Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-05-30
TWO DAYS SAVED
BY AERIAL ROUTE
New Sixty-Hour Mail Service,
New York to Frisco, EHec-
tive This Summer.
NO NIGHT FLYING AT FIRST
Only Obstacles to Schedules
May Be High Winds
Over Rockies.
NO NIGHT FLYING AT FIRST
ny WINDEn r. IAnn1s

HY WINDER II. HARRIS.
WASHINGTON, May 29.-From New
FORK TO san Franc.sco within thirty
SIX hours is tho schedule hoped to be
ultimately established 'Sor tho trans
continental air mail service which
Viii be inauSuratcrd this summer.
This accomplishment. however. con-
templates night flying. and the Post
iicve II VIII be practicable to under
take that feature of the service be-
Tor tho summer OF 1921.
AZ ne beginning OF the service the
between the two cities within sixty
hours, and as the Kinks" are
hmoothed out the time for making the
trip iH expected to be gradually cut
down TO little more than nifty hours.
Then the night flights will make pos
sibie the cross-country mail service
within thirty-si2 hours according TO
the present plans.
The original schedule for the New
noTE san Francisco air mall route"
said otto Praegcr. Second Assistant
air mail service. lis laid out on a basis
OF eighty miles an hour nyinE time
In the eastern portion OF the trim,
where steady. high winds are not en-
hour from Omaha west. where nigh
winds nearly always arc found. IL
may be possible. however. after the
service Us in operation for a time TO
make the entire schedule. day in and
day out. on an eigh,y-m!ic basis
Make Omaha Same Day.
Under tho schedule now contem-
plated. a mail plane leaving New York
Tuesday morning at daybrcak Will
reach Omaha at sac Il. NJ the same
day. Starting again from oma ha
Wednesday morning at davbrnak, the
machine VIII arrive in Reno between
and L. NJ. Wednesday evening.
The start from Reno Viii be made AT
daybreak Thursday morning and the
mail VIII he san EraDClSCO before
8 o'clock
II, we can Sc, n!ght-nyins equip
mcnt, which includes field iIlumlna-
ton. flares. etc. the hrst days flight
would be made from New York to
Cheyenne. where the plane would be
scheduled to arrive about midnight.
The flyer then could leave Cheyenne
the following morning a. daybreak
and lie in San Francisco that evening
AT = or O'Clock.
"While this ia our ultimate aim.
do no, believe tina, it VIII be prac-
ticable 10 accomplish II during the
n.st year Of the Eervice. II should be
INTO effect during the summer OF
Comparing the original schedule;
across the continent. Sir. Praeger
pointed out THAI q letter Leaving New
York Monday night a, $40 reaches
ShisssG TqsSaa Ken s's9Y York Tuesd a
morning would be In Omaha al the
same time the train Is In Chicago.
The best rail- schedule from engage
10 san Francisco he said. Is 80 IL
hours, which means that letter
leaving New York Monday night az
whereas the mail plane leaving New
York Tuesday morning is due IN san
Francisco on Thursday morning about
Rail Connections unccrtsin.
: The rail- schedule" Mr.. Praeger
EXPLAINED. hinges on a connection At
only one and one-half hours. This
connection is missed 40 Per cent OF
the time, and every time 4 is missed
delayed twentytour hours.
Therefore. the air mail can be
nineteen hours late in reaching san
by twenty hours, even though the
train makes the Chicago connection.
II the nnection is not made the air
mail should arrive forty-eiGht hours
ahead OF the train"
Inability OF the manufacturers TO
deliver the necessary machines IN
auGucating the transcontinental Serv-
ice. which was scheduled for July l.
Mr.. Praeger said, but Il is now hoped
that everything will be in shape TO
start the service between August
and Is. The New York Chicago
route. now in operation. shortly VIII
further West as planes are delivered.
routes mapped out and other arrange
ments completed.
Mr.. Praeger has gone to San Fran
cisco 10 arrange. II possible. to get
sufficient equipment to have prelim-
mary flights made from San Francisco
be carried out. the delegates to the
convention probably VIII be invited
East by the first transcontinental air
mail plane.
;pf
Der will allow for the necessary num-
her of reserve machines on the ground
for each plane in the air; 1t IL
. the air during all of the lying time.
seven going each way
For the hight across the mountains
between San Francisco and Reno Spe-
cial types of high altitude planes are
being constructed. These machines
are designed for rapid climbing The
takes five or six minutes to climb
the FIRST mile. while the second mile
taxes Tax more than a. double that time.
ms with the increasing rarity OF the
m fst abo ks c sss aps sv eheyenRns
without a fast; high climbing engine,
according to Mr.; Praeger. a field a
max isaE w WIN of full osd Gf 1a nail the
Tho Thomas Morse mountain type
plane. which will be used over this
POI tiou Ol the route, VIII nave n
ground speed OF 1875 miles an hour,
which Viii enable the pilot to leave
tain sufficient altitude for safety
without having to lose time by cir
cling around. 1t will be equipped
with two Hispano-Suiza motors Of 800
horsepower each
The Glenn Martin two-motor ma
chine, also to be used over the noun
tain division. has a top speed of liz
miles an hour. The third tyne de-
signed Tor this hazardous flying, the
tWin-nlotor DeHavland, has a maxi
mum speed of los miles an hour.
All of the machines to be used in
the tranScontinental service will have
two or three engines each, so that il
one should go dead" the remaining
one, or two, as the case NAV be
could carry tho mail through to- des-
, A new feature of these specially
designed mail planes will be uhe
location or the engine out on The
wings. SO that in case Of fire the
Inst Leg n Problem.
The route between Omaha ard CO.
francisco has not been laid oi,t Hat
rms phase of the preliminarv az
ranEements has developed into se-
: CONTINUED on Seventh PaeeI