LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE " LIBERTIES " OF THE AIR . .
[To the Editor of the SPECTATOR.] Sur,--I have great sympathy with " Pater's " question, for no one ants .a, blind-alley occupation for his son. My, article sketched a policy, an ideal still in process of attainment, a scheme still in the making. A short service officer will not, of course, have the complete and rigorous technical training of the aircraft apprentice. But during his five years' service he has the advantage of the best educational facilities, which he can supplement as he pleases ; while his practical duties bring him in close touch with the internal combustion engine, a variety of electrical problems, photography, and similar interests. The Institution of Mechanical Engineers have recognized five years service with the R.A.F. as counting towards the practical experience demanded from an associate member. Whether an officer takes advantage of these chances depends largely, of course, upon himself ; but I rbmit that he is put in the .way of a real professional training. Does a young. man who has .completed such a course in his early twenties, and leaves with a gratuity of £375, start seriously handicapped in the quest for his life work, even though he may have to undergo some further training in whatever profession he chooses.? I should have thought .not, but the proof can only come by experience. I am told that recently more than one young officer has joined the R.A.F. for the precise purpose of fitting himself for his civilian profession
five years hence.—I am, Sir, &c., Jornr BUCHAN.
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