craning
my neck upward. After that l
kept my eyes closer to the ground.
And the most important thing
| learned at Mineola was that the
men, the soul of the eagles, were
more worth watching than the air,
the element that conquered, or
the planes, their wings.
Gust tell me-" l said to the Of
ficer plotting me past hangers,
tents and barracks, "how they do
it."
He matched my surprise.
why" with a shrug, THEY
LEARN TO FLY ALONE IN TWO
HOURS. If they can't fly alone
in ten hours they leave, so they
won't waste our time. After 20
hours of actual flying they are
ready to become officers-or cast
offs. They must have passed all
the test stunts-cross-cou
flights, triangular flights, accurate
landing on fixed marks, and so
on.
"Then, as officers, after a little
time at an advance school, here or
in France, learning to handle fast
machines, aerial gunnery and
bomb-dropping. they are ready
for their first air battle
The remarkable. Curtiss
machine, greatest training
airplane in the world, adopt
ed by the British, is respon-
sible. 1t is a dual-contrOl
machine-just as IL an auto
mobile had two steering
wheels, two gear shift levers,
two fuel controls, so the in
structor could at any time
check or correct the learner
!, without interfering with him.
There are two seats, one dt-
rectly behind the other. In front
of each is complete set of con-
trolls, interlocked. The pupil
climbs into the front seat. He
keeps his hands and feet on the
controls to learn the feel of it,
The instructor, in the rear, mani
lpulates them.
An auto steering wheel, turning
from left to right for sidewise d.
rection, and swinging backward
and forward for up and down di-
rection, a steering bar on the floor
loperated with the feet like the
steering bar of your old sled, and
the engine throttle-these are the
controls.
The second time up for HIS 30
minute lesson the pupil does the
flying, and II he makes a false
move the instructors hand checks
him. The fourth or fifth time uI
the instructor doesn't expect to dc
much checking. He's there for
safety only.
| And Safety First" is the motto
all over the aerie. One broken
strand OF wire, out of a woven
cord Of 20 strands means repairs
Every machine is thoroly ovor-
hauled before every flight.