Evening star., 1933-09-03

cannot 60 to them.
ron will fire fixed machine gun courses
and practice dive bombing, while en-
listed observers will fire flexible guns
at ground and air targets.
Novel Air Race Planned.
Plans for a new type Of air race
which not only will provide compete
tion for local Sportsmen pilots but also
delightful three hours or SO of flying
for limited number of passengers, to
be drawn from the general public, are
being considered by local aviation
leaders
The event would be cruising race"
over cross-country course long enough
to provide an afternoon Of flying, bro
ken by landings at check points, to
be established probably at Richmond,
Va, and Easton, Md. All types of
planes owned by local amateurs would
be eligible. Each would be required to
fly at its rated cruising speed, carrying
full load. Handicaps would be as
signed to make the event interesting.
The loads to be carried would in
clude passengers. to be assigned to the
planes by the Race Committee. Pas
sengers would be drawn from the ranks
Of the general public, probably on
basis of contributions to fund to pur-
chase a trophy and defray the expenses
of the race. None of the money could
be paid to the pilots, since all but
transport and limited commercial pilots
are forbidden by Federal regulation to
fly for hire.
Whether such q race viii be held
at all depends upon the response re-.
the suggestion. Pilots and persons who
would like to fly with them In such a
race have been asked to communicate
at once with ]. Earl Steinhauer at
College Park Airport, College Park,
Md. by telephoning Berwyn BIS, or in
writing; with the Washington Air Der
by Association, in care Of the Greater
National Capital Committee. Star
Building, or with Chester H. Warning
ton, chairman of the association and
local governor for the United States
Amateur Air Pilots Association, at 2035
Seventeenth street.
It costs the American air transport
passenger half as much to fly the Ma
tions airlines today as it did four years
ago. Passenger fare rates, which aver
aged IL cents mile in 1929, today are
down to 81 cents per mile, according
to a survey just completed by the De-
partment of Commerce Aeronautics
Branch.
While fare rates have been decreased
by half. flying speeds have increased
by approximately so per cent during the
same period on many Of the airl1nes.
Greater comfort has been provided and
the factor of safety materially advanced
during the past few years.
The fare rates in effect June 80 were
used as the basis of the survey. the
average for all lines in the United
States being taken. On long air
journeys the price Of the passenger
ticket generally includes meals served
in flight.
The average fare rate in 1926 was II
cents per mile. This had dropped to
1O.6 cents in 1927, but increased to IL
cents in 1928 and was back to IL cents
in 1920. In 1880 there were general re-
ductions which pushed the average
down to 83 cents and in 1881 it
dropped to 81 cents. The present rate
of 81 cents was the average for last
year.
Passengers Flying Farther.
The increasing passenger traffic on
the Nations air transport lines Is at
tended by other encouraging signs. Not
only are more passengers flying; they
are flying greater distances than ever
before. survey just completed by the
Aeronautics Branch of the Department
of Commerce, covering the first half Of
this year, shows that the average length
of trips made by passengers on the do
meStic air transport lines Is 327 miles.
The highest previously recorded average
was 282 miles, during the preceding
six months.
More and more of the available seats
in the passenger planes are being filled.
Many of the lines, especially Eastern
Air Transport between Washington and
New York, and United on the trans
continental run, are forced to run fire.
quent extra sections. For the country
as a whole. more than half the avail
able seats on all schedules are filled, the
average for June having been 54 per
cent. For many months the average
was between 80 and 40 per cent.
In computing the percentage of avail
able space used, the Aeronautics Branch
compares passenger miles. or one pas
senger flown one mile, with passenger
seat miles, the number Of seats in an
aircraft multiplied by the miles flown.
Thus, seat which may be empty dur
ing only portion of the planes run
will reduce the percentage.
OF 49, ,925 trips scheduled to be flown
by air transport planes during the first
six months of this year, 47,525 were
completed, for an average of approxi-
mately 95 per cent. Those flights which
were not completed were curtailed or
Cancelled chiefly because of unfavor-
able weather.