Evening star., 1936-08-15


Anacostia on September l.
Bidding farewell to civilian life on
September 1. Bob reported at the
station and began his month of elimi-
nation training, the purpose of which,
as defined by official regulations, "is
to discover the students degree of
aptitude as an aviator and as an OFF,
GER" He was enrolled in the Naval
Reserve as second class seaman and
went right to work.
During the first week Bob put in
many hours as a student of such
subjects as history of the Navy, Or
ganiZation, naval customs and eti-
quette, ranks and ratings, duty and
discipline, correspondence forms and
routing and pay and accounts rou-
tines. He began to pick up a back
ground in code work and navigation
signal, learning by radio
Then for three weeks, he devoted
most of his time to the business of
learning to fly. There is large
amount of ground work involved in
fight instruction, but during his three
weeks, Bob got 10 hours Of actual
air work
During his first hour, in a bright
yellow training plane-the yellow
sounding vivid warning to all other
pilots to stay clear-young Mr.. New
man was put through the rudiments of
taxying, straight flying, turns and
glides. During the second hour he
repeated all these and began his dual
instruction in take-offs, climbs and
landings. The third and fourth hours
were given over to reviews of the
first two hours to drive home these
fundamentals.
In his fifth hour, Bob was intro
duced to the difficulties of spirals and
approaches. Then, for three hours
more, he went over what he had been
taught. During his ninth hour he
tackled stalls and spins. The final
hour was devoted to preparation for
emergenty landings-with the land
ings. The instructor, at the most
inopportune moments, would "cut the
gum" whereupon it was Bob's duty
to get the nose down, and begin his
glide for a landing area, to be selected
in seconds from whatever the terrain
had to offer.
A T THE close Of each hour, Bobs
instructor rated him in stu
dents jacket, or log book. A rather
complicated system of ratings then
was used to determine Bob's final
mark for his ten hours of flight
training and ground school work. The
mark proved to be satisfactory and
Bob was ready for two prescribed
30-minute check flights During these
flights his instructor put him through
all the lessons he had given, care
fully noting his reactions for numeri-
cal rating in his jacket
Finally, the check flight records
approved, Bob was ready for his first
great moment-his first solo flight.
There's no use trying to describe
solo f1ight-the reactions vary from
man to man, and they are all very
impressive reactions. Suffice it to say
oAllO DOb WIN O1Ay 11CW liAo AiclA 4lOul
and came In for an adequate land
ing. He TAXED to the line, cut of
his engine, signed his solo time in
the jacket.
Climbing out of the yellow trainer,
Bob was seized by his whooping class
mates and hustled to the seawall. from
which he was unceremoniously pitched
into the Anacostia River, to emerge
spluttering and grinning. The duck
ing is a traditional Navy accolade
for all wso solo and it is admins
tered regardless of rank.
Bob's solo and his ducking ter
minated his 80 days of elimination
training at Anacostia. The other five
members of his class also soloed, were
ducked, and all six were eligible for
recommendatio for appointment as
aviation cadets, to be sent to Pen
sacola. The recommendations ap-
proved, few days later found them
on their way to the great Florida
station, the Naval Academy of the air.
For his first month of training,
Bob received SIS in pay. Arriving
at Pensacola as a cadet, his pay was
increased to $125 month, with 81
a day subsistence allowance. The
Government also provided $4,000 of
insurance and paid his premiums while
he was on active duty. If he leaves
the service he has the privilege of
maintaining the policy himself If he
chooses. Bob also found that he
could look forward to receiving a
lump sum of $1,500 upon the COM
pletion of his four years of duty, in
addition to pay and allowances.
At Pensacola, Bob and his five class
mates were Joined by survivors of the
month of elimination training at
other naval air stations and they in
turn joined the cadet corps which now
was composed of the first three
months classes.
NEWMAN found at Pensacola that
cadets are accorded the same
privileges as flight students who are
graduates of the Naval Academy.
The cadets are quartered in their
own barracks, have their own mess
han and recreation building, and have
cadet officers selected from their own
ranks. The only distinction between
cadets is on the basis of competitive
merit
Military drills became q definite
part of Bob's day. The cadets have
formed battalion-the newest mill
tary unit in the Navy-and the course
of drills Is similar to that followed
by the midshipmen at the Naval
Academy.
The flight training course consists
of preliminary indoctrinal period,
followed by ground school and flight
training in five squadrons. In the
flight squadrons the student flies pri-
mary seaplanes and landplanes until
he is thoroughly familiar with every
phase of emergency work, acrobatics,
night flying. blind flying and cross
country work. Then he progresses
to scouting. observation, patrol and
fighting squadrons. He practices ma
chine-gun work with both free and
fixed guns. horizontal bombing and