The Daily Alaska empire., 1930-12-06

flew 25,l41 ,499 miles in the calen- dar year 1929, carried 173,405 pas sengers, 1,866,879 pounds of express and 7,772,104 pounds of mail. They received payments for transporta tion of air mail totaling $17,042,- 52O71.
 Lighted Airways
 Under its program of airways de velopment, the AeronauticS Branch during the last fiscal year lighted 3,321 miles of airways, established and lighted 56 intermediate land ing fields, and installed and opera ed 2l8 standard revolving beacon lights for the guidance of airmen after dark, the report says Five thousand six hundred and fifty miles of airways were equipped with automatic telegraph-typewrit- CT circuits which collect and dis seminate- weather information along the airways, and 13 radio brcad- casting stations were placed in op- eration for the broadcast Of this weather information to planes in flight at regular intervals both day and night. Two radio range bea- cons, which guide pilots along the airways by means of radio signals, also were placed in operation.
 At the close of the fiscal year there were 13,500 miles of lighted airways in operation, with 319 in- termediatc fields, 1,477 airway5 bea- cons, 303 airway weather-rep eporting stations, 35 airways radio communi- cations stations and 9 radio range beaoons. TWenty-seven more radio range beacons were practically com pleted but were not in service, op- eration. In addition, there were un- der contract, with the work of in stallation in various stages of com pletion, 1,728 miles of airways on which are being established 36 in- lClHlCOldlS 1lClNo dliu GAo di1 way beacon lights.
 New Facilities uf
 As the foregoing aids to air navi- gation not only have justified theil existence, but have proved to be indispensable from the standpoint of safety and reliability of aircraft operation, funds available from cur rent appropriation have been allo- cated to provide more of these fa- cilities. During the current fiscal year, 5000 miles of additional air ways will be lighted, B additional radio range beacon stations will be established, 2,800 miles of auto- matic telegraph typewriter circuits will be placed in operation, and 20 radio communication stations will De installed. Upon the completion ot these 20 additional radio communi- cation stations, there will be scarce ly a square mile of area in the United States where flying is 8 regular activity, that pilot cannot receive broadcasts of weather in- formation while in flight.
 The Aeronautics Branch investi- gated 612 violations in the period covered by the report. AS result of these Investigations there were 183 assessments of civil penalties, 164 suspensions, g revocations of licenses, T denials of licenses. l48 reprimands, $3,675 collected, 10 pub lie hearings and 13 cases referred to the Department of Justice.
 Pay for Pilots
 Of the 13000 pilots holding all types of Department of Commerce licenses at the close of the fiscal year, the report continues, approxi- mately 600 were employed on the scheduled air mail and passenger lines. These air line pilots are paid on the basis of quality, and the longer they serve on a particular air line, or on air lines in general, the more valuable they become to the operators.
 The number of pilots not em- ployed on schedule air line opera tions was close to 100 per cent more than the number of licensed air. planes on record at the close of the year. From the point of view of the Aeronautic Branch, this is not an undesirable situation In fact, it is indicative of better market for aircraft and indicates quite. clearly the existence of potential market.
 In the fiscal year 1929-30, there were 10,360 pilots licenses issued by the De p ar t m Il t, approximately twice as many as were granted dur ing the preceding fiscal year. Li- censes renewed during the fiscal year totaled 9,367 and student pilot permits, 21,191, representing large increases in both classifications. In the new category for glider pilots, 39 licenses were issued. For me- chanics, 3,719 licenses were issued and 2,219 renewed.
 Increase In Licenses i
 For aircraft, 6,531 licenses were issued, 2278 renewed, 3,370 identi- fieations issued and 129 export cer- tificates issued, all of these figures representing increases over the pre- ceding fiscal year
 Mir. Young points out in his re-