The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1918-03-31
SFy.. AVIATION
CAMPS IN TEXAS
MAKING FLYERS
The American Youths Turn
Naturally to This Branch
of Service and Prog
ress Is Great

Dallas, March 2S.-The American
youth has natural aptitude for fly
ing. 1t was revealed and is being de-
veloped in seven aviation training
stations in Texas and, during the win
ter flyers have been turned out from
them with proficiency and in num-
bers that have fully satisfied the
American officers and have proved al
most startling to instructors from the
allied armies who are here to give the
Americans the advantage OF their ex-
perience and knowledge.
There are six American and one
81 itish aviation stations in the sta to.
The American camps are at Fort
Worth, SRA Antonio, Houston, Waco,
Dallas aid Wichita Falls. At Fort
Worth the royal flying corps, a camp
of young Canadians trained by British
officers are in daily competition with
the Americans in an adjoining camp.
A goodly number of young Americans
also are enlisted with the Canadians
anu are receiving their training un-
der the direction of British officers.
a regard for military secrecy pro-
hhits relating the total NUMBER Of
students who have taken to the air
here this winter. 1t reaches figure
that gives great comfort to the mill
tary men who know and compared
with the total advancement made by
the men, the number of accidents re-
ported has been surprisingly small. 1t
is stated.
SO MEN KILLED
From all seven camps a total of IS
men 1--WE been killed in airplane ac-
cidents up to early in February. The
British flyers a Fort Worth have lost
far more than any of the American
camps. The high fatality record among
the British, it is said, is the direct re-
suit of the more strenuous system Of
practice and drill which they use.
Twenty-siX deaths have occurred at
the two camps at Fort Worth, while
Houston, next in the list, has had six.
"They kill more at Fort WosSh be-
cause they fly more" is the way a
young aviation officer explained the
great difference in the mortality lists.
The British theory is that the men
should receive early instructions in all
the difficult work they will have to do
in actual service, while the American
trainers spend a larger part of their
time in drilling the fundamentals of
flying. The young Canadians go into
the air early for flights that are for
hidden in the camps under United
States control They are taught the
SplralS, the DIVES ana the loops tina t
are part of actual war flying and
SO it is that if their mortality list
seems out of proportion to those in
the other camps the British officers
are not displeased with the accom-
plishments of the men under them.
The San Antonio station has had
three fatalities, Dallas. Waco and
Wichita Falls one each. Waco and
Wichita Falls had perfect records li,-
til the week ending February when
a Waco a pilot was killed in col
lision with another machine in mid
air and cadet at Wichita Falls lost
his life when his machine fell.
Several of the killed have been civil
ians or mechanics. In the early days OF
the American camp at Fort Worth, a
mechanic was struck BY propeller
when the engine bacifired. There was
similar accident only recently when a
college student examining an airplane
which had landed on the campus of the
| Texas Christian university, got too near
the propeller He was struck on the
head and killed almost instantly Al
Denton, Tex, recently an aviator from
Fort Worth stopped in a flight and was
persuaded into taking a civilian as a
passenger The airplane had hardly