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Such however, is not the case, we must
admit, unfortunately.
To meet the demand from all quarters
for skilled airmen, a number of private
schools have sprung up. The art is not
an easy one to learn. It occasionally
happens, it is true, that a man will learn
in a few days' time to control and guide
a machine safely. This is exceptional. The
average man requires usually at least two
months before he can be said to be really
qualified. Learning to fly is a serious
business that requires all of a man's time
and energies. Tt is not a matter of leisure
moments.
There has been a good
deal of time wasted in the
past by the unscientific—if
earnest—means of instruction
employed. Some experts
believe that a man of
no unusual facility to start
with should eventually he
able to learn the handling
i if an aeroplane in not more
Practical Mechanics at Mineola
In the photograph at the right an aviation
officer is explaining the intricacies
of the V-shaped aeroplane motor. Below
is a group listcnins to an instructor
"talk turke\" on the use of a metal
lathe.
TRAINING OUR AIR SCOUTS 567
than three weeks. This belief has, as a
matter of fact, already been borne out
at the Mineola school. A little less than
a month is the average per pupil.
The private schools charge naturally
high rates for instruction. Proficient instructors
are hard to get, and very expensive
grounds and equipment are
required. One school, for example,
asks and gets twenty-five dollars a lesson.
These private aviation schools are
starting up in various parts of the country.
Their advertisements appear in