The Omaha guide., 1944-02-19
First Negro Navigators on Final Ca
Feted by Negro Press
and Organizations =.
Along Flight Route

-4D 4AyA
do. Texas-The Nations first class
Of Negro navigation cadets, SEIZED
uIed to be graduated on February
&c, 1874 with commissions in the
Army Air Forces. will navigate
eight CSC Lockheed Lodestar pan
es from Hondo Army Air Field to
New York City the week of Febr
uary Il. the War Department re-
ported.
Constituting the final combat
training phase Of the cadets as
AAF students. the flight will in
clude landings at Chicago. Illinois
and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania The
tentative itinerary calls for rendez-
vous at Chicago on Monday. Fobr-
uary "A, at Pittsburgh on February
Is, and at New York City on Feb
ruary IS, with one night layover in
each city. The return trip TO Hon
do Army Air Field vas made on
February II.
Colonel George B Dany, Air
Corps. commanding officer Of
Hondo Army Air Field, where the
navigation cadets have already
completed Is weeks Of an is week
strenuous training program. ann
ounced that the unit Of cadets,
known as squadron 10, yer the
guests at colorful receptions given
BY two Negro newspapers, the
Pittsburgh Courier and the New
York Amsterdam News and tie
New York City Defense Recreation
Committee Inc.
"a navigation cadets participated
in the flight. other personnel con
sisted Of IS pilots under the Com
mand of Major G. B. Price. Air
Corps. veteran pilot and command
err of Group III at Hondo Field; 13
navigation officers Gnstructorsl,
headed by First Lieutenant George
F. McInerney, Air Corps, who has
guided Squadron 10 as flight COM
mander during its tour of training,
and eight enlisted crew chiefs.
Lieutenant Colonel Cecil H.
Childre. Air Corps. director Of the
training at the huge Texas airbase,
piloted one of the training ships on
the combat flight and SERVED as
commander of troops. Details Of
planning and directing the flight
were the responsibility of Majcr
Price until the destinations were
reached.
Although the combat flight per-
mitted participation by flight per-
sonnel in prepared celebrations.
the training element involved was
the first consideration, Colonel Day
emphasized. He further pointed
out that the fulfillment Of all the
flights depended On prevailing eon
ditions aong the routes flown.
Aviation Student Walter A. Ar
rington. of Washington. d.. O. serv-
ed as group marcher for the unit.
He is a graduate Of Michigan State
College Chs. 1941), where he was an
outstanding athlete. He also was
a member of the All-American
Track Team and recipient Of the
Illinois Relays All-Around Track
Award IN 1910.
Seven Of the navigation cadets
are from the state of New York.
other states represented by the
group included Michigan. Californ-
ia, West Virginia. Iowa. Illinois,
Idaho. Pennsylvania New Jersey,
Kentucky. Massachusetts, Wyo-
ming and North Carolina.
Before entering the AAF navig-
alton school. these cadets had
many vocations, among them be-
ing the following: optical irstru-
ment assembler. photographer, air
craft riveter, radio engineer. assist
ant medical technician. b~actericlo-
sist and junior statistician.
While training at Hondo Field,
the class has logged" $4,000 miles
on training flights. Their training
ships were CSC Lockheed Lode
stars and the ATT Navigator.
During the course the cadets
gained proficiency in four phases
OF aerial combat navigation: dead
reckoning INSTRUMENT flying; pill
otage familiar landmarks); radio
beam flying), and celestial plot
ing a course by reference to celes-
tial bodies.)
Following graduation the Negro
navigators will receive advance
training as bombarciers.
COMPLETES TWIN-ENGINE
TRAINING AT MATHERS FIELI