The Waterbury Democrat., 1931-05-26
As a Means
 Of National Defense
Asst Sect of War Frederick H. Payne Tells of Avia-
 lions Success Before Legion Post in Boston

of natural science. The telephone, the miracle of yesterday, has now become common place necessity in the lives of all of us. A few years ago we saw the first radio set ex- hibited. Now radio brings the news and entertainment of the world into 14 100000 homes in this country alone. Television sets will soon be as numerous as radio sets. Man is achieving virtually instanteous communication throughout the world. Time and space are being transformed, and we are accepting 1t all as we accept the new straw hat for the summer with some eager ness but remarkably little astonish- ment.
 We can all remember when the Boston papers carried headlines tell l ing of Claude Graham Whites won- derful flight around Boston Light. Then Earl Ovington flew over the Newtons and even the Mayor took the day off to see him go overhead. Now Massachusetts has 541 licensed pilots of her own, capable of flying across the continent and back, and thirty or more airports maintained by her municipalities and commer- cial aviation interests.
 
 made possible this concentration of more than 600 planes in the vicinity of Boston.
 '.The dering roar of those hun dreds of motors to-day must have convinced the most skeptical among you that in the Army Air Corps we possess a military arm of unlimited potentialities.
 "It enters into all our plans for de- fense against foreign aggression. We no longer think in terms of crude ships that performed such heroic service ir France despite their mach anical Limitations. We are passing our calculations on ships that can fly 200 miles or more an hour and climb to a height of 30,O00 feet or more. We have entrusted these craft with | the defense of our coastal areas and expect them to be able to fly from the Atlantic seaboard to the Pacific l Coast in days time and be ready | to carry out Q military mission when | they arrive This means that the mobilization of the nations total air | strength at any threatened point, whether Boston. San Francisco, or i intermediate cities, could be con- veniently measured in hours. That gives would-be aggressor some thing to think about. Hours before | he could come within striking dis | tance of any one of our great coast cities, he could be met by the en- tire air forces oe this country. can think of nothing so compelling | to the adoption of peaceful methods I by others in their dealings with us Il than the common knowledge of our I ability to meet attack so promptly
 and efficiently.
 While considering the Army Air
 Corps as essentially a military arm,
 do not wish to convey the impress
 sion that it is remote from the life of the country as whole in it's ac- | tivities. It's primary mission is to aid in the national defense. but the
 operations of the Air Corps bring 1t into close contact and cooperation with many departments of aeronau- tics and aid, to very considerable
 degree, the advancement of that science. In fact, army pilots and technicians have often been the lead CTS on the road to new achieve ments.
 Witness, for example. the part
 that the Air Corps has played in the F deyelopment of many of the things
 which have made possible commer. cial aviation as It Is known in this country to-day. Even as early as the
 war period, during 1918, the first res
 ular air mail service in the United
 states was inaugurated between
 Washington and New York by aii corps pilots. A little later, between
 the years 1S21-f92b. the routes
 known as Model Airways" were or
 ganized. They connected varoiui
 urmy fields and cities of importanc'
 in the eastern and central sections
 of the country. and were flown ovel
 at regular intervals by army per
 sonnei, both for training purposel
 and to accomplish necessary duties
 These demonstrations of rcsuiarit,
 and reliability gave civilian asenciel
 the courage to form eommercia
 lines,
 "Then came the development o
 night flying after night living testl
 were inausurated by the Air Corpi
 In 1921 from MeCeok Field. Dayton
 Co Columbus, Ohio and return. Tht
 Army's purpose ln these tests was ts
 train ita pilots and 10 develop niRhl
 flying equipment on aiFplanee, suef
 as landing lights and other devices
 for night flying. Commercial aviation
 prehted immensely from these testi
 which made possible the present so'