University of South Carolina Libraries
TRAINING FOR AVIATION CORPS [MOST THOROUGH Drilling and Study Occupy About 16 Hours of Every Day. GET ESSENTIALS IN 8 WEEKS Eight "Ground" Schools Located at Leading Universities Where Candi^ dates Are Given Intensive Course of Training?More Men Are Needed fti the Service. By a Lieutenant of the Aviation Section. Washington.?A group of 36 well-setup young Americans, the summer's tan justffading from their faces, are < closely studying a battlefield. Within six feet of them is the rapid flash of shells bursting in quick succession? knot real shells, but as close an imitation as desirable in a lecture hall? and the men are behaving with the sureness and precision which, as future officers and pilots of America's great aerial battle fleet, they are expected to display. A nr rnfhPT\ AllCl CCIWU tA|/ivcivuj v* f flash, is heard the buzz of the wireless as the men take or send a message from "somewhere"?in California, or Massachusetts, or Illinois, as the case may be. A second group of pilots, looking down upon the others, are seated in cockpits high above the miniature bat* tie field. They hear the imaginary ? roar of Pershing's guns, and there is y another succession of lightning flashes on various squares of the military map ' below them. ^ Directs Artillery. "Buzz-z-z, Buzz-z-z-^!" goes the \ wireless, as in actual warfare, where artillery fire is direjcted by the "eyes of the armythe pilots from the top of the scaffold observe the location of "hits" by the artillery and signal the range to the gunners?in this case instructors?below. \ "W-29D-7-S" is the message to the artilleryman?cryptic, of course, to those who do not understand the squared map and pin-point system in use by aerial observers on the western front. Perhaps it is a prearranged shoot, in which cas* tne clock code is k handy for signaling how close the w "hits" come to the dugouts of Kaiser Wilhelm's privates, or trench crossings filled with huddled groups of the same, or whatever else the target may be. "wjl "R.fi" Rin?s the buzzer. And the United States artillery officer corrects the range of his big gun to suit; at least, he will^do so a short time hence, when our young pilots now in training get the first real opportunity of showing their mottle to the enemy across the Rhine. ^ At the Ground Schools. H The foregoing is a few minutes' work in what is a part?a very small part?of the program of one of the k United States schools of military if' aeronautics, more commonly known as . "ground" schools. The man in the street has a fair knowledge of what our flyers are aomjr. r>y signi ??u? hearsay he is beginning to know of the work at our many flying fields. As for war, conditions, the average citizen carries a vague picture of swooping bird men, loops and spiral dives, r^pid-fire duels high above the clouds, etc. But the man in the street knows nothing of the eight weeks' milling ?hat these lads go through before even stepping into a fusilage and proudly calling "contact"?to set the motor re*> volving for their first ascent. In other words, he knows nothing of our ground schools for the fundamental training of aviators. The American schools are located at the following colleges: University of California, Cornell. Georgia School of 'Technology, Princeton university, University of Illinois, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ohio State university, and University of Texas. Although they have taken over a large part of iiie technical apparatus and some of the instructors of the univcr si ties on whose grounds they are situ(ated, it is to be noted that they are in no sense a part of the university or of the ordinary university course. They are army posts administered and supplied by the schools section, air di i vision of the United States Signal corps. No Time Is Wasted. The course of training is necessarily Intensive. Within the comparatively short space of eight weeks there is crammed into the ground-school cadet ithe heaviest diet of military fundamentals, scientific and technical essenitials of flying that he can possibly digest?and a little more. Colonel i Bingham's theory (a successful