San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-09-29
Why Our Air Service
Is Inefficient

protection today that only an intensely modern Air
Force can provide.
President Coolidge took long step toward the
organization of such Air Force when he appointed
the Air Board that in session in Washington. Not
one of its nine members is official of the War or
Navy departments Therefore, the board be counted
upon to deal squarely with aviation which the anti
aircraft bureaucracy in control of the War and Navy
| departments has done.
From this board President Coolidge has good reason
expect report that will enable him to recommend to
Congress ways and of getting rid of the inef
cheney that afficts the existing organization of our Air
| Services.
Any air officer of the United States Army, given the
daring that goes with disregard of SELF and doubt
less will tell the Coolidge board that the only way to
free the Air Service from the blight of inefficient organ
cation is to emancipate the Air Service from the control
and general direction of Notifying officers who have
either little or no understanding of the proper of
aircraft in peace
When the Great War came the military mind could |
conceive of only function for aircraft and that
to provide elevated platform from which the move
ment of land and forces could the better be OBJ
served Then supposed that the sole function of
Air Service in time of to the eyes of
the Army and Navy.
But soon it occurred to some aggressive aviator to
carry along shotgun to aid him in preventing the
enemy aviator from accomplishing his mission. Next
rifle tried, and then pistol but still without
cess wellnigh impossible to hit these new fast
moving targets of the air
Nevertheless, the aviator who carried the first
shotgun with him his flight started the for the
supremacy of the air. which led to the development,
during the Great War of three types of aviation
First Pursuit Aviation; Second: Bombardment
Aviation; and, Third: Attack Aviation.
The pursuit airplane only "a flying machine gun"
"a small fast combat plane, making upwards of IT'S
miles an hour.
Then the bombing plane, carrying high
plosive bombs, weighing upwards of ton, which can
blow up the largest forts and sink the largest armed bat
teships Bombardment aviation has extended the coast
lines of the United States hundreds of miles sea- and
ships the water and troops the ground at
mercy of the aerial bomb.
Finally came attack aviation-a combination of
the fast pursuit plane and the huge bombardment plane
carrying machine guns and small bombs, to be used
chiefly in srang the personnel of land and forces
In spite of this development of three types of avia
Tan which the Great War brought the anti-aircraft
Bureaucracy at Washington is still thinking in terms
thinking in terms of pursuit aviation bombardment
aviation attack aviation
Other nations, with longer and more bitter expert
ences in the than to the United States, have
long ago adopted wel-defned policy of air defense
Other nations have organized their air forces for the
purpose of fighting he battle of the air. just as an
army is organized to fight "the battle the ground"
and navy organized to fight the battle the sea"
But it is hopeless to expect any such organization of
Air Forces until their general control is purged of
inefficiency. That purging only by emanci-
patng all of the operations of Air Force, in peace
and war both in the Army and Navy from the control
of Notifying officers who either will not see
that Air Force is neither another cruch for the army
and navy in war; fad for the American people
/ in peace, but of National Defense and new
means of transportation.
And this emancipation is essential to any reorgani
cation of Air Services if efficiency is to take the
place of ineffciency in their organization