Imperial Valley press., 1928-09-15
NOYILLE ACCEPTS
POSITION With
UNION AIR LINES

SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 75.-
Here 5 big news to the world Of
aviation
Lieutenant Commander George
Q. Aoville, L. s. n. r., engineer Of
the famed Byrd transatlantic
flight, and for 10 years conspcu-
GUS figure in air transportation, has
accepted appointment as technical
director Of the Union Air Lines,
Inc, according to official announces
ment here today by Il. Clay Ber-
tnard, executive vice president of the
Union corporation.
Neville ; duties in his new post
viii be similar to those of Colonel
Charles Lindbcrgh with the Trans
continental Air Transport. His
headquarters will be in San Francis
GO. lie will exercise complete sup.
crvision over the engineering,
mechanical and routing departments
Of the Union organization. The lat
ter now operates regular air pas
Seugcr schedules through the west
and has launched a big expansion
i program to spread its service all
over the nation. Neville will also
be in o-argc Of the personnel Of
Union Air Lines pilots.
On September 20, Neville viii
leave here for Europe to conduct an
exhaustive survey Of air transporta-
tion lines and the aircraft industry
generally in England, France, Ger
many, Italy, Russia and other coun-
tries. lie plans a three months in
yestigation aud upon his return will
! apply the results of the survey to
the development program Of the
, Union Air Lines.
i Despite the tremendous strides Of
air transportation in America dur
ing the past year this country IS
considered far behind many of the
European nations in commercial
aviation progress. Hundreds of ai-
/ lines are operating throughout
Europe. with big profits, and air
, trips there are almost as common as
automobile rides, with plane fac
tories going full blast to supply the
public demand for air travel. No
vile plans to bring back with him
n complete report of aviation con
ditions in Europe.
New Planes Ordered
/ On his way east Neville will visit
the big plane factories and will con
fer with officials of the aeronautic.
bureau Of the Department of Com
mcrce in Washington. It is under
stood that he will make available
! to the government the results of
various phases Of lis European sur
vev.
Tie Union Air Lines, with which
Neville has become associated, now
owns and operates the West Coast
+ Air Transport Company and the
+ Capital Air Lines. lac. Il is run
ming regular schedules from San
Francisco to Portland and Seattle.
and to Sacramento and valley
points, with concurrent connections
providing through air passenger ser
vice from san Diego to Nancouve~.
To provide equipment for its big
expansion program the Union cor
roration, through its president,
/ Charles Y. Eakin, Of Portland, has
contracted with the Bach Airplane
Company of Santa Monica for its
entire output Of passenger planes
for the next two wears, including
palatial air Yachts of II, y and -
passenger capacity.
Before leaving California on his
( European survey Neville viii al
tend the National Air Races and
Aoronautical Exposition at Los An
gclcs. opening September s, where
he is TO gather material for series
of magazine articles trr national
Publishing firm.
Among the famous aeronautica'
achievements participated in by
Neville, which brought him inte@na-
tional r.nown were the [. $. Army
raund-the-vor,d flight, Byrd 5 Nortn
,PoIe expedition, the Byrd trans.
Atlantic flight, several acronautical
ertcrarises of the I, 5. Navy and
as squadron commander in the Ital-
ian army during the Austrian often
sivc. in 1920 he served as superin-
tcndent Of the L. ;. air mail ser;
vice.