Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-10-13
A|RPLANES FOR mail
ROUTES PRACTICAL
Record Flight of Aviator Max
Miller Indicates the
Possibilities.
AIR SERVICE JOURNAL VIEW
Development of Commercial
Uses of Planes Promises
Great Things.
IR SERVICE JOURNAL VIEW

WASHINGTON, October l2-Aviator
Max Miller. in company with Aviator
Newton as passenger yesterday
broke all former records of mail flights
from Washington to New York
After slowing away the mail i'm one
OF the regular standard mail planes.
M ar 'oo "f In Phiadelphia one e;S Sonr
and twenty four minutes later The
average speed for this part of the
trip was ninety-one and one-half miles
per hour.
Miller and Newton stayed in Phila-
deiphia only seven minutes. and forty
three minutes later landed in New
speed OF / c5 IL miles per hour
The entire distance from Washing
ton to New York was covered in two
hours and fourteen minutes includ-
ing the stop at Philadelphia.
Because of its Anquestioned interest
to all those who are watching the de-
vclopment of aviation with view to
its practical application to modern
business, the following editorial from
a recent issue Of the AR Service Jour
nal is OF more than passing import
ance because of the bearing the new
acrial' mail service is bound TO have
on the future conduct Of business in
all the larger cities of the United
States.
I'm view of the present listressingly
bad railroad postal service between
New York and Washington. the mail
air plane service comes at time most
opportune for persons in the East who
have business with the national capt.
tai. on August s this service became
a fixture. having successfully passed
the experimental stage. With the op-
the Standard Aircraft Corporation Of
Elizabeth y. j.. for the Post-Ofice De-
partment. the service is now part
of the field of commerce, and it's per-
formance will be placed on compare
tive basis with that OF the railroads.
both as. to cost and efficiency. That
ha i'm IL. M T1laa 10 Cnt ~ n
successfully is nearly foregone con-
clusion.
The initial aerial service was cs-
tablished on May 10 by the War De-
partment. and during an approximate
~ three months period of operation 1t
has even eclipsed the fondest hopes Of
those responsible for its introduction.
With telegraph and telephone sys-
TENS too highly commercialized to in
between large Eastern cities. and with
the railroads limping and groaning,
the new method of commercial cores
pondence may easily attain a COM
handing position among the three
particularly in carrying communica-
tons of more than average length.
specifications and financial acceptances.
checks. etc.
DEVELOPING COMMERCIAL
USES OF THE AIRPLANE
Perhaps. however, the most signif1-
can't and important feature of the
Post Office Departments new enter
prise is the opportunity thus presented
for developing the commercial uses OF
the airplane. While It's utility as a
means of commercial transportation is
thoroughly appreciated among men
who are able to grasp the airplanes
potential power. there remain the
same scoffers who decided Stephenson's
railway. Morse's telegraph and Bells
telephone. These ivory domed gentle
men we have always with US: but in
spite of their skepticem the CONNER
cial airplane is bound 10 come sooner
or later into its Own,
I'm connection with the future OF
commercial aeronautics 1t is truly re-
freshing to record the thoroughly
progressive spirit displayed ever since
the inception of the WashinEt on Ne w
York air mail service by the Post
Office Department.:
initial difficulties have successfully
been overcome. and the first aerial mail
route having become a regular curri-
culum OF the st:oficc Department
the postal authorities are now inves-
other lanes to aerial traffic. The next
move in this direction was the crea-
ton of an aerial mail line between
New York and Chicago. whereby the
present railroad time between these
cities is cut to less than half and the
Pacific Coast is brought twelve hours
nearer to the Atlantic.
The Importance of insurinE an i'm
proved mail service between New York
and the great metropolis vf the Mid
die West is apparent at first sight. and
the success attending our first air mail
route augurs well for extended COM
Office Department may intend TO bring
into hetpp"