Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-17
BY MAI. GEN. GEORGE OWEN
SQUIER, u. s. A., Retired.

BY MAI. GEN. GEORGE OWEN
SQUIER, u. s. A., Retired.
WARTIME Chief Signal Oficer and Chief Of
the American Air Servtce.)
The Signal Corps of the United
States Army. under date of December
%, 1907, issued an advertisement and
specifications for a heavier-than- air
flying machine. and the sealed pro-
posals under this announcement were
opened formally February l, 1908. The
main requirement before acceptance by
the Government was an endurance
test. in which the flying machine must
remain continuously in the air one
hour without landing
We all remember the worldwide in
terest which W. aroused by the per-
Torrance of this new and promising
realization of the dream of the ages.
During the continuance of the expert
ments the eyes of the world were CEN
tered upon the little flying field just
outside of Washington. The President
and members of his cabinet we've IN
frequent attendance. and Congress ao-
journed from day to day whenever a
flight was in prospect.
And then an almost inconceivable
thing occurred The Wright brothers,
having thoroughly demonstrated and
fulfilled all of the conditions required
by the specifications, the first machine
was duly purchased and paid for, but
during the eight years following the
entire appropriations by this Govern
n1ent for military aeronautics amounted
to less than million dollars
Unprepared for Warfare.
European. powers. however, in their
quest for military advantage. quickly
interpreted what had happened at Fort
Myer. Va. and France, in particular
during these years was responsible for
the principal advances in construction
and design.
I shall not enter here into the causes
some military. some civil, of this utter
unpreparedness. but the outbreak of
the World War found the United States
with but handful Of flyers and very
few training planes.
There was no aviation industry IN
this country and the number of pro-
fesslonal men trained as aeronautical
engineers and designers was so small
as to be practically negligible. In this
respect the problem of developing an
air program was unique. The United
States had built ships before, had
manufactured clothing. guns, NUM-
tons, built environments. etc, and had
q splendid body of men trained in
these professions and employment
but, outside of few men. there was
no one in the United States with ex-
perience in thu design or building of
even training planes.
When the United States actually en-
tered the war the pressure from our
allies and a sudden realization of our
real situation in aeronautics led Con-
f.. IL 10
act of May IL. 1917, $4,000, 900; the
act of June Is. 1917 S3l .846.000. and
finally the appropriation of s640, 900.
ZOO, the largest ever made by Congress
for one specific purpose, which WAS puj
through the House of Representatives
Military Affairs Committee in two sit
tingS-the House itself in one sitting
the Senate Military Affairs Committee
In As minutes. and the Senate itself a
week later. the bill becoming law on
July "a, 1917. three months and half
after the outbreak of the war.
Tribute to Valiant Workers.
I can only hope to present some OF
the salient features and accomplish
mentS of this effort. Of the hundreds
and thousands of men and womsn who
wrought valiantly and loyalty TO achieve
these results 1t will be impossible 10
mention specific names, or 10 give any
thing like just credit or mention 70
individuals or particular corporations
The work involved in training avi-
ators and obtaining aeronautical equip
ment in the United States, up to the
signing of the armistice, was of such
magnitude as to preclude the possibility
Of presenting more than brief resume
Of the major accomplishments.
More than $500 flyers were trained
in the United States during the wal
and more than 1880 had graduated
from ground schools by November II
1918. Flyers were graduated from
primary training schools at an avers &c
rate OF approximately TOO a month
and during the last few months of tbs
war the average was nearly 1000 q
month
There were training fatalities in the
United States. as in all other countries
where training has been conducted or
q large scale However. when the fact
II realized that our students few more
than $50 900 hours, the equivalent OF
100000 miles it will be seen that
cur training casualties were aStoniSh-
ingly few. Statistics show that we had
lower percentage OF fatalities thar
any other of the allied countries. The
monthly average in this country was
one fatality for every 5000 hours flown
Two independent Investigations have
shown that 80 per cent of training
casualties we're attributed TO the aviator
himself.
An analysis of training fatalities
showed that IS per cent were due tG
tai1spins. l9 per cent to collisions. IL
per cent to nose dives, per cent to SIDE
slips, 4 per cent TO fires, per cent tC
stalls, 2 per cent 10 collapse OF planes
, per cent TO loss Of control. l per cent
10 motor trouble, per cent 70 fan from
plane. ] per cent 70 crash and fire anc
IL per cent 10 unknown causes.
1902 Planes Produced.
When the war ended we had nearly
100 Squadrons overseas. In May. 1918
there were 80 sQuadrons at the front: II
July the number had increased 10 so; ir
August the total went over so, and II
October the number was more than 80
The actual production OF planes III
10 the armistice reached grand tots
Of 1902. Nearly half these were Tho
JN-4D types 500 were SJ-ls anc
100 were the Jenny" Ais and Chs.
More than $4,000 Liberty engine:
were produced during the calendar yesl
1918. Az the time OF the srmistice more
than $4,000 of these engines had beer
manufactured. Toward the end pro
duction had been stepped up to 2,O0C
month.
Ordnance produced under the dlrec-
ton OF the Air Service included 8l.754
machine guns and more than half a
million bombs
The armistice prevented carrying ou'
Of a production program on four Army
planes that had been developed, teStec
and approved by the Air Service. They
were the Lepere, equipped with the Lib
erty engine; the u. S. De Haviland ga
equipped with the Liberty engine; the
Martin bomber, equipped with two Lib
erty engines. and the Looming two
SEATED AOhter onUinnod wit h tho 400.