Evening star., 1943-06-09
BY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY.

BY WILLIAM J. WdEA1LE1.
Under the direction of Rear Ad-
miral G. D. Murray, fresh from the
war zone where he commanded one
Of the carriers engaged in the West
ern Pacific battles, and corps of
officers, also loaded down with Navy
crosses, stars and citations won in
the heat of aerial combat, student
naval combat aviators are taken
from Pre-Flight School to the Naval
Air Station at Pensacola.
1t is at this station that they
really being to pick up and take
in stride the first knowledge Of
simulated aerial combat. On COM
pletion of this they get their wings"
and their commissions In the naval
reserve.
Here they literally live In the air
amid the sound of droning motors,
splitting guns and bomb explosions.
From the crack of dawn until the
stroke of midnight, these youthful
flyers are kept in the air seven days
at a time, with time of on the
eighth day.
Choose Type Of Plane.
It is at this station that the young
flyers pick the type Of plane in
which they may specialize in the
service - dive bomber, torpedo
bombers, patrol bombers. fighters
and the like. While the station
proper is located at Pensacola. there
are five auxiliary fields, each having
a special type OF instruction, such
as for dive bombers or the other
types Of planes. These fields are
scattered over two counties OF Flori-
da and one in Alabama. In addition,
there are number of so-called satel-
lite fields, with obstacles of all kinds
in which the students are taught to
land and take off under the adverse
conditions they might encounter In
the combat areas.
At the station, too, the rigid ply
sical instruction which they received
at the Pre-Flight School is con-
tinued. There are also elaborate
facilities for giving tests in high
altitude work-in the pressure
chambers-under supervision of
medical officers an corpsmen.
Taught Oxygen Use.
In the tanks they can be taken from
the hot, humid atmosphere Of sea
level to high altitude of extreme cold
in a matter of a few minutes. They
are taught to recognize quickly the
reactions from lack of oxygen, how
to combat them and when and how
to use the oxygen apparatus in the
planes to save themselves and the
ships. Officers point out to them
how rapidly the symptoms and ef-
fects are felt. They point out that
not / per cent of the pilots realize
how rapidly they can be affected
before making the discovery in the
tests.
The greatest aid of oxygen, officers
point out, is in combating fatigue.
If they don't use it, they explain,
pilots get about the same effect as
an alcoholic hangover" and lose
two or three days from their duties.
The greatest problem which the
medical officers face. they say, is to
teach young flyers how and when
to use the oxygen apparatus.
They Wing Clay Pigeons.
At Pensacola, also Is located the
Free Gunners' Instructor School,
where men are trained to instruct
others in the latest and best meth
ods of knocking the enemy out of
the air by gunfire. Every known de-
vice is at hand to teach the men
to fire straight and true. In one
section of the reservation. there is
q half-mile railroad track in the
shape of an ellipse. Alongside the
roadbed are a number of little
houses, from which men spring clay
pigeons. The student sits on a gaso-
line driven hand car with shot
gun, and as the car races around
the track, he shoots at the clay
pigeons as they are released.
Movies are big aid in this train
ing. AS an enemy or friendly plane
appears on the screen bulls eye
marks the spot at which the gunner
must aim. A light from a gun he
holds shows how near he comes to
the target. The student must learn
to recognize the plane and hold his
fire if it is friendly. The bulls eye
later is removed, so the student has
nothing to guide him except his
general knowledge. All shooting is
at moving targets or with a moving
gun, or both. When the students
have completed this phase of the
training it is hard to believe any
OF them will make miss.