The Wyandotte herald., 1942-04-03
.AviatOrs Must
Train Muscles
Army Cadets Conditioned
Specifically to Meet
| Strain of Flying.

MONTGOMERY, ALA. - What
muscles does a pilot use in flying?
This question arose in the office
here Of Ernest Smith. director of
athletics for the u. S. army air
csrps in the southeast.
Smith was on the spot. Twenty
eight assistant physical directors,
charged with whipping aviation
cadets into shape, wanted an an
swer.
II don't know" said Smith,
watching formation of planes nose
up from a nearby flying field, but
come On-we'l find out
And so IS men, scheduled to 60
out to as many airdromes as train
ers for aviation cadets, followed the
director. All, like Smith, were ex-
pertS IN their ine-many of them
college coaches-but conditioning
man to handle a military airplane
was something else.
And Maj. Gen Walter r. Weaver
had ordered that all American and
British cadets in the Southeast be
conditioned specifically to meet the
= strain of flying.
Make a Test.
Smith halted on the flying line
and said to cadet:
Mister, take off most of your
clothes and get in that airplane
there" When the cadet was in the
cockpit, he added: Now please go
through all the motions of flying"
The cadet flew as he had never
flown before-without leaving the
ground, without flying togs-almost
without any togs at all He went
through all the motions of banking
looping, diving and spinning. And
more unspectacuiarly, he flew for
long stretches at time on a steady
course.
This cadet had more eyes on him
than ever before The gallery of
directors took notes, observing from
time to time that there was stress
On this or that leg muscle. They
saw, too, that the cadet continually
turned his head from side to side,
watching the imaginary terrain
below" and the sky above as well
as the air on both sides.
They jotted down certain exer-
cises to strengthen the neck in the
right places They noted the rigid
position of the pilot in the cockpit,
the constant strain upon his abdom-
inal muscles. They doped out ways
to build up the muscles imposed
@upon.
Build Up Muscles.
- The net result of this strange
interview is that today every part
Of a gigantic physical training pro-
gram now in swing in the Southeast
is devoted TO the building up of the
muscles most used by fliers.
Aviation cadets bend, squat,
stoop, wave wands and go through
specialized calisthenics for one pur-
pose and one alone-to become
stronger and better Co-ordinated
combat alrmen.
The new program ranges from
hard toe-to-toe boxing to the gentle
art of swinging Indian clubstomuslc;
from horseshoe pitching to the
grim BUSINESS VI OlSClSdSAIS viz
self from sinking parachute IN the
swimming pool. 1t includes 81
sports, with as many different types
of athletic equipment.
Leading authorities are convinced
there is no better insurance agains'
accidents and loss of life thar
physical ftness-clear minds anc
steady hands in the cockplts OF the
nations combat ships.
Two groups left basic and entered
advanced school a short time ago
One group has had the benefits
OF the scientific athletic training, the
ether had not. In q series o.
three tests, it was found those mer
with the training scored 70 per CEN
higher than the others.
Director Smith believes 1t Is 8
fair indication that the athletic pro
gram is doing lot Of good for
Iof of cadets