News Letter 1941 Jul-Dec - Air Force Historical Studies Office

e shown repeatedly if necessar,. Films on the
use and care of new equipment, such as a new type
of engine, propeller, carburator, etc. can be
shown in advance of its arrival. (The War Department
is getting increased cooperation from the
various manufacturers along this line.)
Instruction at all training centers is stand.
ardized, and the services of expect instructors
and the.most highly trained personnel are utilIzed
in demonstrating the methods and t~chniques illustrated
on the film. This insures that all students,
regardless of location, haVe constant visual
access to the latest approved methods as a
standard in attaining their training objectives.
Although the training films and film strips are
so des igned that the picture its.lf will clear ly
ilnicate the exact lesson to be taught, there is
plenty of scope for the Lnd Iv Idua I instruetor I
especially in connection with the film strips.
Even in the case of the sound film, where the instruction
is completely integrated with the
pictures, the topnotch instructor will always add
to the lesson by introductory remarks or discussion
a~ comment afterwards.
Mechanics
Series Complete
One of the most complete projects in connect ion
with training film strips is the series for instruction
in Airplane Mechanics. This will eventually
cover 118 film strip subjects, divided into
nine groups as follows: a) Film Strips for use in
Basic Instruction, Airplane Mechanics - 13 film
strips, including Maintenance Policies and
Functions of Air Corps, Maintenance Publications,
Maintenance Records and Reports, Aircraft Materials'
etc. b) For use in Airplane Structures (10).
c) For Hydraulics and Miscellaneous Equipment
(14). d) For propellers (13). e) For Instruments
(IS). f) For Engines (12). g) For Aircraft Electrical
Systems (17). h) For Carburation(l1). i)
For Aircraft Engine OPeration and Test (13).
Films must be fitted editorially to the requirements
of the various Air Corps schools, such as
primary, basic and advanced flight training,
aerial bombardment, navigation, etc. The Randolph
Field Training Film FTepnration Unit, for example,
is charged for the most part with the production
of films to be used in connection with the pilot
training program.
Among other things, young aviation cadets have
to be taught the things they must NOT do. To put
this across effect ively, the pictorial art of Jack
Zumwalt, commercial artist and cartoonist of Dallas,
was pressed into service. ~ result was the
creation of Aviation Cadet Knucklehead of the Army
Air Corps, who's never been right in his life and
whose motto is "Keep 'em Falling."
Originally forming part of a fib! strip entitled
"[)(t\"TS", designed to warn student pilots against
conunon errors, Knucklehead provides the perfect
examples of when, where and how NOT to do things.
16
The pictures of the mythical bonehead proved so
attention-arresting that he soon became a "starlet
of the first magnitude", appearing in scores of
scenes.
A still wider influence for Dodo Knucklehead was
found when some of the more str iking scenes on the
film strips took the form of Randolph Field News
Releases with glossy photos. These have been
widely used by the press, and public interest in
the pilot training program stimulated. One amusing
example is entitled "Don't Concentrate on
Maps" and shows "The Flying Frankenstein" about to
crash into the tower of a building labelled "City
Hall, Altoona", with his face plunged into a
sectional map and exclaiming, "I should be in the
vicinity of Altoona!"
Libraries At Each Station
The procedure governing the requisition, supply
and distribution of training films and film strips
in Army Air Force is found in A.A.F. Regulations
No. 65-4, of September 17, 1941. Training Film
Libraries will be established at each Air Corps
Control Depot in the United States. Sub-libraries
and distributing points will be operated by the
COlllll8nding General, Air Force Combat Conmand, and
the Chief of the Air Corps, at each Air Force
headquarters, Air Corps flight training and technical
training center, tact ical school and other
points at the discretion of the Commanding General
AFtX:: and Chief AC.
DUIICAN FIELD
The above design, createa by artist T. ].
Hinnant II, will be carried on the cars of men
and employees of Duncan Field in order to
illustrate their part in the program to "Keep
'Em Flying".
NOVli.MBER /94/