Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-08-24
Defense Chiefs Find
Applications Tagging
For Pilot Training
100000 Student Flyers
Seen as Minimum for
5O.OOO-PIone Force
Nv JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

BY JOSEPH ;. EDGEkION.
II the United States is to attain
adequate air defense status, there
must be an immediate and great
increase in the number of applicants
for pilot training, in the opinion
of defense and aviation leaders.
Pointing out that only 10 per
cent of the graduates of the Civil
Aeronautics Boards civil pilot train
ing course are going into the mill
tary air services, the Private Filters
Association has estimated that, to
provide an adequate reserve of pilot
material, at least 100000 student
pilots should be trained. This would
be the absolute minimum If any
effort is to be made to build up a
50,o00-plane air force, it was esti-
mated.
It also has been proposed that
the Civil Aeronautics Board require
every enrollee in the civil pilot
training course in the future to
sign an agreement to apply for
military aviation training at the
end of his civilian course.
Opposition Is Found.
Considerable opposition to such
proposal already has developed,
however, and no decision is eX-
pected in the immediate future.
Under present regulations. enrollees
are not even asked whether they
intend to continue flying with a
view to joining the military services.
The c. A. B., however, now is
requiring that all graduates of It's
primary course who apply for All
vanced training be able to meet
the Army and Navy fitness and
educational requirements. Under
this regulation, all pilots gradual
ing from the c. A. B. advanced
course are qualified for immediate
military training in advanced train
ing planes which precede the tran
sition to warplanes.
Any further expansion of either
the civil or military training pro-
grams, however, must be preceded
by an expansion of ground facilities.
according to officials of national
aviation organizations such as the
Private Filters Association and the
National Aeronautic Association.
Airports Problem.
The effects of the civilian pilot
training program already ARE
somewhat staggering" the P. F. A.
reported, adding: Most important,
perhaps, is the airport problem.
Overcrowding at many airports
throughout the country has already
reached the dangerous stage. The
air about many East and West Coast
population centers already looks like
insect life in flower garden. Con-
ditions on the ground are chaotic
We need, quickly, more airports.
landing areas The Federal Gov
eminent can certainly supply labor
and equipment for grading and
building construction from current
relief appropriations.
Having put $4,000 or 100 900. or
more, new super-selected pilots into
the air. it becomes imperative to
keep them there. This means pro-
duction by thousands of inexpensive.
easy-to-fy airplanes. BY all means
let these ships be of the non-spin,
hard-to-stall type
800 Per Cent Gain Forecast.
The association predicted that
this fall would witness increased
flying Of all types of as much as 500
per cent as compared with year
ago.
by 1e41. If present civilian and
military pilot training plans carry
through" it was predicted, there
may be 10 to 20 times as much
flying as in 1889"
The number of pilots holding Fed
eral certificates has increased from
approximately $1,000 a year ago to
more than 10000, and graduates
from the C. A. B. course and from
private flying schools are being
added to the total at a rate of hun
dreds a month, 1t was reported.
Although only a. relatively small
percentage of these certiflcated
pilots is expected to be suitable for
making into military pilot material,
many Of the certifcated civil pilots
can fill useful defense roles behind
the lines, it was pointed out, since
emergency demands for air trans
portation of personnel and mate
rails would increase enormously in