The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-04-12
On Looking Ahead
 To the Air "Flivver"

To the Air "F'livver"
 A NATION will revolutionize the GN nations commercial and eco homie life after the war is over. Tentative experiments which have al- lrea6y been made in this country and abroad show that the airplane and the airship can be made of great practical use. The field is practically limitless, and while aircraft may never become so indispensable in peace as they are lin war, we may rest assured that the commerce of the skies will be de- veloped on gigantic scale.
 In communication to the National Geographic society, Washington, Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary says: "When peace comes thousands of men and thousands of planes will be required l for the mail service of the future, for Ipolicing the air, for aerial coast pa- trol, for aerial map-making by means of aerial photography, for explora- tion and for rapid transit of pas sengers and freight"
 Both the central powers and the entente governments are planning to utilize their aircraft and aviators after the war. Bavaria has proposed an aerial traffic service for central Europe, while Prussia lis said to be lperfecting arrangements for peace time Hamburg to -Constantinople mail land passenger service" Great Britain and France have had committees at work on similar projects for nearly twelve months.
 | Airplanes have been perfected which will easily carry twenty-five passen- gers. Flights have been made suc- cessfully in America with machines of this type. A speed of 15O miles an hour has been developed and a nonstop flight of 1004 miles, "only 191 miles short of the longest water gap in the America-to Europe air course, by way of the Azores from Newfoundland" has been made. The transatlantic trip is no longer an inn possible feat. We may not have to wait until the war is over to see it an accomplished fact.
 The mechanics of flying have been thoroughly mastered. Experienced |aviators are safer in the air than the average motorist driving his. car through city's streets. Wind and weather conditions no longer keep air planes on the ground and flight altitude of four miles, which no longer causes remark, makes it possible to lily over the highest mountains on the learth's surface, with a fair margin flor safety.
 In time we may expect aircraft to become as common as automobiles are today. The owner of a roadster ol touring car today will take the family for a jaunt in his airplane tomorrow Both for business and pleasure air craft have many uses. The comic artists who picture the skies fillee with airplanes and an aerial traffic policeman looking four ways at onc' |are both prophetic and humorous. Il Ia short while their idle dreams vii become reality. But laws will hav' Ito be passed to prevent aerial speed
 CTS from throwing down empty sod'
 water bottles on the heads of the fev pedestrians who survive, and care lessly dropping monkey-wrenehss while the aerial truckman who lets 1 barrel of flour or a hogshead Q , sugar get away from him will be hell to strict accountability.
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 There are about 2o.ooo Wisconsin me l in France, a showing which to con l siderable extent makes amends fo 1. wisconsin's having sent man lik ? l"Bob" LaFollctte to the United State $ Senate.
 What has become of the magazin writers who used to say Kerensky wa 7 merely waiting for the psychologists 3 moment to resume the reins of power