Major Mitchell Research Paper

In 1916, Major Mitchell became the temporary head of the Aeronautical Division of the Signal Corp. Mitchell took the position of authority very serious and he became a student pilot being trained by the aviation pioneer Glenn Curtis (Miller). He chose to pursue this interest at his own expense paying $1470 for training (Miller). On his first solo flight Mitchell flipped the aircraft upside down while landing, this won him the honor of having this maneuver named the “Mitchell” (Miller). This experience benefitted Billy because in 1917 the War Department wanted an aviator observer in Europe to report on the war in Europe. Billy was quickly sent to France and he arrived four days after the United States declared war on the Central Powers (Davis).
Billy Mitchell would spend time in the trenches of war and he had virtually unlimited access to all aspects of the French military. However, he found the British to be a superior air power over the French. During a meeting with British General Hugh Trenchard he discussed the strategic value of the air plane. General Trenchard had a strong conviction that the air plane should be used …show more content…
“Black Jack” Pershing arrived in France to establish the American Expeditionary Forces in France (Miller). He arrived with his Air Officer Major Townsend Dodd who was outranked by Mitchell. General Pershing did not believe the logical place for aviation was in the Signal Corp. so he separated them making them a distinct force within the AEF. Mitchell was given the title of Chief Air Officer of the Air Service, AEF (Miller). Billy was soon viewed as an exceptional leader and developed the doctrine of divided squadrons of pursuit and bombardment aircrafts. Soon a cadre of men known as “Billy’s Boys” surrounded him and fed off his energy and enthusiasm. Many of these men had a large impact on the future of the Air Force, gaining their knowledge and experience fighting alongside Billy Mitchell