Merced Army Flying School - Yearbook (Merced, CA)

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ff , 1 i S. Tal, S E.. gf 'T as 4' s 2 'f ., . Jw, S T s ,- T s 't.. f jk'-ef I it ,. js 'Z i f V-12 ' isfr L T is ' : : ':,': :, '-,. :: ' . fi i.---f , :,' ' ,,:,5 'lf' ,i2,. . ,n is kV': ,Ji ff T ' ' f f 'A Q' A 17,3 A ,,,,. ,lz' TT, W T ff .A,-,. :Lk , Tug o war on The aThleTic area. On The pisfol range. Over The hurdle on The obsTacle course. PRE-FLIGHT TRAINING AfTer compleTing The Tesfs in The ClassificaTion CenTer, The new Army Air Forces man is assigned To a pre-flighT Training school for a Training course prior To being senT To a Primary FlighT School. FuTure piloTs who are To receive Their pre-flighT Training are senT To one of several fields, where They undergo nine weeks of inTensive Training. The Training program for The pre-flighT piloT is in Three maior di- visions, sTressing aThleTics, miliTary and academic work. They are given one hour a day in afhlefics and one hour is devofed To miliTary Training. The miliTary Training consisfs of close order drill which Tends To improve miliTary carriage and To Teach discipline. Each man is drilled in The elemenTs of miliTary courTesy and receives acTual pracTice in firing The 45 caliber pisTol. The academic program includes exTensive sTudies in mafhemafics, physics, miliTary law, ciTizenship, nafional policy, organizaTion of The Unifed STaTes GovernmenT, The Army Air Forces, The Army, currenT evenTs, Types of Air Forces equipmenT and armamenf, command and adminisTraTion in small uniTs, The firing of The 45 caliber pisTol, and defense againsT chemical aTTack. Each 'Four and one half weeks, a new group is senT in from The Classificafion CenTer To The Pre-FlighT PiloT School and each class moves up. The upper class members have Their firsT acTual pracTice in some of Their Training as They Take charge of The new piloT sTudenTs and geT The new group seTTled. As The new group begins Their nine weeks' course, The upper class moves inTo The final phase of Their Training before graduaTing To The Primary School. The Pre-FlighT NavigaTor is senT from The Classificafion CenTer To one of several NavigaTor Pre-Flighf Training Schools, where he under- goes nine weeks of Training which is basically The same as The pre- flighf piloT. There The work is divided inTo The same Three cafegories wiTh Their academic work placing more sTress on maThemaTics. Their oTher sTudies include Morse code, air forces, flags of all naTions, ground forces, physics, naval forces, mefeorology, phofography, maps and charTs, communicaTion, procedure, crypfography, and TargeT iden- Tificafion. They are also TaughT milifary discipline and The proper ways of safeguarding ,miliTary informaTion. They spend five hours each day in These classes wiTh new classes coming in every Three weeks. Their mili-Tary Training consisTs of 45 minuTes each day spenT in close order drill and inspecTions each SaTurday. During The nine weeks' course The men are also given some Training in chemical warfare and The use of gas masks and how To recognize The various Types of gases. The ulTimaTe aim of The NavigaTor School is To give officer Training and To give work valuable To Them as aircrafT observers and To give work CadeTs line up wiTh Their ladies. AT The piano in The cadef recreafion building. Cadefs arrive from classificaTion cenTer, A Typical room scene in cadeT barracks. Grand march under sabre arch aT Cadef Ball Flifle iruinr-zciion. fi A as A iifi TK as T., ' ff Te-his f. ef , ..!:,. I g ' ' if ' ff: , 5 35,3 s e? 1,5 Y .,.. i if A yi, ,...,.. 1 ylgg T FN . 9' 3 X s- F' fl 'rf' i ,T iri 41' 'i A 1 sf 11 5 1 -ff-.f K' is E X 1. gt' ' ex fn- A ' - : as fi as Q- 4

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,QQIM-, Ziff ,rf - r k L9 , V V A 'Ll' sent to a specialized school in one oi the training centers. Less than a year later he will emerge as one oi the best llying oilicers in the worlcl, ready toiohwllncb Sanfs nnghty an awnada m actualconnbah l' Above: Gone for the duration are civilian clothes. This aviation cadet tries on one of two pair of neat Army oxfords issued him. Civies are laid away in duffel bag, aa A 'fp ii if: i . P A R A D E ,WMM Below, Top Picture: High-flying Army Air Forces fight low-crawling athlete's foot effectively simply by preventing if. Each cadet wears paper sandals from the shower until the time he puts on his shoes. Bottom Picture: Snappy coat and cap are issued cadets at the end of the long clothing line. To transform this outfit to that of an officer if he is commissioned Second Lieutenant at the end of the course, cadet has only to put on Regular Air Forces insignia and remove blue band from his cap. CAPjMN,5 by 5 A OVERCGAI-mrfl i

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The Colors. ich is prerequisife 'ro +he advanced schools. The Navigalion School irks in coniuncfion wilh lhe advanced schools and af fhe end of ch nine weeks a new class is ready fo begin fhe advanced work. The Pre-Flighi bombardier is sen+ from fhe Classificalion Cenler fo e of fhe many bombardier schools where he also is subiecfed fo e nine weeks of basic pre-flighf fraining. His academic fraining is parlicular siress upon work in bombardmenf aviafion and par- ular fraining in observalion from fhe plane. Ofher courses are clically fl-me same as lhose required for a pre-flighi navigalor. Throughouf lhe firsf easy half hour al flue Classification Cenler d fhe nine weeks of pre-flighl fraining, lhe would-be pilof, naviga+or, d bombardier, all have one ihoughi uppermos+ . . . io do fheir besl d 'lo gel one sfep furlher along fhe road ihai leads io . . , WINGS. enamel? HAHQSEHVSLQ Preparing for Safurday inspeciion. '!Qlll,!'ly,f l. if 8 l oiife . L V? .W ,R , H , feel. Awarding lrophies. PHYSICAL TRAINING WITH WANDS Cadels enfering lhe huge mess hall for dinner