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igating personnel of something like 15,000 officers, that is, pilots and observers. Without flying personnel, it makes no difference how many airplanes one may have — they cannot be used; and, as flying is the basis of all aeronautical work, it makes no difference how many ground officers there may be on hand — no work can be done in the air. In the second place, an air industry was developed in this country, which, although it copied foreign models of airplanes (which, naturally, did not allow our inventive genius to assert itself very greatly in devising new equipment), still applied methods of manufacture to equipment it was given to build which were probably the equal or superior to any in the world. This industry, on account of having been denied any appropriations for the construction of new airships by the Government, has practically ceased to exist. It may be said that this is the only country of any magnitude in which this has been the case.

As to the personnel, the United States Army has retained on a temporary status only 900 pilots and observers in its service. The others have all returned to civil life, with no organization and practically no means of keeping up with or getting them back into the service in case of necessity. This personnel will not willingly serve in any other branch of the national service, either Army or Navy, because their whole interest and experience lie in aviation. On the other hand, practically all would be perfectly willing to come into an aviation reserve, providing they could see a visible asset for the nation in such an organization. If these men are not organized, no return will be derived from the tremendous amounts expended on them

from a prospective standpoint in case of any further trouble, and, if