White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1932-12-08
Only a Small Part Of It

demonstrated that, with the solving of various
problems, flights on regular schedule and in
all kinds of weather could be made with q cred
table degree of performance.
1T was exactly one year following the inaug
uration of the New York Washington route that
service was begun between Cleveland and Chi
cago designed as the first leg Of a prospective
transcontinental system. The second leg New
York to Cleveland, was established less than two
months ater-July /, 1919. 1t was September s.
1920. before landing fields had been laid out and
other necessary work completed to permit of
operation from one coast to the other.
"rhe transcontinental operation was not
through service. Flames flew in the daytime car
rying only such mail as could be advanced in
delivery speeded it's way at a saving of
from IL to "a hours. 1t was called an "advanc
ing" service. 1t resulted in clipping something
like "a hours from the best possible transcon
tinental train time of 81 hours.
"In August, 1923, the first continuous flights
from coast to coast were made. AS they bazed
the way for a new worlds record in aviation
the pilots we're guided by the newly installed
land lighthouses. For 4 days and nights
gallant group of air pioneers spanned the con-
tinent with air mail times in each direction
At the end Of the days they quit with a record
of 100 per cent perfect.
'Ihe next important steps In the progress and
growth of the air mail came with the Inaugural
ton of the contract service and the reliquish
ment by the government to private initiative of
the operation of the transcontnental route.
1.-THE first of the contract routes was placed
in operation February Is, 1926, between Detroit
and Cleveland and Detroit and Chicago Other
contracts were awarded from time to time and
the service expanded rapidly, many of the con-
tract routes operating as feeders to the trans
continental and the overnight New York Chicago
lines
1.-THE governmental operated route between Chi
cago and San Francisco went into private opera
ton July /, 1927, followed two months later by
the double-daily service between New York and
Chicago"
Since that government-operated route went in
to private operation many more advances in air
mail TRANSPORTATION have been made. No longer
is the danger imminent of pilot landing some
place only to discover that he has been flying
for hours in the opposite direction from his
destination as happened that first air mail
flight in 1918.
Now besides the magnetic compass, the earth
nductor compass, and numerous other naviga-
tional aids, the pilot is aided by the use of the
drectonal radio beam. Stations which trans
NIT this beam are located along the fight route
and each station emits a radio beam towards
the other so that the two beams converge and
form direct line for the airpane in flight
to follow The BEAM of course, Is not visible
to the human eye but a receiving apparatus In
the cockpit of the airplane is sensitive to the
beam and indicates by radio dashdot system
whether the ship Is on Its course, or Off its
course either 20 the left or the right.
t@1 b. ..estern Newspaper Union.l