Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-30

counteTed din in fixing q nsot new "
allowing for the varying condt-
lions of terrain and weather met
in various parts of the country by
the operators. There must be
SUFFICIENT f1exibility to permit the
paying of higher rates to oper-
ators who fly in bad weather fire.
quently or who fly over broken
country.
The experience of two pilots on
the Eastern Air Transport run a
few days ago when they ran into
heavy and unexpected fog is a
demonstration of the reason why
there must be some flexibility in
fixing rates Of pay. Pilots on the
Eastern Air Transport run from
New York to Atlanta. passing
through this city, are subject to
some of the worst flying weather
encountered in this country. The
only stretch which is as bad is
that across the Allegheny Noun
tains on the New York-Cleveland
section of the tranScontinental
line.
FogS are frequent along the At
lantic seaboard, especially during
the early morning hours, when the
night mails go through. That the
Eastern Air Transport pilots have
maintained their record OF COM
pleted scheduled flights on a level
comparable with other leading
United States air mail lines is due
to the skill, determination and
courage of the pilots and the eff
ficiency of the operations and
communications forces.
One of the nights during the
past week brewed a sudden and
unexpected fog of the type which
is common along the coastal run.
Within a space of half hour a
LAYER of light clouds at heights Of
5000 to 1000 feet, through which
the stars could be seen, settled to
the ground, increasing in density.
Two pilots, on their regular runs,
were caught in the air with an
impenetrable blanket of fog over
the entire line beneath them.
One of the pilots, Verne T..
Treat, escaped only by taking to
his parachute, after seeking for
three hours to find hole through
which he could land. The other,
Dick" Merrill, cruised around for
more than five hours and, at
dawn, found little hole through
which he could see enough Of the
ground to make landing.
All pilots on the run do not get
off as lightly as did Treat and
Merrill. Sidney Molloy died when
he crashed into a radio tower
while attempting to land in fog.
Johnny" Kyle had one of the
narroweSt escapes from death on
record when he few into Stone
Mountain, Ga, in storm. Others
have had experiences nearly as
bad.
Scientists and pilots are work.
ing on devices which will make it
possible to bring plane down
safely through fog. Such de-
vices have not been perfected
and, until they are, even such
skillful, cool-headed and courage
Gus pilots as Treat and Merrill
are practically helpless.
It stands to reason that pilots
encountering fog conditions regu-
larly are entitled to more conSid-
Grafton than those who do not
face such hazards. Treats plane
abandoned when he jumped, was
completely demolished, though his
mail was unchanged. Operators
who are likely to face the loss of
expensive planes through no fault
of themselves or their pilots must
be paid rates for carrying the
mails which will enable them to
cover such losses.
The Brown WatreS bill for re-
vision of the contract air mail
system, now pending before Con-
greSS, makes allowances for such
conditions. Congress should see
that there Is sufficient fleXibility
to meet unusual requirements oc-
curing in the present stage of
air mail development If and when
this bill comes up for conSidera-
ton.
With five local glider clubs
either struggling to raise funds
Tor purchase of primary elders
or at work on the construction of
gliders, it appears reasonably GER
tain that this sport, which has
taken firm hold in other parts OF
the country, will make its debut
here soon.
Gliding has made great strides
toward recognition as a leading
American sport during the past
Winter. There has been consider
able glider activity among a rela-
lively small group of enthusiasts
for Severel years, chiefly at Cape
Cod and in the vicinity of De-
troit and San Diego, but gliding
has failed until just recently to
capture the public fancy.
There are five or six persons in
+ this country who have done a
great deal during the past few
months to turn the spotlight on
gliding. Among them may be
mentioned Lieut.. Ralph S. Barna-
by, first licensed Navy glider pilot,
whose glider flight from the Navy
dirigible Los Angeles attracted
Nationwide attention; Hawley
Bowlus, who has pushed the
American sailplane endurance
record up to more than 9 hours;
Col. Charles A. Lindbergh and
Mrs. Lindbergh, who have taken
to gliding at the BowluS camp,
near San Diego, winning their
first-class glider licenses; Capt.
Frank Hawks. who is planning a
towed-glider flight behind an air
plane from coast to coast, and
Miss Amelia Earhart, first woman
glider pilot, and one of the most
active supporters of gliding.
Much of the work of developing
the science of gliding in this coun,