South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-02-16
AIR NAVIGATION
BECOMES REALITY
CONNIE CIALLY
Establish First Regular Bust
ness Routes in u. S.
During Year.

mercial aerial navigation became a
reality in the United States during
the past year. The sudden cessation
OK hostilities at the close Of 1918
threw hundreds Of aIrplanes into the
market and many these were pur-
chased by private companies and re-
modelled for commercial use Air
plane manufacturers, whose energies
had been devoted exclusively 10 the
making Of war machines, also turned
their attention 20 the commercial
possibilities of aircraft and have per
fCcted several standard commercial
types. IL IS estimated that there are
more than 1000 privately owned air
craft in the United States.
Five regular passenger routes
were established: the airplane mail
service. inaugurated May IS. 1913,
between New York and Washing
ton as an experiment, was extended
TO Cleveland and Chicago and put
on a definite basis, and scores Of
private firms purchased aircraft and
utilized them for the delivery Of
merchandise and newspapers and for
conducting aerial forest surveys and
patrols.
Stake Big Strides.
Still greater strides were made in
Europe and Australia where there
are few thickly populated centers
that do not boast OF regular aerial
commercial traffic. either by air
plane or dirigible, or BOTH The de-
lay in the development Of aeronau-
tics in this country was attributed
by the Manufacturers Aircraft asso-
citation today to "the failure Of the
United States government TO estab-
lish landing fields. enact regulatory
legislation and adopt any fixed pol
ICY"
Inspired by the aircraft manufac-
turers. chambers of commerce in at
least 30 cities have undertaken to
provide municipal landing fields for
aircraft built ON specified lines as
plotted by city planners and officials
OF the army air service, which has
assumed unofficial supervision over
tho protect, pending the adoption Of
federal regulatory legislation. These
cities include Buffalo. Boston. Cleve-
land, Chicago, Philadelphia. New
orleans. Richmond, Va, Atlanta and
Macon. Ca, St Louis. Kansas City,
Denver, Sacramento, salt Lake City,
omaha. Pittsburgh. Butte, Mont,
Fresno. Calf. Scranton. Harrisburg.
and Altonna. Pa. Syracuse. Roches-
ter and Albany. n. Y. Springfield.
Ill, Columbus, O.. Louisville KY.
Nashville, Tenn, Mobile, Ala, and
Houston. Texas.
Regular passenger routes already
established in this country are pc
tween New York and Atlantic City.
Mobile and New Orleans. Key West
and Havana, San Francisco and Los
Angeles, and Los Angeles and San
Diego. Lack Of adequate terminal
facilities is considered one of the
principal handicaps to aerial com
mercial traffic development If
aerial transportation is 10 become
universal. aircraft manufacturers
point out that there must be estab-
iished adequate airdomes with defin-
itely marked landing places, Con-
venient TO business centers and with
facilities for housing the airmen and
their machines and providing them
with fuel and repairs. At the height
OF 5000 feet, considered the mini
mum at which commercial planes of
The future viii travel. especially over
cities it is set forth that an airplane.
the motor OF which has become
stalled. could volplane or glide TO q
distance Of four to five miles in "A
horizontal direction
International Mail Route.
In addition TO the regular routes
70 company OF Seattle has started
am international air mail. operating
between that city and Vancouver. IT,
o. Several lumber companies In
the northwest are Using the airp!ane
for forest patrols and surveys. 4
Newark. y. T., department store de-
Iivered merchandise by airplane TO
customers in AsbUry Park last sum-
rer while a large Chicago clothing
house made a specially OF deliverine
clothes 10 college students within a
90 mile radius Of that city. a
canadian aviator carried 400 pounds
of furs from Toronto 10 Newark ~
-. stopping at Clayton. y Y. TO paw
custom duties on them. The navy
conducted experiments in guiding
fishing craft by airplane at GIou-
cester while the army conducted a
coast airplane patrol between New
York and Newport News. Va
one OF the strangest uses foI
which the airplane is being consid-
cred is the spreading OF the gospel
ia the Congo states OF Africa. 4
large American manufactured re-
ceived a request for prices from the
Congo mission OF the Church Of the
Disciples OF Christ. which proposed
10 replace steam launches with fly
ins boats The plan has not yet
been carried into effect Airplanes
and spare parts. valued at several
hundred thousand dollars, were re-
Gently sold by American manufac-
turers 10 French interests. who are
planning airplane commercial routes
in the orient Delivery Of the ma
terial has begun
In Europe three English com
panies maintain regular passenger
and parcel post service between Lon
don and Paris and London and Rrus-
sells. on one Of the trips a grand
piano was carried from a London
store 10 its custome III France by