Evening Star Newspaper, September 9, 1928, Page 63

AR LINES PLAN TICKET BUREAU Chicago to Have First Con- solidated Office for Passen- ger Plane Bookings. Concluding that passenger air trans- portation has progressed to the point where the “utmost in service” must be offered to the traveling public, the Chi- cago Air Traffic Association, represent- ing the air mail linés operating out of Chicago, will ‘establish the first cen- trally-located consolidated union “ticket office, depot and .information head- quarters for air passengers traveling to | all points to which mail planes carry | passengers. S The depot is to be called the Air Travel Bureau .and Consolidated Ticket Office and will be located at a “loop™ hotel. Announcement of the step for- ward. in commercial aviation was made by Thomas Wolfe, jr.. president of the Air Traffic Association and division trafic manager of the National Air Transport, Inc., operators of air mail and passenger routes from New York | to Chicago. to. Dallas, Tex. “For some time,” Mr. Wolfe said, “a careful study of the air passenger travel situation has been under way and we have concluded that the air lines have progressed to the point that they must offer the utmost in service to the travel- ing public. The acronautical world has demonstrated conclusively that air transportation will be an important fac- tor in the future transportation struc- ture of our country and this consolida- tion of air lines means that we are going to offer the public the very best kind of service and all of the conven- iences which have heretofore been lack- | ing in regard to air travel.” | Members in Group. Members of the Air Traffic Associa- | tion include: National Air Transport, Inc.: Northwest Airways, Inc.; Embry- Riddle Co., Robertson Aircraft Corpora tion and the Boeing Air Transport, Inc. This group of companies operates a total of 6.160 miles of airways which is approximately 50 per cent of the total of the air mail lines in the United States. These same companies connect with all other air mail lines which will make it possible at this office to secure air transport tickets to almost every point in the United States. These com- panios, all being air mail operators, have & proven background from the stand- oint of safety in operations,and the tal mileage operated each day amounts to 15.210 miles. An elaborate waiting room has been provided where air passengers can en- jov every comfort. Complete time- tables on railroad connections and air line operations throughout the United States and Europe can be found at this station. Adtendants under the super- vision of Robert L. Woodcock. manager of the passenger bureau, will be on hand from early morning until 9 each evening to make reservations. Passengers by day planes will be ren- dered the additional - service of being awakened by the hotel at a scheduled hour. 30 minutes later breakfast will be served in their rooms, and then they will be whisked away in busses to the flying field. Room reservations for hotels along the route will be made by the Palmer House bureau, as well as arrangements for the air passengers’ food accommodations. In short, the air passengers Aflying from Chicago after September 8, will have no worries as to their transportation arrangements and will be free to use their saving in time in other pursuits. Arrangements have also been made to check passenger baggage at the down- town bureau so that passengers will find their baggzage on the planes when they are ready. to go. Program of Service. This, it is said, will mark one of the greatvsl steps forward in air transpor- ation in the United States and will put this industry on a basis comparable with the excellent services in Europe. It is designed primarily as a service to the public and will make it possible for the passenger to secure his ticket in any scction of the city and know immedi- ately whether or not his reservation can be made. "TEST HARD-SU USE AIR AMBULANCES. Three Army Planes Carry Patients Nearly 4,000 Miles. Three Army Air Corps ambulance | planes were in commission during the past fiscal year and were flown 3,755 miles in the transportation of 22 pa- tients, the War Department has an- nounced. In each case the planes were | {used because other transportation | agencies were not-available or because | it was considered best for the patjent's welfare to utilize air transportation for .comfort and speed. | “The ambulance planes had a_total flying time of 45 hours in actual emergency duty and the time saved in transporting the 22 patients, as against | the best available ground transporta- tion time, totaled 320 hours and 40 minutes. The planes were in service at Kelly Field. Tex.; March Field, Calif., and France Field, Panama Canal Zone. The ambulance plane was especially valuable in the Canal Zone, the War Department said, because of the defi- clency of ground transportation facili- RFACE PLANE RUNWAYS Concrete’ at Ford Airport Pointedj Out as Solution of Land- | ing Problem. ST. PAUL (#).