The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-10-19
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 Requr-
ing inspection of Airplanes.

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-
larry 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
study of the status of aviation here
and abroad with view to putting
the United States in the forefront of
the march. He received lately from
Bug 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 storm
of this size. Thunder clouds, always
a 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
he great prerequisite to the develop
nent of commercial aviation in the
United States
Before the general public can feel
assurance regarding commercial air
'outes the secretary said there must
)e legislation that provides rigid in
'pection Of airplanes and the licens-
ng of pilots. Federal regulations are
leemed the most appropriate, as these
would eliminate discrepancies in laws
md conduce to uniformity.
Encourage Commercial Aircraft. n
From the standpoint Of the War de-
'artment the development of COM
nercfal aircraft should have every en-
engagement for the reason that it
would provide for the army great .
eserve of competent pilots and Off
ers In any national emergency.
At the present time there is no law .
roviding for the inspection or regu-
alton Of pilots or their machines
hen engaged in commercial service,
nd this fact, the secretary of war b.
ewes, has given rise to many IL tie
ccidents that have occurred.
AS an example OF the degree Of
afety which may be attained In COM
ercial flying the secretary Of war
lstanced the fact that one CONNER
al line operating between Miami,
Ia. and Nassau has carried $4,000
100000 passengers without an &C
dent The same company that op-
'ates the Miami-Nassau route is now
terested in developing an air route
tween Detroit and Cleveland by