<p>Records showed that conditions had improved in the three years. In 1911, there was a fatal accident for every 65 hours flown; by 1914, the rate was one every 125 hours. In 1911, Corps aviators made 372 flights per fatal accident; in 1914, the number was 515. The mortality rate had been reduced substantially, but it was still too high.
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<p>In a memorandum dated 28 February 1914, the Signal Corps noted that the greatest number of fatal accidents had occurred with the Wright Type C aircraft, and accordingly had grounded the airplane by telegraph messages on 16 February. An investigative board would be convened to evaluate the problem.
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<p>The board recommended that future flying be done only on the Burgess and Curtiss aircraft, both tractor types rather than the pusher type pioneered by the Wrights. It is speculative to suggest that the officers of the board believed that an engine to the rear was a sure route to fatal injuries in any crash.
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<p>The military still had not faced the problems first outlined in 1861 in Abbot's criticism of the balloon operations. Aviation personnel were detailed on temporary duty, with officer pilots coming from other branches of the Army generally and enlisted men from the Signal Corps. There was no guarantee that either officers or men would have any future in the aeronautical service.
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<p>The Sixty-Third Congress, in its second session, passed a landmark bill, H.R. 5304, "An Act to Increase the Efficiency of the Aviation Service of the Army, and for Other Purposes." The wording of the bill stated that: "... there shall hereafter be, and there is hereby created, an aviation section, which shall be a part of the Signal Corps of the Army, and which shall be, and hereby is, charged with the duty of operating or supervising the operation of all military aircraft, including balloons and aeroplanes, all appliances pertaining to said craft, and signalling apparatus of any kind when installed on said craft; also with the duty of training officers and enlisted men in matters pertaining to military aviation."
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<p>The bill went on to increase the authorized strength of the Signal Corps by 60 aviation officers and 260 enlisted men, and directed that the strength increase be maintained by a flow of a sufficient number of aviation students. Further, there would be two classes of officers, junior military aviators and military aviators, and pay increments would be made available for this type of duty. The bill was signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson on 18 July 1914.
