The Washington times., 1928-02-18


>the young dynamic, forward
looking West should take up
aeronautics enthusiastically and
aspire to achieve leadership In
the infant aircraft industry.
Everywhere you 90 in the
West the talk is much more Of
flying than it is in the East.
Why?
West Talks Of Flying
Has not transportation always
been a tremendous problem for
the West? How we honor the
Lewis and Clark trail-blazcrs!
How we honor the covered-wagon
pioneers motion picture depict
i=g them has proved q strong
enough magnet to draw millions
of present-generation folks. There
were stage-coach heroes, and then
came the railroad builders, giants
who were accorded tremendous
acclaim in their day. Crossing
the continent by motor car next
was hailed as a. notable mile
stone in the quickening OF trans
poration.
The Panama Canal bulks much
larger in the daily consciousness
of the Far West than Of the East.
Tt has wrought a silent revolution
Of incalcnlabIe economic coIlSe-
quences and has been a factor In
the social life OF the Westsee
the lists published almost daily Of
voyagers through The Canal from
east to west and west to east.
And now II is aviation.
East Provincial
TO the credit of the West be
it said that the West Is more
conscious OF the benefit Of bet
ter acquaintance with the East
than the East is conscious Of the
benefit--the needof better acc
quaintance with the West. 4
fear there IL truth In the uHiver-
sal charge that big-city Eastern
ers. especially New Workers, are.
provincial.
The West sees In flying the
ideal solution OF the transporta-
ton problem, the ideal means of
wiping out the disadvantages Of
vast distances, the ideal medium
for bringing the different sections
of the nation closer together.
My opinion happens to be that
we are still several years away
from the time when fIiyvers OF
the air will be as common as
flivvers OF the road. Yet Los
Angeles already has notably sue
cessful commercial aviation enter
prise, the Western Air Express,
which has made daily trip in
each direction between Los Ange-
les and Salt Lake City for two
years without q single accident.
1t is paying dividends OF 8 per
cent year.
2OO-NEiIe Service
80 Recently IT opened line be-
tween Cheyenne and Pueblo, 200
miles. But its larger objective
Is to inaugurate regular service
between Los Angeles and San
Francisco. Flying time, three
hours for the 400 miles. Says
President Harris M. Hanshtle:
1.-THE ir-mindedness Of South
err California is evidenced by
the extraordinary support given
air mail either comes into or
goes out of this section. Very
evidently Southern California is
taking world leadership in. air
transportation. Our Los Angeles
San Francisco line viii be, we
believe, 10 years, ahead Of any
thing similar in Europe
Curiously. neither Los Angeles
nor San Francisco has airport
facilities comparable with those
of Oakland. But a very ca.
pable local public.minded citi.
zen, Ben r.. Meyer, is now chair
man Of the aeronautics commit
tee of the Chamber Of Commerce
and he tells me that things viii
be different by the time re-
turn. Los Angeles owes itself
a real, up-to-the-minute airport
worthy of the Coasts largest
metropolis.
GOOdyear's Plan
Very keen interest is taken in
the plans of the Goodyear Tire
and Rubber Company, to build
an extensive stabIishment here
for the building of lighter-than-
air flying ships. a project which
should enlist the active support
of the Government.
One responsible citizen writes:
You should tell the people OF
America about the achievements
of the Ryan planes, particularly
the Spirit of st. Louis; the
success of the Douglas plant at
Santa Monica. which has been
awarded the contract for the
bulk of the Navy planes. the pre-.
eminent position Of the Western
Air Express, which has outstrip-
ped all others in carrying air
mail: and other air activities"
Yes, the West Is becoming i'm.
pressively air-minded.
Copyright. 1928, by b. C.. ForbesIss
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