East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1919-08-19
AIRPLANE SEEN AS N
HIT AT HIGH COSTS
Aviation Industry is Big
Factor in Economics Now
That War is Over.

ANlauons chlef appeal TO public
support nowadays is as a potential
factor in the cost of living. 4 new but
lthriving TRANSFORMATION system of all
most unlimited possibilities is at our
door, and any laws to regulate avia-
tion should be based upon .an appre-
citation of this fact.
The public does not yet realize the
part aviation may play in reducing the
prices of the necessities of life. This
lack Of understanding is due to the
fact that the amazing developments
in aerial transportation We're made
under the stimulus of war and We're
rigidly censored.
During the conflict in Europe, the
perisd of greatest progress IN aviation
the public conception of an airplane
or a dirigible was q terrible instru-
ment OF death. merely one of many
methods of extracting retribution from
an enemy. Peace has not vet been
established long enough To bring a
thorough public appreciation of the
Importance of aerial traffic in eco
nomics.
Ocean Has Been Spanncti.
We had scarcely ceased to marvel
over Hawker's spectacular, but pure
ly sporting affair. when the United
States navy sent an airplane across the
| Atlantic, and Great Britain emphasiz-
ed the conquest of the air by span
ming the ocean with a dirigible.
Some of the best brains of the
world are now at work upon aerial
transportation and these brains are net
coping with such gigantic problems
as the bombing of locrsts or the pur-
H. ts.I Il,
lpening is this:
The airplane has been found to be
perfectly .precticables carrier of food
stuffs. especially perishablos that re-
Eqlire rapid transit Planes that will
carry ten to twelve tons cargo have
been constructed in England. Planes
with cargo capacity of about six
tons are available now in the United
states.
The dirigible owing to the discovery
of heliunl, has even gres ter .possibili-
ties as a .foodstIff carrier. When the
United States finds it possible to turn
over helium III quantity for CONNER
cial use. the whole construction OF
the dirigibie will be .revolutionized,
both for passenger and freight busi-
ness. They are the future ''liners" OF
the air.
Even the poorest of the airplanes
now available to commerce have a
speed of rs to 100 miles an hour The
planes used in the United States mail
service are much faster. And one
great automobile company is now
turning out a plane with an improved
Liberty motor which will do about 140
miles an hour. and, with aerial condi-
tions right. will ever do 160- Against
such speed as that all ordinary meth
ods of food transportation seem prirn-
itive.
Cost Is Serious Problem.
The cost of operation Of the air
plane is, of course, a serious problem.
To the bystander aviation seems to be
a ''miiiionaire's game" just at II
seemed at one time that the automo-
bile could be owned only by the veal
thy. But even now the cost OF tne
airplane operation is not much of /
handicap in developing great system
of transportation for perishables. The
fact that the plane can make two or !,
three trips to destination and return.
while any other transportation vehicle
is making one, equalizes to some de-
gree the discrepancy in operating
costs especially where the element OF
time is as important as 1t is in carry
ing perishables. This problem of oper-
ating cost will ne solved, just as every
other problem of aerial transport has
been overcome.
From data at hand now it is evi-
dent that the day of the airplane ana
dirigible is not four or five years in
the future but is now. There is tenn
porary lull due to readjustment in
the commercial situation; but after
the leading manufacturers find out
exactly where they stand in their re-
lations with the government, the ava
ton business will go forward under
full blast. and the developments VIII
be SO rapid as to bewilder the public.
1t would be well for Chicago. in its
effort to avert a repetition of the
'.Wing-foot Express tragedy. to pass
onIy a few essential laws and leave the
question of regulation of traf-
fic to the future. There is no fmme-
date necessity for aerial traffic cops
What we need is a few simple statutes
20 prevent dangerous experimental
work above the c ty.
Remedies Are suggested.
hydrogen gas in dirigibles should
De prohibited excepting in restricted
,reas. stunt" flying in airplanes
,houId be allowed only at certain
heights if at all. Test flights of any 1
Sind should be prohibited; but the {
natter of determining what is or is not
| test flight needs some study. X,
Regulation of the kind that will en- ,
aviation. rather than kill At |
IF. is the problem of all the cities '
low If each municipality adopts its +
,wn code without regard to the laws I
,assed in other cities, we shall have T