The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1922-05-22
FEW FATALITIES in
COMMERCIAL PLANES

NEW YORK, May 21.-Three million
miles in cross-country flight without
fatality is the safety record Of avia-
ton in the United States in 1921, ac-
cording to a report just submitted to
the secretary of commerce by the Aer-
onauticaI chamber of commerce OF
America, with headquarters in New
York.
The report is based upon the signed
sta tam ants OF I25 nnas.--- - - --aA r-~-r -
of the United States. with equipment
numbering COO planes. or approximate
" one-half the total now IN CONNER
cial use throughout the country. 1t is
interpreted by officials as an effective
answer to the query as to the hazard
OF flight invited by recent spectacular
accidents
Three deficiencies the report states
contributes to the serious embarrass-
ment of American aYiation-smali cap
ital, insufficient terminal facilities and
popular doubt as to reliability. The
correction of these deficiencies and the
consequent opportunity for the rapid
growth Of aerial transport. depends, It
is stated, upon federal regulation and
reasonable control through an aerial
code. The report has been laid before
the house committee on Interstate and
foreign commerce which has under
consideration the wadsworth bill, es-
tablishing q bureau OF civil aeronautics
in the department of commerce.
The report says that flying in the
United States may be placed in two
general Observation-Disclosures by
established organizations which en-
deavor 10 maintain regulations, and
demonstrations by the itinerant pilot
or gypsy flier. Experience has
taught" says the Aeronautieal cham
Der OF commerce report, that, in safe
flying there are the following requi-
sites! Cd A machine sound. aerody-
namically and structurally; C2) an en-
CINE OF sufficient power and proved
lnablity, t3) a competent, oenaerya-
| ton pilot and navigator; (4) air ports
| and emergency landing fields, suffi-
GENTLY close together to insure GID
ling to safety; go nationwide weather
forecasts specialized and adapted to
the need OF fliersi (6) nation wide
chart Of air routes
The report adds that the established
| operators, having a fixed point OF re-
sponsibility, appFoximated these requi-
sites, with the result that, ia 12 months
they actually made 136,73s flights, Cow
/ ering 2. g07. 245 miles and caFFying
l122,512 passengers, Only - accidents
occurred, in which six persons were
/ killed. of these, three were due to I'M
authorized stuntiHg, tive to caretsssz
ness in policing the field and one TO
Storm.
The report esakinuesf "There were
81 persons injured in the a accidents.
These fnishaps were due TO causes
which could have been removed BY
federal regulation oF supervision OF
mad landing fields, air routes and
weather reports been fully available;
had the field heip been more disci-
| plined; had the pilots been paore aieEt
through consciousness of licensed re-
sponsibility, and had there been gen
eral inspection Of aircraft, engines, ae-
cessories and supplies. Even SO, tins
record shows that e,To1 flights or ISS,
40 miles were flown fos every injury
sustained,
such reports as were aYais7Hls Of
tae see aircraft ia the naads pF gypsy
Il fIiers showed that these machines
i which also Travelled about 100000
miles and carried passengers probably
equal in number TO those booked b
the permanet operators, suffered IL.
, accidents, resulting in 49 deaths aat
!. injury, more or less serious, to SO
} Twenty of these accidents were at
tribute ia whole or In part to made
quate landing fieids Of to the total lac
of terminal facilities.
In 1921, these air ports totaHed bu