Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1918-12-06
HI RHDl'

tH26Rf&60 OF the air service pu@'ie
ft4klEl8 squadrons at the front than
are the pilots and observers
themselves This statement. while
perhaps little broad. is not at ali
untrue. Without efficient mechanics
the pilots wings would soon be clipped
and there would be few, if any, ships
available with which they could take
the air.
When this country entered the great
conflict 1t is no exaggeration to say
that there were no more than one
thousandth Of the mechanics needed 10
make the repairs necessary to keep Il
great air fleet in the air. TO take from
the airplane industries the few me-
chanics who did know airplane work
would have been simply case OF rob
hing Peter to pay Paul" inasmuch as
the mechanics in the factories are VI
tally necessary for production a new
industry has therefore sprung up N
This country, and that industry Is or
ganlzed under the name of Air Ser
Ice Mechanics Schools"
There are two such schools In oper-
alton, one at st. Paul, MIMI. and the
ether at Kelly Field, South San An
tonic Tex. These schools are In ef-
feet factories, the product being high
grade aiTplane mechanics and the raw
material from which they are made,
garage men. carpenters, blacksmitns'
metal workers, tailors, etc. The two
schools are conducted on identieally
the same basis and produce all the
tradesmen that are needed for the aero
service sduadrons. The trades taught
are the following:
Airplane meehanicians, blacksmiths,
cabinet makers, carpenters, chauffeurs,
eoppersmiths, electricians, fabric work
ers, instrument repair men, magnetic
repair men. metal workers, motorcy-
cllsts. motor mechanicians, propeller
makers. rulcanizers, welders.
First Tests.
A students life from the moment
of entering the air service TO the time
when he finds himself a competent air.
plane mechanic in a service squadron
at the front Is something like this: He
is first indicted or drafted, assigned
TO the air service, and ordered TO one
OF the mechanics schools. Upon his
arrival he IS trade-tested by n techni-
cal board formed for that purpose and
classified as n possible motor mechani-
feian, an airplane mechanician (air-
plane mechanicians do the rigging of
all airplanesl, fabric worker an elec-
t4rfo Of In NH
are required. The trade test board
uses mans past record as a basis
for determining his probable ability.
If he has been garage man and has
specialized on the upkeep of trucks,
he will probably be trained as chauf.
feur. If he has specialized more or
less on magnetic work, he will probably
Foe trained on ignition with particular
reference to that very delicate me-
,chanism. the Liberty ignition system
The trade test finished, the man is
assigned 10 HIS squadron at the school
and to his cot and is. made thorough
~ comfortable The next day, in NH
probability, his real work will begin
when he IS assigned to BIS class in
'WNhteNeF tfaue lie IL To ne tFuluPu
The largest number OF mechanics re
quired In sQuadronS are riggers, so the
typical case in mind will probably be
rigger. This man has probably
never seen an airplane except at the
country circus and then only at dis
ftancc. so he Is in new and strange
world The first day or two he with
the rest of his class will go over an
tairplane infinitely and learn the gen
eral makeup of an airplane. Soon he
will know the difference between
wing and a fuselage and how the vari-
Gus wires are stretched when the ma
chine is in flight. Then he will learn
Acw 10 take the airpane apart and
hew Il reassemhle and renlgn IL. and