The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-03-18
MILITARY BALL
FOR BELLEAIR
Event Will Be Held in Connection
with Great Air Tournament.

BELLAIR, Fla, March 17.-Not
since the pre-war days has anything
been held in the south to approach the
brilliance Of the grand military bali to
take place the night OF March 26 in
the ballroom of the Belleview at Bel
leair Heights. The event is being held
in connection with the national south
ern air tournament, which is to con-
tinue for three days. opening March
26 with a number OF interesting aero
nautic events in which fiers from the
army and navy will compete. Society
folk are to attend the military event
in the evening of the opening day and
many prominent folk who have been
passing the winter at Palm Beach,
Miami and other resorts along the
east coast win aeroplane over to wit
ness the aviatio nevents and attend
the ball.
The last week of March is pack up
week." one in which everybody pre-
pares for the trip back home. Tho
tournament and hall at BeIleair, there
fore, comes at a time which makes it
interesting as a grand finale to the
southern season of gaiety.
The national southern air tourna-
ment is creating considerable interest
in aerial circles. Gov. Cary A. Hardee
OF Florida has been asked to attend
the tournament with his staff and to
give the signal which will send into
the air 16 army planes in the southern
air derby, to be featured over a 20
mile course for a distance of 100 miles
This perhaps is the most important
event to- be held during the tourna-
Iment
From commercial point of view the
business mer of the south are inter-
ested in the aerial events. The Clear
water board pf trade, of which Charles
M. Hemphill Is secretary, is assisting
| in the arrangements for the events.
which will le under the supervision
Of Major Ralph Royce, commanding
officer at Cailstrom Field, Arcadia.
Earle E. farley, member of the
tournament committee in charge OF
the events, who is an enthusiast re-
garding aviation, says: achievements
in commercial flying during the last II
months point to steady development
Of aviation FIR commercial purposes in
the United States. This aerial trans
port may be divided into two branches.
one involving the regular use of air
craft for transporting mails, passen-
gers, freight and express parcels on
schedule in inter-city traffic and is
comparable 70 railway operation. The
other brancl covers all the itinerant
uses such al aerial photography, for
est fire patol, timber cruising, life
saving, pleasure flying, committing
news gathering, advertising, expIora-
ton, motion pictures and countless
other activities whereby the flying
machine moe than other vehicle can
| travel fastes and afford the clearest
vision.
| In examining the records, one is
impressed with the brilliant promise
and the sober want. Great things have
been accomplished-greate than fore
seen by those who witnessed the first
flights of the Wright brothers only II
years ago. But whatever has been
! achieved is due rather to individual
vision and courage than to general
support.
National neglect has been manifest
in the depleted aeronautical establish
ments of the army and navy and the
shrunken Industry to which the ma
tional defense must look for men ana
materiol ir case af emergency. BY
acCual court, tnefe are now Il official
or semi-oficial services, bureaus or
agencies dealing with aviation. each
| faithfully endeavoring to be of assis-
| tance. 1t would appear that the gov
ernmental activities have covered the
entire field and, in a sense they have.
| But there IS now apparent an increas-
ing tendercy to believe that greater
progress will obtain if there is worked
out
tralize many of the activities and to
| specialize in the development Of civil
and commercial aeronautics."