Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-08-10
NEW CIVIL AIR HEAD
LEAVING FOR D. c.
MacCracken Departs Today
to Talk With Boss" Hoover
About Duties.

1 ny bhsNUtJdtcu f-FesH.
CHICAGO, August 1O.--A genial six
! fOOter, built like college fullback
will be America first director Of civil
| aviation.
William P. MacCracken. jr.. Of Chi
cago. already. at 81. secretary Of tho
American Bar Association and q dis
| tinguished lawyer and flyer. cleared
| his desk today and prepared to sc
| to talk to my new boss" about the
appointment conferred upon him yes
| terday by President Coolidge to the
post of Assistant Secretary Of Com
merce in charge of civil aviation.
Mr.. MacCracken planned to go tc
Washington late today to begin i'm
| mediately his new work. The posi-
was created at the last session OF
Congress.
1T is virgin field he remarked
and there are three things we must
prepare to do under instructions of the
act crea ting the post. The department
IL to furnish aids for air navigation
mapping routes, supplying lights
! weather reports. emergency landing
fields and similar convenienceS: 1t is to
foster the aerOnautic industry as well
as the actual business of flying. and II
Is to regulate and license planes.
II believe the civil aviation bust
to say BOOM hope it doesn't boom
but it ia ready for good. consistent
healthy growth.
MacCracken is counsel for the Ma
tional Air Transport Go. and mill
tary aviator Of World War experience
during which he was an instructor for
10 months at Texas fields
Man IF Wide Experience.
Secretary Hoover. in commenting
on the appointment Of Mr.. Mac
| Cracker. said the new civilian air
| chief has accepted the post at per
sonal sacrifice. The salary that goes
with it is $500 a year.
Mr.. MacCracken is native OF
Chicago and a gradue Of the univer
sity Of that city. He holds law de-
gree from that institution.
Following his service with the Army
Air Service during the World War. he
| returned to the practice OF law and
has devoted a large part OF his time &c
the national development Of civil avia
ton. He has been one Of the COVER
nors of the National Aeronautic Asso
citation since it's organization. He Is
secretary Of the American Bar Asso
citation and for many years has been
chairman Of it's committee on the law
for aeronautics and in that capacity
has devoted a great deal of time to the
development OF a law for civil avia
ton. He took an important part In
| the pre- pa ra ton of the new air com
merce act.
Mr.. MacCracken also has devot &c
! much time to developing the bushes:
and operations of the National All
| Ira nsport Co. and has also had &C
tive business relations with a number
Of the other leading air transport
! compa MES. He has made extensive
| studies In the promotion of ira fflc
business for aerial transport. and ha:
| a thorough knowledge of all phases
| of civil aviation. lie also is thorough
! " acquainted with the development
of civil aviation abroad. and partici
pated in the world survey Of civil
aviation recently made by the com
mittee appointed by Secretary Hoover
Mr. MacCracken also is chairma T
of the avia ton committee of the
American Legion of the Department
of Illinois, chairman OF the aviation
committee Of the Hamilton Club "l
Chicago, and is member Of the
Chicago Aero Commission.
Assumes Office This Week.
his connections with private enter
prise in aviation to accept the assist
ant secretaryship. He assumes OF
fee this week.
The work Of organizing the ne"
division in the Department Of Com
merce has been developed to grea'
extent by J. Walter Drake, Assistant
Secretary, who will turn over thu
bureau to Mr.. MacCracken. The or
eanization work includes new divl
sion of navigation aids to aviation
to he established in the Bureau Of
Lighthouses. which will take over the
Post Office activities on the mai
routes. Of lighting and marking
emergency landing fields and pro-
vide for their rapid extension.
A division ia to be created in the
Coast and Geodetic Survey for map
| ping Of air routes and the Army All
CORPS is turning over its accumu
lated material SO that the Coast Sur
vey will carry on in future for al
services.
A division is being created in TIT
Bureau Of Standards for development
| of greater perfection in navigationa
| aids to aviation. Investigation on :
| large scale is being initiated in de
velopment Of radio directional worl
and is considered Of the utmost i'm
! portance.
Several Agencies Cooperating.
| In this work the Bureau Of Stand
ards has the cooperation Of the Gug
senheim Foundation, the Army All
! Corps and other governmental agen
cies. There are also problems IL
the perfection of lighting servicel
| under investigation which will b
e3haustively developed by the Bureau
Of Standards. Already some advanced
work in this direction has been &C
complished by the bureau in co-opera
ton with the Bureau Of Lighthouses
| A new division in the department
will be created for safety inspection
of airpla nes and licensing Of pilots II
| interstate flying. This division alst
| will undertake the work under thu
law In respect to the registration u
aircraft and development Of rules o.
air navigation.
| Another division will be created FOL
determination and development Of ma
| tional airways and for the promotion