one, ^ - via j& ?1 \ J.1 A. fw judging Dv me quauiy 01 iiyers; is iuiu m the man who can assimilate within a ^ given time an overdose of the above kind of work is also the man who can keep his mental and physical poise un der the strain of battle flying in modern warfare. Gronnd-school candidate41 are, therefore, discouraged from studying subjects ahead of time with the particular purpose of passing examinations the more easily. Nevertheless, the curriculum presupposes a certain amount of previous knowledge and a r sound intelligence, for the instructor cannot stop to teach a candidate the ABC& The instructors are rushed. y The men are rushed. Ami the war won t wait. It is taken for granted by the United States air service, as it is in other countries, that the work requires, first of all. men of the best possible officer material?athletic, quick of thought and action, and trained in discipline and military elements?but, above and beyond all that, it requires men suited for the particular job of miliqt-iaHnn TIip first thrift Wppks of the ground-school course?known as the junior wing-?is devoted to military studies. Day Is Full of Work. The men rise at 5:30, and calisthenics occupy their time, with a recess for mess, until eight o'clock, when school opens. After a brief stop at noon they are hard at it again, drilling until school, at four o'clock. Evening finds no let up, for school and study occupy the hours until taps, at 9:30, by which time they are thankful to get between the sheets. The senior wing subjects start in the fourth week, from which time on the following outline Is typical: By the time a student hf:s absorbed during - - ? xt- -jp iJ! 1.x f tills weeK tne meory 01 iiigm, engines, telegraphic signaling, antf the use of intricate aerial instruments (such as compasses, air-speed indicators, inclinometers), he decides that he has become a master of air subjects. Classes in rigging, repair of machines, c* Af mo ^Vkinnc* orn t c^A^nlorl UUU L > C O VI iliuv-iiiuvo Ui V w\.4tvuu*\.u for the fifth week, while the* study of telegraphic signaling, engine, laboratory, and machine gnns is still continued. During the sixth and seventh weeks are giv^n lectures on radiotelegraphy, fighring in the air, map reading, meteorology, bombs, and aerial photography. The close of the eighth week brings the examination in gunnery. Artillery observation is also on the program, and it is in connection with this work that we find the candidate at the beginning of the article engaged on the fascinating miniature target. About two o'clock on Saturday afternoon the candidate usually learns his fate. Perhaps only 16 or 17 of the r?rifrinnl rfncs nf riv\ Tvhn entpred eisrht weeks before remain to graduate. But those who do have mastered the basic principles of military aeronautics, which, as army men are learning more thoroughly every day, is a vital prerequisite to any training in the air. Commissioned as Officers. All these ground-school candidates are enlisted in the Signal corps or the Signal Enlisted Reserve corps, where their status is that of "flying cadets." As soon as they are fortunate enough to pass the test for reserve military aviators they receive an officer's com mission, with the regular pay therefor, and officers receive what is known as commutation of quarters at all places where no public quarters are available. Beyond this, in the case of foreign duty, is a ten per cent extra allowance provided for by law to officers serving beyond the limits of the United States and territories contiguous thereto, with the exception of the Canal Zone, Panama. Porto Rico, or Hawaii. In addition to the above, aviation officers who are on duty requiring them to participate regularly and frequently ia aerial flights will receive a 25 per in/>nnnco nor A-f tVioli* frrndo V,\A1L IUVICUOC XU 111C |/UJ liiv.ii ^i.uViV? The foregoing is a brief sketch of the working methods of the aviation section of the Signal corps of the UiTited States army. The ground schools are still in their infancy, although their growth has been abnormal. From day to day aerial tactics and instructional methods are changing, and will continue to