Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-24
WOULD GOVERN
BALLOONS BYLAW
AERONE UT STEVENS FAV0RS
REGULATION
LOS ANGELES CLUB DISCUSSES
NEEDED MEASURES
Plan is to License Competent Pilots
Similar to Manner in Which
Automobiles Are Reg.
ulated

government statute. The Aero cup OF
California is considering the adVlsapll-
ity of taking this up locally IN Los Los
Angeles. The suggestions so far maze
are to license competent balloonlsts'
issuing on payment of a fee number
and a tag similar to those given Tor
automobiles. This tag is to be at
Tackled to the basket by the balioonlst
acting as pilot on any trip.
A. Leo Stevens, one or the country
leading aeronauts, has expressed NM
self strongly on the subject of balloon
laws. He is urging the Aero club OF
America to take the matter up with
congress with the idea that state or
municipal legislation Will be entlrey
fnadeuuate Mr.. Stevens who is IN
strllctor to the United States balloon
CORPS has given the matter consider
able study, but has only responded to
interviews on the subject since the
Americans trip to Strawberry peak.
Every day l become more ana more
convinced that there should be gov
eminent regulation of ballooning,' he
said the other day. "The experience of
q San Francisco aeronaut in the Sierra
Madre mountains recently has brought
the need home to me still more strong
ly than ever The regulations should
consist of licenses for balloon pilots, and
laws within which pilots should have
to confide themselves.
Some Never Succeed
"Some people can never become sue
cessfull balloon men, any more than all
men can became successes as artists or
deep sea divers. It's part of man
makeup. There are some men who can
make twenty ascensions and stu be no
better equipped as pilots than If they
were going up for only the second time.
A person who is not skilled in aero
nautics, knowing that some man has
made, say, nine ascensions, says: oh,
he has been up nine times; he must
know all about sailing the air Yes,
I'll willingly go If we had government
regulation, where men skilled in air
craft should make the examinations,
this obvious danger would then be OBJ
Waited.
1.-THE popular idea is that all one has to
do to make an ascension is to jump into
the balloon car, cut loose and when
one wants to ascend TO throw overheard
q little sand ballast, and when one is
ready to descend to let out little gas.
AS a matter of fact, that is not even
the alphabet of air riding.
"A certain sized airship, with so many
cubic feet of gas, naturally can carry
only so many passengers, exclusive of
its ballast. There is a nicely in de-
termining just how many it can carry
successfully. To be specific balloon
with $4,000 cubic feet of gas should
start out with thirty-tive bags of bal
last and five passengers. Equipped in
that manner the pilot need fear no
storm and have no worry. He is just as
safe as if he were sitting at his own
fireside. When a storm comes, by
throwing overheard some ballast, he
can get above it. When the storm is
over by letting out little gas through
the escape valve he can descend safely
to the earth.
when a balloon of this size, that is
$4,000 cubic feet, has thrown over all
its ballast, for one reason or another,
except five bags. it should drop to the
earth at once. To do otherwise is to
run a dangerous risk. A law making
descent necessary in such circumstances
would be a great boon to the art and
pastime of balloonng. A bag that car
ries between $4,000 and 10000 cubic feet
of gas and two persons besides the pilot
should drop to earth when the pilot has
expended all the ballast but three bags.
If he does not do so he is risking lives
that he should not be allowed to jeop-
ardiZe.
Favors License Law
81 am in favor of governments licens-
i4g and government regulation rather
than that of state jurisdiction. In
that way the laws would be all uni
form. and all the air sailors would be
of equal ability. An applicant would
not need to go to Washington TO make
ali dSCtIlSiOll. ne tOulQ make lie "TRIP
at any place, under the guidance Of
an accredited pilot appointed by the
government
"Ballooning is becoming more and
more popular. 1t is now far more than
a craze. Its possibilities are attract
ing a great many reckless people to
have the experience of seeing the earth
slip out from under them. There is
where the trouble comes. I do not
say that it may not be right for
man to go up in a balloon by him
self. man may walk on a live wire
/ suppose, if he chooses to be so fool
ish, though if he does not kill him
self, he will be arrested for attempt
ing suicide. But when he persuades
other people to go along with him
and has not enough experience and
knowledge to get them out of danger
should anything happen he risks their
lives, and should be amenable to the
law. When five persons go up in a
balloon in addition to the pilot the
unszilled pilot is risking five lives in
addition to his own.
"ThrOwng ballast overheard is a sci
ence. One man can get along through
a whole long trip without expending
more than five bags of ballast. An
other spends twenty The latter
spends all his time in travelling up and
down, making saw teeth. The other
sails along in a comparatively level
line.
1.-The dilettante in search of new
sensation in ballooning is as danger
GUS as an automobilist afflicted with
speed mania. it is time the law con-
trolled him.
Need Wireless Phone
another good thing would be to
make it compulsory for all balloons
and air craft to be equipped with the
NHrip IL oil