Merced Army Flying School - Yearbook (Merced, CA)

Page 9 text:

-l-------,--.-Qt, eff if! Capfaln Beck. Lleulenanf Arnold. Capfai H Chandler, Lieufenanl- Milling, Lieufenanf Kirf- land. ,4- 41 f .1 .lu 4-' ..r M' 4' fqtfwdfff df' W- Af ,riff A ,f- Ar W: garf' '- , ,ff W ff' fl' 1 J' ,ff M. ,uv ff ,f .y ,,-' ,ff ,J ,GJ .w'lyg! ,Q ya ff N K 4, J' I - .- ,Af 4Q- K, l lMf'Q'ijf 'f ' f 1- f,f 'd,f'f ,z ff fn-' ,f l .f ffl f ff' f f w -9 , 4 4, Y., J v ,, . A , A, 'XVI-'fy .ff K of pffd A. -inf' ,df ,+'ff ' E '11 A.-f'4,f,ij,ff' 1 5 X X X' X -l+fl+ x X lx l'4'J ,,.-f'NKjf'f..Af v' l 'jf' ff' .J .. rt, I! f fff ,mf gf .. l-1- P 4, fl' ' ,ff 'M Mr' - ,ft if 'iflfy' J'

Page 8 text:

-. 'K 3, 'A X 'A', ' Q .L,af,t?E5? A A fr fi? jfgfgwj we MH ,r use X A src A N JX ' I Q3 Q W o K .154 'aj 2 .ndlll 1 . ,gs ,.,M4A , E , s bers of fhe Unifed Sfafes Armed Forces you do nof have EX fo be fo fhe magnifude and imporfance of fhe fask fhaf lies before ou. Af every base, sfafion and fraining field of fhe Unifed Sfafes Army Air Forces you are preparing yourselves for 'rhe greaf fesf of arms which will prove fhaf fhe forces of democracy can 'desfroy fhe evil power of fhe fofalifarian nafions. Soon you will fake your places as Bombardiers, Navigafors, Pilofs, and Gunners alongside of our allies who have been fighfing so valianfly. As mechanics and supply personnel, and in every fype of ground dufy, you will have fhe vifal responsibilify of malcing sure fhaf our airplanes will be second fo none. We can win fhis war, and we will win if, buf only if every officer and enlisfed man pufs forfh all fhe forfifude and resourcefulness fhaf Ameri- cans have always displayed in fime of war. There are frying fimes ahead, fimes fhaf will fesf fhe meffle of all of us, buf l am confidenf fhaf fhe personnel of my command will acquif fhemselves wifh honor and disfincfion, no maffer where and when we shall meef fhe enemy. Lieufenanf General, U. S. Army, Commanding General, Army Air Forces. ,,

Page 10 text:

I Wifh fhe reorganizafion of lhe aviafion sefup of fhe Unifed Sfafes Army, on March 9, I942, has come fhe Iafesf phase of fhe developmenf of fhe nafion's milifary aviafion from ifs groping, experimenfal days fo ifs presenf sfafus as an aufonomous unif wifhin fhe sfrucfure of fhe Army. The sfory of fhe rapid growfh of our nafion's milifary aviafion, from an unimporfanf subdivision of fhe Signal Corps before fhe firsf World War, fhrough fhe period when if was a corps of ifs own, fhe Air Corps, and now fo a degree of fremendous imporfance as fhe Army Air Forces, co-equal in prominence wifh all fhe ofher Army combaf arms combined, is a sfirring saga of courage and inspirafion, of indomifable will and far-sighfed genius, all wifhin fhe shorf space of 33 years. The ufilizafion of aviafion by fhe Army, however, anfedafes I909, fhe official birfh year. Civilian aeronaufs made observafions from cap- five balloons for fhe Army of fhe Pofomac during fhe American Civil War, and Iafer fhe Army purchased a balloon in France which was used in Cuba during fhe Spanish-American War. lf was nof, however, unfil fhe experimenfs of Langley, Maxim, Lillien- fhal, Bleriof, fhe Wrighfs and ofhers had 'Focused affenfion on fhe possibilifies of heavier-fhan-air machines fhaf fhe Army considered seri- ously fhis newesf milifary adiuncf. If was nof unfil fhe Wrighfs had demonsfrafed fhaf a heavier-fhan-air machine was nof only feasible, buf pracfical fhaf fhe Army adverfised for bids for fhe consfrucfion of an airplane. An aeronaufical division of fhe Army was creafed in fhe Office of fhe Chief Signal Officer of fhe Army on July I, I907. The Wrighf brofhers produced an airplane which was delivered fo Forf Myer, Virginia, on Augusf 28, I908. If was a biplane wifh a wing spread of abouf 40 feef and a wing area of some 500 square Wilbur Wrighf af Forf Myer, July 27, I909. y,V, ..,..,-.,, H. . ,... . . . X ' , .M 5 I I Q ll, y I iff - J Eval? 5 1 ' ,, ' QQ. 2 f IRA . , 5 3, 'k E Orville Wrighf i I H U 3 Firsf flighf Sepfember 5, I908. 5 feef weighing approximafely 800 pounds. The laferal confrols were affecfed by warping fhe wings. The double elevafor and fhe rudder were supporfed in fronf of fhe wings by an oufrigger. The landing gear consisfed of fwo runners, or skids, and fhe plane was launched from a monorail. Affer a series of disappoinfing accidenfs and many fesfs, fhe Board of Officers appoinfed fo examine fhe plane made a favorable recommendafion on Augusf 2, I909, and fhe Chief Signal Officer approved fhe recommendafion fhe same day. This dafe is considered fhe birfhday of fhe Army Air Forces. While fhus inaugurafing fhe air arm of fhe service on fhis dafe. fhe value of aircraff in a milifary way was nof immediafely apparenf, parficularly fo a nafion af peace, and if was nof unfil March, I9II, almosf fwo years Iafer, fhef Congress for fhe firsf fime specifically appropriafed money for aviafion. . .fo fhe fune of SI25,000, By Sepfember, I9I3, Army aviafion had grown slowly unfil if had I7 planes, wifh a personnel of 23 officers and 9I enlisfed men. Inasmuch as fhe original concepfion of fhe role of aircraff in war' fare was purely fhaf of observafion, fhe confrol of milifary aviafion was Ieff in fhe hands of fhe Signal Corps, and, indeed, aviafion remained in fhis branch unfil I9I8, when if was divorced from fhe Signal Corps and expanded info fwo deparfmenfs--fhe Bureau of Milifary Aero- naufics and fhe Bureau of Aircraff Producfion. Upon fhe ferminafion of fhe war fhese fwo deparfmenfs were consolidafed info fhe Air Service. The firsf acfual use of aircraff by fha Army began in March, l9I6, when fhe Firsf Aero Squadron, composed of Ib officers, 77 enlisfed men and eighf airplanes began operafions wifh fhe Punifive Expedifion in Mexico. The World War, of course, wifh ifs consfanfly accelerafing emphasis Orville Wrighf in flighf, Maxwell Field, l9l0. H, va- ..,, W., . W ,, iuff'::lllllIl '?' ,M .. f QW