First of Over 70 Students Take to Air As Government Flying Lessons Begin

After almost two months of waiting, actual flying experience began at the East Boston Airport yesterday afternoon for about ten members of the University's course in Aeronautical Engineering.

More than 40 students will have had flying instruction by the end of the week, according to William Bollay, instructor in Aerodynamics. Thirty additional men will be able to take advantage of the added quota sent last Saturday from Washington and will have their first flying experience within two weeks.

Seaplane Training Considered

Each man will have 50 hours of instructions, and it is possible that arrangements will be made for 20 hours of seaplane training for 20 men.

The first to handle the controls officially yesterday was Leonard G. Shepard '42, but Thomas L. Hine '40 beat the gun and took to the air at 7:30 o'clock on Saturday morning in one of the five dual-controlled Piper Cub government planes.

Most of the students claimed that they were not at all nervous before or during their first experiences. Some of them complained, however, about the difficulty of keeping the ship's nose on the horizon.

Flying "Good Fun"

For Hine, the one-half hour experience of handling the "stick" was "good fun." He stated that despite the 60-mile wind he had little difficulty with the new airplane.

The course in Aeronautical Engineering, which was begun this year, is open to all University men except Freshmen and those who are unable to pass the physical examination. Of the 200 applicants for the course only 75 still remain.

"Sitting in" Encouraged

Bollay declared that although it is now too late to sign up for the course, anyone connected with the University may sit in on the ground instruction lectures, which meet five times a week at 8 o'clock.

University students not taking the course may also sit in on lectures given three hours a week by representatives of the Sikorsky Company on the subject of airplane designing.