Evening star., 1923-07-22
BY PAUL GRIGGS.

Instructors conducting classes with
the students sound asleep is some
thing new in education.
1t is novel, to say the least, even
with respect to that most extrava-
gantly treated of all modern subjects
radio.
Regardless of it's obviously humor-
Gus aspects. probably the most novel
feature of this latest claim for radio
is that it is true.
Such a unique and delightfully."-
comfortable method of education is
practiced daily-or rather nightly
at the naval air station at Pensacola.
Fla 1t is practiced as a part of the
ground" training of men for one of
the most hazardous professions of
this age OF extreme hazardS-that of
aviation. 1t comprises the aviator's
supplementary training whereby he is
equipped, when he eventually takes to
the air as a pilot. to converse through
space over great distances with
lightning-like speed with his brother
pilots in the flight. with distant points
below on land and with ships at sea.
Must Keep Awake.
While the student aviator. in his
preliminary intelligence communica-
therefore, Slumber while his mind Is
being trained" in radio sense. he
obviously must keep wide awake with
his mind constantly on the alert when
he becomes qualified pilot and is
engaged In performing the dual duties
OF pilot and radio operator in the air.
This remarkable system of instruc-
tion is now in actual practice within
the Pensacola air base, wherein stu
dent avfators are required to become
proficient in the use of the language
of radio i'll order to qualify as pilots.
The subject of Unconscious" in
struction is the acquiring of speed
of mental functioning" in connection
with the practical use of the dot and
dash code of radio for communica-
tion purposes-the transmission from
aircraft in flight of code messages
and special signals, and the reception
on the plane of incoming messages
and special signals.
The instructors at this school are
professional radio operators of long
experience who are practical and
qualified men in their profe ession and
who entertain no illusions with re-
Spect to radio as a whole, and GER
tainly not with respect to the ability
OF student operators to converse
through space at varying rates of
speed through the medium of the
electromagnetic impulses correspond
ing TO the dots and dashes of the
radio code.
Method Proves Success
That the method Is effective is evil
denced by the fact that certain stu
dent aviators at Pensacola, hitherto
delinquent only in radio, have sue
cessfully passed the required speed
tests" after receiving this form of
instruction or training and have
thereby saved themselves from being
dropped from the aviation class.
;t 4 ,i,D,o
cd enables the radio student to be-
come proficient in the reception of
the dot and dash code language of
radio at the higher rates of speed in
a fraction of the time that is ordi-
narily required.
The course of instruction for stu
dent aviators at Pensacola extends
over a six months interval of time
Du ring this time the students must
become proficient not only in aviation
itself, but also in matters pertaining
10 radio installations on aircraft ana
especially in the handling of the radio
code for the transmission and recep-
tion of messages.
With the aid Of competent instruc-
tors, 1t is not especially difficult to
familiarize oneself with aircraft
radio installations. Likewise, it is a
comparatively simple matter to
memorize the dot and dash alphabet.
numerals, punctuation signs, etc. of
Of the code to memory, the art of
speaking" or sending in the Ian
guage of radio is readily acquired by
practice. 1t consists simply of the
student manipulating by hand an or
dinary telegraph key in such a way
that short electrical impulses cor
responding to dots and comparatively
longer impulses corresponding to
oashes' will be produced in their
proper order of sequences.
Difficult to Learn.
Anyone can learn to speak" or
send in the radio language. although
1T requires considerable practice and
certain degree of skill to become a
good sender and especially to become
a fast sender. However, every one
cannot master the art of receiving or
understanding the radio language,
Moreover, some who are capable of
mastering the art of receiving at a
slow rate of speed, experience very
great difficulty in training their minds
TO receive at the higher rates of speed
The rate of speed at which radio.
and also land wire telegraph mes
sages, are transmitted by hand ranges
from about twelve words per minute
for the very slow senders to thirty
words or possibly thirty-five words