The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1931-11-13
Talking It Over after the Flight

flying fields where reserve training is carried
on there are planes reserved every weekend
throughout the year for the use of reserve corps
officers. This is the case at nearly all the army
flying fields. 1t is the privilege of the officer and
at the same time an Air Reserve corps require
ment to fly an army plane certain number Of
hours every month.
Once year the reserve corp officers train
for two week periods at the army fields through
out the country. At New York the observation
squadrons composed of officers of the Second
corps area camp at the Long Island field dur
ing the summer. At fields in the south and south
west reserve corps training is carried on through
out the year.
Lectures by regular army aviation officials
cover such subjects as radio communication and
equipment, navigation, cross country flying and
aerial photography. Then with parachutes
strapped to their backs, strict army regula-
ton, the fiers put these lecture subjects to ac-
tual practice in the air in addition to formation
and observation flying.
There are two primary aviation schools in
Texas and California and one advanced school
at Kelly field, San Antonio. Texas. The grad
uate of the reserve school goes in the regular
army for two years a commissioned officer
and licensed pilot
Out of some several thousand applicants to
the army flying schools every year, few hun
dred enrolled for the primary training Less
than half of these succeed in obtaining their
diploma, commission and license as a reserve
army flyer. This past June 90 cadets received
their wings" at Kelly field and were assigned
to army fields throughout the country few
days before 245 applicants were selected to be-
gin training.
Courses in both the primary and advanced
schools give the cadet 225 hours in the air with
the necessary auxiliary studies in meteorology,
airpane-engines. navigation, radio, aerial gun
merry and other academic and field subjects for
military pilots.
termne whether not the cadet is going to
make fer he is put through tests which are
described as psychological by the instructors.
He needs, they maintain, re-education to give
him lair confidence and "air sense"
One of the cadets first experiences which is
almost frightening as his first solo flight. is
a tryout in "orientator." mechanical de-
vice which whirls and revoves him through
every revolution and movement plane will
make in the air.
1t resembles the cockpit of a plane and in
that the cadet sits. The mechanism is dual
controlled, that is, the cadet operates controls
similar to those of an arplane and the in
structor sitting outside of the device operates
a control which puts the cockpit through it's mo-
tons. The instructor, who gets certain
joyment out of the business. doubt, tries to
cadet tries to maintain it.
Soon after he enros the cadet starts actual
dual flying. After few days of infantry drill
and other ordinary military duties to put in
the mind of the cadet that he is one of Uncle
Sans soldiers, within the first week he finds
himself with his instructor ready for his in
itiaI flight. The cadet is getting his first les
son-to have full confidence in his instructor.
In order to put this over the instructor goes
through a few spins and rolls UNTIL in some
cases. cadet is about ready to crawl in his
teachers pocket. Another purpose of this flight
is to have the cadet "feel out the situation
of flying for he is told nothing before he starts
except to hop in the plane.
The flying is done in the morning and the
ground schooling in the afternoon Of day
that lasts from $50 until a: 80
His next venture aloft the cadet is told, Is
for lair work" 1t consists of straight flying
SPINS banks forced landings and the course
lasts ten flying hours. In the forced landing
instruction, the instructor kills the engine while
the plane is in some precarious position or To-
cality and the cadet must glide to the ground
safely. A careless accident on his part will
promptly eliminate him from the cadet ranks
His next trial is solo hop around the field
watched closely by his instructor on the ground
And when the cadet returns safely to the field
even though he has shown, possibly, great skill