Evening star., 1934-10-21

week, received the immediat,
Lindbergh, adviser to the airline
Appearing before the Federal Avia-
ton Commission, Lindbergh expressed
confidence in the ability of Pan-Amer-
lean personnel in the big, new flying
boats, 10 bridge the long Pacific gaps.
He painted a bright picture of air
transport developments of the next
year or two. Airplanes larger than
any now used will make regular flights
of 1000 miles or more, nonstop, at
attitudes so high it will become neces-
sary to supercharge their cabins to
provide air sufficient for the needs Of
the passengers and crew, he told the
commission.
4,000-Mile Hops Seen.
Giant land planes and flying boats,
capable of flights Of up to 1000 miles
nonstop, are the probability of the
near future, Lindbergh told the COM
mission.
1T seems to me-" he said, I'VE can
look forward to having probably at
least two crews on large plane within
the next few years, one crew to re-
lieve the other and possibly to sleep
on the plane while it is in flight. Ger
tainly that would be essential in con-
nection with trsnSoceanic routes, which
believe are not far away"
Consequently, Lindbergh said, he
feels it is undesirable to fix a daily
limitation upon the flight hours of
pilots, though he thought yearly or
monthly limitation necessary. AS to
flight pay, he thought no fixed rates
should be set, but that allowance
should be made for the greatly in
creased responsibility of pilots on ma
jor routes as compared with those on
short or feeder lines and the greater
skill and experience required for the
handling of the large, modern, long
range aircraft
THE pilot who Is in command Of a
modern air liner and particularly Of
the latest flying boats, I should say"
he explained, must have very high
degree of skill and experience. He
should be one of our most experienced
pilots available. I think if he is not
a graduate engineer, that he should
have large amount of engineering
training and possibly should be grad
uate engineer. He must be highly
skilled in navigation and other fields,
particularly the technical fields of avi-
alton"
Referring to the recent developments
made by Pan-American Airways, of
which he is technical adviser, Lind
bergh told the commission that he be-
lieves this country could inaugurate
transoceanic mail service within a
few months time"
Planes Capable Of Service.
'The planes that are now being
built are capable of that type of serv-
ice," he said. ANY such service should
be carried on with mail for a consid-
cradle time before any attempt is
made to carry passengers not only
from the standpoint of economy, but
from the standpoint of safety. Planes
now built can carry mail load over
any of the important transoceanic
flight routes and others which are be-
ing built will have even more range
and more carrying capacity. The in
suguration of such service, think,
should not be made with the attempt
to maintain a daily schedule during
the initial period, but to work into a
frequency which may be the most de-
sirable from the standpoint OF trafnc
within, say, period of few months
or year or more.
Il feel that that type Of service
should be started at least with flying
boats not only from the standpoint Of
safety in case of forced landing, but
IN order to give the personnel who
started that operation the maximum
in actual psychological comfort and
safety.
Il think under many conditions
think, in fact, by far most of the con-
ditions-en in flying over
oceans, a large flying boat can be
landed without serious damage, GER
tainly without injury to personnel
Land planes, Lindbergh said, could
be used with reasonable certainty OF
maintaining transoceanic scnedules
and with reasonable safety In case OF
forced landing, if suitable fiotatlon
gear is provided, but he looks upon
that as less suitable, at least for the
present. than the use of flying boats.
The use of land planes in conjunction
with large floating arports or sea-
dromes. he said, possibly is but tenn
norary stage in development. because
of the greatly increasing flight range
of modern planes.
I'VE now have commercial planes
CAPABLE of 5000 miles or more nom
,ton with mail loads" he said in eX-
nlanation. I'VE expect to have Wlthln
the next few months commercial
planes capable of probably over 4'ooo
miles nonstop with some mall load
We know by building larger ships tnaI
ve can increase that range in addl-
tion to the carrying capacity, up 10
what point we do not yet know, but
certainly in larger types than no"
exist.
High Attitudes Predicted.
"More than anything else, think
that we should consider that the lu-
ture long distance flying is going 10
be at fairly high attitudes and, Wnetner
in the immediate future or not, put
within the next few years probably,
with super-charged cabins, or super
charged cockpits or both.
Every year, he pointed out, mas
brought commercial service based on
longer range between stops. We can
look forward to that increase oelng
continued for a number Of years to
come, he said, adding that "the de-
sirable development is toward longer
range, larger ships and greater car
rying capacity"
In his correspondence with the Post
master General, Trippe pointed out
that Pan-American had begun the
necessary preliminary development
work on future establishment OF
transoceanic air services several years
ago. d,
I'm 1882" he wrote" we commenced
the construction of four-engine n.y.
ing boats suitable for trans-Paciflc
service. In the Far East We have de-
veloped, jointly with the Chinese gov
ernment, an extensive air transport
svstem, with some 5000 miles of air