Cal State Polytechnic College - El Rodeo Yearbook (San Luis Obispo, CA)

Page 34 text:

The students in the Aero division are likely to be a bit impetuous. For instance, here is Lloyd Smith, all set for a trial hop. But, wait—! He has forgotten something! Up comes Phil Taylor with the propellor, Burton Chase with the engine and Ken Bailey with the carburetor. No doubt the wings and other gadgets will be forthcoming—and then, what a jolly flight little Lloyd will have. But, seriously speaking, the California Polytechnic School Aero De- partment serves a twofold purpose, in that it is a technical and practical educational unit, and that it is a commercial repair station for licensed aircraft, sanctioned for such purposes by the federal department of com- merce. The student, enrolled in this course, not only receives the necessary theoretical training, but invaluable practical experience on live, modern flight equipment. Through the efforts of the personnel of the department and the school, many of the graduate students have found places in the airplane industry. The ultimate goal of the course, for the student, is the procural of the federal airplane and engine mechanics licenses. The course is so plan- ned, that at the end of three to four years of intensive study and practical work, the licensed graduate mechanic may step into airplane industry, so equipped theoretically and practically, that he is able to forge ahead of the men in the field who have become journeymen in the trade only through experience. In order to do this the course provides a well-balanced curri- culum covering airplane engines, mechanics of the airplane, drafting and blueprint reading, the aerodynamic theory of the airplane, and complete practical and theoretical training in all subjects directly related and per- tinent to the aircraft industry. It is the belief of the present captains of industry, that the highly trained men, necessary to maintain the industry both present and future, will come from such industrial educational units.