The Holly chieftain., 1921-10-13


assured. In consequence, Omaha is proudly claim
Ing to be Americas most progressive aviation
center.
The purposes OF the congress are praisewOrthy.
The congress itself Is likely to be of great I'm
portance.
One purpose Is to bring the flyers together for
a big reunion the first since the World War. An
ether Is to show everything in connection with
aviation, In order to interest the people of the
nation In flying. A third Is to form national
air body for the advancement of aviation in Amer
lea. The big purpose is: Aviation supreme for
America"
The formation of a national air body appears
to be well under way through preliminary organi-
zations In the states. At this writing twenty-five
states are forming state organizations of the con-
sress and will be represented by delegates
That there is necessity for the formation of such
a body seems hardly open to argument. Rudyard
Klpling, years ago. wrote Of aircraft: I'VE are
MT the opening verse of the opening page of the
chapter of endless possibilities" We have read
far beyond that now and the march of events
forces us to keep on turning the leaves, II we
would keep our place in the forefront of the pro-
cession of the nations.
In the opinion of those who seem hest qualified
TO know, the United States has not kept abreast
with other countries in the development of avia-
tlon especially In the matter of development of
airways For example the best we can show In
the way of transcontinental route Is that follow
ting the general line Of Cleveland Chicago Omaha,
Reno and San Francisco. The experts declare 1t
be not more than 40 per cent complete In organi-
Hation.
An essential of the success of big business Is
imagination. Imagine, If you can. what the part
OF aviation in the life of the nation will be Ave
years from now. 1t is no wonder that men of
large affairs want the organization of national
ur body and want 1t now.
0mahas slogan inspired by the Aero Club
nj Omaha. organization of 100 former pilots
and observers of the World War. Nevertheless,
a the city is talking aviation these days. Three
,oonths ago. of course 1t was not Omaha
no more enthusiastic over aviation than any other
city. When Its citizens heard arplane droning
overhead they gazed skyward for moment 9th
erwise they were uninterested.
Then Earl W. Porter, president of the Aero
Club OF Omaha conceived the idea of the con-
gress AID went to work on 1t. Now aviation Is in
the blood of the citizens They talk of the many
phases of mir travel with the nonchalance Of aces
In other cities the people may call anything that
traverses the air an airship. But not SO In Omaha
they rightly use the word aircraft. Do you hear
f,timp In Omaha? Well, hardly. Omaha knows
that blimp is not only slang but obsolete slang.
whereas people in other cities still applying
the word indIscrminatey to all balloons, rigid
ncd nonrigid airsEps and lighter -than-air craft
You never catch an Omahan these days saying
hydropane when he means seapane; he knows
that the former never leaves the water And you
find him correctly using airplane, seaplane and
airshp instead Of aeropane hydro-aeroplnne and
-iieigible You may even overhear conversation
about the captive helicopter. In short, everyone
In Omaha appears to be enthusiastic about avia-
ticn in general and the coming congress in par.
tIcuIar
President Porter went to his fellow cJubmen
They indorsed his idea and his plans and pledged
their support. They also fixed on him as the log,-
raj head Of the movement and he was duly made