Richmond daily register. (Richmond, Madison County, Ky.) 1917-1978, 1922-10-02
ARMY IN NEED
OF MORE FLYERS
Secretary of War Says United
States Is Tagging in March
of Aviation.
STUDIES AVIATION IN EUROPE
General Mitchell Reports Result of
Two Months investigation Abroad
Legislation Needed Requir-
ing Inspection of AirpIanes.

Washington.-For the time being at
least the United States is tagging be-
hind the march of aviation progress.
This is, however, a condition which
must and will be remedied if Secre-
tary of War Weeks has anything to
say in the matter-and he has.
The secretary of war lately declared
that the European nations, particu-
iarly those of them like Great Britain
and France, that have attained the
utmost degree of efficiency in the fly
ing art on the military as well as on
the commercial side, are spending
much more money in the development
of aviation, are developing superior
types of machines and in general are
quite a few steps in advance of the
United States.
Studied Aviation Abroad.
The secretary of war is making a
study of the status of aviation here
and abroad with a view to putting
the United States in the forefront Of
the march. He received lately from
Brig. Gen William Mitchell, assistant
chief of the aviation service, the re-
suit of two months investigation the
latter has made of conditions in Eu
rope.
incidentally Bill Mitchell, one of
the veteran flyers of the country, told
the secretary of war of a unique eX
perience he had the other day in the
vicinity of Detroit when making a
flight from Chicago. General Mitchell
ran into a thunder cloud which had
a length of at least 120 miles.
General Mitchell had never in his
previous experience ran into a stOrIz
of this size. Thunder clouds, always
deterrent to aviatOrs, usually meas
ure about twenty miles and by flying
on the edge of them the aviator can
get into the open in short time. After
skirting the edge Of this cloud for
some eighty miles General Mitchell
found that it extended still forty
miles.
Discussing his visit with General
Mitchell, who had just completed
trip from McCoOk field, Dayton, O.,
to Boiling field, Secretary Weeks said
that General Mitchell believes that
Stricter examination and licensing is
the great prerequisite to the develop
ment of commercial aviation in the
United States.
Before the general public can feel
assurance regarding commercial air
routes the secretary said there must
be legislation that provides rigid in
SpectiOn Of airplanes and the licens-
ing of pilots. Federal regulations are
deemed the most appropriate, as these
would eliminate discrepancies in laws
and cOnduce to uniformity.
Encourage Commercial Aircraft.
From the standpoint of the War de
partment the development of COM
mercia, aircraft should have every en-
cOuras ement for the reason that il
would provide for the army great
reserve of competent pilots and off
GERS in any national emergency.
At the present time there is no law
providing for the inspection or regu-
lation of pilots or their machines
when engaged in commercial service
and this fact, the secretary of war be
lieves, has given rise to many of the
accidents that have occurred.
AS an example Of the degree of
safety which may be attained in com
mercial flying the secretary of wal
instanced the fact that one CONNER
cial line operating between Miami
Fla, and Nassau has carried 10000 |
to- 100000 passengers without an ac-I
cident The same company that OPP
crates the Miami-Nassau route is now
interested in developing an air route
between Detroit and Cleveland byt
way of the lake.