The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1928-11-20
HUGE INCREASE
SEEN BY YOUNG
IN PLANE TREND
Commerce Expert Forecasts
Various Developments in U.
! S. in Near Future
PRODUCTION INCRE Asses
Foreign Sales of Machines In.
crease 38 Per Cent During
First Half of Year

The United States has definitely
taken to the air, according to the
annual report Of Major Clarence NJ.
Young, Washington, director of the
aeronautics branch of the depart
ment OF commerce, made public
today.
Young forecasts many develop.
ments in the airplane industry dur
ing the next few years, among them
device for communicating with air.
planes along the transcontinental
line, which he says will be perfected
within short time.
Among the interesting develop
ments OF the past fiscal year cited
by Major Young in his report is the
creation Of an accident board to in
vestigate all civil aircraft accidents
with the view to determining and
eliminating their cause.
Board Is Formed
The board is composed of two ex-
perienced pilots, a flight surgeon, a
lawyer versed in air law and an
aeronautical engineer. The system
used is expected to provide statistics
to show the exact causes of acci-
dents and point the way to their
elimination.
"A phenomenal record of progress
in all branches of American aviation
is noted throughout the United
states, the report says. 1.-THE
growth OF air commerce and the air
craft industry Of the United States
is due in no small measure to the
strict enforcement of federal repu-
latlons which has inspired public
confidence in the safety of air trans
port.
Routes Are Developed
During 1927 American factories
produced nearly 1000 aircraft hav-
ing total value of $l4,25O,OOO as
compared with less than 1900 valued
at $8,S7O,O0O during the preceding
year. Exports of aircraft and parts
during 1927 amounted to nearly
$4,000. 900, an increase of approxi-
mately IS per cent over 1926. Dur.
ing the first half Of the current year
our total sales in foreign markets
OF aircraft products were 80 per cent
greater than the entire shipments
OF last year.
Air-transport, has now attained
a definite place in the economic
scheme Of transportation. The es-
taDllshed airway system is the back
bone OF our commercial aviation. al
though operations over this net
work form onl y one-tenth of all
civil flying. These routes now
cover 11,191 miles on which 27,817
miles are flown daily. Of these.
1885 miles are under mail contract
and zoo mail planes fly 1924 miles
daily over these routes. There are
now $3.50 miles lighted, 1900 miles
under contract for night flying. and
5,3O8 additional miles considered for
lighting during the fiscal year 1929.
The cities actually connected by the
routes at the close Of the fiscal year
numbered 50, the trading areas
served containing so million people.
by the close of the current fiscal
year it is believed that almost all
of the larger cities and many of the
middle-sized communities will be
connected by air routes and that
smaller feeder lines will serve MANY
outlying cities.
Many Pilots Available
Communication to aircraft in
flight along the transcontinental
route will be available within a short
time. Radio equipment is under con-
struction for replacing obsolete an
paratus now in use. The new an.
paratus will provide radio-telephone
or radio-telegraph communication as
may be required on frequencies be-
tween 100 and 500 kilocycles.
Applications for pilots and me-
rhanics' licenses showed striking in
crease during the past fiscal wear.
due in large measure to the publicity
given the epochal flights which &C.
Cured during that period. By June
80 last applications were on file for
over $500 pilots and 5000 mechanics.
which was about three times the
number on file on the corresponding
date the previous year. On June 80
over 400 applications had been re-
ceived for licensing airplanes as
compared with 100 at the end Of
the 1927 fiscal period: Up to June
30 last, licenses had been issued for
approximately 5000 pilots, 5000 me-
chanics and 1000 airplanes. In ad-
dition, 1000 applications for stu
dents permits have been filed"