Evening star., 1941-07-20
Progress Is Made
On New Field
For Air Squadron
Clearing Of BeItsville
Field Is Being Pushed
For New Construction

Rapid progress is being made on
the preparation of the proposed new
home of the l21st Observation
Squadron, of the District National
Guard, according to local officers.
They flew over the scene of opera
tions which is on the Agricultural
Experimental Farm at Beltsville,
Md, last week, and from the air,
it was said, observed that the field
is being rapidly levelled and the
runways outlined.
1t was explained that until this
preliminary grading work is done
and the runways constructed, none
of the construction of hangers or
other buildings will be started.
The organization as yet does not
have sufficient flying equipment to
warrant establishing itself at any
field of its own. With the two planes
which 1t has, it is using under most
satisfactory conditions the Army's
plant at Boiling Field, from which
flights are made by the officers, and
to which groups of men report at
various times during the week and
on Sundays for hops" to get them
acquainted with the feel of the air.
Flights 10 Be Continued
The flights for the enlisted per-
sonnel. particularly the ground
crew, will be continued at Boiling
Field today. A large group of men
reported at the field last Saturday
and Sunday. it was said, and plans
were made to take them up one at
time, but the storm conditions pre-
vented carrying out of the plans.
Because of the lack of full plane
equipment, and the satisfactory
conditions at Boiling Field for the
training of the Guardsmen, it was
indicated that the Hybla Valley
field will not be used for the pres
ent.
In connection with the mainte-
nance operations, the desire to get
the outfit fully equipped with
trained personnel, so as to make it
self-sustaining, every effort is be-
ing made to recruit certain special
lists. The latest demand is for car
penters. Men trained in wood con-
struction and in the handling of
woodworking tools, who desire to
get into the service in a home out
fit, 1t was said, should apply at the
local headquarters at the National
Guard Armory at Sixth street and
Pennsylvania avenue NV, where
raCrI1itino nfHnArc will Ha l,,t,
on drill nights.
Those who enlist now, it was said,
may expect an early call to the field.
The organization has received its
orders to be ready for a prompt call
to the service, but the induction or
ders definitely fixing the date for
entry into the service have not
been received.
Columbia. S. c., has been selected
as the training point for this local
air outfit, but it is understood that
the delay in calling them into the
service is largely due to the fact
that the facilities at the field for
housing and taking care of the
troops and their equipment have not
been completed.
Equipment DELAYED.
The necessity of equipping air
outfits of the regular esta blishment
as well as of National Guard air
units already in the field has served
to delay the receipt of flying ma
chimes for the organization here. 1t
is still uncertain as to whether the
Army will be ready to supply them
with their full equipment prior to
the time that they are inducted into
the service, but this was suggested
as perhaps among the reasons for
the delay in induction. 1t was ex-
planned that lack of equipment
would only serve to delay the field
training and that the men are re-
ceiving much of their base training
while attending the regular weekly
drills.
There is hope that all of the fly
ing equipment will be furnished the
local outfit before it takes to the
field, so that it might be flown to
its training base by the pilots who
already have been assigned to the
outfit. Because of the limited ca
pacity of the observ. ton planes
assigned to the observation squad
ron, there would not be room to
air transport the full complement
of the organization by air unless it
was decided to have the planes 60