Evening star., 1939-03-21
Engineer Urges
Better Methods
To Train Pilots
Manner of Handling
Plane Determines
Safety, Weick Says

600 pilot training program as lab
oratory to discover the best methods
of training pilots was advocated to-
day by Fred Weick, chief engineer
of the Engineering and Research
Corp, at conference of the Private
Flyers Association in the Wardman
Park Hotel, sponsored by the Ma
tional Aeronautic Association.
Controlled experiments and use of
the best methods of education and
applied psychology would result in
a great saving throughout the prof.
ect, Mr.. Weick asserted. He said he
understood that the Civil Aeronau-
tics Authority was already working
in that direction.
Mr.. Weick, who is known for his
important contributions to airplane
safety, introduced his talk on re-
search and development of private
aviation by stating he didn't con-
slider any airplane safe.
"The thing that makes an air
plane safe is the manner in which
1t is handled" he declared. Safety
requires that man with judgment
operates the plane within the limits
Of what it can, do"
Methods of Usefulness.
He said he considered increased
usefulness the most important i'm
provement that could be made in
private airplanes, and cited several
ways in which planes could be made
more useful. They were greater
proportion of useful loads, the abil-
ity to operate in and out of smaller
fields and greater independence
of weather conditions. In almost
every case, he said, research was
already far ahead of practice, that
1t was up to the designer to apply
the results of research.
Another important improvement.
he said, was to make planes easier
to obtain and easier to learn how to
use. Here, too, he said, knowledge
has outstripped development. He
advocated cutting down the number
OF instruments to simplify learning
'.how to fly and the developing of a
compass that will always tell the
direction in which you are headed
or will always point north, as the
pilot prefers.
Earlier, the flyers heard vigorous
protest from A. r. Stevenson, presi-
dent of the Private Flyers Associa-
ton, on the question of Government
regulation of private pilots. He said
the only plank in the associations
platform is minimum regulation con-
sistent with public safety.
Simply because aviation is new"
he declared, Il don't see why the
Government should hang it with
regulations like a Christmas tree
as if We were children
Opposes Certificates.
Voicing opposition to the Govern
ment's certificates of competency,
he said he himself wouldn't go up
with pilot simply because the
man had a Government license
to fly.
He termed silly and idiotic" the
fact that the Government Cancelled
the licenses of hundreds of pilots
who had flown for years without
serious accidents. Although these
licenses were restored, he said, the
second time they were Cancelled
number of pilots were not given
new licenses.
The Government, he said, should
trust pilots to use their own judg-
ment and should cancel their Ii
censes only when they show bad
judgment. He also pointed out
that the Government is not finan-
cially responsible for the planes and
therefore should not assume other
responsibility. He explained that
when he travelled on an air trans
port he put his faith not in the
Government, but in the airlines,
which were financially responsible
for the trip
He insisted that he felt safer
plotting plane than driving an
automobile and that people take
more chances with public safety
when they are at the wheel of car.
The conference will close tonight
with banquet at which the Loen-
ing Intercollegiate Flying Trophy
will be presented. Principal speak
ers will be Grover Looming and 1t.
Col. Ira C. Eaker, executive officer
to the chief of the Air Corps, who
will discuss private flying in rela-
ton to national defense.