The KANSAN Comments...
PAGE SIX
The Development of the Civil Pilot Training Program
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 1941
By EARL D. HAY
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Learning to pilot an airplane, compared to learning to drive an automobile, is an expensive process. It takes a much longer time to learn to operate an airplane than it does an automobile because there is so much more to learn. The fundamentals of car driving include starting, stopping, backing and guiding in one plane. The fundamentals of airplane operation include take-off, landing, and directing the airplane in three planes at one time.
Because of the time and expense involved many people who would like to pilot an airplane have not been able to do so. At the beginning of the war in 1914 relatively few people had learned to pilot an airplane. During the period of the war several thousand young men were taught to fly military airplanes, but at the close of the war, the United States, unlike most of the countries involved in the war, stopped its flight instruction program except for a hundred or two picked men who received instruction in the Army and Navy air corps schools. This program not only left the United States in a very precarious position as far as military preparedness was concerned but also failed to develop this country in the field of civil aviation, for unless there was a number of pilots wanting to fly airplanes there was no market for airplanes.
Other countries soon discovered after the World War that it was necessary to subsidize aviation to get many of its citizens actively engaged in aviation. Our neighbor, Canada, several years ago supplied equipment and instruction to flying clubs and made it easy for young people to learn to fly. In this country it seemed that similar efforts on the part of flying enthusiasts were discouraged by stringent rules and regulations rather than encouraged by financial assistance and encouragement.
The present administration, without due study and investigation, squandered over a half million dollars in the early thirties endeavoring to encourage aviation by sponsoring a low cost airplane which aeronautical engineers had learned fifteen years previously could not be built. Then after a few more false starts someone at Washington finally prevailed upon the President to initiate a program in line with that which has been going on in one form or another in other progressive countries for many years.
In December 1938 the President appointed a committee to formulate a flight training program. A month later the Civil Aeronautics Authority was created and the C. A. A. joined the other alphabetical organizations. In February the University of Kansas was one of 13 schools selected from a list of over 300 to initiate a trial program. This University trained 20 of the 300 young men selected for the trial program. This school was the second to complete the training of its quota and was one of the five schools to complete its training schedule on time.
With the inception of the regular training program this University has trained maximum quotas each time. Fifty primary and five secondary students were trained during the 1939-40 school year. Sixty primary and ten advanced students were trained during the summer of 1940. Fifty primary and twenty advanced students were enrolled during the first semester 1940-41. The present semester fifty primary and thirty advanced students will be trained.
The Civil Pilot Training Program was set up for a period of five years and with the expectation of training fifty thousand pilots. This would call for 10,000 per year. Last year the goal was set at 11,500 and 9,600 actually completed the course of instruction.
With such a large and comprehensive program to be organized in so short a time with new and untried personnel, mistakes were to be expected. There have been many handicaps to overcome. There are still many changes to be made to secure the original objectives, that of efficiently promoting civil aviation and the securing of a great reservoir of trained pilots who would be available in an emergency. The C.P.T.P.is moving in that direction in great strides. The ground school courses and text books have been prepared by leading aeronautical engineering teachers.
The esprit de corps of the whole organization is excellent. With the new courses of instruction planned for the near future, it now appears that the original objectives will be gained before the five year period has expired.-Earl D. Hay.
OFFICIAL BULLETIN UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
Vol. 38 Sundav.Feb.23,1941 No.92
Notices due at Chancellor's Office at 11 a.m. on the day of publication during the week, and at 11 a.m. on Saturday for the Sunday issue.
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE ORGANIZATION: Christian Science Organization will hold a regular meeting Tuesday afternoon at 4:30 in the Pine Room of the Union building. All students, graduates, and faculty members are welcome.-Patricia Neil, secretary.
COLLEGE FACULTY MEETING: The faculty of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will meet on Tuesday, at 4:30 in the Auditorium on the third floor of Frank Strong Hall—Deane W. Malott, president.
EL ATENEO: The regular meeting of the Spanish Club will be held Wednesday at 3:30 in 113 Frank Strong. Attention of the members is called to the change in the day of the meeting—Merle Simmons.
EMPLOYMENT FOR K.U. WOMEN: Will all students who want part time work for the current semester please file class schedules in the Women's Employment Office, 220 Frank Strong Hall, at all! There are jobs, but we need class schedules—Marie Miller, director, Women's Employment Bureau.
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY EXAMINATION: The third examination of the year will be given Saturday March 1, at 8:30 a.m. Juniors who have not already passed the examination should take it at this time. The examination is open only to juniors and seniors. Register at the college office on February 24, 25, and 26.-J. B. Virtue.
GRADUATE FELLOWSHIPS AND SCHOLARSHIPS: Applications and supporting testimonials for Graduate Scholarships and Fellowships for 1941-42 are due at the Graduate Office not later than March 1.—E. B. Stouffer, Dean.
HOME ECONOMICS CLUB: Initiation of new members followed by a waffle supper this Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. at the Home Management House.-Millie Regier, president.
NEW ADDRESSES FOR DIRECTORY SUPPLEMENT: Students who changed addresses between semesters and who have not reported new addresses to the Registrar's office should file those addresses at once, so that corrections may appear in the Directory Supplement. —George O. Foster), registrar.
NOTICE TO ALL STUDENTS: Dr. E. T. Gibson will be available for personal conferences at Watkins Memorial Hospital on Tuesday afternoons from 2 to 5. Appointments should be made at the Watkins Memorial Hospital.—Ralph I. Canuteson.
