Nogales international., 1943-11-12
Where Credit Is Due

Civilian flying instructors who pour into United
States cities from Air Forces Training Detachments,
are taking one of the hardes beatings of the war
With the demand to throw everything into the
fight not tomorrow but now civilian instructors who
teach Army pilots at primary schools must do more
and more work. more and efficiently in less and
less time
Ironically, they are getting fewer and fewer
thanks
Their glanor paes and will continue to pale, as
the fires which they are helping to build the com
bat fronts grow brighter and make their job seem dull
by contrast.
Every civilian instructor knows this. He would
rather be in combat than where he is Rather! lie
would love to be in combat flying fast ships tapping
up little glory for himself And he well might DO
Just that for he is one of the best pilots in the world
Just few things keep him from going to COM
bat The Air Forces nsisence that ne stay where ne
is his loyalty to the AAF; and the knowledge that ne
can create 40 to 100 pilots whereas he himself cost
tutes only one.
That's why his temper and endurance and pa
tence is taxed by the general ignorance and lack OF
appreciation Of his essential war job.
An instructor who can throttle back his temper
hundred times day as some new cadet bangs him in
for rough landing or dunks him upside down IN the
ozone 5000 feet above the earth, is always under
terrific strain Something snaps and ne sees
purple when someone asks: "Why aren't you in the
arny?" "How do you get by the draft board!' Or,
"Why are you reserve status?
These questions demand straight, quick answers,
and here they are:
The civilian flying instructor has been placed on
reserve status and kept at his post because ne is doing
a more important war job there than he possibly
could do anywhere else in the world Civilian primary
schools are under Air Forces contract, are producing
Air Forces flers The civilian instructors who work
at these schools are doing exactly the same JOB that
Army instructors in uniform doing at other
schools.
Almost the same job. The civilian instructors
Job is harder It is up to him to solo his green stu
dents-many of whom have never been IN an alrplane
within IL hours; to teach him how to fly with pre-
csion in CO. He has an added responsibility since he
the wheat from the chaff, determines who will be
eliminated in the first few hours and who will 60 on
to become Air Forces pilots.
He, therefore, must be specialist Of the first
order. An instructor, psychologist, salesman III
one-and he is.
The civilian instructor is like ace jockey, OK
perienced enough to teach the kid brother loW to ride
an old nag preparation for the big race and patient
enough to stand at the edge Of the track and
the kid come in on fast winner He would rather
ride the winner himself But there too many races
these days with life and death in the balance AS
jockey he could win only one race at time AS tram
er he can put winners in all the races at once.
So he stays in the background
It is not enough that the War Department and
the draft boards have decided by mutual agreement
that the civilian instructor is in his right place This
fact alone will not make him want to stay. He should
have the whole-hearted backing Of the people for
doing tough and thankless assignment
When the Air Forces is doing magnificent job
it has done to date certainly the civilians re
sponsibe for shaping the pilots entire career, by
starting him down the right track should rate nothing
less than the heartieSt congratulations, good hand
shake, and pat on the back.