,,how ,,to ,,get ,,an ,,air ,,job       
,by ,jack ,byrne          ,if you have  
the nerve and ambition to become a      
cloudman1      this will tell you where 
to go to bat--and how4    ,back in the  
days when the clipper ships spread their
 great1 white sails  from ,hudson's ,bay
 clear down around the ,horn1 the youth 
of ,america heard  the call of the      
sea--the whistle of a hurricane through 
the shrouds1 the  boom1 boom1 boom of   
the surf pounding a coral shore4 ,they  
heard the  call and they answered it2   
and with their youth and their strength 
and  their undying courage they toiled  
till their new flag ruled the seas4     
,then came the call of the ,west4 ,the  
pioneer spirit that was ,kit  ,carson's1
 that was ,boone's1 reached out through 
the land4 ,clerks put  down their pens  
and joined the wagon trains2 farmers    
gave up the plows  to strap on their    
muskets4 ,from every walk in life they  
came to battle  with their wilderness4  
,and they stretched their homes from    

coast to  coast to rule the land4       
,the sea1 first2 then the land4 ,and now
 they have come to that last great      
frontier--the air6    ,the advance man  
has made toward his conquest of the air 
is common  knowledge4 ,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 lives2 in a sense1 we have all  
grown up with it4 ,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 it4    
8,does aviation offer me an             
opportunity80 they want to know4 ,and   
then  they ask1 8,how can ,i take       
advantage of this opportunity8 ,how can 
,i learn  aviation and get a job in the 
air80    ,the answer to the first       
question is emphatically1 ,,yes6        
,american aviation  today has reached a 
good sound beginning4 ,the countries of 

,europe may  boast more widespread      
routes1 may point to their greater      
number of  planes and a greater volume  
of business1 but experts now declare    
unanimously that this condition is only 
temporary4 ,the ,united ,states has     
solved its air problem in typical       
,yankee style--and our unsubsidized1    
privately-owned companies form a solid  
basis upon which to build4    ,you1 if  
you have certain definite               
qualifications1 can help in the         
building4    ,the qualifications are    
simple and concise4 ,they are3          
7#a7 ,good health and a strong body4    
7#b7 ,a common-school education1 or     
better4      7#c7 ,an interest in       
mechanics and a flair for adventure4    
,if you have these things1 and with them
 an impelling desire to pioneer  in a   
virgin field1 aviation offers you an    
opportunity to get in on the  ground    
floor4 ,of course1 everyone cannot be a 
pilot or a flyer any more  than every   
man on the baseball team can be the     

pitcher4 ,for every person  in the air  
there must be at least ten men doing    
work on the ground1 and  many of you    
will find your opportunity there4       
,aircraft companies will need           
,aeronautical ,engineers1 ,mechanics1   
,motor  ,experts1 ,airplane ,builders   
and ,designers1 ,assemblers1            
,salesmen--and as  the industry develops
 the need for men trained in this field 
will  increase1 just as it did in the   
automotive industry4 ,and aviation is   
growing by leaps and bounds4    ,the    
second question--how to learn aviation  
and get a job in the flying  game--is   
more complex and more difficult to      
answer4 ,it would be best to  divide the
 answer in two parts2 7#a7 for the      
fellow who can afford to  take a course 
in aviation instruction2 and 7#b7 for   
the fellow who has to  make his way     
while he learns4    ,if you have between
 #ejj4jj and #a1jjj4jj dollars to spend1
 you can take  a complete training in   
the theory and practice of aviation2 and

 with  this training you should be able 
to get a job that will repay your       
investment--and with interest4 ,there   
are hundreds of schools and private     
operators who can teach you the business
 of flying4 ,several of our  leading    
colleges offer technical courses for    
more advanced students4  ,there are even
 organizations that offer courses in    
aeronautics by  correspondence4 ,the    
prospective student has a wide choice4  
,air ,stories will be glad to help you  
in the selection of a school to  meet   
your own requirements if you say the    
word4    ,if you have to make your way  
while you learn1 you might well consider
  the chance that is offered young men  
interested in aviation by the  ,united  
,states ,army ,air ,corps4    ,the      
soldiers of the ,army ,air ,corps are   
offered intensive courses which  not    
only qualify them for specialists'      
ratings and higher  non-commissioned    
officer grades1 but also give them a    
training that  should enable them to    

