St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1917-10-17
TELLS OF AVIATION CAMP

TELLS OF AVIATION CAMP
Interesting Letter from Former st.
bloomsbury Academy Instructor.
= The following letter received from
w: r Gould, former teacher at the
Academy by Arthur Grant OF TINS
n,aca gives some interesting facts
about the big aviation camp. Mr..
Could is engaged in physical instruc-
ton there.
s@111th Aero Squadron, Kelly Field,
south San Antonio. Tex, Sept. "a.
Hello Grant:
Fl 1t indeed was a most pleasant sur
prise to receive a letter from one OF
ST. Johnsbury Academy boys. You
surely did justice to the news OF our
beloved school, and yet why fail to
say how you like the new teachers!
l do wish them all the success IN the
world I feel certain that the school
will have a successful year. and only
wish that it could be so that l could
be there to help things along.
At present, am acting as assistant
physical director of Kelly Field, and
believe me, am rushed to death with
work. I was appointed by Colonel
Chase to help Mr.. Hard, the Y. NJ. c.
A. physical director, who had the task
Of organizing this great camp into a
vast athletic organization. AS there
are about 10000 men here you can
deal from two men. We have been
at the work now for over three weeks,
and results are just beginning to
show We have taken over into our
jurisdiction the setting-up exercises.
or calisthenic drills, by the means OIL
which we intend to keep all our boys
in the best of health. The present
Indications are that we are succeeding
far beyond our original dreams. The
whole camp has caught the fever and
everybody gets into the morning ex-
ercises with all sorts of "pep." Each
has an athletic director who
reports to us for instruction in these
drills. We make out the drills, each
of which is to be used only for one
week, after which a new one is taken
on. AS they increase in difficulty
gradually, it will not be long before
We shall be doing some very nice
work. Since all are doing the same
drills each day, it will be simple
matter to have large number of
men participate in an exhibition drill.
We had such a one last week, and it
was delightful sight, I assure you.
Six hundred took part, and went
through motions as single man. We
staged this for the San Antonio Light,
in which paper there will appear a
long write-up next Sunday. I shall
send you one, for I know that you will
be interested to read the account of
this work. The Southern Department
head OF the Y. M. G. A. physical work
was spectator. He was very much
surprised man. and when the drilling
was over he said that without a doubt
we had the best organization in this
part OF the country. So you see that
for the time being, am doing some
thing worth while =
- I am ato take an examination this
week to admit me to the I. officers
training school here. I have passed
the flying age SO I shall try for a
commission as a first lieutenant,s non
living. Maybe when get to France
too, the requirements will be changed.
Ehey surely will have to. be if we are
to- obtain the best results. If that be
Me case, you can bet that shall take
UP fying.Ne
There rare a great many disap-
pointed boys here, for they imagine
that all they have to do is to pick
their own flying machine as soon as
they land there. This is merely an
organisation camp. As soon as "a
squadron lis fully equipped, out it
goes. For the. next two weeks about
ten will leave, and it is an easy guess
that their: destination will be Europe.
for they are drawing very heavy
clothing, and lots of it, 1 have the
desire to get across. and I want to be
oyer by next spring, when the big
snow starts And it will be some
snow! Uncle Sam says so.
i, There are many things that might
tells interest YOU, but which seem SO
commonplace to me now. To see one
OF our dare-devils loop -the-loop seven
or, etght times in succession, or to
turn a nose spin for several hundred
feef, or to do a most beautiful tall
dive does not even make us turn our
heads long enough to take it all in.
And yet there was a. time when I
thought those things above my imag-
lnation. i saw fellow fall about 200
feet with the nose of the machine
diving straight into the ground last
week, and before anyone could reach
him, he stepped out of the wreck,
shook himself. and walked calmly
away, without SO much as a linn.
Later it turned out that he received a
slight facial wound! He was a cadet
and the accident occurred at $50 a.
M, While he was trying his first test
Ier his degree as a full-fiedged flyer.
he was after his J. M. A. (Junior
Military Aviator). He surely was a
lucky man. I can tell you. The air.
plane was regular wreck. The
planes used here are all tractors.
from traho- to draw The pro
peiier is in front of the machine. and
TENDS to draw it through the air. In
the early type of machine the pro-
peilor was in the rear. Those ARE
called pushers. The newer type is