Evening star., 1939-01-30
Neglect Of Mechanic!
Seen in Aviation
Training Program
Troined Personnel Held
Needed to Keep New
Birdmen in Air
BY ALICE ROGERS HAGER.

BY ALICE ROGERS HAGER.
When the curtain goes up next
month on the testing of plans for
the Presidents program to train
10000 pilots, some interesting side
lights on the aviation situation will
be disclosed. The plan in general
has been received with merited en-
thusiasn, both by aeronautical eX-
perts and by the general public.
There are, however. few flies in
the ointment.
The first and major objection
has been raised because of the fall
ure to follow through on the
mechanic training plan, which was
designed originally, although with
out official recognition, to rival the
pilot project in numbers. Heads Of
aviation schools all over the country
were called in for conferences and
the feeling was that the training
would be done by the Army on an
entirely satisfactory basis. How
ever, the fact that some of the plane
and engine factories were working
at less than capacity and were re-
leasing mechanics, rather than TAX
ing them on, had dampening ef-
feet, and at the moment the whole
matter seems to be in allegiance.
Feels Situation Is Serious.
This writer has talked with the
director of one of the three leading
schools in the country. Unwilling
to be quoted, this man, whose asso-
ciation with aviation instruction
dates back to the early days of the
industry and who is widely known
for his foresight, said he felt the
situation was serious.
'It takes very much longer to
train a first-class mechanic than
pretty good pilot" he declared.
with the constant increase in
intricacy and skill required to build
and service planes today, your me-
chanic is a vital part of the setup.
Hes got to be good-more than
good-he's got to be the product Of
long and careful teaching under
first-class instructors. You can't
tie your ships together with baling
wire these days. Personally I'd want
TO stop flying if I thought that the
planes I was using were overhauled
by just anybody. If we're not care
ful we're going to find ourselves
with big, beautiful flock of young
birdmen and nobody competent to
keep them in the air"
N. Y. A. Training Negligible.
A good deal has been said about
the training being given boys by
the National Youth Administra-
ton. AS matter of fact the ad-
ministration has never claimed that
1t did such training. What it has
done has been to give boys certain
familiarity with jobs in which they
we're interested and some work ex-
perience, so that it would be easier
for them to find openings as be-
ginners. The only actual contact
with aviation the administration has
had or probably will have has been
as the contributor of the first
100000 to finance the test of the
pilot training program at 10 COL
1eges during the coming spring
semester.
The Civilian Conservation Corps
Is another matter. Nearly 600 of its
camps have some type of aviation
instruction in progress. Each camp
allows its enrollees to suggest some
Of the courses they would like to
study, and almost all Of them have
had requests for aviation. In Penn
sylvania, near small aircraft fac
tory, one camp sent Is boys to study
In the factory each Saturday. After