Evening star., 1927-10-26
FLYING WITH GEN. N.PATRICK
BY MAJ. GEN. NJ. NJ. PATRICK.
Chief of the Army Aif Corps.
Aviation Prior to 1917.

The first decade of aeronauticat de-
velopment was truly a period or ex'
perimentation. While comparatively
Ismarkable progress had been made
since the first flight of the Wright
brothers. great deal had not been ac'
| complished in this country in develop
ing aviation either for commercial or
| for military purposes.
In August. 1914, at the beginning OF
! the World War, the aviation section
Of the L. S. Signal Corps was lacking
pitifully in men and equipment. AT
the time we had one flying field, 2S air
! service officers. 1856 enlisted and civil
| ian personnel and handful of planes,
most of which were unfit for military
purposes.
| Contrasted with this picture, Euro
pean countries which were entering
into the great war had prepared to
| fight their battles in the air as well
as on land and sea. Aeronautical de-
velopment abroad had outstripped the
meager progress made in this country,
| for we find Germany entering the war
with nearly | 900 planes. France with
/ about 800 and England with about
$50. The necessity created by war had
| stimulated the growth of aviation IN
the European countries.
linpreparedness Shown.
Our aerial unpreparedneSs was DEM
onstrated early in 1916. when the list
Aero Squadron was called to active
duty in the punitive expedition across
the Mexican border. The squadron,
consisting Of eight airplanes, was used
! for reconnaissance work. In their
brief participation in this expedition
! all the flying equipment of the squad
ron was found unfit for the work re-
quired and unable to attain sufficient
altitude to get above the mountains.
| The rapid development of aviation
| in Europe, combined with the severe
criticisms of the operations OF the
| squadron in Mexico, resulted in Con
greSS apprOpriating, in 1916. $13,2Sl,'
| 666 for aerOnautical development.
| This appropriation removed the great
est obstacle that had confronted the
growth Of aviation in this country.
With these funds the air service was
| enabled to prepare a general plan of
! development. to obtain cooperation Of
/ the aeronautical industry and to in
sure it's expansion and to send men
| and machines into the air properly
equipped for military activities and to
| bring about a co-ordnated expansion
| of the aviation service in personnel
| and material.
When the United States entered the
war. in April, 1917. our Army aviation
consisted of, 65 officers, 1857 men
many of whom We're untrained--and
| 55 airplanes, virtually all of which
were obsolete according to European
| standards. We had no flyers trained in
the use of high-powered service air.
! planes or in air fighting. In fact, we
| had no actual knowledge of the aero
nautical requirements of modern war.
We were obliged to call upon Eng
| land, France and Italy to dispatch
their aeronautical experts to this coun-
| try to guide us in the construction of
machines and in training of men.
There had been virtually no aviation
industry in the United States. and we
| had to convert some of our factories
to the task of manufacturing air
| planes.
Huge Appropriation.
Realizing the pressure that was
being put upon us, Congress, within
three and one-half months after our
entry into the war, enacted legislation
appropriating almost $700.000,000 for
aeronautics. The program resulting
from the enactment of this legislation
placed a stupendous order on our re-
sources, the delivery of practically
1000 planes by July I, 1918. of which
10000 were to be for training pur-
poses and 1900 for fighting in
France. The sum appropriated was
the largest ever made by Congress for
one specific purpose, and the tremen.
dous task placed on the officers
charged with the execution of the air
program can be realized only by con-
sideration of the enormous require
ments in comparison with the avail
able industrial facilities of the coun-
try.
After having been guilty of the
greatest parsimonv with respect to
aeronautical development. Congress
stepped forward and virtually placed
an average levy of $50 on the head of
every family in the United States to
make amends. as it were, for it's pre-
vious niggardliness in promoting avia-
ton.
The story Of the period Of training
of men and the manufacturing of
planes and equipment is too intricate
to permit of treatment in this brief
review. The dispatch with which this
country met the emergency may be
realized. however. by consideration of
the following figures: At the signing
of the armistice there had been pro-
duced in this country 11.754 airplanes,
642 kit balloons and more than 10000
aviation engines.
tCopvright. 1927
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