The Goldfield news and weekly tribune. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1911-1947, 1917-07-21
ATHLETES in
DEMAND AS
A|RMEN
YOUNG MEN PROFICIENT IN
SPORTS MAKE BEST
AVIATORS

Nohst u
Athletes, including such men as
have played games such as tennis,
basketball, football and baseball.
are among the very best material
from which to pick the men who
will make up the personnel of the
American flying %squadrons accord
ing to b. NJ. Woods, dean of the
school of military aeronautics at
the university of California. They
possess the essential qualification
of a highly developed muscular CO.
ordination and quick judgment. In
speaking of the estimate of the re-
quirements for acceptance of a man
in the aviation section of the Uni
ted States army, Dean Woods said:
when Colonel l.. w. b. Rees,
one of the men who has helped to
make the Royal Flying Corps unit
the wonderfully effective branch of
the British army it now is, was
flying owe the German lines with
an observer busily engaged in OBJ
tanning important photographs, he
" ~ III SllOiiS all IAN
Instead of Immediately attacking
the opposing plane as it's pilot
hoped that he would do. he con
tinued his assigned task until the
required photographs had been OBJ
tanned, then turned upon his pur-
suer with a burst of machine gun
fire. disabled his machine, and sent
him down.
This incident is one of many
showing the marvellous morale hat
can be developed in a group of men
of the proper caliber. 1t is on ac-
count of the high personal require
ments of the kind indicated above
that the British have found it de-
sirable to permit no man to fly
who does not possess the qualifi-
cations of an officer. The American
air pilot is to be fashioned after
the British pilot in this respect; in
other words, every American flyer
will be an officer.
An officer is a man who is eX-
pected to obey orders and display
judgment at the same time. His
responsibilities are great. For ex-
ample, 1t take six months to pro-
perly train a Flying o:icer." His
training and machine have cost the
government about $685. 00 when he
gets to the firing line. Hence, a
single error of Judgment can cost
his country the whole amount in
vested. in addition to his life and
his value to the army to which he
belongs.
The 200 men now in an import
ant school of military a%eronautics in
mum destructive power of five mil
lions of dollars. Lord Kitchener
said that one good air pilot is the
equivalent of an army corps for
effectiveness in the field.
While this is perhaps not strict
ly true at the present time, the
lack of judgment and character in
the makeup of the pilots of a
field army may render it's work
useless. When the word of a mar
in the air can divert the fire of
many guns from assigned tasks to
a target he considers sufficiently
important, it is obvious that his
judgment must be reliable if he
is to hold his job.
"In choosing a candidate for the
air service, one is constantly face
possibilities of an officer, whether
he will develop into a man who
will turn to his country's o
every blunder of the enemy with
hat rare judgment of the Ameri-
can man of business or engineer,
The man who possesses these char
acteristics will usually be one who
has given evidence of brain power.
Consequently, an applicant for this
service may expect to have his
educational qualifications investi-
gated.
Normally. one between the ages
of 10 and 25 who has not com
pleted high school will not possess
the requisites of an officer, Con
%sequently, selections are usually
made from those who ave COM
pleted high school and preferably
some college work. Proper equi-
valents are accepted when they
seem to indicate capacity on the
party of the man.
Physically. eyesight. hearing.
lungs, heart and nerves are essen
ital. 1t is particularly necessary
that muscular cO-ordinance be ex-
to face with the problem of decid-
ing whether the applicant has the
hibited. On this account, men who
have played games such as tennis
basketball. football and baseball
which require highly developed
muscular coordination and quick
Judgment are peculiarly ADAPTED TO