Evening star., 1927-03-13
BY FREDERICK r. NEELy.

uOWH IHe tdnu untll the cause Oh III
iall--William Mitchell--went into re-
tirement, is reaping some of the seed
1t sowed in those tempestuous days of
| two years ago.
| When Mr.. Mitchell closed the door
of his Middleburg, Va, country home
on the outside world Air Corps Off
GERS here in Washington and at other
strategic points throughout the United
States went into their quarters and
set TO work counting the spoils of the
| victory. For 1t was a victory, al
| though everything asked for wasn't
| granted.
| Then. realizing that they had had
| their day in Congress" for many a
| nlibuStering session. and that the peo-
pie, after giving a promise that in the
kneXt five years they could build 1900
| airplanes and therefore would hear no
more about lack of equipment, the air
men have gone to work and shuff1ed
up the entire corps from top to bot
tom.
| And when the smoke clears away"
as one prominent officer put 1t, "the
people will see and we will see that
we've got a mighty good air force for
the defense of the land. 1t will be the
first time we've had an actual air
| force-and force in that sense doesn't
mean numbers, but organization to at
tack and defend"
Reorganization Begun
The reorga anzation contemplated,
and now partially begun, is almost
| staggering in proportions. Groups
and squadrons and units here and
there will be stricken from the active
list; others will be organized for the
first time; many will be shifted about
the country: at least two new fields
xr,i1I hn t1lc xKFit
1.-THE paint not yet dry, will fly out of
the factories. which for the first time
since the war will be keeping up full
steam pressure.
This widespread readiustment of
men and ships and things is to result
| in tactical defense picture, which
can be painted like this:
On the East Coast. at Langley Field,
! Hampton. Va, will be located mighty
bombing planes and swift-fiying pur-
| suit ships, both OF which can sweep
the Atlantic seaboard from Maine TO
Florida in comparatively small num-
| Der OF hours. The bombers are to
blow of the earth anything threaten
ing that comes within 800 miles of
/ these shores, while the speedy pursuit
ships are to plug with flaming bullets
any planes bent on a mission Of i'll
| will, as well as knock down their tiny
ngntlng escorts.
On the Pacific Coast the same situa-
ton will be found to exist Ave years
hence or less. At Rockwell Field.
| North Island. San Diego, there will be
more speedy and agile pursuit ships.
! while so miles away the huge bomb
| ers, with their two and four thousand
| pound bombs, will be ready in mo-
/ ment's notice to roar up the airways
to San Francisco and points north.
| The bombers will be at March Field,
Calf, which will be opened up now
as primary training center and even
tually will house bombardrnent wing.
| Safeguards to the North.
! To the north, at selfridge Field, will
be more fast flying pursuit ships,
which on a moments notice can fly
from Mount Clemens, Mich. near De-
troit, to Langley Field in six hours,
or can jump on to the transconti-
| mental airway into New York or San
Francisco.
Southwark. ard ~ place not yet
definitely detefml. the border coun-
try will be guarded by the newest
branch OF military aviation attack
planes. These are two-seated ships,
with machine guns sticking out all
| over, like quilts on porcupine, belch-
Ing forth smoke and steel and letting
fall rain OF demolition bombs. They
operate at an altitude of so feet and
at about $50 miles an hour, and wreck
havoc to everything that comes under
the line of flight
All this is under the heading of "Air
| force" Scattered throughout the
country. with ground units. will be
the "air service" composed of observa-
tion planes. whose duty Ii is to oh.
serve. photograph and regulate artil.
lery fire. These planes will come
under the direct command of the units
with which they work on the ground
and have no connection with the Of
fensiye body of pursuit. bombardment
and attack planes.
Cry Brought Relief.
or course these are not war plans,
or nobody is figuring on having to go
to war before the five-year building
program Is completed or Immediately
thereafter But the airmen raised
such a hula -baiioo about the lack Of
planes, pilots and an air defense. that
Congress was forced to make it's first
ample provision for aeronautics since
the war.
The biggest task In which the air.
men now are involved concerns in
creAsing the number of pilots in the
Air Corps, and this has brought about.
to a great degree. the widespread
changes in many of the permanent
stations.
While flying itself is not as intricate
as 1t is cracked up to be, military
iying is another thing An airplane
pilot is comparable to an automobile
driver. military pilot Is fighting
blood thirsty. strategical, tactical In.
dividual who, once in the air must for.
get completely the fact that he Is fiy.
ing an airplafle and concentrate his
entire attention on trying to kill the
other fellow with his guns. And that s
where the trick lies and that's why
about half or less than half of all the
bright young men who want to sprout
wings get sent back home after the
patient instructors down in Texas
ha ndle them for awhile.
SO in order to increase the pilot
strength from about 800. as ii stands
today, to 1874 officers, the present
training facilities must be expanded
to take care of about 400 students an.
nually. This has necessitated the es
tablishment OF March Field, Calf,
: as a primary training center until the
San Antonio district. where all train
ing now is carried on. can be fitted UP
10 carry the heavy load. Brooks Field
the primary training school. and the
advanced bCnOOi at heiiy fleId VIII De
working TO capacity by September 15
OF this year.
School mt San Antonio.
Eventually the school at March
Field will be brought back to the Sau
Antonio section, where a raw ground
man can walk in at one end of the
] establishment and emerge about a
) year later sporting a nice. shiny pair
of silver wings, if he's good enough.
TO teach these aspiring youths ne
cessitates the withdrawal from many
| fields of pilots and enlisted men who