Evening star., 1940-12-01
Army and Navy GET
$500 Flyers From
{. A. A. Program
18. 900 Students Being
Troined at More Than
700 Centers
By JOSEPH s. EDGERToN.

Sterial, already has placed more than
1900 trainees in Army and Navy
aviation, Secretary of Commerce
fJones announced yesterday.
There now are $4,000 students in
training at more than 700 centers.
Mr.. Jones announced. They will
complete their civilian courses in
February and have pledged them
selves to continue with military
training if qualified and acceptable
TO the armed services. The civilian
flight training centers have in
creased to the present level of more
Than TOO from a September total
$of 571.
N The Army Air Corps has drawn
1885 of the civilian volunteer pilots
and the Navy 701, according to fig
.ureS compiled in national canvass
siust completed. These figures in
tclude only those students who now
are actually in military training or
have been definitely accepted and
are awaiting orders to report, the
Secretary explained. He said the
flight centers have reported that an
additional GIT students have applied
for military aviation but have not
yet been accepted and have not
been included in the total.
Instructors Important Reservoir.
Flight instructors from the civil
pilot training schools also are prov
ing an important reservoir of highly
trained pilot material, Mr.. Jones
said. He reported that 518 of them
already have left the program to
serve in the armed forces of the
airlines. Of these, 254 have been
accepted by the Army primary
schools, 163 by the airlines, So by
Canadian aviation schools and 38
have returned to active military
duty. This accounts for more than
40 per cent of the total of about
1000 instructors enrolled in the ci-
villain training program.
ITO fill these gaps in the civilian
pilot training teaching force" Sec
retary Jones said, .'the Civil Aero
nautics Administration is constantly
improving and re-rating new in
structors. Several hundred are
under training at almost any given
time and these are being added
steadily to the reservoir of skilled
defense man power
1t was pointed out that the civil
pilot training program is composed
OF two types of courses, prelim-
mary course of ground school train
ing and flight training in light air.
planes which averages IS hours or
more of flying time, and a second
ary course, for the Understanding
graduates of the primary course,
in which heavier airplanes are used
and flying time is increased to SO
hours or more. The secondary
course is utilized as a feeder" into
the armed forces.
The survey announced by Mr.
Jones shows that more than SIS per
cent of the students completing
the secondary course already have
been accepted by the Army or Navy
and that more than 1000 trainees
completing the primary course have
been accepted without taking the
secondary.
Record Called Impressive.
"This is particularly impressive"
Mr.. Jones said, when it is realized
that out of the 20,705 who have
completed only the preliminary
course, very substantial number
still are in school, completing their
college courses. The bulk of these
will finish college next June, and
more than 5000 of them are TAX
ing the secondary course at this
time"
A breakdown Of the figures COM
piled in the course of the survey
shows that the Army Air Corps
has a total of 1910 graduates of
the G. P. T. primary course only
in training or definitely accepted
and that 454 others have applica-
tions pending. The Navy has ac-
cepted or is training 504 primary
graduates and has applications of
SO more pending.
This makes a total of ALA pri-
mary civilian graduates in military
training or definitely accepted, with
537 applications pending.
OF graduates of the civilian ad-
vanced, or secondary courses, 1876
have entered or been accepted by
the Army and 100 have Army appli-
cations pending, while 1877 have been
accepted by the Navy, with 20 more
under consideration. This makes a
total of 522 secondary graduates
actually in the armed forces or ac-
cepted and 140 with applications
pending.
Grand Totals.
The grand totals, primary and
secondary, show 1885 in training
rr accepted by the Army and Navy,
while the applications of 677 others
are still pending. The total num-
ber of applications, accepted or
pending, is 1913.
The rate at which traineeS OF the
civilian program offer themselves for
military training is likely to in
crease during the remainder Of the
fiscal year, Secretary Jones said.
"The C. A. A. program" he said,
sis operating now on much greater
scale than ever before. More than
5000 preliminary students and
5000 secondary students who be-
gan training at the opening OF the
school year will finish in February.
At that time $1,000 more preliminary
students and 5000 more secondary
students will start the. courses.
scheduled for completion in June"
THE importance of an increased
flow of pilot material. especially for
the more rapidly expanding Army
Air Corps, is illustrated by the fact
that the War Department Is PLAN
ming to double its pilot training pro-
gram next year and expects to pro-
vide schooling for 24,900 flying ca
diets.
Goal Almost Doubled.
The Army program originally was