The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1919-05-13
Day of the Individually Owned
Airplane to Come Within a
Year or So. Will Cost Ten
Thousand Dollars or More.

NEW YORK, N. Y.-How soon is
the individually owned airplane GO
ing to be a factor in the life of this
country? Is the airplane in its adap-
tation to peace needs now going to
follow somewhat the line of the first
automobiles, and are we soon to hear
that Mr.. Jones has bought a new air
plane instead of a new touring car?
Before answering these questions
the airplane experts here call atten-
ton to recent news items like the
following: Bonar Law flies from Lon
don to Paris to deliver message
to Lloyd George; King Albert flies
back to Brussels from the peace con-
ference; Benedict Crowell flies from
Washington to New York to keep an
engagement; Senator So-and-So re-
turns to Washington via airplane.
In discussing the matter in detail
the experts take for example an
American woman living near Phila-
delphia who has $4,000 to invest in
pleasure and convenience and who
decides she would like to buy an
airplane for her own private use.
Would it be practical for her to do
so in the near future?
Not This Year.
The answer from experts in Ma
jor-General Menoher's Office is yes
and no, according to what is meant
by "near future" If this is taken to
mean next week or next month the
answer is "no." If it means next
year or the year after the answer
is "yes," provided that present plans
for the development of aviation for
civilian purposes do not go entirely
astray. In the opinion of Uncle Sans
most competent air experts the day
of the individually owned private air.
plane is closer at hand than is gen.
orally realized. Thanks to the in
latlve of progressive Americans, the
air service is not going to be smoth-
cred and wrecked no matter what in
dividual officers of the general staff
had planned to do. The reactionary
instinct that sought to regard the air
service as merely a subordinate by
product of the military establish
ment apparently has been frightened
away by timely outbursts of popular
Indignation and it is safe now to say
that progress will go on.
What 1t Costs.
First, they point out that the wo-
man investing her $4,000 in an air
plane must realize what she has to
procure to make her venture practi-
cal. 1t is assumed that by chance she
has a ready landing field, which
means 200 acres of level ground.
Her expenditure would then be about
as follows:
$4,000 airplane, built for safety
and comfort, with trimmings, ETC.,
according to order; $4,000 steel ham
gar; $4,000 pilots salary; $4,000
mechanics salary; 81 500 mechanics
assistants salary; $4,000 extra mo-
tor; $4,000 repair shop; $4,000
spares. Total, $34,500.
This would be for a three scatter,
slow landing, single engine plane.
The price of the Martin twin engine
alone would be upward of $4,000,
and there would be considerable in
crease in price all along the line.
It's Safe Enough.
But the element of safety is not
now regarded as a reason for holding
back civilian flying There is a De
Haviland plane in the Smithsonian
Institution here in which Howard
Rinehart has flown $4,000 miles
three times around the world-with-
out being let down once. With a good
pilot and good mechanics and a ma
chine especially built for slow land
ing and safety the danger is greatly
minimized, it is explained, and the
percentage of accidents even in the
NSN%% Xxx