The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1921-12-13
More Air Ports, Competency and
Weather Forecasts Needed.
1900 COMMERCIAL AIRCRAFT
In Six Months These Machines Covered
a Distance Of 3r250,0O0 Miles-40
Accidents and IA Deaths In That
Period-Emergsncy Landing Fields
Are Needed-Also Specialized
Weather Forecasts Adapted to Needs
Of Flyers.

There are engaged in commercial fly
ing in the United States about 1,2OO
aircraft, according to a report prepared
for the Department Of Commerce by
the Manufacturers Aircraft associa-
ton. This report is based on the most
trustworthy information obtainable,
and a conservative estimate places the
mileage flown by these commercial
machines in the first six months OF
the present year at 3,250,OOO miles,
and In that period there were forty
serious accidents In civil flying, the
computation not including accidents
to aforementioned machines, re-
sulting in the death of fourteen per-
sons and more or less serious injury
to ffty-two others. In eighteen Of the
accidents there were no casualties, the
fourteen deaths being charged to ten
accidents and the fifty-two injuries to
forty accidents.
The report as made public by the In
formation Group Of the United States
Army Air Service enumerates the re-
Quisites for safe flying as six In mum
Der. They are:
/. A machine sound aerodynamically
and s~tructurally.
2. An engine Of sufficient power.
3. A competent, conservative pilot
and navigator.
4. Air ports and emergency landing
fields sufficiently close together to In
sure gliding to safety.
8. Nationwide weather forecasts spe-
cialized and adapted to the needs OF
fiers.
6. National air-route charts.
Licensing Of Pilots.
each Of the forty accidents" says
the report, twas caused by deficiency
in one or more of the above elements.
Seventeen were attributed to the pilot,
perhaps through carelessness, perhaps
incompetence, perhaps bad Judgment,
combined with other factors. There Is
no doubt that a good pilot can guide Q
poor machine to safety with greater
chance of success than a poor pilot
can operate a first-class machine.
Therefore, at the very top of the list
Of government needs is placed the ex-
animation and licensing of pilots.
During the war more han 1900
young men were trained to fly. Ten
accidents Of those given are attributed
to inadequate landing fields or to the
total lack Of landing facilities. During
the war the army and the navy &C
uuired many terminals, most OF which
have since been abandoned. The
f%raQlnentary remainder has been slight
ly added to by the air mail, municipal
tiles and private enterprise, but the
United States is today wOefully lack
Ing in air ports for wen the 1,2OO
craft in operation.
while only two accidents are attriD-
uted to the lack Of weather reports and
to the lack Of clearly defined
routes or limitations in travelling be-
tween or over cities, it is certain that
aerial transport cannot develop until
these factors are met.
"Eoual In Importance with learning
the qualifications Of pilot and naviga-
tor is inspection Of aircraft n en-
Out of the forty accidents,
eleven may be attributed to faults
which proper inspection would have re-
yeaied-three concerning the plane, six
the engine and two an accessory. In
many instances it is found that the en-
& is blamed when really it is an ac-
cessory that lis at fault.
Eight Accidents During stuntina.
EEt-N- .L. II
'Eight of the forty accidents occurred
stunning. In these eight
accidents seven persons were killed
and twenty-six injured-exactly so per
cent Of the total. In other words,