|
but one man in his detachment left for San Diego on the first transport ship and military flying in Hawaii ceased for the moment. The Signal Corps School, Fort Kamehameha was by no means a success, but the work performed by Captain Geiger both there and at North Island along with his many valuable suggestions helped pave the way for the establishment and organization of many future military aviation training schools. The End of S.C. No. 8 and S.C. No. 21 On September 1, 1914 both engine-less airframes of S.C. No. 8 and S.C. No. 21 were put up for auction in Honolulu but no one showed up. Plans wer made to ship the planes to San Francisco in hope of selling them there. However on November 12, 1914 another auction was held in Honolulu and both were sold. S.C. No. 8 was purchased by T. F. Bradshaw for $200, and S.C. No. 21, the revolutionary front engine "Tractor Scout" sold for $250 to an unknown buyer. It is unknown if either plane ever flew again, but in retrospect, old "Julia" S.C. No. 8, had been a real workhorse for a fledgling air force and many pioneer military aviators had flown her first, including Captain Geiger. By comparison, S.C. No. 21 had not been a really successful airplane and Capt. Geiger who flew it during most of its operational life would later write: "The Tractor No. 21 was, of course, an experiment, it was hardly expected that it would be a perfect machine. However, were it not for the fact that the machine was badly needed for this station (Hawaii), it would have been better to have required Mr. Curtiss to build one for us more satisfactory to use." The school was by no means a success but the work of Lt. Harold Geiger and his men paved the way for the successful establishment of the 6th Aero Squadron in Hawaii three years later and Lieutenant Geiger made many valuable suggestions for the establishment, organization and equipment of future airplane squadrons. Disagreement in the Aviation Section In August, 1914 newly promoted Captain Geiger was appointed Commanding Officer of 1st Company, 1st Aero Squadron, stationed in San Diego. The squadron had 12 flying officers and 6 airplanes. On September 15, 1914, Captain Geiger married Miss Frances M. Bridges in Coronado, California. Lieutenant Walter R. Taliaferro was best man. On December 7, 1914 the flying personnel and equipment of the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps consisted of 18 officer pilots, 10 officer student pilots, 7 enlisted student pilots and 11 airplanes. In the spring of 1915 Lt. Colonel Lewis E. Goodier, Judge Advocate of the Western Department and father of Captain Lewis E. Goodier, Jr., had assisted Captain Townsend F. Dodd and Lieutenant Walter R. Taliaferro to prefer charges against Captain Arthur S. Cowan, a non-flying officer and the current head of the San Diego Aviation School. Lt. Colonel Goodier himself filed further charges against Captain Cowan as well as against Captain William L. Patterson to the effect that both men were receiving flying pay when neither was a qualified pilot, an abuse in fact known to Colonel |
|
|