Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-10-07
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON.

Plans for enrolling Americas pri-
vate airplane pilots who are not
suitable for military flying into a
great emergency organization ca
pable of backing up the defense
effort and acting in case of floods or
other disasters are being considered
| by Federal and national aviation
organizations.
There now are more than % 900
private pilots holding Federal GER
tificates. and with more than 10000
students now beginning three
month training course under the
Civil Aeronautics Administration the
total is expected TO reach 10000
by January !.
All of these 10000 students are
pledged to offer themselves for mil
itary training, but the chances are
that relatively few of them can be
accepted The Army Air Corps now
is having difficulty finding enough
instructors to reach its present goal
of 1000 new pilots year. 1t is
not expected to reach this rate of
training before next spring The
Navy today has approximately 1900
students in training and expansion
of the number of uainees which
can be handled is a slow and grad
ual process.
This means that there are many
thousands of private pilots in the
country who have not yet been fitted
into the national defense picture
and who are not likely to have an
opportunity TO get into the military
services in the near future, even If
physically, psychologically and edu-
cationally qualified Additional in
structors, airplanes and airports
must be provided before there carf
be any further very large expan-
sion of military pilot training &C
Invites.
Two Organizations in Field.
There already are at least two
national organizations in the field,
however. for the purpose of fitting
private pilots and private airplanes
into the national scheme of things.
Newest of them is the air guard.
sponsored by the Aircraft Owners
and Pilots Association. of which c.
Townsend Ludington. Philadelphia
transportation magnate and former
head Of the Ludington Airlines. is
president. 1t is the purpose of the
air guard to enroll private pilots
and aircraft. to be made available
for emergency transport service,
ambulance service or other duties
in case OF war. The cir guard, how
ever, is planned as continuing
peacetime service organization.
available in case IF national disaster
for such activities as dropping food
during floods. carrying medical sup
plies into hurricane or flood stricken
areas and carrying injured away, or
using ski-planes to rescue snow
bound persons.
Private pilots enrolling in the air
guard are to be given regular courses
OF training based upon part OF the
material used by the Army Air Corps
in training of Reserve officers.
Membership in the sponsoring or
ganlzatlOn is SAID TO total more than
5000.
A preliminary test of the air
guards usefulness for military CO.
operation was made last summer
when members Of the A. o. P. A.
from the Pylon Club of Philadelphia
worked in cooperation with the
Pennsylvania National Guard in
training maneuvers. chiefly as
messenger service, but. in some cases.
as observers
The underlying plan of the air
guard is that developed during the
World War in organization of the
United States Power Squadrons.
which made owners of power boats
available. in a civilian status. for
co-opera ton with the Navy. Coast
Guard and Merchant Marine. The
power boat squadrons prepared