make their way in commercial aviation   
after their  enlistment is expired4     
,there is also the opportunity for      
soldiers to  gain appointment as ,flying
 ,cadets4 ,the ,flying ,cadet's course  
qualifies  the student as an expert     
pilot4 ,at the conclusion of this course
 the  student is honorably discharged   
from the ,army and becomes eligible to  
take examination for an officer's       
commission in the ,reserve ,corps4    ,a
 typical example of the aeronautical    
training the ,air ,corps offers are  the
 courses given by the ,air ,service     
,technical ,school at ,chanute ,field1  
,illinois4 ,these courses are given to  
specially selected enlisted men and  to 
recruits who are sent to the school     
before they are assigned to  units4     
,there are no hard and fast rules       
governing the entrance  requirements1   
except1 perhaps1 the three primary      
qualifications we  mentioned before4    
,the ,school is divided in three        
departments3 one of  photography1 one of

 communication1 and one of mechanics4   
,the department of photography has been 
in operation for five years and  is     
conducted under the most advanced       
methods4 ,opportunities in aerial       
photography are unlimited1 both in the  
military and commercial sense4  ,the    
work is interesting1 varying as it does 
from the operation of motion  picture   
cameras to photographing large sections 
of the ,united ,states and  assembling  
the hundreds of pictures thus taken into
 maps4 ,men trained in  this work are   
needed in war times to map enemy        
territory in the same  manner4 ,in times
 of peace the aerial photographer is    
offered many  chances for employment by 
the fact that these aerial maps are     
displacing  blueprints in a great number
 of engineering projects4 ,an aerial    
survey  was recently taken of ,chicago's
 lake front4 ,stretches of land that are
  heavily covered with undergrowth are  
practically all being surveyed from  the
 air4    ,the course in the             

communications department consists of   
training for  radio mechanics and       
operators4 ,the use of radio in         
connection with  aviation is gradually  
assuming greater importance in the      
commercial  field since machines capable
 of making long ocean flights have been 
developed4 ,it has always been of prime 
importance in warfare4 ,candidates  for 
this course should be interested in     
radio work1 have at least three  years  
in high school or its equivalent1 and1  
though not necessary1  training or      
experience in any of the following lines
 is  desirable3--radio operator1        
commercial telegrapher or electrician4  
,the department of mechanics offers     
training in a number of subjects1  such 
as airplane and auto mechanics1 aircraft
 armorers1 and in the  construction1    
repair and inspection of airplanes4     
,this is considered the  most important 
course since airplanes depend on their  
mechanical  well-being4 ,requirements   
are a common-school education or its    

equivalent  and some experience in a    
line similar to the course taken4       
,these three courses all last about     
twenty-four weeks4 ,in the first two    
courses1 new classes begin every month2 
in the mechanics course1 every  second  
month4 ,chanute ,field is located at    
,rantoul1 ,illinois1 #aad miles  south  
of ,chicago4 ,the training offered at   
this field is just an example  of the   
training offered at the many other ,air 
,corps schools4 ,air  ,stories will     
furnish further information in regard to
 these schools at  your request4    ,if 
you can't afford the aviation school and
 the ,army ,air ,corps doesn't  appeal  
to you1 then the only thing left to do  
is to hunt a job with an  air-transport 
company or with some organization       
engaged in the  manufacture of airplane 
parts and accessories4 ,this way might  
be called  the 8back-door to aviation40 
,the 8back-door0 isn't the pleasantest  
way in the world to get in1 but  the    
fact that some of the biggest names in  

present-day aviation made  their start  
this way1 proves that it can be done4   
,they learned the game  from the ground 
up1 started at the very bottom of the   
ladder--and what  one man has done can  
be done again1 if you've got the stuff4 
,when you consider the number of        
organizations operating commercial air  
routes1 the increasing number of        
companies engaged in the manufacture of 
airplane parts1 the widespread number of
 smaller companies engaged in  aviation1
 it is easy to understand that there is 
a chance at the bottom  of the ladder   
now4 ,and the industry is growing so    
rapidly that every day  sees that chance
 assuming larger proportions4    ,you   
want to appreciate right now1 though1   
that getting a job in the air  is a     
mighty tough proposition for the        
inexperienced man--the same tough       
proposition that the inexperienced man  
faces in any line of work4 ,the  only   
solution is to keep on trying and keep  
on fighting until you do get  a job4    

,go to some airplane manufacturing      
company or to some company engaged in   
commercial flying and try to break in   
with them4 ,take anything4 ,start as  a 
janitor or a painter or an office       
boy--start at anything as long as  you  
start6 ,if you have the qualifications  
we noted before1 and you  have the      
desire to get in the air1 you can make  
your job take you  wherever you want to 
go4    ,men aren't born into bank       
presidents' jobs2 they fight their way  
up to  them4 ,it's the same in aviation 
as it is in any other game4             
,transcriber's ,note3 ,this story       
appeared in the ,august #aibg issue  of 
,air ,stories magazine4