The Nome nugget., 1925-02-21
AERONaUTs DECLARE ALASKA WILL BE
 PLYING CENTER NORTH AMERICA
Noted Aviator> Enthusiastic q Proposal Estab- fish Large Field in Tcrritor, for Army, Navy and Mail service.

eoeed n educating vorF foa soung fiers. HeH Etison writ te w F. Thompson. editor of ffe Fairbanks Ne9Mner os caa aomjns eloae of \fas ka as fyin- center as io 5ees it rom where s- sits the co, kiit his hyns machine. All flyer. eyes turned and tue Government needs only the prce 10 start things in fhe aerial mail way all Alaska with effective andworth while mail service at d saving of money to the Govern nent His letter follows:
 Dear Mr. Thompson:
 As I have been away from Fairbanks for several months you will probably be interested in hearing about what l have been doing here the States and how the outlook for flying in Alaska is now have been doing nothing but explaining why Al aska needs Government planes since arrived here and have received the best enoouia cement
 I can state positively that the picture you print. ed year of Weeks Field with about dozen planes lined in of hangar an excel lent prophecS The Army, air mail. and possibly the Navy and private concerns are coming in there.
 met General Mitchell about month and suggested to him and other officers in the chiefs office in Washington what could be done in the way of mapping, photography, gathering data, exper menting with winter flying. carrying Government agents in Alaska He much impressed and sent here to McCook Field give sugges tions At this field everything in plans and equipment is developed
 Since I have arrived here four five different orders have from Washington regarding fly ing.
 Lieutenant Macready who flew the first stop transcontinenta flight and held the worlds altitude record besides several other records ordered to prepare plans for a photographic trip with several high altitude planes so be able to photograph Mount Mckinley and other scenic points.
 Lieutenant Lockwood ordered by the chief to prepare plans for two-year's aerial mapping project photograph among other parts the entire Yukon river. I the plans with him and he has asked for three Douglas planes and eighteen extra Liberty motors to be distributed through AL aska
 The architectural office ordered to design hangars for Alaska I have also been over these plans
 The tactical office received orders to prepare plans for entire squadron to be distributed through Alaska to experiment. find landing fields and gather data.
 Of some of this may not materiaze, but some of it is bound to. emphasized that We have flying squadrons in all island possessions, but to date the Army knows practically nothing about conditions in Alaska where the airplane is needed as badly as anywhere else in the world They all admit this is
 The chief of the mail service Col Henderson told me that has prepared, himself bill he introduced into the Congress, asking for six more planes on Alankan air mail runs
 It is surprising how many pilots want to 20 to Alaska to Lieut.. Saint Clair Street. who was on the New York to Nome flight He is ous to take trip Alaska. Lieut.. Eric Nal T. round the-world hier told that he would like to go back, Lieut.. Aacready and two dozen others have expressed desire to get the Alaska detail. Several officers here and Langley Fcld Virginia have told that they would resign tiei! commissions if they the Alaska mail iuL handing officer of this field and he told that he was going to write to the chief suggesting that a squadron be sent Alaska permanently Gen eral Mitchell is very good friend Alaska He was in Fairbanks at time He told me that he put in telephone line there some years ago.
 Dan Sutherland is working hard this air mail proposition and want to get the Washington State Congressmen and Senators back of it. It would be well to get the Commercial Club to write the Seattle Chamber of Commerce and to Governor Bone. who can do much, he has many strong political friends in Washington l have spoken to