TAU SIGMA: There will be a required meeting for all initiated members of Tau Sigma tomorrow afternoon at 4:30.—Carolyn Green, president.
W. S.G.A. COUNCIL: W.S.G.A. Council will meet at 7:00 in the Pine Room on Tuesday.—Doris Twente, secretary.
Y. M.-Y.W.; There will be a party for all Freshmen in the Memorial Union Ballroom, Tuesday at 4:30. Every freshman is cordially invited.—Thornton McClanahan.
Y. M.-Y.W. NEWS: The Y.M.-Y.W. discussion group who met last week to explore the modern implications of Jesus' teachings are continuing their discussion this Wednesday at 4:30 at Henley House. All students who are interested are invited to join in this discussion.—Mary Helen Wilson.
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Student Paper of THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS Lawrence, Kansas
Subscription rates, in advance, $3.00 per year, $1.75 per semester. Published at Lawrence, Kansas, daily during the school year except Monday and Saturday. Entered as second class matter September 17, 1910, at the post office at Lawrence, Kansas, under the act of March 3, 1870.
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Tar Pits Yield Wolves, Tigers
* * * * * * * * *
Dyche Exhibits Them
Near Los Angeles, Calif., there is an area known as Rancho La Brea which has developed into a fossil hunter's dream of paradise.
The reason for this area's popularity among scientists is the "tar pits" which have yielded an enormous number of specimens for present-day museums. $ ^{ \textcircled{4}} $
When rain fell on these "pits," it did not soak in but lay on top in pools. Many animals, seeking drinking water from the pools, stepped into them and became trapped. In the course of time, a great variety of animals, ranging from small birds to elephants, were caught and buried.
These "tar pits" are really small pools of asphalt which arose from beneath the earth's surface. Dust blowing across these pools and the process of evaporation made these polls partially dry, and the sticky asphalt was formed. The asphalt made a veritable death trap, for any animal which ventured into it would be hopelessly caught and soon buried beneath the surface.
Excavation of these pools was begun to obtain the asphalt for use in paving. With the discovery of the numerous bones, however, scientists took charge of the excavations to recover the remains of the animals buried there.
Included in the great variety of skeletons found were about 2,500 sabre-toothed tigers, 3,000 wolves, 40 large lions, two dozen elephants, and a great many horses, camels, and ground sloths. Birds of various sorts, ranging from the condor with an average wingspread of about eight feet, down to very small species, were also trapped.
The exhibit of these "tar pits" in Dyche Museum shows an excavated pit and remains of wolves and a sabre-tooth tiger. As a background for the exhibitor, Walter Yost, Fine Arts graduate student, has made a painting of an elephant "mired down" in one of these pools, with a sabre-toothed cat in waiting to feed on him as soon as he becomes helpless.
This exhibit is one of the new cases which are being added to the ground floor of Dyche Museum for its opening this spring in connection with the Seventy-fifth Anniversary.
Early yesterday afternoon a kite could be seen flying above the roof of south Frasiez tower. John Sterrett, Battenfeld, was the air-minded boy at the gravity end of the kite string.
The Delts have a new mascot, a hangover from "education" week. It's a little billygoat that Eugene Musgrave brought in Thursday night from the scavenger hunt.
ROCK CHALK TALK
He got it from a man on West Ninth who said, "It's yours if you won't bring it back." So the goat has been christened Tau, official mascot of Gamma Tau of Delta Tau Delta. At present his home is in the basement.
Larry Winn was baffled when he received a letter from a girl whom he had recently written complimenting him on the "marginal notes" on his letter. As far as he knew, there had been none.
The truth is that an unidentified Phi Psi found the unsealed letter, read it, and scribbled in appropriate notes.
Loren Wither must have decided to make the most of his last year in college. He used to be a non-operator where women are concerned, but now it's different.
Olive Joggerst looked like a ghost-smuggler yesterday morning when she was hauling white-blindfolded Chi Omega pledges two at a time from 1201 Kentucky to the chapter house to be initiated.
Rummaging through some old family furniture recently, Bob Hull found a pocketbook belonging to many-times-great-grandfather. In it were old papers and money, including a certificate for 300 dollars in Spanish bullion, printed in 1780.
Otto Kiehl's old beaten down car, formerly known as "the business coupe," has been through a repaint job and now begs to be called "The Green Hornet."
Pennsylvania Finds Mineral Industries Important to State
A vote of approval for the proposed Mineral Industries building was voiced in a letter from Dr. D. F. McFarland, head of the metalurgy department of Pennsylvania State college, recently received by Fred Ellsworth, secretary of the Alumni Association.
"The establishment of a Mineral Industries building at the University should be regarded by the people of the state as a necessary insurance project to conserve for them a wealth, which once exhausted, can never be replaced", Dr. McFarland said in the letter.
Dr. McFarland received his A. B. degree from the University in 1900 and his A.M. degree in 1901. He was
A Mineral Industries research building was erected at Pennsylvania State college in 1930.
also a member of the chemistry department faculty.
He explained that "Pennsylvania for more than 200 years has been profiting by the exploitation of its mineral wealth. Only by means of conservation and research could the mineral supplies be made to yield a living to the million and quarter people in Pennsylvania who are dependent on these resources for their livelihood."
Nominations for candidates for the Summerfield exams are now being received from high schools throughout the state according to Olin Templin, chairman of the Summerfield appointment committee.
Summerfield Candidates To Be Examined Soon