How to get an air job — Reading Notes

HOW TO GET AN AIR JOB

If you have the nerve and ambition to become a cloudman, this will tell you where to go to bat--and how.

Back in the days when the clipper ships spread their great, white sails from Hudson’s Bay clear down around the Horn, the youth of America heard the call of the sea--the whistle of a hurricane through the shrouds, the _boom, boom, boom_ of the surf pounding a coral shore. They heard the call and they answered it; and with their youth and their strength and their undying courage they toiled till their new flag ruled the seas.

Then came the call of the West. The pioneer spirit that was Kit Carson’s, that was Boone’s, reached out through the land. Clerks put down their pens and joined the wagon trains; farmers gave up the plows to strap on their muskets. From every walk in life they came to battle with their wilderness. And they stretched their homes from coast to coast to rule the land.

The sea, first; then the land. And now they have come to that last great frontier--the air!

The advance man has made toward his conquest of the air is common knowledge. The development of heavier-than-air craft from a purely experimental stage to its present place in the commercial world has been a part of our lives; in a sense, we have all grown up with it. We have come naturally to recognize aviation as one of the prime factors of the future--and the same pioneer spirit that conquered the land and the sea is impelling our young men to ask questions about it.

“Does aviation offer _me_ an opportunity?” they want to know. And then they ask, “How can I take advantage of this opportunity? How can I learn aviation and get a job in the air?”

The answer to the first question is emphatically, YES! American aviation today has reached a good sound beginning. The countries of Europe may boast more widespread routes, may point to their greater number of planes and a greater volume of business, but experts now declare unanimously that this condition is only temporary. The United States has solved its air problem in typical Yankee style--and our unsubsidized, privately-owned companies form a solid basis upon which to build.

_You_, if you have certain definite qualifications, can help in the building.

The qualifications are simple and concise. They are:

(1) Good health and a strong body. (2) A common-school education, or better. (3) An interest in mechanics and a flair for adventure.

If you have these things, and with them an impelling desire to pioneer in a virgin field, aviation offers you an opportunity to get in on the ground floor. Of course, everyone cannot be a pilot or a flyer any more than every man on the baseball team can be the pitcher. For every person in the air there must be at least ten men doing work on the ground, and many of you will find your opportunity there.

Aircraft companies will need Aeronautical Engineers, Mechanics, Motor Experts, Airplane Builders and Designers, Assemblers, Salesmen--and as the industry develops the need for men trained in this field will increase, just as it did in the automotive industry. And aviation is growing by leaps and bounds.

The second question--how to learn aviation and get a job in the flying game--is more complex and more difficult to answer. It would be best to divide the answer in two parts; (1) for the fellow who can afford to take a course in aviation instruction; and (2) for the fellow who has to make his way while he learns.

If you have between $500.00 and $1,000.00 dollars to spend, you can take a complete training in the theory and practice of aviation; and with this training you should be able to get a job that will repay your investment--and with interest. There are hundreds of schools and private operators who can teach you the business of flying. Several of our leading colleges offer technical courses for more advanced students. There are even organizations that offer courses in aeronautics by correspondence. The prospective student has a wide choice.

_Air Stories_ will be glad to help you in the selection of a school to meet your own requirements if you say the word.

If you have to make your way while you learn, you might well consider the chance that is offered young men interested in aviation by the United States Army Air Corps.