Evening star., 1936-04-26

unit. today one of the most efficient
unit has Just celebrated its tenth ami
versary with the annual inspection of
| ground and air activities.
For a long time after the first meet
ing the Reserve pilots had to be con-
tent with discussions Of technical pa
pers, lectures and ground flying" with
occasional hops in station planes at
the Anacostia Naval Air Station. The
group had no real squadron organiza-
ton and no airplanes or equipment.
| There were no enlisted men.
Paper organization of the squadron
was begun under the leadership of
Lieut.. Comdr. E. w. Rounds, then a
lieutenant, who today is commanding
officer of the unit. In the Spring of
1927 the unit left the Navy Yard and
established itself in tiny room in the
end of the mess hall at the Anacostia
Naval Air Station. In the Fall of that
year the first airplane, Navy trainer,
was assigned to the division and the
Regular Navy assigned to the Reserves
the duty of making the local meteoro-
logical flights.
In 1928 the present VN-6R was or
ganized, and in October of that year
the Navy Bureau Of Aeronautics as
signed to 1t its first service-type air.
plane, an O2U-1 Vought observation.
The unit by this time numbered %
officers and 16 men. On May "a, 1929,
Comdr. Rounds few this plane into
first place in the observation airplane
competition in the Curtiss Marine
Trophy races, the first and only such
victory achieved by any Reserve pilot
| or airplane.
The first active duty Of the organi-
cation as a unit came in 1880, when
five officers and six enlisted men un-
derwent IS days of training at the To-
cal station. Before the end of the
year the unit had four service-type
airplanes, all 02C Curtiss observation
types. In 1881 an active duty train
ing cruise to the Naval Air Station
at Cape May, N. j., was authorized
and II officers and men went there
for IS days. The unit had become a
well-organiZed, self-sustaining avia-
ton outfit capable of taking the field
with service equipment.
So rapid was the growth of the unit
that in the Spring of 1882 an entire
hangar at Anacostia was turned over
| to VN-6R and the unit also had
machine shop. locker rooms and class
rooms of its own. BY the Spring of
1884 the unit had become known
throughout naval aviation for its
efficiency and in that year it won
the Noel Davis Trophy, awarded an
nually to the outstanding Naval Avia-
ton Reserve unit in the United States.
Last year it was nosed out Of first
place in competition for the trophy by
only few points, the trophy going to
Minneapolis.
This year opened with one Of the
largest recruit classes on record and
there has been a wedding out of those
who for one reason or another had
not attended drills regularly, their
places being taken by recruits who
have proved their ability during six
weeks of competitive training and pro-
baton. BY the end of February the
unit was at full strength for the first
| time and there now is waiting list
of men to fill the places of those who
are unable to keep up with the rigid
training program.
A month ago VN-6R received three
| new SF-l scouting airplanes, a type
| far different than any its pilots had
been accustomed to using. Never
theless when the annual inspection
came around last week, the SF-ls
were in the air for highly creditable
demonstration of dive bombing. spot
ting, radio controlled tactics and car
rier landings.
Officers of VN-6R today are Lieut..
Comdr. Rounds. commanding officer;
Lieut.. Comdr. T. j. Kennedy, medi-
cal and welfare officer; Lieut.. B. NJ.
Coleman, in charge of recruit training;
Lieut.. H. J. Huester, Lieut. M. B.
johnson. Naval Reserve aide: Lieut.
u. g. J. deGanahl, executive officer:
Lieut.. q. GD j. j. Klak, operations
and communications officer; Lieut.
q. G. r. G. Nightingale, engineer
ing officer, and Ensigns P. NJ Adams,
personnel officer: j. T. Blackiston,
theological officer; G. F. Brewton, sup
ply and educational officer; c. r.
Burnett, assistant operations officer:
P. Dalton, navigation and photo
graphic officer; H. A. Henson. assist
tant ordnance officer; c. A. McAtee,
assistant operations officer, and J. H.
Smith, ordnance officer.
ORGANIZATION of local gliding
and soaring group to succeed the
defunct Washington Glider Club will
be undertaken at mass meeting of
those interested in motorless flying
at 8 pm. Wednesday in National
Aeronautic Association headquarters,
Dupont circle.
E. H. Young, vice president of the
Aero Club of Washington, who was
working with man-lifting kites before
there were airplanes and who was
active in aviation at College Park as
early as 1910, will be in charge of
the meeting. He will be assisted by
Don Hamilton, director of the Soar
ing Society of America. Notices have
been sent to all who have been active
in local gliding and soaring affairs.
Others who are interested but who
STAMPS.