Evening star., 1939-07-01
Expansion Program
Of Army Air Corps
Is Under Way
$250,000, 900 Received
In Launching Record
Peace Activity
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

4: With European affairs nearing
another crisis and state of high
tension existing in the Orient, the
Army Air Corps today received more
than $250OO0,O00 for an expansion
program which is expected to guar
antee the security Of the American
hemisphere against aggression.
Work Already Started.
Part OF the Air Corps funds was
authorized yesterday when Congress
completed action on supplemental
1928, ,440 900 War Department supply
bill. Senate acceptance of a con-
ference report preceded the sending
OF the measure to the White House.
Included in this total is $l4,250,0OO
for so-called educational orders to
give industry experience in the
manufacture of munitions and ST.
600, 900 for Panama Canal Zone de-
fenSes.
The opening today of the greatest
period of peacetime expansion in
Air Corps history found airplane and
aircraft engine manufacturers al
ready hard at work on contracts
awarded under the terms of a pre-
liminary s5O,OOO,OO0 appropriation
made available prior to the opening
Of the fiscal year.
Recruiting of approximately $4,000
enlisted men for the Air Corps also
is in progress but will not reach its
full stride until well along in the
new fiscal year. Funds made avail
able today will provide for the tech
nical training for some 5000 of
these men as aviation mechanics.
radiomen, armorers and specialists
OF various kinds.
Contracts Go in Effect.
Contracts between the Army Air
Corps and nine commercial aviation
schools went into effect today under
which, for the first time in Air
Corps history, flying cadets will go
into training under civilian instruc-
tors in civilian schools. A total of
,, 1896 students reported today.
The opening of the fiscal year also
gave the go ahead" signal for a
, $62 100000 program of construction
! at five new air defense bases and at
new depots and at existing bases and
depots scheduled for enlargement to
meet needs of the expanded air de-
tense organization. The way was
cleared legally for full-Scale prepa-
rations for the establishment of new
military frontier outposts for the
United States in Alaska and Puerto
Rico. marking revolutionary
change in this countrys military
policy.
The program to build the Army
Air Corps strength up to $500 air
planes, of which $500 are to be
maintained in operation and 1900 in
rotating reserve already is we'll un-
der way with funds made available
in the regular 1899 War Department
appropriations bill, for the year
which ended yesterday, and in the
$50, 10000 advance made available
from the $500 900 900 expansion pro-
gram, most of which goes into effect
today.
During the fiscal year just ended
the Air Corps, up to June l, had con-
tracted for total of 1853 airplanes
and had taken delivery of 703 air
planes ordered in both the last fiscal
year and the preceding year. OF the
1853 airplanes for which contracts
were awarded, 539 are to be paid for
from the $5OOO0,0OO advance fund
and the remainder from the regular
funds of last year.
New Flying Cadets Report.
The total of 1853 new airplanes
now under contract includes heavy
bombardment airplanes, 1873 new
type attack bombers. Is intercepter
pursuit, SGT single-engined pursuit
and IA Photographic.
Air Corps history was made today
when 379 new flying cadets and II
of11cers from other branches of the
Army reported to the nine selected
commercial schools for primary
flight training. Their instructors
are civilian pilots certified by the
Civil Aeronautics Authority who |,
have just completed courses at the
Army Air Corps Training Center,
San Antonio, Tex, to famiLarize
them with Army methods and
standards.
Scene of Training.
Civilian schools which began |
training the new Army pilots today |
and the number of students report |
ing to each this morning are: Spar
tan School of Aeronautics CTulsa
Oklao, 86; Santa Maria School of
Flying (Santa Maria, Calif.), so:
Dallas Aviation School and Air Col |
lege Dallas, Tex, 60; Ryan School
OF Aeronautics tSan Diego, Cauf0,
IS; Alabama Institute of Aeronau- |
tics Tuscaloosa, Ala, 40: Grand
Central Flying School Glendale. |
CalifD, IS; Parks Air College east
st. Louis, IllD 40; Lincoln Airplane !
and Flying School Lincoln, Nebr.)
IS, and Chicago School of Aeronau-
tics (Glenview, IllD, Is.
Glasses of the same sizes will enter
these schools each six weeks under
contracts effective from today until
the graduation of the class which is
IN training on January /, 1941. The
Government will spend $3,528 800 for
flying instruction under these con-
tracts.
1t is estimated that total of 2.134
pilots will be trained during the con-
tract period. The estimated maxi
mum number in training at any one
time will be 1,445.