Evening star., 1941-06-01
Plane for Local
Air Squadron
Al Maxwell Field
Ship to Be Brought
Here for Practice
BY Flying Officers

The plane which Is scheduled TO
be brought here for use of lo4th
Ob,ervation Squadron of the District
National Guard Is at Maxwell Field,
Montgomery, Ala, it was said at the
local headquarters of the outfit. 1t
will be flown here by some member
Of the local outfit, and 1t was indi-
Gated last week that Mai. Stewart
w. Towle, jr., Air Corps, U. s. A, as
signed to the local outfit as its in
spector instructor, would bring the
ship here.
1t was said that some changes have
been made in the original plans.
Instead of sending the plane to
Hybla Valley, below Alexandria, Va,
it will be stationed at Boiling Field.
Until additional equipment arrives
here for training, 1t was said that
the new plane will be kept at the
Army base, rather than taking 1t to
Hybla Valley, where it would not be
as accessible. No regular drill period
will be held at the field. The ship
will be used entirely by the pilots Of
the squadron in carrying on their
flying efficiency work.
Maj. Higgs, commander of the To-
cal squadron, indicated that in view
Of the fact that the plane would be
assigned at Boiling Field, at least
for the present, there would be no
change IN the plans to have the
Sunday drills at the Hybla Valley
Airport. The unit is scheduled to
have two drills a week, one of
which will be in the local armory in
the form of classroom instruction
and the other will be at Hyola VAL
ley, to which the men will be taken
for period of technical instruction,
although there will be no Army
ships for them to handle.
Just when the organization will
go into the field is rather problemat-
ical at this time, 1t was said, in view
of the uncertainty as to when the
station at Columbia, S. c.. to which
they are to be assigned, will be COM
pleted.
Selectlve service troops from Fort
Myer, Va, which have been using
the rife range of the District Ma
tional Guard at Camp Simms, Con-
gress Heights, D. c., during the last
month, are scheduled to return to
their home post this week. and for
month the range will be practi-
cally free. In June on Mondays of
each week the crew from the U. S. S.
Potomac. the Presidents ship. will
be assigned targets on the range to
get in their target practice, it was
said at brigade headquarters.
During July the Headquarters
Company of the District of WASH
ington Provisional Brigade, Regular
Army troops assigned to this area
will use the range. They will fire
daily scores. They will use the rifle
butts, and the pistol butts will be
free for the use of various police
and Guard outfits assigned in WASH
ington.
Some restrictions have been put
on the use of the range for civilian
outfits, because of the shortage of
: PNloOAAAICA W ate II. AS a
ter of fact, it was indicated that
the incentive for the civilian outfits
is not as great, in view of the fact
that the war emergency has elimi-
mated the national matches which
are usually held at Camp Perry.
Ohio. At this time of the year it
was usual for civilians to fire there
for competition for team to repre-
sent the District of Columbia at
these matches.
The brigade headquarters forces
at the local armory, it was said, are
just beginning to get from under
the mass of correspondence and
other paper work which has piled
up during the periods when the
troops were being prepared for the
field service. During that time, it
was said that the records got as
much as six months behind, but
they are rapidly being put in shape.
Many of the troops went into the
field with promotion papers pending,
and these were held up in similar
jams at the War Department. These
are said to be just coming back, and
the resultant actions are being re-
corded on the records of the men
here, and the results sent into the
field where the troops are located.