The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-03-02
WEATHER MAIN
HAZARD FACING
AVIATION LINES
Close Inspection Eliminates
Most of Dangers Due
to Plane Defects.
This Is the second Of a series on the
safety Of travel by air.
BY ERNIE PYLE
soripps-Howard Aviation Editor

BY ERNIE PYLE
soripps-Howard Aviation Editor
WASHINGTON, March 2.-It can
be said that transport aviation prac-
tically has whipped every hazard ex-
cept the weather.
In the last fourteen months, only
two fatal crashes on the airlines
have been due to causes other than
weather.
Two crashes out of 5000, 900
miles of flying is not abnormal. 1t
approaches the safety record of 9TH
er forms Of transportation.
Close government and airline in
spection of planes and pilots prac-
tically has eliminated such hazards
as structural failure and fire. There
is not much left but the weather.
And the weather, in the last four
teen months, caused seventeen of
the country's fatal airline crashes.
Regulation Is Strict
Every time q death occurs on the
airplanes. there is public demand for
stricter government regulation of
flying. But, in fact, government
regulation is already very strict.
Control over interstate air COM
merce is vested in the commerce
department, by act of congress. This
control falls into two phases: a
Free aids to air navigation, such as
lighted Always, emergency fields,
radio beacons and weather stations;
90 Regulation of conditions under
which all transport planes fly.
1t is against weather, either direct
ly or indirectly, that the govern
ment has thrown most of its force
in helping make scheduled flying
safe.
To list a few of these safety pre-
cautions:
There are 1880 miles of lighted
Always in this country.
On these anyways are nearly 1000
powerful beacon lights to guide the
fiers.
There are 4O4 lighted emergency
fields, strung out so that a plane
never is more than Is minutes from
one.
Radio Adds to Safety
There are sixty radio beacons,
each with a range of some 200 miles,
constantly sending out radio waves
to keep the fliers on their course.
There are sixty radio stations
sending out weather reports every
few minutes.
There are hundreds of weather
observers scattered over the coun-
try, and $4,000 miles of teletype over
which these weather reports are
transmitted instantly to the sixty
radio centers for broadcast to the
pilots.
There are seventy-fve inspectors
constantly watching the operations
of all the airlines. and riding the
planes back and forth cross every
state in the union.
The airlines themselves have set
up a great safety network. They
have built radio stations of their
own, and equipped their planes with
two-way radio sets.
Experts Pilot Planes
They have built fine airports,
hired and trained TOO of the best
pilots in the country. They main
tain elaborate mechanical and in
Spection forces to keep their planes
in perfect condition.
And still, with all this, there were
seventeen fatal crashes caused by
bad weather on the airlines since
the beginning of 1881.
There may have been instances
where the crash was caused By en-
unwise pushing ahead into thick
weather. But many of them were
less deliberate. Weather reporting
is not yet perfect. The flying judg-
ment of the best pilot in the world
is not infallible.
There may be some instances of
actual criminal negligence, or in
excusable bad judgment. The fed
,eral government, obviously, has not
enough money or men to put an
inspector on every plane that flies.
Enforcement of regulations is
difficult. Stricter enforcement can
be accomplished only when all the
states pass aeronautical laws uni
form with the federal act.
Then actual enforcement can be
handled by state officials. There
then can be enough inspectors to
keep a closer watch for negligence
and unsafe practices on airlines.
No~t. Sfrict ReguIatiouS Guard