Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-04-16

and requirements. Mrs. Love be-
came her second in command.
Training of women pilots, .origi-
naliy carried on at Houston, Tex,
was transferred to Avenger Field,
Sweetwater, Tex, where Aviation
Enterprises, Inc, owned by the pri-
vate firm of McKaughan, e. Kriegel,
has an exclusive training contract.
WASPS Pay Schedule.
Army Air Force officers say so
many variables enter into training
cost that it is impossible to esti-
mate. The House Committee un4
derstands that Aviation Enter
prises, Inc, is paid $3.50 per
trainee, not including deductions
for depreciation Of the planes fur
nished by the Government. or for
gasoline. The Air Forces declare
the depreciation is included In the
cost. .
During her training, each girl re-
ceives $50 a month base pay. After
graduation she receives $3.50 q
month base pay. plus Sc day ex-
perfses when travelling, plus virtually
all of her clothing.
To be eligible, a girl must be be-
tween Is and IS, have a high school
education, have IS hours (not all
solo) flying time, pass a physical
test. be approved in a personal in
terview and pass the same mental
examination as an aviation cadet.
Six hundred WASPS now are in
service and about 500 others are in
training. :. approximately 100 a
month are being graduated. Gen.
Arnold recently told Congressional
committee that the Army Air Forces
could use between 1000 and $500
Of these women.
II Killed in Line of Duty.
Thus far II WASPS have been
killed in line of duty. In January
the Air Forces issued q statement
that. the fatality rate among the
WASPS was. .05 fatal accidents per
1000 flying hours as compared with
an overall fatality rate of OF per
LOCO flying hours in the continental
United States. 49, sr,s.
As the controversy over the need
Of the WASPS RACES on Capitol Hill,
the Army Air Forces replies that
the basic Justification of the corps
can be found In the need for utiliz-
ing all available manpower. It also
denies 1t Is not making the best use
OF nyer material in the civilian
training schools.
According to the Air Forces, there
are 1887 trainees and 65l instruc-
tors, or total of 5,348 flyers under
the CAA program. : When it was
announced that the program was
to be discontinued, QUESTIONABLE
circulated among them revealed that
|one-half wanted to continue In fly
ing service.
Some 67.3 per cent OF the men,
1t was said, are under 81. OF these
approximately 80 per cent are in
training for Air Forces commissions.
Is Pct. Would Get Other Tasks.
Thirteen per cent of the CAA
men, according to the Air Forces,
have specialties other than flying
which wiz be utilized by the Army
The remainder are due for variety
OF assignments which, officers say,
could not be carried out by women.
OF the estimated 1000 to 5000
instructors at the II Army contract
training schools which are sched-
uled to be closed, all under n and
who have six months experience
as primary instructors and over
1000 hours flying time may apply
for Air Forces commissions for
combat training. The future OF
those over n is not clear.
The Army Air Forces do not
agree with those who regard the
CAP flyers as potential source
OF ferry pilots. They point out that
most OF these men have regular