change in accordance with new conditions. The ground schools form the preliminary step in the greai task of sending across the German trenches aviators mentally, morally and physically equipped for their work. Sent Into Service Abroad. Every week our flyers are fast graduating from ground schools to the training schools and from the training schools to service overseas. And more and more men are needed to fill the gaps. It is reported that many young men shy from aviation because fearing they lack the proper physical qualifications. No peculiar attainments are necessary; the service is not limited to trapeze performers or jiu jitsu experts. As the war department steneil says: "It must be remembered that the flying officer is not 'an aerial chauffeur' or 'exhibition flyer.' He has been more correctly defintr-d as a twentieth century cavalry officer mounted on Pegasus." Physically speaking, what is most of all desired is a sound, strong body, with particular attention paid to eyes, nerves, and ears. Perfect eyesight is a sine quo non. Provided they are otherwise acceptable, candidates of light build and more youthful appearance than desirable for line officers will be given a chance. They should be at least nineteen and preferably not over thirty, "although in exceptional cases," to quote the official announcement, "older men of pronounced athletic attainments who have spent most of their lives out of doors, in the saddle, ranching, playing polo, mountain climbing, or in actual flying, may be accepted if they can satisfy the examining hrvarri of thpir nhvsJral fitness." Gooseberries Kept 21 Years. Shelbyville, Ind??Miss Mary Bopp, a schoolteacher of Jackson township, was twenty-one years old recently. A birthday dinner was given in her honor mnthc* Mro fZortTCO W T? nnn. l/J ilCl AliVUlti , iUiU* VA VVA ev *1, ?vrr. A gooseberry pie, in which berries canned 21 years ago were used, was one of the pastries served at the close o$ the dinner. The fruit which had been canned by a relative of Mrs. Ropp, was in perfect condition. I CANNED LUNCHEONS I { AID HOOVER CAMPAIGN I | Indianapolis, Ind.?Mrs. Alice ? t M. French entertained ten aids ; i in the food conservation card f ? campaign at a Hooverized lunch- i i eon. She served no meat and f ? no wheat products. Sugar and i f butter were cut down to a mini- | = mum. This was the luncheon: | Fruit cocktail, baked salmon, | " ? j? j- ? ; scan open poiaroes, green ut-aus, t <*orn bread, fried apples, beet i salad and coffee. Dessert, pre? served Quinces and oatmeal i cookies. \ Although a society woman and i wealthy, the canned goods ? served represented her own ef\ forts. I \ THINK JOFFRE AN AMERICA* College Students Show Amazing Ig norance in Answering Questions About War. Richmond, Ind.?-Many people rea< war news, but answers to ten wa: questions by 200 students of Earlhan / oilo flnnlmr institution indioati That these students do not. Here ar< son is of the mistakes: King George, Kitchener and tfoffr< were named as commanders of tin I?riti?li army. Joffre was most named as comman dor of the American forces in France Verdun was variously found to b< a treaty, a creek and a place in Tur key. Vnn TTinrlpnhnrf* wns snirl to be am bassador to the United States and j law-making body, 1 ho latter apparent ly being correct, if German reports ar< to be believed. Lloyd George was variously report ed an Irishman. a Frenchman and Brit ish ambassador to the United States Tliomas B. Marshall, Garrison an< McAdoo were "favorites" for secretar; of war. The faculty has not decided whethe its student body is really ignorant o was in a jocular mood when the an swers were given. LEARNING USE OF GRENADE This French official photo, the lates to arrive in this country, showing th< training of our boys in France, show: French officers teaching steel-helmete( Yankee fighters the use of the gui grenade, called tromblons. The American troopers in France ar< - wiving individual instruction in th? ways of modern warfare. This scen< is duplicated many times in differem sections of the camp, a half-dozei Americans being shown the intricacies of liio n?'