Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-08-24
Our Air Service
Needs More Men
By Frederic ]. Haskin

|
The announcement that the Aviation
Corps needs ten thousand additional
recruits is striking evidence Of the growth
which this branch Of the service has
undergone
Ii will be remembered that on March
| 10 Tor therenbouts) of this year the air
| service was definitely closed 10 al en-
| listments The aviation section had
then gone far over its allotments, and
so strong was the appeal OF aviation 10
| the mind of the potential soldier that
other branches Of the army were unable
to compete with it at the recruiting
| stations. II was stated then that what
ever increase became necessary IN the
air forces would be made from registrants
| IN the selective draft.
| So swift has been the development OF
aviation here, that the draft IL unable
| TO fill the requirements without injury
to other arms of our fighting forces.
With this proposed increase OF 10000 lts
| enlisted strength will be once and
| third that of the entire American army
OF year and half ago. When America
| entered the war what was then the aviation
| section of the Signal Corps provided
| for about |, 100 enlisted men. At the
| present time the air service has total
of l47 ,434, not counting officers, CIVILIAN
instructors and cadets IN training. Stili
this is not enough.
RATION OF AZ TO |.
| Forty-seven men on the ground Tor
each pilot in the air IS the ratio estimated
| by officers as the maximum needed In
a mechanism so delicate as that OF the
| alrplane, where loose screw may result
| In the loss of a pilot-or, even worse of
| a battle-the most minute scrutiny must
/ / Al e gfgT ~ yn
assembly and repair The soldiers OF
those aviation companies whose duty
it is To care for the machines must be
veritable progidies Of mechanical skill.
| Draft registration lists, service records
of men already in the army, and the
| rosters of technical schools have been
| combed for them. Yet not nearly enough
have been found
So il IS probable that q new appeal
for aviation recruits will be sent broad
cast through the country. and that
special effort will be made 10 reach men
under and above draft age, and men
classified for limited military service.
II must he remembered that only the
highest grade Of skilled Workmen are
wanted. The unskil!ed man or the man
with a superficial knowle ige Of his
trade s apt to injure both the service and
himself by making application, for should
he be shrewd enough 10 slide ny the
careful questioning Of the recruiting
officers. his inexperience will betray It
self later at the concentration camp, ard
result in his trans Ter 10 aregiment Of the
line.
MECHANICS ARE BADLY NEEDED.
Airplane mechanics Of bona fide exper-
lence are most badly needed. Cabinet
makers are wanted for the delicate wood
work which forms three-tifths o. the
modern plane. Chauffeurs, auto and
motor cycle mechanics are needed to
assemble and repair the engines and
motors Radio operators are offered
exceptional opportunities IN the ar
service A few clerks and stenographers
are wanted for handling the necessary
details Of military administration
Immediately after enlistment al re-
cruits will be sent to concentration
depot probably at Kelly Field, Texas
or nj Nineola Y. Y. Each viii be put
through rigid examination in whatever
trade he Processes 70 follow. These
tests will be conducted by officers who
are themselves experts of various trades.
Recruits who fail TO come through the
tests in a satisfactory manner VIII be
dispatched summary to combat branches
Of service those who pass Will be gwen
an intensive schooling in the new science
of airplane mechanics and aiterward
organized into airplane crews and squad
rpnS
Some of these crews viii remain II
the United States TO care for planes al
the various training fields, but most ol
them will be shipped TO the large test
ing fields overseas.
Whether or not the aircraft program
I net ngF
or not our Allies have lived up TO all o.
their pledges IT is certain that the tlm'
when al! American flyers on the Western
front are fighting IN planes OF American
manufacture is rapidly approaching.
RAPIDLY ASSEMBLING PLANES
, In the big American flying fields II
England planes are being assembled
r as rapidly as possible with restricted
: number OF mechanics These are moStl.
Hendlev-Page machines of English manu-
f facture. The shipment of Hendley
3; | Pages from America, for which tn
7 / American public has been so long look
E ing. will begin in a short time. How
) quickly they will get INTO battle depend
; upon how quickly they are assemble
5 and flown across the channel This. IN
turn. depends upon how many mechanic
there are to assemble them. Mos
Americans do not appreciate the dlfiieult'e
t entaied in this work.
5 Perhaps more than any other brancf
of the service the avlation corps offer
: TO the recruit real opportunities. Il !
possible that infantry drill and hel'
artillery schooling will not be of grea
value In the placid days to follow tn
war. but there are many who beliey,
that the growth Of aviation will be ever
more phenomenal than it has been L
date
The field for the skilled airplane me
chanic will be as wide as the world.