—Now come pavements for airplanes to use for landings and take-offs. 3 This imminent development in the newest transportation industry was de- scribed in a paper prepared for presen- tation before the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, meeting lere, by B. Russell Shaw of St. Louis, aero- nautic construction engineer. His sub- ject was “Modern Airports and Airport | Planning.” “The proper surface for an airport has received a great amount of atten- tion and criticism,” he said. ‘“There are those who argue that sod is the best. others advocate cinders, gravel, crushed rock or iron slag. The latest surface to be used is concrete.” Shaw enumerated the drawbacks of various surfaces. In very wet weather or in Spring, when frost is coming out of the ground, sod is “very bad,” with tr~ handicap also that tail skids cut deeply. Cinders, gravel and crushed rock tend to be picked up by pro- pellers, with damage ‘to blade tips. the sides of the fuselage and tail surfaces. | The case with which tail skids teer up | these surfaces adds to the hazard. Iron slag acts much like crushed rock. Three-wheel landing gears, with a wheel replacing the tail skid, are re- turning to use, lending themselves to hard-surface runways. Shaw points to the concrete installed at the Ford Air- port as the first experiment and a so- Intion of the landing problem. group of companies is conclusive proof that passenger transportation by air is now as safe as any other form of trans- portation and with the businesslike methods of handllmf5 passenger traffic as set forth by this consolidation it can be truthfully said that air trans- port has arrived in this country. This program has been set up ore- Fnr-wry to carrying passengers on & arge scale in accordance with the pro- grams of each individual company. The Northwest Airway soon will inaugurate its combination air ‘and rail service. ready to place seven large tri-motor air liners in service between Chicago and New York by Spring. The Robert- son Air Craft Co. has just placed large tri-motor planes ‘in service between Chicago and St. Louis and the Embry- Riddle Co. is making arrangements for additional service between Chicago and Cincinnati. The Boeing Air Transport Co. will not sell tickets through this office at the beginning, due to the fact that their large tri-motor planes will not be in service for several months yet, but they are expected to have a superb service between Chicago and San Francisco in operation by Christmas time. Thirty-two hours after “Bebe” Dan- iels, movie actress, left Los Angeles re- cently she was in New York, having traveled by the air mail service the The millions of miles flown by this entire distance. MARINES DEVELOP 2 VALUABLE PHASES OF MILITARY AVIATION Infantry Liaison and “Infantry liaison” and “air transport.” two phases of military aviation which had not reached the stage of full de- velopment when the war ended, have been thoroughly tested out and proved immensely valuable by the Marine Corps fiyers in Nicaragua in their oper- | ations against the bandit Sandino. | “Infantry ‘iaison” in Nicaragua | aneans maintaining contact ~ with | ground patrols as they fight their w through the wilderness country, recei ing daily reports from them and fur- | nishing them with medical and other emergency supplies, as well as provid- | ing combat support in time of clash: wifh the revolutionists. 5 “Air transport” in Nicaragua to ‘date means that more than 1.000.000 pounds of freight and more than 1,500 persons have been carried in the five Fokker three-engined monoplanes now on duty, ! and all of which were flown from the | TUnited States. In flights of two and three hours, these ships clip off days of slow, dangerous travel through the mountains on bandit-infested trails that are wide enough only to accommodate a “bull cart.” i | Infantry liaison flights, although gen- | erally combined with reconnaissance missions, have occupied the greatest | proportion of the flying hours. When Sandino was driven from his firal stronghold on El Chipote Mountain and took to the jungle and brush. Marine Infantrymen plunged in after him. They have penetrated far into the “back country” where native mules and burros perish on the trails, wounded men can- | not be transported and fire in combat ic opened at an average range of only | 50 feet. | Planes Fly in Pairs. Without the liaison planes, organiza- tion commanders would have little or no knowledge as to the whereabouts. oper- ation and condition of the “jungle patrols.” The air liaison planes oper- ate in pairc. Each ship is equipped with two machine guns and ordinarily carries six bombs. The observers carry field message | books, message drop sticks and message pick-up line. They also carry the mail, | reports of the previous day’s air mis sion and any emergency supplies that | have been requested. The ground patrols are equipped with distinguishing panels, pyrotech- nics, signal panels and message pick-up apparatus. The air patrol procecds to the area of operations, makes contact with the patrols through the panels laid out on the ground. It informs the | patrols of any military information, the Jocation an movements of other patrols, conducts a reconnaissance mis- eion and then flies to troop headquarters, where the patrol leader reports the day's events to the commander. Fre- quently it is necessary to return to the patrols a second time. When the mis- sion is