Evening star., 1923-09-02

tion European statistics never even
mention this country.
The enthusiastic American travel
ing in Europe-especially If lie is In
terested in fy!ng-suTers intense
chagrin when he sees what countries
so much smaller than the United
states have accomplished in this field.
When in 1920 I made my first fight
from Brussels to London I Travelled in
an open two-passenger biplane-an
old war machine, from which the ma
chine-guns and bomb-racks had been
removed. All they had on the flying
field Of Brussels then were a couple
of weather-beaten hangers built by
the Germans during the war l land
ed at Crickleuood, near London, an
other military aviation field, which
has since been dismantled. A year
later ! made numerous trips 20 Brus-
sels, London, Paris. Amsterdam and
the German flying centers. went
In great eight to fourteen passenger
air ltmoustnes, each equipped with
such comforts and luxuries as are
found in $4,000 automobile Every
where We're signs Of progress In
London. Croydon had become the cen
ter of commercial aviation. There
flying grounds, all of which had been
built inside Year. A spacious hotel
and restaurant was under construc-
tion. At lie Bourget, Paris, hangers
were going up everywhere and when
] returned a year later all these had
UP.
Progress in Germany.
few weeks ago. when I landed
OF
places were still spreading like min
ing camps in boom times. The same
is true of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
These two Dutch cities have splendid
flying fields just outside their munich
pal limits with comfortable hotels and
restaurants, post and telegraph offices
and wireless stations. The Dutch
aviation companies, indeed, have sue
ceeded in making their flying fields
popular excursion resorts, and every
day hundreds Of people arrive on
special excursion boats to view the
fields and watch the big airplanes
the flying fields, including the boat
trips, is 25 cents on week days and
10 cents on Sundays and holidays.
But in aviation Germany is the
has announced that in a year or two
Berlin will have the largest and most
convenient flying field In the world.
The "hushafen" (aviation harbor). as
the Germans call 1t, will be located
on the Tempelhofer field, the ex-kai-
ser's favorite parade ground before
the war. situated half an hours drive
from Unter den Linden and the big
as it is much closer to town than are
either Croydon or LIE Bourget. Some
Of the hangers are completed and
are being used by the German planes,
used by the great English and other
foreign machines, will be ready in a
month or SO.
Berlin to He Huh.
Berlin" Herr Adler, head of the
Berlin traffic and transportat ton
bureau, told me, will be to Euro
pean aviation what Chicago is to
American railroad traffic-it will be
tho hub. Just as Chicago is the CEN
ter of the most important railroad
will be the center OF commercial
| aviation in Europe. Here the aif
traffic between eastern and western
Europe will center and here will be
the junction point for northbound and
southbound ayia ation. Russian aviators
| will shake hands with English. pilots,
and italians will exchange pleasan-
tries with Swedish fiiers when they
meet on Tempelhofer field. For avia-
tors know no national boundaries or
s1r sksspt IN ti%ss dasd OF
body will write a song about Tempel-
hofer field, where, despite Mr.. Kipling
and even going him one better, east
will meet west, and north will meet
! lsopth=at cast in Europe" -