Glacier County chief., 1940-10-04
GEN E RAJ
HUGH S.
jon N SON
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PILOT TRAINING

WASf1lNJ1ON.-FlV weeks ago
questioned the value and efficiency
Of the civilian pilot training pro-
gram, which is plan to train so, 600
pilots for military and naval serv-
ice by farming the students out to
civilian pilots in groups of from 10
TO 10 to be trained at so much a
head. l said that it was not prop
erly supervised, was dangerous and
unlikely to produce many military
and naval pilots who would not have
to start all over again in the primary
training of the armed services.
wrote that after seeing the plan
in process and talking with expert
enced and impartial training experts
upon whose judgment rely. From
other such men that column re-
ceived Endorsement, but by some in
terested in that program l was told
with various degrees of indignation
that / did not know what l was
talking about.
Wayne Parrish, editor of Amer
lean Aviation, has watched this
development closely, has recently
made study of it and has not, as
a recent gossip column implied, the
remotest political interest. In an
editorial in the September Is issue,
he goes a lot further than did my
column and even hints at the very
odorous condition which may result
in a congressional investigation.
Assistant Secretary of Commerce
Hinckley wangled a total appro-
priation of S37 100000 to finance this
program. 1t was presented as
defense move to train so, 900 pilots
perhaps for Mr.. Roosevelt's $4,000
phantom planes.
The record is not clear as to
whether congress was told that moth
ing in the plan commits any trainee
to any kind of military service, but
Mr.. Parrish reports that pros
poets are assured that there is no
such obligation and told just TO for
get that part of it. Out of II gradu-
ates of the secondary course, rs
didn't seek military training.
No military or naval authority is
very clearly on record, but private
ly neither branch believes that
satisfactory substitute for the serv-
ice primary courses can be given
in this haphazard fashion.
Those who doubted the wisdom of
the transfer of the independent CAA
to the political department of COM
merce, do not feel much encour-
aged by these developments nor by
the increasing sabotage of the in
spection service of the old CAA,
which hung up SO remarkable
record of air safety on the transport
lines.
Veteran inspectors are being sub
merged, weeded out or resign in
disgust to make places for less eX-
perienced men.
1t is hard enough to understand
how military and naval pilots can
be trained by a slapped together
hay crate organization of civilian
pilots, but harder still to see how a
safe and uniform course of instruc-
ton Can be given in so many indie
pendent schools" by instructors
themselves of wide variety of ex-
perience and training without an in
spection service rating almost per-
feet efficiency. Many of the So
called private flying specialists"
who are directing" this loose joint
ed organization for training mill
tary and naval pilots were examined
and failed to qualify under the old
inspection service as inspectors.
In this new Specialist rating,
they receive higher pay than ex-
perienced inspectors-S5,6 900 a year,
as compared with $1,000, $500 or
$4,000; the latter figure being the
highest rate in the old inspection
service. This and similar policies
are stripping that service of compe-
tent men.
Much worse faults of carelessness
and monkey business have been re-
ported, but I have been unable to
confirm them. What this situation
needs is a congressional investiga-
ton. Maybe it will get it-but not
until after the election.
DETERMINING RETAIN