completed. the air patrol returns to the home -airdroms, -avhere-a-written report of the mission-is -tmmediately submitted to the brigade commander and copies are supplisd by air to all Air Transport Play Vital Part in Operations of Flyers and Ground Troops in Nicaragua. organizations concerned. including the ground patrols visited, of the following day’s flight. With their own airplanes paying daily visits overhead—and the overhead means 300 feet or less, as the brush is too thick and the trails so narrow that observation from high altitude is im- possible—the Infantry Marines are not placed in precarious positions for the | want of assistance or protection. An indicaticn of the efficiency of the laison patrols is given in the following m ge sent to headquarters by a ground patrol: “We certainly could not ask for finer co-operation than the Air Service gave us. They picked us out in the thick country; kept cach patrol informed of the other's whercabouts, and gave us prompt service, dropping things desired, which had a good effect on the morale. The men got cigarettes when they were short, oil for the weapons, candles and rations. The fact that there isa liaison in emergency is felt and appreciated by every man in the column.” Need For Big Ships. When the Marines first landed in Nicaragua, the transportation of sup- plies and personnel was limited to such service as could be afforded by utilizing the two-seater observation planes. Yet many transportation | flizhts of the greatest value were made by these ships. The practice, however. was not desirable for the reasons that the observation planes were diverted from their legitimate duties: the carry- ing of freight in dual control planes involved unnecessary hazard: the planes were not economical for the pur- pose and their capacity was insufficient to supply the needs. So Maj. Edwin H. Brainard, chief of Marine Corps Aviation, recommended the purchase of a strictly transport- type plane and personally piloted 1t from Washington to Managua. The great usefulness of this airplane was So obvious that afiditional ships were | immediately contracted for. Entire garrisons in the most remote localities of Nicaragua depend wholly upon the transports for supply. The four ships in use before the recent arrival of the fifth, piloted by Lieut. C. Frank Schilt, transported an entire regimental headquarters to the front. Minor troop movements werc effected, the sick and wounded were evacuated from the scene of operations, casual officers and enlisted men were carried, the mail is being delivered and emer- gency articles and material of every conceivable nature are hauled with the greatest speed and safety. The planes have carried about $500,000 in the form of pay rolls and dropped the money to outlying detachments without the loss of a penny. All of these move- ments have been accomplished without | accident. - The air transport service has operated Lto facilitate the conduct of the cam- 'paign as well as to establish a new precedent in military operations. Y The National Air Transport is getting | Ul \ THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, Navy T4M-1. This is a “three-purpose” ship, designed for use either as a torpedo plane, a bomber or long distance scout. If desired as a long-distance scout, craft, the weight normally car- ried in explosives is converted into fuel, whereas if it is needed for tor- pedo work, the fuel load is trans- formed into a torpedo weighing nearly a ton and which is carried under the fuselage and parallel with the body. For bombing purposes, the explosives are carried in bomb racks. The T4M-1 is the latest and new- 07‘ est of the Navy's three-purpose ships, as only a few of the 100 contracted for have reached the fleet for service. Its function will be as a land plane and its base of operations will be on the three car- riers. It is the outgrowth of the T3M, a biplane now used as a sea- plane which travels up and down the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, to Cuba and Panama in squadrons. The T4M-1 was designed and built by Glenn L. Martin of Cleveland, a pioneer flyer and manufacturer. He constructed the ship at his own expense and then brought it to Washington to sell to the Navy. It was put through rigid service tests at the naval air station at Ana- D. C. SEPTEMBER 9, AMERICA’S AERIAL FIGHTERS—NO. 6 costia, and passed with flying colors. Mr. Martin built the ship around the Pratt & Whitney - “Hornet” .9- cylinder radial air-cooled engine, and the experimental plane was the first craft of any type to mount that new engine. The T4M-1, also known as the “Martin T being the 74th design turned out by the pioncer: airman. can carry a load of more than 2:800 pounds and weighs tully loaded 6,599 pounds. Its maximum speed is about 115 miles per hour. The span of the wings is 53 feet, the length of the plane is 35 feet 7!': inches and the height at the maximum is 13 feet 5 inches. Navy requirements for car- | tier bombers specify single engines BRITISH WILL BUILD AIRPORT IN BERMUDA English Company Will Prior Rights Under Report- ed Agreement. HAMILTON, Bermuda (#).