Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-01

rent growth Of an airmail monopoly
ling out competition and breaking
'endent operators.
space 20 an explanation Of the Post o.
! fee Departments side Of the situation.
/ So far. however, postal ofnciab nave
not chosen 70 make such an explana-
/ ton. II would seem to be only fair that
/ the department should make clear
statement Of its policies affecting the
contract airnaafl before public con-
/ fidence in the entire system Is enoan-
gered.
An Inspiring Report
| The annual Army Air Corps safety
report. covering fight deaths, not only
should do much TO bolster the morale
/ OF the combat pilots. but also serve as
a public reminder that the safety of
| fving-even SO hazardous form OF n.y.
ing as that OF the fiehting pilots in
| creasing steadily from year 10 year.
/ Not only does the report show a 30
/ per cent decrease In the death toll, but
! il shows that the average number OF
miles flown in proportion to each death
| increased by $50 per cent. The report
Is interesting in many respects, being
/ the first to show the comparative naz-
ards OF the various types OF military
aircraft.
The attack plane, hailed as the most
deadly offensive weapon against ground
troops ever devised. proved to be the
most deadly 10 operating personnel OF
all types of Army aircraft during the
past fiscal year Five attack planes
were involved in fatal crashes during
the year, taking toll Of seven lives, or
one for each 754,000 miles nown by at
tack planes.
Bonbardment planes had . perfect
record. with no fatalities in o total OF
1884. 900 miles Of flying. Basic train
| ing planes also showed an unbiemished
record, with total OF 6,036,O00 miles
Of flying.
There was single death in transport
planes, during q total Of 1,755, 900 miles
of flying Primary training planes took
toll of three lives, but their record was
high, since 6670 900 miles were fiown
by planes of this type In student train
| ing, or 2,223 900 miles per fatality.
Pursuit Safety High.
Pursuit aviation ranked high, 1885 900
/ miles being flown by the fast little sin
/ ele-seaters to each mortality, though
| there were seven pursuit pilots Killed
during the year. Eight deaths occurred
| in observation planes, or one TO each
| Ass 900 miles fiown by planes OF this
| type.
The report shows that the average
| speed Of all types of Army planes in
! creased from 1903 to Ill miles per hour
| during the past year, due entirely 20
| an increase In the speed Of the trans
| port planes, which were stepped up
| from an average Of 100 to 40 miles
per hour. The average speed OF all
other types of Army aircraft remained
stationary during the year.
The average speeds shown for the
various types of Army aircraft, slower
than might have been anticipated, are
| as follows: Pursuit, 1885; attack, lis;
bonabardment, 100: observation, lis;
| transport, 120; basic training, 100, and
primary training, 90.
BY far the greatest amount of flying
during the year was done in observa-
ton planes, amounting to o total of
| l01 ,20l hours. Pursuit was second with
| rs, $50 hours: primary training third
with Tails hours, and basic training
| fourth with 6O,3B3 hours. Taken to-
gether, all types OF Army planes put In
| IS years of flying time in 1881. or the
equivalent Of continuius night, day ard
| night, without an instant's cessation,
| by q single plane for IS years
Total mileage flown by Army planes
| during the year was Is, 1854, 900 miles.
| There were % fatal accidents, result
| ing in 26 deaths, or one death to each
| 1881 900 miles flown. During the
/ fiscal year 1880, there were 50 lives
| lost in IL accidents, covering IS, COG, 900
miles of flying, or an average OF one
| death per 6S4 900 miles.
These figures" said +. Trubee