Evening star., 1941-07-13

- CORPS veteran VINO discovered DliIlQ
flying at the risk of his life, and began
preaching the doctrine-only Is years
ago rank heresy-that in fog, clouds and
thick weather no pilot could steer safely
by the seat of the pants" He has lived
to see his method triumphant in combat
and commercial aviation throughout the
world, and to be celebrated by Orville
Wright, co-inventor Of the airplane, as
1.-The greatest missionary of instrument
flying"
Mischances of the past are recalled
with smiles today by Col. William
Charles Ocker, air officer of the Sd
Corps Area, with headquarters at Balti-
more. If his theories were once dag
nosed as mad, he prefers to remember
that from the start they were supported
as they still are-by a small but able
group of military flyers who have
mounted to high rank.
He first knew them as Mai. Gerald
c. Brant. First 1t George H Brett, Maj.
Henry H. Arnold and Maj. Delos c.
Emmons. Brig. Gen. Brant is now COM
mandant of Randolph Field. Maj. Gen.
Brett, whom Ocker taught to fly and who
tactfully averted his glance from the
latters pioneer experiments, is chief of
the Air Corps. Maj. Gen. Arnold bears
the title of chief of the Army Air Forces.
As commander of the General Head
quarters Air Force, 1t. Gen. Emmons
is supreme head of the Army's combat
aviation.
Invents New Trainer.
What is more, air officers at Wright
Field, Dayton, are at present studying
Col. Ocker's latest invention, worked out
in association with Mai Carl j. Crane.
1t is called a pre-flight reflex trainer
and is designed to facilitate the stagger-
ing task of providing skilled pilots as
rapidly as planes become available.
This revolutionary apparatus, the first
of its kind, would enable cadets, without
leaving earth, to acquire partial training
in primary instrument and formation
flying, as we'll as machine gun firing.
Advantages promised include shorter pc
riods of instruction, reduced loss of life
and materiel and a cost insignificant
beside that of trainer planes 1t is hoped
that industry would be freed to a large
extent from one of its main bottlenecks,
the necessity of manufacturing large
numbers of trainers. and could then con-
centrate most of its resources on the
production of transport and tactical
craft.
When he crashed a plane in 1898. he
was ordered grounded for imperfect
vision" Maj. Ocker as he had become,
retorted with comm e. mt S forcible
enough to cause him to be court
martialed on a charge of using improper
language regarding superior officers. He
was acquitted, but not before Orville
Wright had gone to his aid with let
ter and then an affidavit. Both are IN
the records of the Patent Office.
The deposition was sworn at Dayton
on January 81. 1884. Mr. Wright main
tanned that except for Mai Ocker's
great zeal as missionary. I doubt
whether the course in blind flying
would be requirement in the Army
today.
Praised for Pioneer Work.
Il believe the statement went on.
that his campaign of educatio has
had more influence in bringing about
the use of instruments than that Of any
other person In the letter dated 18
days earlier, occurred this tribute:
There may have been others, but
have always considered you the great
est missionary of instrument flying"
Unusual circumstances attend even
the simple statement that Col. Ocker is
the Oldest flyer on the active list of the
American Air Corps. When entering
military life through enlistment in an
artillery regiment during the Spanish
American War, Pvt. Ocker gave 1876
as the date of his birth, and it was so
carried on the rolls of the War De-
partment for Al years. In 1899, he proyi-
dentially unearthed an old family Bible
with an entry giving the date as 1880.
BY direction of Gen. Malin Craig, then
Chief of Staff, the entry was accepted by
the Judge Advocate General and the
record was changed accordingly. Thus.
Ocker's services were made available
till 1914. Otherwise, he would have
been retired in 1910 He has not flown
a ship himself for two years. but still
holds the rank of command pilot and
is frequently aloft.
Out OF the ordinary, likewise, have
been his dealings with the Patent Office.
An application on behalf of his method
for blind flight instruction" was filed in
1929 and is still pending, IL years later
1t is said to be the oldest claim on the