Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-09-11

particularly to Paris. and England is sending
planes to the farthest reaches Of the empire.
Mussolini has announced he is going to get
every Italian into the air. Italy is at the
crossroads of the great European air routes,
and the italian government Is fostering both
commercial and military aviation with all the
resources at her command. The projected line
from Milan to Munich, across the Alps, will be
one of the best in Europe.
Everywhere in Europe found a calm &C.
ceptance of airplanes something useful and
safe In everyday life. When flying in these
big passenger planes heard easy casual
talk such as takes place American railway
train.
two garrulous old women aboard. One had
bought some yarn to knit a jacket for her
grandchd. She was worrying lest the child
, might have fallen downstairs Somewhere back
in the fuselage hen cacklng
"Bilderbuch ohne Bilder," murmured
kindly old German professor as we sailed up
the Rhine--leisurely it seemed-~th the world
moving slowly far below. I knew he had in
mind the old tale of the nightly vision Of the
moon. IN which men and events and all human
concerns passed in the silent pageantry of eter.
nifty, in which all small endeavors fade.
X x ~
little French shopkeeper flew with me
from Paris to Berlin. The next day I found
him in German cafe, laboriousy trying to
explain a French joke to the German whole.
SAFER Will WHoH1 ne was OOlnS business. He
finally got the point over. and they laughed
uproar iously.
saw innumerabe little incidents like this
In their bearing great human and racial
equations are they not more significant than
all the evasive and disngenuous language Of
diplomacy? Seeing Europe from the sky, I
nave profound conviction aviation Is a
heaven-sent agency for the final abolition of
war.
Both safety and commercial utility have
been brought about through Europe's realiza.
ton that war plane is one thing and a peace
plane something else.
The Germans, for instance in deye,on;np
commercial flying. have adopted the single.wine
design, triple-engined planes to reduce hazard.
and light, high-powered radial engines increas.
ing lifting power. range, fuel economy and
safety. And radio has been so improved that
at night or in fog planes constantly get their
bearings from the air.
I talked about the flying business" with
Herr Otto Merkel, director of the Luft Hansa
System.
Il believe could say commercial avia.
ton is safely established in Europe" he said.
Il don't mean that the Luft Hansa for In.
stance, is on sound dividend basis. But that
does not bar it as a sound commercial enter.
prise There are still some government sub.
sides.
assuming that swift and economical trans.
portatlon OF goods and passengers Is urgently
'o~ b-'AA Soiiii1ioi Cidiiy prOHtdDle-anQ no
one can deny this-we abolish all the Intangible
factors at once and our problems narrow down
TO definite and tangible requirements They
are technical problems. We know we can
solve them.
The next forward step in aviation will be
IN the laboratory and testing field We have
absolutely no misgivings about the result.
without exception, there is no line in our sys.
tenn which has not been opened on grounds of
commercial expediency"
Copyright. 1927 in all countries by, the North
American Newspaper alliance p 9 I1'FA