Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-17
NAVY PAYS SPECIAL
TRIBUTE TO BYRD
Annapolis Academy, His Alma
Mater, Claims Lead in
American Aviation.
ny FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.


When Comdr. Byrd and his gal
gallant flying mates reach home this
week, AnnapeliS-his proud alma
mater-will greet him with an an
nouncement big with meaning for the
future of American aviation. The
United States Naval Academy has be-
come the largest aeronautical school
in the world. BY the time Its four
classes are fully enrolled mex. Autumn
roundly 1900 midshipmen will be un'
derCoing training in the science OF
f1ying. The Navy has now adopted
the fixed principle that every one OF
Its officers shall be "air-mlnded ana
air-taught.
Annapolis does not seek to qualify
IT'S students as actual aviatorS. IL IS
rather bent upon intoxicating In navai
graduates an understanding OK the
fundamentals Of aviation as a part OF
their general naval education. What
the academy is aiming to do, in tact,
is 70 ground Uncle Sans future ad-
unirals in the A, e, Cs of the flying
game in precisely the same way as
Rvrd perfected himself in them be-
fore he flew across the North Pole
and the Atlantic.
Summarize Byrd System"
The academy authorities summarize
The "Bvrd system of aviation educa-
!. ton now in vogue as follows:
I mo attempt is made, or intended,
to qualify any individual as an ava
tor any more than to make an ensign
the navigator of a battleship because
IN
The aviation course at Annapolis
hears similar relation to a general
service foundation as do the courses
in gunnery, engineering, Navigation.
stc There Is included in the academic
course certain theoretical work In con-
nection with the fundamentals OF ava
ZION both from the point or view
Of material and operation, but TINS
Ia onlv preparatory in the same way
that frignometry is preparatory 10
astronomy and navigation.
Course Is Outlined.
The course consists of the follow
ing subjects and number OF hours
in each with an additional hour OF
study preparatory to every nour oi
theory of flight, hours; structure ana
rigging. 90 hours: aviation engines,
al hours; radio instruments, 20 hours
aircraft communications, hours;
aerology. hours; nRvigatlonal IN
Struuents. 3 hours: aerial navigation,
26 hours: aerial gunnery, 10 hours;
aerial bombing, 10 hours; range gun
merry. "a hours; scouting, ~ hours
practical work in the air in observer s
duties respectively as mechanic, gun
ner, radioman and navigator, "a
hours each. There is radio. code prac'
tice. and the student ofiicer must
learn procedure" and spend enough
time on this subject to receive cooe
at the rate of Is words per minute
The subjects of aviation and aero.
rautics were added to the Naval
Academy curriculum in 1925. Work
mt completed during the regular four
wear course is finished by the class
Remaining at the academy during the
Summer Immediately following grad
uation.
Special Arrangement Required.
BECAUSE of the extraordinarily large
size OF this years class-whose re-
ouirements are about double the re-
sources Of Annapolis for aviation
training-the aviation ground WORK
was absorbed into the academic year:
The Summer was set aside TOT actua1
living. engine-testing gunnery, naviga.
1ior ate The class has been divided
into two PARTS. One part is receiving
n. fiye.week course following gradua-
ton, The other part is on leave. at
the close of which it win return to
ANNAPOLIS for final flying instruction.
Nothing could show more graphical
" the absorbing interest the Navy
now takes in aviation than the cur
rent July s'United States Naval IN
stitute Proceedings" Almost the en-
tire contents are devoted to flying
matters, There's no trace or the
Nays alleged jealousy Of the Army
because of recent epoch-maklng n.y.
ing achievements by Army-trained
aviators. Whole pages OF pictures ana
comment are given Col. Lindbergn ana
Clarence Chamberlin. It's evident
that in August the proceedings"
win be no less enthusiastic over the
feat of Lieuts Maitland and Hegen-
berger in accomplishing for the Army
what the ill.starred Comdr. Rodgers
tried and failed to achieve for the
Navy on the California Hawaii flight.
The Navy realizes, perhaps more
fully than others, what Lindbefgh had
60 overcome and what made his trans
atlantic fight successful. Naval ex-
perts declare that he most striking
thing in 'tLindy's" epoch-making
achievement was his dead reckoning
navigationai ability" On this score
the United States Naval Institute
Proceedings" say:
Enthusiastic air companions have
testified that Col. Lindbergh has
sixth sense, likening 1t to that Of the
homing pigeon. Be that as it may.
naval officers the world over read
with sympathetic understanding Lind
berghs account Of his iand-fall and
his hail to the fishing boats asking
IL he was on the right road TO Ire
land and his subsequent thoughts to
himself that in making up his mind
1T was Ireland rather than Spain
or some other country, the rest was
child's play"
copyright. 1917