The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-05-24
PIONEERS OF THE AIR

While the air meet and the aerial program designed for Birmingham today are primarily for drill and competitive test for the air men and their machines, yet the spectacle holds an educational value for the citizens of this community which they cannot we'll afford to forego We have heard much of the governments failure to promote the full est possible development of our army and navy air service, and to an extent the charge is true; but we must not overlook the fact that this field of activity has yielded remark able results, and that American airmen hold more world records of importance than those of any other country. This is due to the faithful and intelligent effort on the part of our air personnel, and to the intensive direc- tion of expert attention to those aerial mat ters of most fundamental importance.
 The program today is varied and prom ises instructive entertainment for the people of this community. The maneuvers will be the same as if the planes were in actual war service, combining tests of speed endurance, altitude, accuracy of fire, deployments. for nations and drills, the whole being as far as possible competitive in order to stimulate the airmen to their best efforts. The citizens who pay the bills are entitled to the thrills. Moreover, it is fine object-lesson to those
 
 partments of preparedness as distractions, as remote, impersonal matters. Far from being so, all these departments are intensely real, intensely personal and intensely alive. Nobody takes his work more seriously than the airman, nor strives more paiMstakingly and zealously to perfect both himself and his equipment for the grim purpose which lies behind it all.
 air kag kot-o ;f, in his hands with no thought for himself, but only for the success of the particular enter prise on which he has embarked. Many an Airman has lost his life, knowing full we'll when he aseended that such might be his portion, yet dauntless because he knew the demonstration to be essential to the good of the service. No airman is safe, or secure from the chance of accident Fortunatelyg through the sacrifice of those who have died, or the daring of those who have come through, aviation each year becomes a more stable, dependable branch of defensive prep aration.
 But these brave men dwell constantly on the frontiers of aerial advance and adven- ture. They hold daily rendezvous with hazard. They are not content to do only the things they have proved they can do. They must ever be exploring the fringe of the yet unattempted, in order that aviation may eventually expand to play its appro- priate role in both war and peace. Bravery is the airman's birthright and daring is the breath of his nostrils. Some of his exploits may appear needlessly reckless to the un- initiated; but when we look back at the progress and achievement of the past three or four years, we cannot but conclude that ~ has all been done to some purpose, not aimlessly, but with the eye fixed on a dis tsnt but unvacillating goal. A goal once reached, becomes merely a marker on the journey to purpose yet more remote.
 The benefits of aviation we shall enjoy in peace even more than in war, and if any field of war endeavor may be heli to be beneficial and beneficent to the human race, surely aviation is that field. Therefore, Bir- minghsm turns out to welcome these veterans and pioneers of the worlds newest art, ex- tending to them that need of praise and ap- preeiation which they have all earned over and over, time and again.