Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-16
DISCUSS CITY
LANDING PLACE
/ FOR AIR ROUTE
Plans Started for Rock Island Sta
ton on Trans Continental
Course.

Rock Island may be a landing
place for a trans-continental air
route
Ensign NJ. B. Blanchard of the
bureau of operations, naval navi-
CATION, Washington, is here dis
cussing the project with city Off
Gals.
Ensign Blanchard has been in the
naval service since 1917. When
the armistice was signed he became
enthusiastic in the commercial
end of flying as he had been dur
ing the war in instructing avia-
tors. He is a nephew of Police
Magistrate d. J. CIeland and arriv-
ed IN Rock Island Friday with his
sister, Frances, from Chicago, for
a weeks stay
Conferences have taken place
between the naval officer and
Mayor H NJ Schriver and F. w.
Bender, secretary Of the chamber
of commerce, with a view to con-
sidering the most favorable site for
a landing place and considering
the advisabiIity of Rock Island.
Considerable attention was given
the ensign in this proposition as it
would enable Rock Island to get
its full share in the development of
commercial aviation.
$50 far as l know" the naval Of
ficer said. Milwaukee is the only
city in the west that has taken any
action to benefit from the develop
ment of aviation. She has three
fields. The city will build hangers
and rent them to aviators or will
rent the ground and the aviators
may build their own. Already that
city is almost invariably included
in all tours as it is one of the few
places where an aviator can be
sure of a safe landing place and
of obtaining supplies. A small fee
is charged, as garage owner
charges auto tourists and I am
told that it is almost self-sustain-
ing. If it is not now, 1T will be
soon"
The naval officer thinks that
Rock Island is a good place for
landing facilities.
Natural Location.
Rock Island is a natural loca-
ton for a landing field and if the
city gets busy at once it will have
the edge on all other communities
in this part of the country" he
said. The cost would be small and
the advertising it would bring
would be of inestimable value.
Few people realize the posi-
bi1ities of commercial aviation or
the development that already has
taken place. Lieutenant Com
mander Lee Hammond, who is in
charge OF the Great Lakes avia-
ton field, has left the service and
opened up a Chicago office of the
Curtis company While aviation is
expensive now, it is not more so
than automobiling was in its early
days and Hammond is having no
trouble selling planes. In fact the
factory is unable to keep up with
orders and will not promise deliv-
cry of a machine ordered now until
next fall
The ensign predicted that within
the next year there would be half
a dozen or more airpIanes operat-
ing around Rock Island and that
they would be Immediately at
tracted to a landing field in this
city. He believes that a plane
could be maintained profitably
here in carrying passengers.
He also said that the govern
ment will chart the country in the
development of it's aerial mail ser
vice and that cities with natural
facilities and which offer landing
places will be the first considered.
Have Air Maps.
The ensign explained how Eng
land is developing aviation, by
furnishing ways as are provided to
automobile tourists, showing stop
ping places and supply stations
throughout the country, and said
that the same thing would take
place in the United States.
This would be an ideal over
night stop on flights to and from
New York. Chicago has only one
landing field and that one is in
poor condition. If a good field
were provided here, this is where
the air tourists would stop. 1t is a