The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-08-10
SALESMAN TRAVELS 70
 VIA AIRPLANE
Mitchell Salesman Travelling by Air First on Ground to
 Close Big Contract

One of the first uses of the airplane, as an emergency speed carrier was marked when B. H. salyers of the J. T. Stewart Motor company of Omaha, Neb, distrib- tutors of New Victory Mtchells flew from Omaha to Freemont to close contract for Mitchells with the Ideal Motor com pany of the latter city.
 z. About a week before the airplane flight sMr. Salyers called upon the Ideal Motor company to interest them in the Mitch ell line They explained that nearly all the automobile distributors from Omaha had called upon them within the past few days and they had made I'D their minds not to do anything until new spuliding on Which they were at work was Completed.
 sz Apout o'clock one evening the Mitch ell salesman got word that the building was completed and the Ideal Motor com pany ready to close contract. In order to save time they were anxious to make an announcement of the new connection in the morning edition of the local news papers the following day. MT. Salyers made up his mind that when that an- nouncement was made it would include notice to the effect that they had taken on the Mitchell line The last train for Ereemont for the night had already left
 
 the same evening and things looked blue for the Mitchell.
 sFurthermore, it was obvious that sales men for all the other distributors in Omaha would be on the first train out in the morning to close the deal in Free mont, and in order to be the early bird on the job something would have to be done quick. MT. Stewart is a keen-mind- ed, resourceful business man, and after Thinking the matter over for a few min utes called up Art Balls, local aviator, and made an appointment with him to fly to Freemont the following morning at z O'clock
 e@The following morning MT. Salyers called up the Ideal Motor company in F'reemont and without explaining what was on foot, asked them to meet him at the big field one mile south of Freemont at TAO. They agreed to do this, and at 1s20 he got in Victory Mitchell, drove the five miles to the hangars in eight min utes, Jumped from the automobile into the airplane and in 2 minutes was shak- dng hands with MT. Christensen of the Ideal Motor company of F'reemont. .sMr Salyers admits that he was in the best of condition to be shaking hands for he was shaking all over anyway. Co., ing up and the trip over were very ex- hilarating, but dropping from an altitude of 5000 feet to 1000 feet in four seconds made him glad to set foot on terra firma again.
 With such enterprise to back up his sales talk 1t took only a few minutes to convince the Ideal Motor company that their best interest lay in signing on the dotted line. The contract was signed and the homeward trip made in 26 minutes. The rest of the bunch got over to Omaha around noon, but their lunch invitations were turned down cold with the news that the Mitchell had beat them to it.
 gIt is a significant think indeed that mod ern business men are now turning so Eaturally to the airplane for quick per- sona1 transportation. It cannot be very long now until that mo1e of travel is accepted as the standard not only for emergencies but in every case where quick transportation is necessary.