The Wilmington morning star., 1941-02-06
. Washington DaYbook
BY JACK STINNETT

tional defense certainly are weighted down.
There are more things (and people, riding on
them than you could shake a bomber at. I
don't mean to say that these things land peo-
ple) are good or bad. 1t will take that all
seeing backward glance of history to tell
whether this or that was waste or a rare
stroke Of genius.
But good or bad, national defense is mother
ing an interesting brood. For instance one of
these lusty infants popped up in the House Of
Representatives the other day in the form OF
a bill by Rep. John Martin Costello, Holly
woods Democratic congressman. It is another
measure designed to put America on wings
United States will be filled with gliders, pilot
ed by soaring young hosts, committed to learn
over the first hurdle toward qualifications for
flying with the army or navy.
Let's give Mr.. Costello the air and let him
tell it in his own words. AS you will note,
he's not without a sense of humor.
Will Glide Forward
THE United States will not slide backward
in aviation if the young men of America glide
forward in their training in the ar. In order
to make sure Of Americas supremacy in avia-
ton, I have introduced a bill providing for a
program of training glider pilots throughout
the nation which would be carried on by the
civil AerOnautlcS Authority.
Under this bill, the CAA will be authorized
to train as many glider pilots as they deem
proper. This phase of aviation has been en-
tirely neglected heretofore in the United
States, so that today there are scarcely 200
glider clubs in the whole nation. According
to the CAA statistics, there are only 1874
licensed gliders in this country, with 120 pri-
vate glider pilots registered and licensed and
only As commercial glider pilots. The glider
training program will bridge the gap for some
1000, 600 youngsters in this country who are
today flying model planes with rubber bands,
but who aim to fly real airplanes as soon as
they grow up.
1T is interesting to note that Germany has
for years carried on a program Of glider
training which has resulted in some ESQ, 900
to 3OO,O 600 young Germans having been trained
as glider pilots. 1t is from these trained and
experienced young men that Germany is to-
day obtaining her great mass of pilots for the
armed forces"
Pointing out that the army and navy are
perfectly capable Of training, in short time,
men for the regular branches Of the service
and that there are some Sc, 900 radio hams
(amateurs) in the country who supply a back
log and important reserve for the Signal
Corps, Mr.. Costello contends that his bill will
fill the one important gap in preliminary train
ing for the military forces.
Looks Beyond Emergency
Looking beyond the purely defense phase,
he says, when war emergency conditions
have changed and the newly expanded aircraft
industry of this country returns to peacetime
production, this program would prove Of in
estimable value . by developing an in
creased interest in aviation and bringing about
an expansion in civilian flying.
No more had Mr.. Costello's words got out
of his mouth than Baron Franz Won Vera, a
Nazi pilot who had ben captured and sent
to prison camp in Canada, was arrested in
upstate New York and charged with illegally
entering this country. The Baron, it seems,
had escaped. But in his interview, he gave
Mr.. Costello's bill a terrific boost. He said
the Nazis are experimenting with transport OF
troops by elders, towed in tandem by big
bombers. Each glider, he declared, would
carry about so men and would be detached
over any specified area to provide an invading
force far superior in numbers to the para.
chute troops.
It's far too early to predict, but maybe MI.
Costello's swing on the coat-tails of national
defense is going to end in new wings over
America. 1t has had a pretty suspicious take
off. 3