Evening star., 1941-08-31
Local Air Corps
Officers 10 Fly
Planes From Texas
D. c. Guord Squod
Prepores to Obtain
Added Equipment

When the 121st Observation
Squadron of the District National
Guard goes into the field group
of its officer personnel will head for
a Texas airfield to get the first Of
its newest flying equipment, which
it will use in its training work.
Mai. C. C. Hamilton, commander
of the outfit, said it has not yet been
determined what officer pilots will
be dispatched to Texas to bring the
planes to their temporary training
station at Fort Bragg, N. C.
The organization now has two
planes here. These will be flown to
the new station by officers. There
are four planes TO be delivered to
the local outfit.
May Go by Plane.
1t was indicated that there is
possibility that the officers would be
sent to the ferrying duty by plane,
using perhaps the planes which they
already have here, and obtaining air
transportation from Boiling Field to
take the other pilots. perhaps catch
ing some plane that Is going on a
routine fight to Texas The planes
which they will receive will be
Douglas observation, tWo-seater
planes.
The receipt of these planes will
give the local outfit about half of
its normal allotment. 1t was ex-
planned by the officers that the
organization. under the present
equipment allocations, is entitled 10
l3 planes. When it will receive the
others is not known. but it is prob
able that by the time they are shifted
to the permanent station which has
been picked for them at Columbia
S. c., they will be fully equipped.
All Of the personnel, it was indi-
Gated, is ready to go. After being
modified at the local armory, it is
expected, that they will follow sub
stantially the same routine as was
followed by the other units. They
will probably spend the day in their
armory, going through the scores of
things necessary to do in prepara-
ton for moving into the field under
the War Department orders.
Get Men In Field.
The organization will go into the
field without its full complement OF
personnel, it was explained by Mai.
Hamilton, but this is due to the fact
that the officers have been rather
Selective in their personnel, to de-
termine that they had the very best
personnel obtaindble for this service
The organization now has 81 officers,
but is entitled to 80, of whom 81
must be rated pilots, and the other
a transportation officer.
It's complement. according to the
tables of organization, is 146, but it
has only 100 men, Maj. Hamilton
explained that he expected to be
able to obtain the remainder of the
men from selectees which are as
signed to camp to which the organ
ization is about to go. Perhaps,
some of them may not be obtained
until the organization reaches Co.
lumbia. Even when the organiza-
tion goes into the field, it expects
to use the same methods of selection
of the draftees sent to them as it
has done with the applicants for
volunteer enlistment during the time
that the organization has remained
here.
Maj. Hamilton said that the affairs
of the organization were in such
shape here that it is not expected
that it will be delayed long in leav-
ing for the camp, after the pre-
liminaries of physical examinations
and other matters have been COM
pleted.
BY the time the outfit returns from
its field training, its proposed quar-
ters and hangers will be completed
at Beltsville, Md, although some
more funds will have to be provided
to complete the job.