Evening star., 1942-10-18
COLLEGE PROF. SPEEDS ARMY PILOT TRAINING
sondordzes Course, Cutting Flying Time Third

A pedagogist of renown, Prof Everett
Lowell Kelly of Purdue University is also
an aviator, owning and flying his private
plane, with hundreds OF air hours to his
credit. What is more, he is Jealous
radio "ham"-one so devoted, in fact,
that he wooed and won wife, over the
amateur band in far-away Haiti.
Because of his three accomplishments,
not often united in one person, the Ma
tional Research Council farmed out to
DR.. Kelly a job suggested by the Civil
Aeronautics Administration that of
evolving a pioneer method for putting
the instruction of airplane pilots on a
scientific basis.
instruction Time Cut.
Through a singular combination of
academic pedagogy with practical avia-
ton and high-frequency wireless, the
following results have been obtained:
Time required for instruction in
: the CAA's elementary pilot training
courses has been cut 30 per cent. A
similar method for secondary courses
has been completed, and will soon be
placed in operation. A third manual
for cross-country instruction is under
preparation.
The United States Navy is testing
the CAA method for primary training
OF its combat and auxiliary pilots, in
the hope that here. too, the period of
instruction may be reduced about
one-third. The Army has not adopted
the new system, but many of it's in
structors are said to be using the
CAA material.
Ih1s material has been translated
into Chinese for the use of Generals
slmo Chang Kai-shek's student avia-
tors. 1t is being mailed home in guam
titles by Latin American cadets at
Southwestern airfields, for presumable
translation into Spanish and Portu-
guese.
Uniformity Training Sought.
All this grew out of an uneasy feeling
among CAA officials that their civilian
pilot training schools were graduating
some students who were unfit for air
service and flunking others with genuine
aptitude. There were too many cases of
pupils praised by instructors as 'the
best in my class" who were nevertheless
washed out by inspectors after the final
Hight examination. The officials were
compelled to admit that they possessed
no assured data by which to determine
the selection of future airmen.
DR.. Dean r. Brimhall, chief of the
CAA research division and himself
former pedagogue, worried over the
problem with his friend, DR.. Kellv.
Both sighed for the time tested usage
OF normal schools, where teacher candi-
dates are required to conduct classes
under the immediate eve and ear of
faculty members, and are graded ac-
cordlng to actual performance. But
trainer planes have only two seats.
Therefore lessons and examinations we're
proceeding in dual vacuum or solitude.
1t was idle to expect that the complete
trainer program could be revamped in
order to admit third occupant
From his radio knowledge, Prof. Kelly
drew fertile inspiration. Supposing
the cockpit of each trainer were equipped
with wireless sending set? Could not
every word spoken during lessons and
examinations be transmitted to receiv-
ing apparatus on the ground, there to
be recorded for analysis and criticism
at leisure? And would not such a de-
vice, when perfected, prove satisfac-
tory equivalent for normal school tech
nique?
Research Council Set Up.
To every question, the powers-that-be
In the Civil Aeronautics Administration
returned an enthusiastic yes. Since its
own laboratory facilities are scant, the
job was turned over to the National
Research Council, which was set up for
just such tasks. A subcommittee on
aviation training, with DR.. Albert L.
Barrows as chairman, engaged Prof.
Kelly as the logical virtuoso to direct
the experiment.
The first step was developing the
requisite instruments. An apparatus
consisting of three units was adopted.
The first was short-range, high
frequency radio transmitter, with an in
terphone for two-way instructor pupil
communication, and with microphones
in front OF the mouth, so as
to leave the hands free. The second
unit was a standard amateur receiver,
stationed on the ground. The third was
phonograph on which were made lit
eral recordings of instructor student
These recordings were
then typed. and the transcriptions were
subjected to detailed analysis.
A high-frequency current was chosen
for various reasons. not the least Of
which was . desire not 10 eramp the