The Bozeman courier., 1927-11-25
II WIN, 20 die,
IN SEA FLIGHTS
Aviation Sees Big Gain De-
spite Toll of Life and
Property.


New YOrk.-The curtain has de-
scended upon the transocesnic flying
season of 1927, and aviation has
turned to tabulatiOn Of the gains and |
losses of a historic summer.
Ten ocean flights have succeeded; !
nine have failed. Twenty-one persons
have ridden the wings of the air to
safety across the two great oceans;
twenty have lost their lives in flight
and five more in preparation for flight.
The Atlantic has been spanned FIVE
times from America to Europe, and
once from Africa to South America.
The Pacific has been crossed to Ha-
waii four times.
Five planes attempting Atlantic
flights have gone down, three planes
have perished on Pacific flights and
Paul Redfern, Georgia-tO-Brazil flyer.
vanished above the Caribbean.
In addition to human lives there
has been loss in airplanes, in flights
Of, American origin, which aviation ex-
perts set at about half a million dol
lars.
The cost Of using naval vessels and
private ships'in searching for lost fly
ers is reckOned at another half-mil-
lion dollars. The total does not in
clude losses to hackers Of ill-fated
flights, or to the sponsors Of trans
oceanic ventures which never pro-
gressed to a takeoff.
In searching for the missing Dole
prize flyers. the navy estimates it con-
sumed S125,O00 in fuel; that the 5000
men employed consumed $4,000 in
ratiOns, and that naval equipment
valued at $6O,OOOOOO was used. AS
many as ffty-twO naval vessels were
employed in the search at one time,
as well as naval planes.
Sees New Era Of Aviation.
Summing up the American activities
Of the season, government air experts
declare that the flights have given
| birth to a new era in aviation, and
have laid a carefully constructed
foundation for the development Of air
traffic as safe as rail, motor OF steam
ship transportation.
They deem that long flights, even
when attended by disasters, demon
strate amply that the airplane will
play a bigger role in wars of the fu
ture.
One effect of the years flying has
been the shaking off generally, they
said, of the feeling of danger and sen
satiOnalism once attached to aeria
ventures, and the substitution Of {
national "air-mindedness."
eff progress in the last year or 81
in army aviation. as well as in Othel
fields of air activity, is an index t,
what the future may hold, Americ;
will soon be ahead of the rest of tn,
world in aviation" Assistant Seere
tary of War F. Trubee Dawson, hea,
of the army aviation department, said
He gave the opinion that while Ion,
nonstop flights Of extra-hazardOus ma
ture should he discouraged unless con
Quoted under the most favorabl
auspices, nothing should be done ''t
interfere with the efforts of the mill
tary authorities to extend the useful
ness of military planes"
Calls Change Psychological.
A psychological rather than a me
, chanical change in aviation is seen b
> Assistant Secretary of the Navy &c
! ward P. Wagner. head of naval al
2 activities. From a navy viewpoint tn
c activities proved the real usefuInes
= of the application of aircraft" A rC
D awakened interest in the flying boa
< is also forthcoming, he said, and th
{ navy will continue to purchase ne,
machines of this type as replacement
, for wartime craft.
! Increased production or airplanes {
I meet growing demand, and develol
r ment Of airpOrts, landing fields and
network of airways as plentiful as tf
radiO-wave channels, is foreseen B
Clarence NJ. Young, director Of aer
l. nautics Of the Department of Con
y While believing that pioneering
;. any field is expensive in lives an
: material. Capt. e. S. Land, assistal
;. s chief Of the naval bureau Of aerona
y y tics. declares "stunt flying for stun
= fiying's sake" a "poOr business" b
\ he fOresees a future in which avi
: tion will be "a vitality Important itel
: not only to American commerce. b
& also to American defense"