San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1925-11-15
WINTER FLYING
J MAKES BIC
STRIDES
Public Interest in Trial Of
I Mitchell Proves Stimu-
lus to Aviation.
By FRANK BOGART

y DETROIT, Nov. 14.-Winter fly
Ing both military and commercial,
viii show greater strides in 1926
s26 in every part Of the country than
ever before, both because of the sus-
tanned public interest resulting from
the summers achievements, the
Presidential inquiry. the Mitchell
-court-martial, and because the United
: States Air Mail. the Ford Motor
company and the Army Air Service all
are planning 10 20 forward uninter-
ruptedly.
The first pursuit plane group of
q, the Army Air Service, Quartered at
--Selfridge Field, $50 miles from De
froit, in command Of Major Thomas
y. Lanphier. is the only unit of the
Air Service that has had any expert
ence to speak of in frigid weather
flying. or in making long cross coun-
!. try trips during the winter.
= The group this year will repeat
both its winter maneuvers amid ice
"4nd snow of Northern Michigan. at
Oscoda. and the dawn to dusk dash
:. 70 Miami and possibly add a third
flight to Montreal. the planes using
skis instead Of ordinary landing
gear.
BREAKS AIR RECORD.
Major Lanphier was in Washing
ton last week to obtain an o. K. of
his planes and discuss tactical af-
fairs with Major Carl Soatz, former
commander of the Selfridge unit,
Spatz now is in charge of battle tao
Tics for the Air Service. Some new
details. the most intricate and at the
same time the most constructive
worked out since the war, will be at
tempted by the group this year.
Work with machine guns in winter
has never yet been attempted BY the
Air Service. 1t will be tried for the
inst time next February and a num-
Der of other important facts about
winter aviation are to be established.
incidentally on his flight east, Ma
Jor Lanphier made a new NONSTOP
record between Detroit and New
York over the 500 mile line route
acroes the Alleghenies. His time was
three hours and twenty minutes. a
speed of two and one-half miles
minute. He was using the latest type
Curtiss pursuit plane, the NJ. which
will develop more than $50 miles an
hour.
The Ford Motor company is well
past the half year mark in its daily
air service TO Chicago and will con
nnue to make nine round trips a week
there all winter and six TO Cleve-
land.
OPERATE REGULARLY.
In their first six months the Ford
planes operated with greater regular
lty than any other form Of trans
portation and carried 100000 pounds
on trips totalling 10000 miles. with
less than half dozen forced land |
1ngs and only two occasions when |
weather forced the pilots TO turn back |
and abandon the trips.
The average loads carried have been
under 1000 pounds, but as much as |
ZOO pounds has been transported at |
one time. The cost per mile has been
30 cents, per pound carried Sc cents.
This would be lower if much of the |
recent freight had not consisted Of /
bales of curled hair for the upholstery
division Of the Ford plants.
Total actual operating cost of all
five planes now in regular service has
been less than $4,000 since Henry
Ford opened his line April IL. bought
the Stout Metal Airplane company
and built his hangers and model air
mort