Evening star., 1928-10-28
SO n. A. T.P|LOTS
HAVE FINE MARKS
Thirteen of Staff Have Had
More Than 5000 Hours
at Plane Controls.

One of the most experienced groups
of airplane pilots in the world has been
gathered by National Air Transport to
handle its heavy and rapidly growing
airmail and passenger service on the
transcontinental route. This organiza-
ton now employs SO veteran pilots, 13
of whom have had more than 5000
hours Of flying time and one of whom
has been in the air at the controls
more than 5000 hours, or 750 working
days of eight hours each.
National Air Transport today is en-
Joying one Of the greatest periods of
expansion In its history. Owing to the
tremendous amount of airmail carried
over its lines, the Transportation of
passengers had to be temporarily sus-
pended october 1, until additional
planes can be placed in service.
To Cross U. S. in 81 Hours.
On the Eastern Division, between New
York and Chicago, large three-motored
transport planes with room for 10 or IL
passenger are to be used and will
make the flight from New York to
Chicago in from seven to eight hours.
This service will form part of the
connection being made at Chicago with
the Boeing Air Transport line, en-
abling a passenger to make the trip
from New York to the Pacific Coast in
approximately 81 hours.
National Air Transport has pur-
chased eight new Liberty Tnotored Fall
cons from the Curtiss Airplane and
Motor Company for service on the $685.
mile Chicago Kansas City-Da1las route
Of the Southwestern Division, releasing
eight Douglas planes for service on the
overtaxed New York Chicago line.
The organizations group of pilots has
grown from 81 to 36 during the past
year and every man is a veteran flyer,
with many hours of military, COM
mercial or airnail flying behind him.
Garrison Corps Dean.
The dean of this remarkable flying
corps Is Lawrence H. Garrison, now
flying on the New York Cleveland sec
ton of the Eastern Division, who has
spent 6,163 hours of his life at the
controls of airplanes in actual flight.
He has flown 593,293 miles, record
held by few men in the entire history
of aviation. Garrison rolled up a n.y.
ing record of 1900 hours and 115,000
miles in the Army Air Corps. To this
he added 4,763 hours and 459,293 miles
as an airmail pilot. Since the advent
of the commercial air transport serv-
ice he has added another 200 hours
and 10000 miles to his record while
at the controls Of the big N. A. T.
passenger and express planes
- iStl Il
in a crash a few days ago while flying
section, ranked next to Garrison. with
total of COLO hours and 567,762
miles. Hopson, dying that the mail
might fly, was the third National Air
Transport pilot killed, victim of the
battle with storm and weather all these
pilots must fight to keep the mail NOV
ing on schedule.
Others Records Long.
The N. A. T. pilots with more than
5000 flying hours to their credit, in
addition to Pilot Garrison, are Walter
j. Addems, Chicago Cleveland route,
3,033 hours; D. A. Askew, Kansas City,
Dallas, 4,636 hours; Henry j. Brown,
Cleveland-New York, 4,129 hours;
Frank H. Burnside, Cleveland Chicago,
5000 hours; Paul F. Collins, Cleveland
New York, 5,744 hours; Richard l..
Dobie, Kansas City-Dallas, 4,886 hours;
Paul z. Johnson, Kansas City Chicago,
3,6I5 hours; Edmund Matucha, Chi
cago-KanSas City, 1858 hours; Charles
E. Peoples, Dallas-Kansas City, $3.50
hours; w. L. Smith, superintendent of
Eastern Division, 5,114 hours; ]. Ord
way Webster, New York Cleveland,
4,286 hours, and Warren D. Williams,
Cleveland-New York, SAB hours.