Evening Star Newspaper, March 5, 1933, Page 79

WILL MR. No President of the United States Has Ever Flown While in Office, but the Aviation World Is LookingWith Hope- ful Eye to Mr. Roose- velt, Who May Be the First toTravel Officially by Air. BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON. 4E inauguration of Franklin D. Roose- velt as President brings into the White House for the first time a family accustomed to the use of the airplane for travel. Air transporta- ticn is no novelty to any of the mem- bers of the new first family, all of whom have flown, some many times. No President of the United States ever has flown while holding that office. Before Frank- lin Roosevelt only one man ever to hold the office of President had flown. Theodore Roose- velt, that other man, made his only flight after leaving the White House, Whether President Roosevelt will use the airplane for his official travel while in office is a matter uncertain, None of those around the new President profess to know officially whether he will be the first President to travel by air. That, they say, is a matter which Mr. Roosevelt will decide for-himself. There is an unwritten tradition, amounting virtually to a law, that the President shall not expose himself to unnecessary physical danger. When President Lincoln exposed himself on the breastworks of Fort Stevens during the course of the battle there in July, 1864, he de- fied this tradition until he was ordered to safety by Maj. Gen. H. G. Wright, command- ing the veteran 6th Corps, which drove the Confederate forces of Jubal Early from in front of the Capital. Gen, Wright ordered the President from the breastwork only after Mr. Lincoin had ignored warnings of danger and after an officer had been killed by his side. Naturally, President Lincoln was not forced to obey any order issued by an Army officer; his obedience was voluntary and was a tardy recognition of tradition. Lincoln earlier had bowed to the tradition when he permitted him- self virtually to be smuggled into the Capital to avoid the danger of exposing himself to Southern sympathizers who were known to be plotting to bar his entrance. Nearly every President has been forced at one time or another to make some concession to safety in the interest of the people he serves. President Harding at one time arranged to travel on a certain Mississippi River steamer. Members of the secret service staff assigned to protect him examined the steamer and de- cided that a portion of the observation deck was not strong enough to bear the weight of the crowds which usually surround a Presi- dent. They prevailed upon him to use an- other steamer, and their arguments were amply justified when the deck did collapse a short time afterward under the weight of sight-seers as the stcamer followed that of the President. Had the original plan been followed the Presi- jent grobably would have been standing on that - portion of the deck and might have been one of those injured in the accident. Whether President Roosevelt ‘will use the airplane while in office will depend upon his own decision as to whether flying is an unnec- essary risk within the meaning of the tradi- tion. Personally, he has decided in the past that the airplane is a safe enough-medium of travel for Franklin D. Roosevelt, since he has flown without hesitation in the past. Whether the airplane is considered to have reached a degree of safety which warrants its use by the President, however, is a matter which has not been decided. If left to his own devices, President Roose- velt probably will continue to fly. It is re- garded as quite likely, however, that those officials of the Government who are charged with safeguarding the President may prevail upon him to accept older and longer-tried means of travel while in office. They can do no more, however, than to use persuasive meihods and the final decision must be made by Mr. Roosevelt himself. RESIDENT ROOSEVELT'S last flight prior to taking office was one which intrigued the whole Nation. It was made immediately after his nomination by the Democratic Na- tional Convention at Chicago to enable him to accept the nomination in person. Through rains and thick weather, over a part of his course, the presidential nominee flew from Al- bany to Chicago with members of his family. in a tri-motored transport plane of one of the large airlines. It was one of the most dramatic flights ever made by a public figure and gripped the popular {fmmagihation as had nb pre- THE. | SUNDAY:: /TARS: WASHINGTON,* Dy Ci: "MARCH 116,17 199, i Frenklin D. Roosevelt on his arrival in Chicago by airplane to address the convention. He is seen waving his hat. vious physical event in tl:e course of the campaign Since that time the new first lady has flown frequently. Twice since the election of Mr. Roosevelt she has passed through the National Capital as an airline passenger en route from the South to New York. She also has flown on the New York-Chicago airline. She is a confirmed air traveler and there is no reason to believe that she will not continue to fly when occasion offers. Nor is it unlikely that others of the President’s family will continue to fly during his administration. The flight from Albany to New York was made by four members of the family, Mr. Roosevelt being accompani.d by his wife and two of his sons, Elliott and John. It was the first flight for John, though the others had flown previously. Except for adverse weather, the trip was made without incident. Flying on this occasion made it possible for Mr. Roose- velt, leaving Albany in the morning, to address The First Lady is a flying enthusiast. She is shown here boardmg M Ppassenger- plane at Newark, N. J. A. P. Phote. A. P. Photo. the convention in Chicago in the afternoon and to smash all precedent by accepting the Presi- dential nomination in person from members of the convention which nominated him. Franklin and Theodore Roosevelt both belong in the category of “pioneer air passengers.” Both flew before there was any organized zir passenger flying of any sort and while aviation still was in its infancy. Theodore Roosevzi made his flight in 1910, only a year after iii- sensational work of the Wright brothers at Fort Myer had really introduced the airplane to thz National Capital. Roosevelt, then retired from public life, made his flight at St. Louis. Franklin Roosevelt flew first in the World War in his capacity as Assistant Secretary of the Navy, when flying was a military necessiy far removed from the comfort and safety of the passenger flying of today. His first flight was made in France during the course of a tour of inspection and the details of that flight, in a military zone, never were publicized. I'r was quite otherwise with the first flight of Theodore Roosevelt, the only other man who has held the office of President of the United States to make a flight of any kind. He flew in October, 1910, before thousands of spectators, during the course of one of the country's first great air meets, held under the auspices of the Aero Club of St. Louis. Only a few days before the flight Col. Roose- velt ventured an opinion that “it would be too sensational” for him to fly in an aeroplane. His decision to fly seems to have been made with characteristic abruptness. Roosevelt was in St. Louis during the course of an air meet in which a number of the greatest pioncer air- men were taking part. On the afiernoon of October 11 the former President was driven o the flying fleld, with an escort of 50 automo- biles. A jacket and cap were found for Mr. Roose- place in one of the exposed nthusiastically. of his distin- to keep hold Tfll aviation- world is looking with hopeful eyes to the new President. Times have not been conducive to prosperity for a new industry which still is trying to get itself firmly estab- lished. Though gains have been made in every branch of air transportation, even during th=2 period of the depression which reduced all other traffic, the future by Ro means is assured. ‘The recent difficulties encountered by avia- tion legislation in Congress have been exceed- ingly discouraging to those leaders who have been striving to keep civil aeronautics alive ., until improvement of business condtions gives them some hope of working over to the right side of the ledger. Throughout the whole of the past administration the Post Office Depart- ment and Congress have been at odds over the . Nation’s airmail policies... The quarrel has not . helped the cause of aviation. Aviation leaders are hopeful that when the “new deal” is made . seronautics will. get a more useful hand than " the one they have been trying to play. ~