The Daily Alaska empire., 1929-04-16
CREW OF JUNEAU
 TELLS 0F TRIP; ALL ARE MODEST
Here for Several Days to Study and Work on
 Flying Preparations

flight by a plane from Seattle te Juneau, made yesterday by the scaplane Juneau, came out today.
 The plane is named Juneau and bold letters on the side Of tho sea plane denote this.
 Furthermore the seaplane maGe a nonstop flight from Los Angele' to Seattle in 7A hours and with the nonstop flight to Juneau fS,gT Seattle in 7la hours, makes F hours for the double flight. Wher leaving Los Angeles the plane wac a land type of ship, and the wheels were replaced by pontoons at Se- -attle before the Juneau hop.
 Today as the crew of the sea- plane were dressing ship after the grueuing grind and also after a good nights rest they told the highliehts of the air adventure simultaneously praising their ship and giving credit for the first sue cessful nonstop flight to each ot their fellows. Pilot Anscel c. Eckmann also told of the real pur- pose of the flight and details ot the company which fully expects tc enter the air service in Alaska, and from the States to Alaska.
 Period of Pioneering
 The pilot seid: Like any new undertaking the Seattle to Alaska air service must go through a per iod of pioneering and studying of conditions before it is to become an accepted success" He added "We, making this flight to the Ter Iitcry. are out for our company to start that work with the. view Of seriously entering the field and with the view of maintaining a sched ule service.1
 Officials of the w hing IT, Alaska Airways Company feel that enough passengers are to be carried during the summer months to make the passenger carrying end a pro- fitable venture, according to pilot Eckrnan. He went on explaining that the air mail part Of the serv- ice was more up to the people af- fected than to any company enter ing the field.
 Alaska Must Show Elm
 When these people show the proper authorities that they want air mail to the extent that the postal officials can see that the letting of an air mail contract will be justifiable, then and not before that time, will the Territory oi Alaska have it's air mail service from the States, for there will be concerns willing to bid for the mai. and the Washington Alaska Air ways company will more than likely be one of the first" said Mir Eek mann.
 Flying Since War
 MT. Eckmann has been flying since the war. Entering the field when it was hazardous at it's best and always considered the height of daring, he soon qualified for a pilots license and shortly after, at the time when competent men were few, he started instructing pilots at the Army flying school at March fialI raoor ne At1no1oc
 Pilot Eckmann has worked for commercial companies, flying mail and passenger routes in the mid west and just recently ended three years of flying on the Seattle to Victoria air mail route. MT. Eek mann is now a commissioned flier in the naval reserve.
 When the Washington Alaska Airways company was organized last october MT Eckmann was the first pilot to be engaged by the new concern. He, like his shipmates of the Juneau, is a fully qualified and licensed flier in all it's branch es.
 Today, when being interviewed the pilot was reticient about telling personal details. He was more for praising his navigator, Robert Ellis, and his mechanic, Jack Hal loran, for their skilled work in navigating the craft and attending technical details, as he piloted the ship northward.
 Ellis Also Modest
 Navigator Robert Ellis. like his chief, was not prone to talk of his personal air exploits. He said that the trip just ended showed him that no great problems con- fronted the crew of a plane in sue cessfully navigating the course north or south. He also stated that the proper equipment would of course, have to be used. This he explained, meant planes of a large carrying capacity, reliable power plants and prior study and work involving all the details that