Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-06-22
AVIATION
BY JOSEPH S. EDGERToN.

passenger cabin. One of these
planes has been here for demon
Stration to Army, Navy and De-
partment of Commerce officials
during the past week.
Locally, the air transport sit
uation seems more favorable than
in the past. Pennsylvania Air
Lines, formerly the Clifford Ball
Line, operating between the Ma
tional Capital and Pittsburgh, is
doing the best business since it's
establishment last year. Last
Sunday it became necessary to
operate double header" between
this city and Pittsburgh to handle
the service. Full planes are COM
mon and on several days paSSen-
gers have been turned away for
lack of space. The line operates
from Hoover Field, the weStbound
plane departing daily at noon.
Direct air passenger service be-
tween the National Capital and
the Pacific Coast in 81 hours or
less now is available. An inter-
changeable schedule has been es-
tabliShed, which makes it possible
for the passenger to 60 through
from this city to San Francisco
with no delay of more than 40
minutes at any point. Leaving
this city at noon today, the trav-
! eler is landed in San Francisco
at 4:30 pm. tomorrow or in Los
Angeles at 5 pm. 1t is possible
to have luncheon in Washington
Monday; supper in San Francisco
Tuesday.
Two New Local Lines.
During the past week Eastern
Air Express began the operation
OF one plane a day in each direc-
ton between Hoover Field and
New York. A 20-place Sikorsky
landplane, powered with two Hor-
nets, was used on the first run:
Ford tri-motors on subsequent
runs during the week.
One of the most interesting re-
cent developments in air trans
port is to be the Inauguration
this Summer of hourly air service
in both directions between Wash
ington Airport and New York, with
a stop at Philadelphia. It will be
the first direct challenge to estab-
liShed railway transportation by
the aviation industry. The opera
tons organization is one of the
most promising assembled for an
air transport enterprise on the
East Coast, being composed
largely of veterans of the Trans
continental Air Transport organi-
cation. Service is to begin August
Is.
Air transportation in the United
States in many respects has passed
that in Europe, according to re-
ports received here by the De-
partment of Commerce from its
commercial attaches abroad. A
complete report on British prac-
tees, received from Trade Com
missioner H. A. Burch at London,
shows that American air trans
portation as rule is much faster
than that on the British lines and
that the planes are more COM
Portable and more completely
equipped.
As in this country, air-cooled
engines, and, as a rule, multi-mo-
tored aircraft, are employed in
civil aviation in the United King
dom, Mr.. Burch reported. There
is a distinct tendency toward the
use Of monoplaneS, he said. Muf-
fierS and insulatorS are used to cut
down engine noise in the cabins.
In this respect the British appar-
emily are ahead of this country,
where noise reduction still is in
the laboratory stage.
Hand Cranking Prevails.
Inertia starters are practically
unknown, however, and the mot
ors usually are started by hand.
In this country inertia starters,
actuated either by hand or cleo
trio motors, are almost universally
used. British planes have tail
skids, but not wheel brakes, though
Mr.. Burch reports a tendency to
turn to the American practice in
this respect. The average speed
of planes in the services in the
United Kingdom is reported as
$50 miles per hour. The major
ity Of American passenger trans
| port planes cruise at from 100 to
ITO miles per hour and operators
now are seeking planes which will
operate on a cruising basis of $50
miles per hour. Airmail speeds
OF 100 miles per hour are common.
There is no combined air-rail
service in the United Kingdom,
but this system now is being de-
veloped, the report continued.
Air-rail combinations are Nation
wide in extent here and the COM
| binatlon tickets are sold at all
main railroad ticket Offices.
All airports in the United King
dom are governmentally con-
trolled, Mr.. Burch reported, though
some of them are owned by mu-
nicipal governments. Many of
them are lighted for night flying,
though night operations have not
been developed as they have in
this country, where a large bulk
of the commercial operations go
on during the night hours, espe-
cially in the airmail service.
The British government main
tains an hourly weather report
/ ing service and, as is the case in
/ this country, weather information
is transmitted by radio to planes
in flight over the Always. Ulti-
mate decision as to what consti-
tutes sufficient bad weather to JUS
tify the cancellation of a flight
rests with the pilot, Mr.. Burch re-
ported. There is a growing tend
ency In this country to shift this
responsibility to an operations or
dispatching official of the air line