The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1925-10-02
SOM. THING
WRONG IN
NAVY, HE
SAYS
Hawaiian Filler Believes in De-
Tense Coordination Of
Service Branches
By KENNETH CLARK

By KENNETH CLAKh
Commander John Rodgers today
indignantly denied before the
Presidents air board that the un-
successful PN-9 Honolulu flight
was the work of ''bungling anna
teurs' as charged by Colonel
BILLY" Mitchell.
Refutes Mitchell
The men, including himself, who
handled the flight were all qualified
eeronaptical experts. with years Of
I experience in the air, Rodgers
frankly said.
my record shows. that I am
both q qualified aviator and nayiga-
tor" added Rodgers.
II fail to see how any possible
stretch of the imagination can at.
tach any blame to the Navy De-
partment for the fact that the
Hawaiian flight did not work out
as planned said Rodgers, directly
referring to Mitchell's charges.
Rodgers was strong in his ad-
vocacy of drastic changes in the
navy lISSlI u 1I1lpIOFE cLN4lI4OAA'
This could be done without any
great upheaval that would cause
heart burnings and discomfort, he
said. 1--WE want to better aviation,
but we want to stay in the Navy,
and not be taken out and unified
with all other air arms.
ST think naval aviation should
have a separate promotion list and
a separate budget
Opposed to Air Service
Rodgers said he was "unalterably
opposed" to an unified air service,
as recommended by Mitchell, but
he did advocate separate air
corps within the Navy.
THAT scheme" said Rodgers, re-
ferring to the unified air service,
would defeat the very purpose for
which it was organized.
Navy filters should be trained
with the fleet, as an integral part
of the Navy
In this respect, Rodgers Endorsed
the views of every other naval pilot
who testified before the board, In
Guiding Captain George C. Wester-
welt, manager of the naval air
craft factory, Philadelphia, who pre-
scented a definite plan for a sep
arate air corps in the navy.
II think, however" added Rod
gers that an aviator should be
given a rest about every five years
and assigned to duty other than
flying.
You know, it is easier to get
roses in other branches of the navy
than it is in aviation"
What is a rose?" asked Dwight
w. Morrow, chairman.
"Oh, letter from somebody in
charge telling a fellow that he has
done his work we'll"
us that caused by a lack of APP
probation of the air service by the
navy?"
Not exactly" Rodgers replied,
they simply don't give roses to
aviators."
Example of Rose
As example of a rose" Rodgers
said a young officer attached to
ship in China got laudatory letter
from an admiral for being kind to
a Chinese mandarin.
I'VE don't get that kind Of an
in aviation" Rodgers
Besides, we feel that it is
enough of a decoration to be able
TO fly"
A man has to take an extreme
risk in flying before he gets rec
ignition, Rodgers continued. Il
know for example that had to
90 farther than Snody or I'd be
he said.
Lieutenant A. p. Snody command
ed the PN-9 No. 2, which got only
/ few hundred miles off San Fran
cisco.
"Then there's Major Martin, who
started on the round-the-world
hight" added Rodgers. II think his
standing more seriously affected by
lot having completed that flight.
II sometimes think it is better not
q go at all than to fail in the navy.
Speaking of the proposed sepa-
ate air corps divorced from the
lavy, Rodgers declared:
ST look with alarm on sepa-
ate corps. We can't have too many
clothes in the navy pattern. That
,rings up jealousies.
~ thinR v6 can atvs pilots al