Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-07-07
AVIATION
.ALIFORNIA, here I
comet" well may become
BY JOSEPH S. EDdERToN.

the summer IOr NUMBERS Ol GdOO
Coast VacationistS who have a
week at their disposal. With seven
days of leave to spend on the trip,
it is possible for the Washing
tonian or the Philadelphia or
the New Yorker to cross the con-
tinent and return and still have
three nights and two days in Cali
fornia.
The business man who cannot
afford to lose time can leave this
city Sunday evening and be in
Los Angeles Tuesday afternoon
ready for work Wednesday morn
ing. He can spend two business
days there and be back home the
next Sunday morning.
AS the guest of TranScontinent-
al Air Transport the writer has
just completed a seven-day trip
to the Pacific Coast and return.
Leaving Los Angeles just before
o'clock Tuesday morning, July
2, one was able to spend most Of
the Fourth of July at home in
the National Capital.
The development of air trans
port service in the United States,
in which this country rapidly is
forging to a position Of world
leadership, has been exceedingly
rapid during the first six months
of this year. There now are sew
eral air-rail lines in operation
from coast to coast and by this
time next year it is expected that
combination air and rail travel to
every part Of the country will be
possible.
Canyon, Desert, Snow, so Minutes.
For those who have crossed the
Western prairies and the great ex-
panse of desert country by rail or
automobile, the speed, GOODNESS
and comfort of air travel will
come as a revelation. The view of
the desert from the air Is a spec
tacle never to be forgotten. Within
a half hour we were able to see
from an altitude of 1000 feet all
of the Grand Canyon of the Colo
RADIO, the weird beauty of the
Painted Desert to the northeast
and, to the south the snow
Streaked peak Of San Francisco
Mountain. A desert sandstone,
dread of the traveller. ragged
harmleSsly below and once or
twice the plane passed through
those desert phenomena, hang
ing rains" which never reach the
arid ground below, evaporating as
they fall.
Leaving the National Capital at
$50 pm. Tuesday, June, ~, on
the Airway Limited, VIC arrived at
Port Columbus, miles east of
Columbus, Ohio, at 8 o'clock the
next morning. The train stops at
the airport and the passenger
goes under a covered walk into
the air passenger terminal, from
which he goes, also under cover.
directly into the waiting plane.
Wasp-motored Ford planes are
used for the service, and, with 10
passengers and crew of 8 aboard,
we left the paved runway at Fort
Columbus at S:18 am. and headed
Westward through light drift
clouds. AS we broke out an air
trails map and prepared to follow
the course to Indianapolis, the
first stop on the air line, the
courier" who looks out for the
comfort and welfare Of the pas
SengerS, came down the cabin
with a message of welcome, a lit
tie folder explaining the aims of
the service, tiny paper envelope
containing cotton for the ears of
those bothered by motor noise,
and chewing gum.
Even the Cows Are Calm.
Cruising at an air speed of ITO
miles per hour, the plane ran into
headWinds as the sky cleared, and
soon was in very rough air at an
altitude of less than 800 feet,
which was held all the way to In
dianapoliS. This gave an oppor-
tunlty to observe that Indiana
cattle are "airplane broken" AS
we roared over their heads they
went on eating placidly, not even
bothering to look up. Less than
a year ago the farmers here were
complaining bitterly that mail
planes were frightening their
cows into nervous decline.
The landing at Indianapolis
7. A. t. airport was made at 9:21,
Pilot H. w. MCGEE setting the big
ship down like a feather. The
flight of 173 miles had required
2 hours and 3 minutes because of
the strong adverse winds. After
a 17-minute refueling stop the
ship was off again over the peace
full Indiana farms, now sun
f1ecked as the clouds cleared
away. The country was rolling
and the ship rolled, too. Air-sick-
ness claimed a passenger mo-
mentarily, but an oiled cardboard
box aided in relieving the situa-
ton. Fresh chewing gum. was
passed around.
The skies had cleared and visi-
bility was perfect as the plane
crossed the Illinois line, over
country which now was quite roll
Ing and heavily wooded, with oc-
caSional small rock outcroppings.
AT high noon the fork of the Mis-
SiSSippi and Missouri Rivers slid
by beneath. The water was high,
muddy and turbulent, and arms of
the flooded streams lay across
fields and roads, lingering rest
lessly railroad entertainments near
the shore.
Flyers Ignore Floods.
Flooded roads and threatened
railroad right-of-way, however,
mean little to the air traveller, and
we settled down on Lambert-St.
Louis field at 1910, just Z min
uteS behind schedule. Here we
changed pilots and Courier NJ. M.
Con6pld tOok IN tho m q torio1S for