\v lirearm by their Frencl comrades. The grenade is attached to the rifle a:vi is dispatched toward the enem: lines in much the same fashion as th< bullet. WOMAN WANTS FARM WORK Following the Harrow and Milkinc the Cows Have No Terrors for Her. Chicago.?Following the harrow ant ;n~<r Affjr rt<-> tfirvnrc tr? rirtf >? O V/llH nv c v a k * / * k_j wvr v*A\ Chicago woman?Mrs. Mae. Egger. Sh< wants to do a "big bit" by the coun try. and believes she can do the mosl on a farm. She registered at a farn labor recruiting station. She is ? widow. "I want to do my part for the coun try, and believe I can do It best or a farm," she said, "I am strong an<f willing to do anything or go anywhere I can do all kinds of farm work, having had much experience. I want a job the year aronnd. "No, sir, the idea of milking cows doesn't scare me at all. I've done i1 too much already. And as for other farm work?most of it is easier on a Truman thnn sftmp of the slavish house work that has to be done, especially on a farm without conveniences. Th* outdoor Kfe for me every time, *nd especially now that farmers are needed so budly." mil IHIIIBII BW IIIDf I of Newb I i ? /->? ? , t* ", ? ptatement of ixodstio ! RESC Loans and Investments, ifllLibertv Loan Bonds, .! Overdrafts Secured by ! Cot!on in Warehouses, *! ^Overdrafts Secured and | Unsecured, r Cash on hand and in Banl 1 : S ' B ' i! LiAE 2 1 ,i Capital Stcck, e Surplus and Profits, i Deposits, *! * I We call your attention to th Edition of our Bank, showingI vancement We want the j r know that the cardinal print 'I SERVICE! SEf I Please call on us if we car will always find a hearty we "The BankjfThat All I ^ WR, I Let it Stop Ycur 1 AN error made when jcu add up < " cash sale while the cusicmer ii waiting, or an ern r thi t escapes de tection on a charge sale ^lip are ioss es that can never be rec overed. If the mistake is in your favor, th< customer resents the over-cnarge aiu is licely to quit trading with you. I: the error is an undercharge the cus tomer will be most ur.iikey to s*n anything about it. So in either ca < von are the lo^er. I You need this Burroughs to pre tect your profits?to st< p* your figu ( . yi mistake losses. Your customers vul ' || recognize it as a service?it will ere ate their good will and help you ii j I building up your business. | Yo u Can Use It On The Coimtei (Merchants in different lines of re tailing are using this Burroughs Fig urlr.ig Machine right on the countej where they wrap up the goods. Clerks add cash and charge sales on the n ?^~ J rttrrvutT nn ^frimoy 1C IDurruugns, a,nu cvci^ tuoiumvi handed a machine-printed slip that shows each item of the purchase and Burroughs Adding Floyd Hughes, Masonic Te ; H Green' lercia! Bank >erry, S. C. % n November 20, 1917 WRCES $769,362.61 36,000.00 $805,362.61 62,035.94 - 4,374.37 66,41031 ;s, - - 63.997.30 Stf35.770.22 ILITIES - $ SC,000.00 - 91,089.98 734,680.24 $935,770.22 e ~ fccve rtatement of the concur continuous growth and ad)eop!e of Dewberry County to :iple of our Bank is IVICE! SERVICE! _ sr \r fc eeeief t7nn nn amr \A7SiXT Y All - i jou &ia wujf *? wj * ? vw Icome and helping hand. rvays Treats You Right" <WWJIWWte?r^r?r^?.^:t?L'.:. - 'vr- . : jg&rpr**"-': w>^7?1!^i52S5!5HfflH? ?.. ^?./?. ..... ..... _ < > .7./-r, jmjmp HIM J$ ?? ??|:.". ?? 7igure Mistake Losses f i atj-al. ^ jp| s Customers appreciate this service g for thev are convinced of the ni>sr~ ff chant's desire to protect them against, 9 over-chaiges. At the same time it ^ protects the merchant against figure jflft I mistake losses. ' A i Aid to Clerks ? 5 3 In its operation it is as simple to If understand as your cash register,. M Any clerk can learn to add and print: % , 3 on the Burroughs in a few minutes, fcr * He gets a correct iota! every time, fit becaus: the Burroughs can't make a if mistake. It is an investment that will pay If / r for itself many times over in losses 11 prevented If you prefer, you can buy this Burroughs on easy terms. : Write to the Burroughs office in | your locality?address given below? and let us arrange for a demonstra; tion of this machine on your own 3 [ work ; Machine Company I Agency Manager jmple Building ville, S. C. v ft