Evening star., 1921-10-17
NAVY AIR FORCES
|, CRIPPLED BY TESTS
Large Number of Officers
Fail to Pass Examinations
for Regular Service.

Gripping of the aviation service of
the United States Navy is being faced
by the Navy Department through the
failure of large percentage of the
temporary regulars and reserve Off
GERS to pass the examinations for the
regular service, 1t was admitted by
officers of this branch of the naval
forces today.
The naval aviation station at Ana
costa and the station at Dahlgren.
Va, will be seriously affected by the
results of the examinations, as only
one officer from the two stations
qualified in the examinations. the re-
suits of which have just been made
public. The officer who qualified was
at Anacostia, while at Dahlgren none
passed.
Must Retain Reseryists.
While naval officers apparently are
not alarmed over this situation. it
was admitted at the department that
the Navy will have to keep on duty
large percentage Of the reservists
in order to maintain the stations.
While there are a number of perma-
nent regular officers detailed to the
aviation service, they are largely ad-
ing officers of this service are prac-
tically all reservists.
The temporary regular officers un-
der the law will have to revert to
their original status of warrant Off
GERS and enlisted men by December
81. The department also is faced
with the possibility of losing a pro-
portion of the reserve officers who
passed the examinations through
their refusal to accept commissions
in lower ranks than they now hold.
1t was pointed out. for instance.
!. that an officer who took an exam
ination for the rank of full lieu
tenant may have failed to make a
mark considered high enough for
that rank, but is believed qualified
Some of these officers. it is believed
will refuse their commissions in
lower ranks.
The Aviation Corps of the Navy is
made up almost entirely of reservists
and temporary regulars. There are
service now 152 regular officers. 134
temporary regular officers and 266
reserve officers. In the recent ex-
aminations only eighteen temporary
regular officers qualified for perma-
Hent status and 120 reserves. The
status Of six officers is as yet unde-
!! termined.
Much Work Curtailed.
Officers in the personnel division OF
opinion that the failure of so many
officers to pass the examinations will
not hamper the service. However. in
the aviation section the officers who
actually direct the service say that
1t will cripple the naval aviation
work.
The situation. however. is some
what relieved by the fact that. owing
| to the reduced appropriations for the
navy. much of the work of the avia-
tion service has been curtailed. But
it was pointed out. even with this
situation, advancement of the service
will be checked.
While naval officials said that re-
serve officers in the aviation service
may be kept on active duty indefi-
! nitely. they are without information
at this time as to whether reserve
aviators now with the service will re-
main after they have been informed
of their failure in the recent examina
tions. They will have an indefinite
status and may be relieved at any
time.
Separation of the reserve officers
from the service will be a serious
blow. 1t was said, for, as pointed out
the actual flyers are practically all
reserves. The other officers are en-.
gineers and machinists. otherwise
known as ground officers. While the
aviation service will now lose the
services of the temporary regulars
entirely, as they can be used in the
service as enlisted men. however
they cannot be used for details in
their present status as officers.