Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-12-28
Aviation
BY JOSEPH s. EDGERToN.

most successful IN the world. The line
has been operating four months With
out accident of any kind. During the
Christmas period business has been so
heavy that many of the planes have
been sold out days ahead OF time ana
all available reserve planes have been
pressed into operation to fly double sec
tons in an effort to accommodate as
far as possible the overflow.
The latest transport line to be added
to the Capitals system is passenger
service from this city to Greensboro,
N. c., by way of Charlottesville, Va.
This service is operated by Dixie Flying
Service, which flies one round trip
daily, though on several occasions an
extra trip has been required.
Within the past month the Eastern
Air Transport passenger line has been
extended to Atlanta and two extra
round trips day have been added be-
tween Washington and New York. On
January l the passenger service is to
be extended to Miami and about Feb
ruary an entirely new cutoff" route,
over which both mail and passengers
will be carried, will be opened down the
Atlantic Coast connecting with the
present line at Richmond, Va, and
Jacksonville, Fla.
Through the services now flown out
of the Capital it is possible for the
Washingtonian to fly to any part OF the
United States, many parts OF Canada,
all of the Central American countries,
the. West Indies and all OF South
America as far south as Buenos Aires
and Santiago, Chile.
World Service Planned.
The Post Office Department is plan
ming the extension of airmail service
through Canada and Alaska, across the
Behring Strait and through Soviet Rus
STA to China and Japan. The Capital
will have direct connection with this
line through routes now in operation.
Transatlantic airmail service also is be-
ing considered by the Post Office De-
partment and, though an invitation for
bios on such a service, to have been
opened tomorrow, has been withdrawn
the bids soon will be readvertised, &C
cording to postal officials.
An aeronautical event which was
considered of great military Importance
was the flying of week of exercises
here last May to determine the eff
fectiveness Of field outposts in detecting
and reporting hostile aircraft. Pursuit,
bombardment and attack planes were
brought to this city and Aberdeen
Proving Ground, Nd, from various
parts of the country, and an elaborate
system OF field outpoStS were estab-
lished by the Signal Corps over hun
oreds of square miles in Maryland and
Virginia. Radio and telephone were
called into play in the working out OF
the various problems.
The War Department announced this
month that next Spring the greatest
military air force yet assembled will be
brought to the Capital in connection
with maneuVerS over an area extending
from Norfolk, Va, to Boston and west
to Buffalo, N. Y. and Pittsburgh.
The year just ending marked the be-
ginning of glider activity in the Ma
ttonal Capital. The Washington Glider
Club, most active of glider organiza-
tons in this part of the country, COM
pleted construction of its first glider,
and during the Summer and Fall made
scores of successful flights near the city
and in the foothills of the Blue Ridge.
Construction of more advanced type
of glider in nearing completion. The
D. G. Air Legion has organized a glider
section and began actual glider flying
during the Fall. A glider club also was
organized at the Bureau of Standards.
Several other clubs were organized with
varying degrees of success.
School Year Successful.
The D. c. Air Legion is completing
its most successful year, having soloed
some 80 members during the training
season. Nearly 200 members have been
put through the ground school course
since the club was organized, and a
total Of so members have made solo
flights A flying school was built UP
at Alexandria Airport by Mount Vernon
Always and several students, including
Two Chinese, are under instruction
there. Columbia Tech School built up
a complete aviation course during the
year, from drafting, engineering, me-
cnanlcS and welding to actual flying
instruction, which is given at the Alex
andrta field. The Eagle Wings Flying
Club, which separated during the past
month from its parent Organization
the Women's City Club, has undertaken
flying instruction at Washington-Hoo
Airport. Other local aviation schools
and training organizations have made
progress during the year.
There was little progress during the
year toward establishment of a piIbiic-
owned airport for the National CAPITAL.
a JOINT Congressional Airport Commits
SION headed by Senator Hiram Bingham
OF Connecticut concluded extended
hearings on the situation and recom-
menoed the purchase of the Washing
ton airport and Hoover Field sites.
the Closing Of Military road between
them and the addition to this tract of
the adjacent portion of the Arlington
experimental Farm and a portion of
IoIualola Island, TO be connected to
llei. IL was recommended that this con-
Sohdated area be developed as a pub-
nc-owned and operated airport Cow
ereSS tailed to act on the recommends
ton, however. ''''''
Inc aeronautics branch of the DE-
partment of Commerce has PLAYED a
large part in local aviation deyeIon-
InentS. An automatic teIegraph-type-
writer circuit was installed along the
new York-Atlanta airway, which made
possible the rapid collection and dis
tLIpuIioh OF weather information along
the alrWay. This was followed by the
installation of an airW2ys radio conn
municatlon station near Camp Spring.
MO, Just south Of the District line.
from this station hourly weather in
formation Is broadcast to pilots of
planes in flight along the airway. Late
IN the Fall the aeronautics branch nut
IN operation radio range beacon sta
ton at Hunters Point, Va, serving the
Boiling Field and Washington Hoover
airport areas and directing aircraft
along the Washington Philadelphia,
Washington-Quantico and Washington-
Pittsburgh airways.
Aided by Government.
The Department of Commerce aids
10 aerial navigation along the airways
leading cut Of the Capital have been of
great assistance in building up safe
and reliable operations conditions. AT
college Park, Md, the aeronautics
branch and the Bureau of Standards
have been conducting experiments look
ing to blind landings" through fog.
Various elements of the landing sys-
tenn, in which vertical and horizontal
radio beams are projected to guide the
airplane to the landing area, have been