—An in- ternational question of first importance has taken shape in the background of plans for the establishment of an ai1- port in these British-controlled islands The recent announcement that American group would Inaugurate a. service between New York and Hamil- ton was regarded here as prematur: It is pointed out that legislative sanc- tion would be required for such an enterprise and that this was not like!v to be forthcoming until the Imperial Receive pleted their survey. An agreement is_said to have been made between the British concern and the Bermuda government whereby the English company received prior rights The question has been raised whethar or not the United States would find ground for opposing extensive air facil- ities within a few miles of the American coast. Airplanes as Fast Express. Mail and fast express will be trans- rted between continental Europe and the Pacific Coast of the United States within a week, the American Air Trans- port Association predicts. Steamers can cross the Atlantic in six days and planes will overtake ships 500 miles at sea and will hop off the liners when they are 500 miles from New York, where regular air mail planes will sfeed the shipments across the United the present sched- Afrways, Limited, of London had com- | Pohanka Service 1503 Conn. Ave. NW. Mt. Pleasant Motor Co. 2424 18th St. N.W. Waggoner Brothers, Vienna, Va. FIRST OCEAN FLIGHT ATTEMPTED IN 1873 51 Starts Have Been Made by Sea Flyers, Department of Com- merce Reports. Since man began his conquest of the air, transoceanic flights have attracted daring spirits of every land, resulting in 51 actug] hop-offs on flights over the open seas, 25 of which have resulted suecessfully. according to records in the files of the aeronautics branch of the | Department of Commerce. The first, recorded attempt to span the ocean by air was made in 1873, this and other catly attempts prior to the de- velopment of heavier-than-air power- driven machines being made in balloons or dirigibles, either wind driven or power propelled. The files of ths eeronautics branch also reveal the fact that of 103 estab- lished world air rcords recognized to- day by the nations of the world, the United Sta‘es holds 33. Sets Engine Record. What is believed to be an aviation engine record for commercial operation nas been made by a Wright whirlwind which has been in service 568 hours actual flying time, without overhauling in the West Indian Aerial Express serv- 1ce from Cuba over the Virgin Islands to Santo Domingo. The engine has cover- ed more than 50,000 miles, it is esti- mated. and, together with ground time. has been in operation more than 600 hours. There's only one way to find out what this new Oldsmobile will do . . . drive it yourself! Try itin traffic. Pull up abreastof the line at the stoplight and outsprint the field. Seck a crowded boulevard. Oldsmobile’s sparkling acceleration, [CUBA REGULATES -AIR LANES OVER ISLAND Foreign Planes Barred Unless Un- der Special Permit—Prohibits Flight Over Forts. HAVANA, Cuba (#).—Aerial naviga- regulated by the government. Recently published instructions from the general staff office prohibit flight of any foreign plane over the island mental permission. Another restriction imposed in the | regulations provides that all planes | landing in Cuba are subject to thorough | inspection and flyers obliged to present | documents. Pilots violating regulations | will be subject to arrest. Cuba protects its fortifications from curious pilots by ruling against flight over public buildings, forts, and further | orders all pilots not to deviate from the course to Campo Columbia, army land- ing field. | SWEDEN SETS RECORD. | STOCKHOLM (#).—Swedish passen- ger and freight aviation has this year reached a record due to the activity of the Swedish Aerotransport Co. and the confidence of the public. The Aerotransport company now can look back upon a record of more than four years of regular commercial serv- ice without any loss of life or any ir- jury to a passenger. The timetable of the Swedish fly- ing concern shows that Sweden is now connected with practically every im- portant_center in Europe by not less than 25 regular flying routes. respondsto its power, TWO-DOOR SEDAN tion over the Island of Cuba has beer | unless previously provided with govern- | 350,000 LETTERS BY AIR. | | Largest Single Shipment on Record i ‘ Advertises Automobile. ’ | | | Eight tons of air mall. 350,000 let- ters. the largest single shipment on | record, was sent out one day recently |by a Lansing, Mich, manufacturing ant to advertise an automobile. A fleet of 18 aircraft brought the ship- ment to Chicago, where it was divided |among the operators whose planes fly | |in all directions over the great airway | | network traversing 35 States. | | Within 24 hours after the ship- | ment arrived at Chicago 90 per cent | )f the air letters had been received by | | potential customers living in trade | |areas served by the 102 cities where | the planes stop daily. The day this | special shipment of 350,000 letters went forward the mail planes handled 14 tons of mail, exclusive of express and pas- sengers, a record never approximated in | the 10-year history of air mail. | The Lansing firm bought $17.500 |worth of the new S5-cent air mail stamps. If the letters had been mailed |prior to August 1, the air postage bill | would have been $70,000. | REICH HOLDS LEAD FOR AIR SERVICE| Lufthansa Reports 46,231 Passen- | gers Carried in Six Months, and 4,700,000 Flying Kilometers. | BERLIN (4).