Evening star., 1940-10-06
U. 5. Pilot Shortage
Acute asAirp|ane
Production Gains
Lack Of Instructors and
Facilities Is Creating
Training 'BottIeneek'
Bv JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

Win american aircraft IdCJOTleS
scheduled to achieve a production
rate of 10000 airplanes annually
soon after next March l, the need
for speeding up production of mill
tary pilots is becoming increasingly
acute.
Already the limited numbers of
available instructors and training
ships. overcrowding of airports and
lack of suitable planes for advanced
training are creating bottlenecks in
the training of both military pilots
and civilian pilots needed as ma
tional defense reserve.
There already is a serious posi-
bllity that the production of pilots
may lag behind the production of
airplanes There is almost certain
to be a lag before the armed serv-
Ices can hope to reach the wartime
goal of at least two trained crews
for each airplane. to spell each
other, plus necessary reserves to
man newly delivered planes.
In the Army Air Corps today. it
Is eStimcted. there are 5.400 pilots
in active service and slightly fewer
than 2400 under instruction. The
Army is expanding tremendously its
training facilities toward a goal of
1000 new pilots year 1t does not
expect to reach this rate before next
May. however
Navy Has About 5000.
The Navy has just under 5000
pilots in active service, including
nearly $50 Marine Corps pilots, and
approximately 1850 are in training
at Naval Reserve bases and at
Pensacola, Fla
The Army, Navy and Marine
Corps today have grand total of
nearly l2500 pilots in active service
or under instruction. The National
Defense Commission and the War
and Navy Departments, however,
have cleared contracts for nearly
$4,000 new airplanes, in addition to
those already in service
Multi-engined bombing airplanes
require at least two officer r-pilots in
each crew-some are manned by as
many as four officers. who must have
flight training. Double crews for
such alrplanes-necessary for the
efficient ration-therefore would
require from four to as many as
eight pilots for the large bombers
and at least two pilots for pursuit
alrplanes, working in relays.
Civilian Flyers Listed.
In the civilian field. according to a
survey by Col G.. de Freest Larner.
general manager of the National
Aeronautic Association. there are
1912 airline pilots licensed by the
Civil Aeronautics Board, each with
1900 hours or more of flying time;
1926 commercial pilots of 200 hours
or more of flying time; 876 limited
commercial pilots. who have flown
so hours or more, and 22.153 private
pilots.
The airlines will have such i'm
portant functions to perform in time
of war that it not only is exceedingly
unlikely that single airline pilot
can be spared. but, on the contrary,
more will be needed. Fast domestic
transportation is vital to national
of rail. highway, air and water
transportation be maintained, it
must be increased as a part of the
defense program.
The need for increased air trans
portation may draw heavily upon
the ranks of commercial pilots. but
many should be available for mill
tary purposes and a majority, with
few weeks of training. could be made
into military pilots. A large number
of these men, however. are over age
now.
Need Months of Training.
The limited commercial pilots,
from the military standpoint, are
about at the point reached by Army
and Navy air cadets who have COM
pleted primary training. Several
months of training would be- re-
quired to fit them for military
service.
The private pilots, as an average,
probably have had about half the
primary training given flying cadets
and would require perhaps the
equivalent of eight of the nine
months training given to military
pilots are over age or unable to meet
pilots are over-age or unable to meet
physical, psychological or educa-
tional requirements for military
service.
To increase the potential reserve
of partially-trained flyers from
which flying cadets may be drawn,
the Civil Aeronautics Board on Oc-
tober / completed the training of
1886 pilots in its preliminary
course. 1,139 in the secondary, or
advanced course, and about 1000 in
the instructor refresher course.
None of these is under any obliga-
ton to apply for military training,
but hundreds are expected to do so.
College Program Rushed.
On October more than 10000 COL
lege students in some 700 colleges
and universities began training in
the second year of the full Civil
Pilot Tra-ling Program. Under a
speed-up program, they are to COM
plete preliminary training by Janu-
dents have been required to pledge
themselves to enter the military air
services for further training, If
qualified and accepted
The total of 10000 students in
cludes approximately 1900 primary
students and 3.315 secondary STU
dents, most of whom completed
their primary training prior to Oc.
tober l.
The minimum age of new STU
dents has been raised from 18 to
l9 years, the maximum age re-
manning at 26 years, to conform
more closely with requirements OF
the military services. All applicants
also are being required to pass the
regular military physical examina-
ton before being accepted.
Graduates of the primary course
will have had 70 hours of ground