Evening star., 1933-06-25

In appointing the flying cadets for
the July class the War Department was
not able to 60 beyond the sixth category
or that of college graduates affiliated
with r. o. T. c. units. Fifty-four
graduates Of the United States Naval
Academy who did not receive commits
sions because of lack of vacancies and
who were recommended for appoint
ment as flying cadets by the superin-
tendent of the academy, were appoint
ed, forming one-third Of the entire
class.
The new class is composed of $50
students, including 81 graduates of the
Naval Academy of the June, 1888. class
18 enlisted men of the Regular Army
Air Corps, 4 enlisted men of other
branches OF the Regular Army and "A
civilian college graduates.
These students, despite previous
status, all will undergo training at the
Armys great West Point Of the Air.
as flying cadets. Those who are sue
cessful in completing the eight months
primary course at Randolph and the
four months advanced course at Kelly
Field will be rated as airplane pilots,
commissioned as second lieutenants in
the Air Corps Reserve, and. so far as
appropriations will permit, will be
placed on extended active duty with
Air Corps squadrons.
The change of policy is expected still
further to improve the caIber OF the
material from which the Air Corps
draws its future fighting pilots. Every
man in the new class is a college grad
uate with military experience In X. o.
T. c. units, a graduate OF the Naval
Academy or an enlisted man with con-
siderable experience in the Air Corps.
They represent the finest young man
hood the Nation has to offer.
Attack Planes Ordered.
The first attempt on a large scale to
modernize the attack squadrons of the
Army Air Corps since the beginning of
the five-year Air Corps program has
been undertaken with the awarding by
the War Department of contract Tor
the construction by the Curtlss Aero.
plane g. Motor Co. Of Buffalo, N. Y, OF
46 new high-speed Curtiss ALI attack
planes.
The Army's attack squadrons are the
last to undergo moderniZation because
of the difficulties in developing an &C
ceptable type of airplane to replace the
old-type Curtiss Falcons for ground
strafing" work. The Falcons, similar
to those used for observation purposes,
have served in lieu of something better
until they are completely obsolescent.
The new A-12, developed after several
years of intensive research and testing,
Is q single-engined low-wing mono,
plane, built entirely OF metal ana
equipped with wing slots and flaps 10
reduce landing speed. It is armed with
five machine guns and carries bombs
for attacking ground troops, trains,
machine guns, artillery and other
strong points on the battlefield.
The Ala. known as the Flying
Fortress" is said to be one Of the
most efficient weapons ever devised for
use against ground troops. 1t IS
powered with a nine-cylinder TOO
horsepower P-1S2oF Wright cyclone
engine weighing only 122 pounds per
horsepower The engine includes a
number of the latest Improvements,
among them q down-draft carburetor
of new design, spark-plug coolers and
an 11-inch supercharger impeller.
Although performance figures con-
corning the new planes are military
secrets, it Is understood that the A-l2
is faster by many miles per hour than
any plane developed for similar pur-
poses anywhere in the world, its de-
sign embodying some of the features
of the successful racing planes Of the
past few years.
With adoption. of the A-12, the mono
plane has come into use for all types
of Army combat operations, numbers
of new monoplane pursuit and bonn
bardment airplanes already being In
service
Student Training Goes On.
Two new student airplane pilots
were enrolled during the past week at
the Mount Vernon Airways School,
Alexandria Airport. They are A. G.
Conrad. q route captain for the Daily
News, and L. D. Shank of Brentwood,
Md. Corporal Roland C. Hoy, Army
Air Corps, air mechanic, who is on
duty at Boiling field, soloed during the
week at the Alexandria field and began
building up solo flying time toward his
first Department of Commerce license.
For the benefit of visitors who gather
on Sunday afternoons to watch the in
formal program Of flying demonstrations
at the Alexandria Airport, Mount Yer
non AirwayS has installed a public ad-
dress system. It will be used today for
the first time to describe events in the
flying program, which will begin at 2:30,
continuing until $50 pm. Parachute
jumps are scheduled at $50 and $50
and there will be demonstrations of
acrobatic flying. The airport is on U. S.
highway, about miles south of Alex
andria. Va
Two students at College Park Airport,
College Park, Md, are just about ready
to take the examinations for their solo
PAGES this week by Department of Com
Yrc