Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-13

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circumstances warranted, they
would peel of and go for a swim.
Then, all dripping, they. would
climb into the plane, wearing no
more clothing than did Adam be-
fore he learned that leaves could
be worn by others than trees.
Flying along, they would dry off,
and, landing upon the ordinarily
deserted flying field along in the
shank of the afternoon, they
would taxi into a hangar and put
on their clothes in comfort. This
they did until one memorable
afternoon.
One Memorable Day.
On this day they were flying
back, wearing no more than a he'll
met and goggles apiece. In the
rear cockpit with one of the pilots
were piled clothes, fish, fishing
tackle, and like odds and ends
reminiscent of the afternoons
outing. Blithely and gayly they
flew home and landed at the field.
They TAXED toward the hangar,
the man in the rear standing up
and beginning to collect the scat
tered gear.
Suddenly they saw drawn up
near the hangar several automo-
bileS filled with specimens galore
of charming femininity from a
nearby girls school. The young
things sat there, all eyes, thrilled
with the prospect of seeing two
great heroes of the air fresh from
daring flight at close range.
The hero in the rear cockpit
disappeared below the cowling in
nothing fiat and covered among
the fishing tackle while he fiShed
frantically for the more essential
items of apparel. The hapless pi-
lot up ahead, with no clothing at
all in his cockpit, poured the sauce
into his motor, ground-looped with
more agility than dignity, and
fastened off down the runway for
one of the fastest take-offS ever
seen on that field.
AS they circled around they
could see that the girls were still
sitting there patiently, determined
not to be denied a possible glimpse
of those wonderful Army pilots.
The ensuing struggle to get into
clothing in the cramped cockpits
of an Army plane must have been
epic. One man would struggle
into a shirt and then take the
controls while the other wore him.
self down to a whisper. Each sep
arate item of clothing was suffi-
cient to bring out a rash on the
brows of the doughty aerial
knights.
Disheveled, They Land.
Finally, more or less suitably at
tired, hot, diSheveled and dis
guSted, they came in for a second
landing. They TAXED up to the
hangar amid admiring "OhS!"
and "Ahs!" which so short a time
before might have been shrieks
and gurgles. Each is willing to
testify that no hero, even in the
movies, ever lived through such
an ordeal as they endured between
the time they first spotted the
startling array of young and
sparkling eyes and the time they
landed, clothed, the cynosure of
those same eyes.
The private pilot is to receive
recognition for the first time in
the national air races, annual
American aviation classic. When
the races are flown in Chicago
late next month there will be
events for "SportSmen pilots who
fly their own planes" The race
committee has defined a sports
man pilot as one "who owns and
flies his own plane, and is not con-
Sidered as engaged in the aviation
industry"
Legion of Private Pilots.
The National Aeronautic Asso-
citation now estimates that there
are between TOO and 1000 private
flyers in the United States, and
that the number is increasing
rapidly. The files of the Aeronau-
tics Branch, Department of Com
merce, show that there now are
nearly 1880 active pilot licenses,
and that since January / nearly
1000 student permits have been
issued, which still are active. At
the same time there are only 6,678
airplane licenses active and 1928
more airplanes have been identi-
fed but not licensed.
Already there are more qualified
pilots than there are airplaneS on
the license files of the Department
Of Commerce, and unquestionably
when airplane prices come down
there will be an even larger i'm
mediately available market to be
reached.
With lower prices, lower land
ing speeds and safer airplaneS,
which will be followed by lower in
Surance rates and possibly a re-
taxing Of the present rigid physi-
cal requirements for private pilots,
there. should be decided increase
in the use of privately owned air.
planes for vacation trips and for
every day business and pleasure.
Portions Of the country now in
accessible to the average citizen
will open their glories to those who
come buzzing down the SkywayS.
Not only the. vacation visit but
the trip to and from the spot
selected will be packed with men
tai and physical stimulation. More
and more people are beginning to-
appreciate that, after all, there is
nothing so extraordinary about
flying, but that there is a great
deal Of real enjoyment to be de-
rived that way, regardless Of the
season. There is no time of the
year when the flyer cannot find
vacation land within a day or two.