AERO CLUB OFFICIALS URGE INTERCOLLEGIATE FLIGHTS

"A total of twenty prizes have now been offered for the aeronautical contests which begin at Atlantic City next Thursday," said Augustus Post, Secretary of the Aero Club of America, when interviewed for the CRIMSON recently, "and the three-months Intercollegiate Tournament is one of the most important of these contests. It is hoped that there will be a great number of entries from the members of the Army and Navy who have returned to college, and who will thus have an opportunity to continue flying and develop aeronautics as an intercollegiate sport. During the war, many colleges had ground courses where aviators were trained and it is hoped that by stimulating an interest in flying, all of the colleges and universities will assist in fostering the advancement of this new branch of intercollegiate competition,--a sport which should take its place with rowing and football.

"Great enthusiasm has been aroused all over the country by the announcement of these intercollegiate aerial contests and it is expected that the events will be of considerable value to the nation in continuing the development of American astronauties in time of peace."

Yale and Columbia Enter Teams.

Alan R. Hawley, President of the Aero Club, stated that, besides the University, Yale, Columbia, and the College of the City of New York, were organizing teams to compete and that other universities were holding meetings of their aviators with a view to making entries in the contests. "Possibly the most celebrated heroes of the war were the airmen of all nations," said Mr. Hawley. "America is particularly proud of the record of the Lafayette Flying Corps, which contained many college men. Among the Aces of the American Army besides the famous Captain Eddie Rickenbacker are Lieutenant Douglas Campbell, Lieutenant Chestier Wright, and Lieutenant Thomas Hitchcock, of Harvard, and many others who have helped to make the name of Harvard long rememberer in the history of American aviation. There are still other great names to be recorded in the new book of intercollegiate aviation, and we hope that the aviators from Cambridge, having been the first from any university to enter the Atlantic City contests, will go down as the first winners of the Intercollegiate Tournament.

Curtiss Co. Offers an Aeroplane.

The University Aeronautical Society has entered pilots in both the land and the sea-plane contests which commence next Saturday, as well as in the balloon contest which takes place at Akron, Ohio, the middle of May.

A telegram has been received from the Curtiss Aeroplane Company which offers to provide a machine at Atlantic City for the use of the University aviators, with the probability of also being able to secure a seaplane for them.

As soon as definite word is received from the Aero Club as to the date of the first intercollegiate race, the aviators will leave for the seen of the meet. The Aero Club has guaranteed the University Astronautical Society the sum of $500 for the flights made by its representatives, and has offered to supply hangar accommodations and gasoline free of charge.