Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1920-06-23
Regulating Aviation Becoming
Necessary as FLYING Increases.


Necessary as Flying Increases.
The great increase in civilian fly
ing throughout the United States
since the beginning of good weather
this year is one of the strongest ar
guments in favor of the passage i'm
mediately of Federal laws regulating
aviation, according to E. de B. New
man, secretary of the Aeromarine
Plane & Motor Co., of Keyport, N. j.
Mr.. Newman recently pointed out
that unless the Federal government
took steps at once toward providing
uniform air rules the states and cit
les themselves will attempt to solve
the problem, with the result that a
myriad of varying and conflicting
laws, good and bad, will spring up
throughout the country. This would
crinnle aviation here, he warned.
!" "Great Britain is ahead of US in
regulating airplanes," he said. GAS
a result her pilots and her manufac.
turers both have an advantage over
us, and aviation, already safe, is
made safer. Just how this law oper-
ates is shown by the recent summon
ing and fining of pilot for violation
of six counts of the Air Navigation
Act. These included flying machine
with British markings, not verified
as airworthy, and not inspected on
the day of the flight. The pilot could
not plead ignorance because the act
was national regulation. But if
forty-eight states make their own
laws regarding, for example, state Ii
censes, heights to be maintained over
cities, stunt flying, inspection, and
many other matters, hopeless confu-
sion and consequent Encouragement
of aviation will result.
ALREADY local restrictions are
springing up. Four aviators, three
army officers and the president of a
flying club, were arrested recently
in Boston for landing on Revere
Beach without permit. If even
army fiers-disregarding civilians
for the moment-are to be arrested
when they land in one or another Of
the hundreds of American cities be-
cause they do not know every regula-
ton of that particular place, aviation
will not flourish in the United States
"How disastrous in the event of
war would be the lack of flourish
ing aviation industry in peace times
is matter which is so vivid that it
may be left to the Imagination. Suf-
fee it to say that every civilized
country is encouraging flying.
"It may be said that state regula-
tion of automobiles has not prevent
ed the growth of the industry. The an
swer is that no possible legislative
stupidity can kill either flying or au-
tomobiling, but it can hinder and re-
tard the growth Of both. The auto
mobile industry has not been per-,
ceptibly aided. I may say by the
varying state laws.
Comparison of the airplane with
the automobile is mistake. There
are now in the airplanes and dirigi-
bles far larger and carrying far heav-
ier loads than an automobile can pos
sibly, and in the future there will be
vastly greater ones. The airplane is
not an automobile of the air, it is
ship, and like the ship it can be reg
ulated adequately only by the Feder-
al Government.
"The sooner Congress enacts suit
able legislation so that the public
both on the ground and in the air is
protected universally from reckless
flying, unairworthy ships, repressive
or foolish local restrictions, incompe-
tent pilots, and other dangers or an
noyances, the sooner the area of the
air will me."-Columbi Record.