Milford chronicle., 1924-12-12
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
UNCLE SANS AIR FORCES

Never before had there been such
working and planning by any boy
young or old. Jack had sawed anC
hammered and chiseled and done ev-
erything a carpenter and builder
does, to get his airplane ready in
time for the big competition at
school. He was not content with the
machine he was building in his
manual training class so he decided
the best thing to do was to work on
another one at home with the hope
that it would be so perfect and so
swift that it would beat all the
others when the time came for the
tryOut.
Still at it, Jack?" asked Uncle
Ted as he looked in on the worker.
Still at it, Uncle Ted" was Jacks
reply. Il thought was all through,
but I broke this wing and now 1
have to fix it all over again. You
see I'm trying to make a different
model from anything the other boys
are making at school,"
60 to it, Jack. Who knows but
you may find the perfect airplane
and when Uncle Ted is old and grey
he will lean back and say proudly to
everyone, That's my pal Jack, the
great inventor who made airplanes
so perfect that they are safer than
automobiles
while you are working I'll sit
here and tell you an air story and by
that time you will have to go to bed.
As you know it was my privilege to
see Americas great Leviathan of the
air, the ZR-3, christened the Los
Angeles by Mrs. Coolidge, wife Of
the President, before a great gather
ing of notable officials of our Gov
ernment. That huge bag that had
travelled across the ocean from Ger
many to our own shores was an in
spiration to me and made me realize
just what possibilities there are
ahead Of us in aviation. The Los An
geles is the second ship of her kind
to become a regular part of the Unit
ed States Navy.
What I would like to see now
would be a great feet of planes.
Then 1 am sure we would have the
greatest air force in the world.
certainly don't mean them to pre-
pare for war but to develop COM
merce and for the protection of for
ests and for a hundred different
peace-time uses. Then if we should
ever be attacked by an enemy from
other shores we would be able to
protect ourselves as we should.
eve have a fine governmental or
ganizatiOn all ready to handle any
development in aviation. There is the
Joint Board of the Army and Navy,
composed of the best minds from all
our aviation services. Then there is
the National Advisory Committee on
Aeronautics. This committee is made
up Of the greatest inventors and men
working on aviation and its allied
studies in the United States. They
meet from time to time at Washing
ton and give the benefit Of their
findings to the men who run the air
forces Of our Army, Navy, and Mar
inc Corps.
"As you know, the Army and Navy |
have separate air force organizations |
but they work very closely together
and each one deserves a great |
amount Of credit for the wonderful |
progress made in the last few years. |
The last time I saw the figures, |
there were nearly thousand officers
and nearly 5000 enlisted men in the
Army air service, and in the Navy
air service around 600 officers and
about 5000 enlisted men. There are
% Army air stations in all parts Of
the country and IL naval air stations
AS well as the groups Of planes
that work with the Atlantic and Pa
cific Fleets"
Have we got the biggest air
forces, Uncle Ted?" asked Jack.
mo, Jack, we haven't the biggest
by a long ways, but we have the
men who know the air and we can
handle a force Of any size. There are
no more efficient airmen anywhere
in the world than the men Of the Ar
ny and Navy air services. What they
need is more and better equipment,
although they have done wonders
with what they have. These things
cost money, of course, and it may be
difficult for some people to realize 3
that the expenditure Of millions up
on aircraft is necessary, but, believe I
me, it is necessary"
what do they call those big new ]
army planes, Uncle Ted, mean the
ones that carry bOmbs?"
"I guess you must mean the Bari
ing Bomber. That is some big plane.
My, what a wonder it is! 1t has five '
big Liberty motors and will carry a
i've tons of bombs. like the NC-4 '
seaplanes. They have four Liberty v
motors and the way they can skim o
1ver the water! I sat in the cockpit il
If one once down at the Atlantic S
Fleet Review. It was certainly a il
thrilling sensation. III
'"Well, my boy you must stop now p
md get off to bed. Can't work all S
light you know. There are more d
lays. So goodnight and pleasant il
Ireams and here's hoping you win il
he competition. am sure you will, Il
or Your plane is a beauty" Il