Evening star., 1934-02-25
ARMY AIR CHIEF
DEFENDS FLYERS
Gen. FouIois Declares Air.
mail Accidents Are Not
Excessive.
NJ the Associated Press.

" the Associated Press.
Mai. Gen. Benjamin Foulois. chief
of Air Corps and himself one OF the
first Army flyers, last night issued a
statement in which he asserted Army
aircraft accidents while carrying the
mail have not been excessive even
though flying conditions have been
extremely bad.
Gen. Foulois said all pilots had been
instructed to exercise all possible care
and Judgment, and take no unneces-
xary chances in flying the airmail.
Brig. Gen. Oscar Westover, chief of
air mail operations, flying his own
plane is now in the Western zone,
making a personal inspection of men
and equipment on all the airmail
routes
Foulois' statement said:
This Office is not as yet in posses
sion of the statistics covering hours
in the air and miles flown in connec-
ton with airmail operations. When
these records are received from the
zone commanders. it is believed they
will bear out the fact that the aircraft
accidents have not been excessive.
Ground Installations Made.
The inauguration of the carrying
Of the mail by the Army Air Corps
necessitated the distribution of mill
tary airplanes throughout the entire
United States and the transportation
by air Of personnel and supplies over
the same area, therefore, the operation
Of the airmail to date has not been
merely the keeping of airmail
schedules but also the complete setting
up of ground installations required
therefor
In addition, the mail loads carried
have been, in some cases, as much as
100 per cent over the loads estimated,
which required additional airplanes
on runs normally taking only one.
TO date only one fatal accident
has occurred on a scheduled airmail
run.
mo attempt has been made by the
Air Corps to maintain high percent
age of mail schedules regardless of
hazards involved. This fact is borne
out by the instructions pertaining
thereto contained herewith as exhibit
A. sent out on February IL; exhibit B,
sent out on February 16, and c, sent
out on February II, to zone COM
l1anderS.
These instructions have been fol-
lowed up by personal contact by this
Office with zone commanders and also
by telephone The large number of
trips Cancelled because of inclement
weather signifies to this Office that
these instructions have been and are
being carried out by zone and section
commanders.
Flying of military aircraft de-
signed primarily for combat purposes
N recognized as hazardous under all
conditions, and accidents do increase
when flying activities are carried out
on big scale"
Exhibit A. The following quota
tion Is extracted from a radlOgram
sent to all zone commanders Febru-
airy IL from the chief of Air Corps:
Operations will be conducted under
present Air Corps flying regulations,
especially as concerns weather con-
ditions.'"
Exhibit B. The following radio
gram was sent to all zone command
ers on February 16: In conduct OF
airmail operations, zone commanders
will govern their operations with a
view to safeguarding lives and prop
erty at all times, even at sacrifice of
mail service. Before clearing any
scheduled trip, careful consideration
will be given to experience of per-
sonnel, suitability of aircraft, night
flying equipment and blind flying
equipment. Steps will be taken to in
culcate all personnel engaged in air.
mail operations with the above prin-
ciple (Signed FOULO1S."
Safety of First Importance.
Exhibit C-"The following radio
gram was sent to all zone command
ers on February IT: Impress most
emphatically upon all pilots the ut
most necessity for extreme care and
judgment in flying the airmail during
the first few days of operation. II
weather conditions are uncertain in
struct your pilots they must stay on
ground, even If this interrupts the
mail schedules for several days. The
safety of pilots, mail and planes is
of more Importance than keeping of
airmsil schedules. Drill these in
structions into your pilots daily until
they thoroughly understand the safe
ty-first policy of Air Corps.
"'FOULOIS.'
Hiram Bingham, president of the
National Aeronautical Association, de-
Tended the Army Air Corps yesterday
in a statement replying to members
Of Congress who have been criticizing
the service in connection with carry
ing the mail.
Bingham said apparently there was
failure to appreciate that the train
ing essential for modern military
pilot did not make him an expert
cross-country, night-flying mail car
rier, and that the airline pilots train
ing did not qualify him for modern
military technical evolutions in the
air.
"A group of the best airline pilots
In America, and there are no better
in the world, could not with safety
be ordered tomorrow to form squad
rons equipped with fighting planes
and Immediately undertake the ex-
tremely difficult task of performing
intricate tactical maneuvers in close
formations" he said. IF they were
required to do so by executive order
the result would be the loss of pre-
cious lives and the destruction of the
most modern equipment"
EI of M~:To