New Britain herald., 1924-12-11
AIR TRAVEL RISK
 NOW AT MINIMUM
Danger Is Fast Vanishing,
 Patrick Says

New York, Dec, l1-MsIor Gen eral Mason N Patrick, chief of the air service of the United States army. believes that air craft transporta- ton systems for passengers, mail and goods can, under proper condl- tions, compete for safety and re- liability with the standards of rail- way train service or even surpass them. He made that statement this afternoon to the 18th annual con- vention of the Associations of Life Insurance Presidents in urging the life insurance companies 10 give consideration to the granting of in- surance at regular premiums on the lives of travellers by air and the operators Of aircraft, declaring also that such insurance would greatly aid the development of air trans portatton. General Patrick, who learned to fly when about so years old, often uses the air ship to save time in the transaction of his off, cial duties
 When invited to address this meeting l must confess that I was somewhat cheered and elated by the knqwledge that an association of in sursnce men was at last willing 10 take some kind of chance on sn aviator. For my part I am gong 10 venture the bold statement that be fore very long air traffic, air trans portation, will be on a par with other transportation insurance risks; otherwise history will have reversed itself.
 Military Phase
 T want to touch for lust a mo- ment upon the military phase of the development and use ot aircraft. The experience of the World War has convinced all who have studied the matter that in future wars air. craft will play an important or pos sibly a decisive part; that the only adequate and effective defense against an air attack IS an air force of your own; and hence such an air force properly equipped, highly trained. must be a part of our mill tary establishment. So far as our national safety IS concerned, 1t is my firm opinion that an adequate air force Is the best peace insurance policy that this country can obtain.
 Aircraft as weapons of warfare yearly become more swift. more more sdestructive; but 1t IS in aircraft as agents of commerce. the worlds goods and | the peoples of one com munity 10 another, that the deeper lies.
 The Insurance Question
 Inevitably the time will come | when the life insurance companies will be willing to grant insurance at | regular premiums on the lives Of travellers by air and the operators of aircraft. This would greatly aid the development of atr transportation and I hope that this association will give careful consideration to such an matter,
 Tt is d fact that much has been done during the past few years to make flying less hazardous. This in volved the consideration of many factors, among them the improve nent of the equipment, laying out i and marking air routes and the ere hion of proper facilities along them. With landing fields at proper inter 1 ,als, many of the risks of flying l would be eliminated,
 That there are comparatively few |, '1sualties suffered by the air mail i marked evidence of the safety ! with which well designated air 1 route. one along which there are -nough landing fields, may be tra- | ersed. These air mail pilots flew | over c,000000 miles without a single i On the British and Dutch air lines during the past three years he average number of passenger air | miles to reach passenger fatality was ! ,,663,000. Prior to 1918 for a num- per of years there ras an average of one passenger casualty on our rail- ,oads for about every 2,000,o00 pas ienger miles.
 Tn fact 1t Is believed conclusive ,vidence already exists that air tra- ,el under proper conditions can be conducted with a degree of regular ty, safety and dispatch sufficient to establish it as significant additlon- Il channel of commerce in the trans ,ortation resources of a nation. Air transportation has passed the ex- ,erinental stage. The knowledge aimed during the past six years in he operation of regular air trans ,ortation services, particularly in | Europe, has demonstrated incontest- bly that aircraft as agents of com-