—Gezmany continues to set, the pace for Europe in the spectacu- lar development of air freight and passenger service. The semi-annual report of the Luft- hansa, Germany's most ambitious air transport enterprise, shows during the | first six months of 1928 a total passen- | ger traffic of 46,231. This number of | persons were carried in the regular | service planes. In the same period of 1927 the fig- | | ure was 39,586. Approximately 928,360 pounds of freight were transported in the first half of this year, compared with 550,000 pounds in the correspone- | ing period of 1927. The transportation of mails has grown proportionately. The total number of flight kilometers has increased from 3,800,000 in 1927 to 4700,000 already this year. This sud- den growth is due chiefly to the inaugu- ration of express services over the main routes. The expansion in volume of freight | | traffic has been due primariiy to the addition of new services connect Germany with neighboring countries | The laiter include Austria, Holland. | Sweden and Switzerland. | ¢ i Canadian Flyers Braves Arctic. Squadron Leader R. Godfrey of the Royal Canadian Air Force has started | a flight which will take him to Great | Slave Lake, on the edge of the Arctic Circle. He left Amityville, Long Island, In a special Fairchild monoplane simi- lar to that used by Capt C. B. D. Coll- {yer and John Henry Mears on their trip around the world. | MANAGUA, Nicaragua (#).—Scatter- ing by Marine airplanes of thousands of handbills, printed in Spanish over the countryside, offering amnesty to all Nicaraguans who have been in rebellion. | has led, according to Marine Corps officers, to the surrender of nearly 800 men during the month of July. Takeitoutonthe highmy. Notehow quickly the greatjnew 55-h. p. engine thethrottle. Testitsspeed, its amazing hill climbing ability. Mark its smoothness and quietness at every speed. Then make the same per- formance tests with any finger-tip steering and positive-acting four-wheel brakes make you master of every situation. North 347 Col. 3633 Oldsmobile Washington Co. 1515 14th St. N.W. J. B. Monroe, Waldorf, Md. other car and compare results. If you let a ride decide, you're sure to choose an Oldsmobile. L 74 f.0.b. Lansing Spare Tive Extra Decatur 5516 726 17th St. NW. CHINA TURNS TO AIR TO AID UNIFICATION Commercial Lines Projected to Bring Country Into Closer Contact. SHANGHAI (#.—Commercial avi- ation as a means for furthering China's unification is receiving the attention of | the Nationalist government and the | provincial authorities. Although no airplane lines have been put into operation. various schemes have been announced as under consideration. One of the most ambitious ones is to establish a commercial air line center- ing at Hankow, 600 miles up the Yangtse River, and operating planes north to Peking, south to Canton and east to Shanghai, each route including smaller places along the line of flight That to Pcking would include points along the Hankow-Peking railway and also Tientsin, 90 miles east of Peking. That to Shanghai would include several small river towns, with an important stop at Nanking, seat of the National- | ist government. The line south would include but fev: stops between Hankow and Canton, but it is felt this route would serve a vital need in bringing the rich areas of South China into closer touch with Central and North China and strength- en the nationalist authority in Soutn China. Another proposed air route is fromn Canton to Shanghai, along the coast, | including all the important coast towns south of Shanghai, such as Amoy, Foochow, Swatow and others. kong is also included in this proposed line. e Calvert Auto Supply Co. 1. SEIGEL 2501 Champlain St. Col. 3418 (Near 18th & Col. Rd.) Willard Batteries—Goodrich Tires Recharging. $1 CALL CARL INCORPORATED FOR WILLARD BATTERIE; 611 H St. N.W. Carr Battery Service 1300 14th St. N.W. Authorized Willard Service Station Auto Electrician North 5118 Ehlis & Benz, Inc. 2122 14th St. N.W. Pot. 283-3579 Distributors Fisk Tires Willard Battery Sales & Service Willard Sales and Service Esseno Auto Supply Co. Cor. 8th & H Sts. NW. Main 277 Batteries Called For and Delivered Charging and Repairing Auto Electrician Willard Service Station Chas. L. Jones Battery & Eler. Co. Radio Batteries Called For and Delivered 616-18 Pa. Ave. S.E. Linc. 7828 Wisconsin Motor Co. Franklin 1635 Abbot, Schaeffer & Allen 3700 Georgia Ave. Olds Motor Works, Factory Wholesale Branch, 15615 14th St. N.W. PRODUCT OF GENERAL MOTORS Col. 717 W. D. Woodfield, Gaithersburg, Md. OLDSMOBILE vet | Hong- | | advice or | villard —the battery that is built to last longer and serve better in your car. Willard —the service that relieves you of battery care and guards you against battery repair. For battery quality that pays—for bat.. tery service that saves— See Your Willard Battery man LOOK FOR THE AUTHORIZED SIGN Washington Battery Company (New Location) 1146 19th N.W. ~ North 141 Authorized | Willard SALES AND SERVICE