Evening star., 1923-08-19
Week to See C0ast-tO-COast
Air Mail SerUice Launched
Euery PrecautiOn Taken to Guard Post
office Flyers on 28-Hom Trip
AcrOss Continent.

Tuesday at II am. the Post Office
Department viii inaugurate one Of
the most progressive moves of its his
totry. An airplane will take off from
New York with mail which. il is hoped.
VIII reach san Francisco twenty
eight hours later Al the same time
another will leave the California city
for New York
Experiments and preparations haze
been carried on for more than year.
laying the foundation for this for
ward step in the way of communica-
tions. The work has been under di-
rcction Of Second Assistant Post
master General Paul f. Henderson,
with Supt g +. Egge of the air mail
service immediately in charge
The most elaborate plans have been
made and put into effect TO provide a
I@ng blinking ribbon ',of Light from
the flyers during their hazardous
trips from dark to dawn. Frequent
il"ldS for emergency landings and
i've main fields for regular stops will
be lighted up bright as day,
The trips are TO he made by three
pilots. the first in the case Of west
bound mail starting from New York
and stopping at Chicago. where a
second plane will take up the bur
den. and, flying ALL night. land at
Cheyenne. Wyo. The third plane will
then load the mail and make the
final hop to San Francisco
Under the plans a pilot will leave
New York shortly before noon and
pass over a route leading through
Rellcfonte. Pa: Cleveland. Ohio:
Eryan. Ohio. and ending At Chicago.
! This part Of the tri pis comparatively
! easy. but when til" flyer waiting To
START the second takes off Tho real
r:oblcm of tn" flight begins.
Night Flying >nfeguardrd.
lie will start ont in daylight. at
+; is time Of wear but as H." speeds
Westward after the flcctiag sun he
Y i'll lag more and more until dark
F"ss dcsccnds Then the fruits OF
rwclve months Of planning and OK
! p"rimentlnE viii come 10 his aid and
ne will find stretching away below a
path marked ont 10y lights that will
stand out sharp and clear against the
blacknesS Of the night.
/ The first things planned of course.
are safety measures should emer-
Sencies require forced landings Each
plane is equipped with powerful
searchlights that will enable the
pliot to pick a good spot if he be
unable to reach an emergency field.
Emergency fields have been placed
: every twenty-five miles along the
night route. and If the flyer be speed
] ing along at the altitude he is eX-
/ pected to maintain. il is proba bI Ie
that he could glide to one of these
! fields. should he he forced to de-
Scend. They are located at Batavia.
McGirr. Franklin Grove. Rock Falls
! and cordova in Illinois: Donahue.
Moscow. illiamsburg. MOnteZuma.
Reasnor, Carlisle. Bonneville. Casey.
] Atlantic and Oakland in Iowa; Wa
: Grand Central, shelton. Lexington.
: $Giothenburg. Paxton. Brule, Chappell.
Sidney. Potter and kimball, Neb.. and
si'ine Bluffs. Wyo.
!: Guide Lights Powerful.
|: Great searchlights of 500, 600 Oo0
-candlepoWer will be located at each
:'f the five regular fields at Chicago.
IOWA Cityh Omaha. North Platte and
/ lights that will point out the course
; ~ the flyer. 1t is expected that un-
DIR ordinary conditions they may be
seen for fifty miles or more. Less
powerful lights. visible up to about
| thirty miles, will mark out the emer-
I gEncy fields.
/ The flyer high in the air will find
hut when the clouds hang low anG
: ne. is forced TO fly near the ground
! they would be of little use 10 him
! ana TO meet this condition Il regu-
! lar lane of traffic lights has been in
! stalled along the course and at every
! three mile post a light will wink and
! blink at the pilot. telling him that he
! thousand feet up he will see this
! dotted lire leading on ahead into
| the blaCkness.
! When IL comes TO landing at a field
| the pilot will find little more diff
F.. Guilty than at day tilpe. The huge
| searc1llieht will be Mounted on a
tower much like windmill and will