Evening star., 1932-08-14

IlTSG plane INllSnlIlR Will De the W1lneT.
With the exception of air mail pound
age, which showed a loss of Az per
cent for the first five months of this
year, contrasted with last year, air
traffic in the country continues to
show substantial gains, according to
figures released by the United Air Lines.
During the comparative period of the
first five months of this year. contrast
ed with those in 1881. there was a gain
of 38 per cent in miles scheduled. 80
per cent in the number of passengers
carried and 81 per cent in volume of
air express.
At the same time United Air Lines
announced removal of the restriction
against transporting babes in arms
The action followed advice by medical
experts that flying is not harmful to
infants providing planes are not flown
at excessive attitudes Doctors state
that the question of oxygen content of
the air at higher attitudes need not be
| considered. Aged travellers have long
been accepted by the air lines
The company has issued instructions
| to the stewardesses and mates on its
tri-motored planes to awaken small
children when coming in for a landing
/ to get them to swallow a te2spoonfui
of water, the swallowing process equal
| lZlng the pressure in the middle ear
with that of the outside atmospheric
pressure.
Passenger 25 Days Old.
In recent days United Air Lines has
carried 25-day-old infant on 1900
mile flight and 4-month-old baby or
a 2,00O-mile flight.
Every airline in the United States
hn ll1A . A-..-
schedules with passenger planes after
the first of the year. for every transport
pilot at the controls of big liner will
be an instrument or blind" flyer
After January there should be no
reason for the cancellation of a pas
Senger or mail flight just because there
is stretch of fog or clouds along the
skyWays. This will take some of the
uncertainty out of flying and will tend
to place aviation transportation on
par with the surface modes of travel.
The Department of Commerce has
set January as the time limit for
States qualifying as blind pilot.
On several of the lines the pilots
already have completed their training.
have passed the Government tests and
have blind flying ratings.
Despite the fact that all the pilots
will be able to take their planes through
the thickest of weather along the entire
route, it is doubtful if the Department
of Commerce or the lines themselves
Will change operating regulations which
call for the grounding of planes when
the weather is not safe for aerial travel.
Fogs, to Be Conquered.
However, the day is not far off when
hn iiNnc Io obi 70 MI
speeding through the thickest fog into
airports and out thereby making flying
m6c certain than the surface modes
Of travel because the latter is slowed
up by bad weather and the airplane
that can be flown slowly has not yet
been developed.
Government officials. and those of
the air lines, too, feel that flying on
the passenger planes will be far more
safer after the pilots are qualified to
fly through all kinds of weather. with
out seeing the earth, the sky, and only
few inches in front of the very nose
of the plane. If bad weather develops
along the skyward after a plane has
| taken off, and for some reason or an
other is beyond the reach of the radio
call of the air line dispatcher, then
the pilot will be able to take his valu-
able cargo of passengers. mail and eX-
press safely to the terminal.
In other words, the Department of
Commerce Is insisting upon another
safety factor in the fastest means of
transport, by demanding that every
transport pilot be qualified in instru-
ment flying.
Increased speeds are expected along
the airways within the next year with
the development of the new flying
wing" monoplane, resembling the worlds
fastest bombing machines. Aircraft
manufa cturers have centered their at
tention of the new design in the quest
of more speed with the same motive
power.
The Boeing Co. is completing some
of the new transports which are ex-
pected to be ready for tests within the
next few days. If the planes measure
up to the hopes of the engineers. the
new twin-engined machines will re-