Evening star., 1934-11-04

! ing through a period Of IL years from
1914 to 1926.
One claim is made for an unnamed
pilot who used a seaplane and flew be-
tween st. Petersburg and Tampa,
Fla, in 1914, actually carrying pas
sengers. He had an unusually good
record for such early operations, ac-
cording to the informant. There was
no record of the first passenger, how
ever.
An international line between Sc
attic, Wash, and Vancouver, British
Columbia, was operated by w. E.
Boeing in 1919, but the name Of the
first >bona-fide passenger Is not
known.
Claude Ryan of San Diego is said
to have flown regularly between Los
Angeles and San Diego in 1919 or
1920. sgd Chaplin, actor, financed
a line between San Pedro and Cata-
lima Island in 1919 and Cecil B. De
Mile, movie director, financed an
other over the same route at the same
time.
A company known as Aero Limited
flew between New York and Atlantic
City beginning July 26, 1919, accord
ing to one report, which does not
name pilot, passenger or company
officials. Still another company oper-
ated between Sea Side, Wash, and
Portland, Greg, in 1919.
Bradley Ballard claims to have
bought the first ticket on the first
regular airline when he flew between
Detroit and Grand Rapids in 1926 on
the Stout Airline.
Two ferry services across San Fran
cisco Bay between San Francisco and
Oakland are said to have started
about 1914 On the initial trip on
one of them in 1914 Pilot Roy Francis
had as his passenger a Miss Florence
Dunnock, but it is not known whether
she paid for a ticket. On the other
line the late Gov. James S. Rolph was
supposed to have been a first pas
senger. but no details are available.
Pennsylvania Airlines will forward
all the rival claims to the Bureau of
Air Commerce, Commerce Depart
ment, with a request that decision
be made as to which was the first
regular airline in the United States
within the accepted definition of the
word, and who. if it can be ascer-
tanned, was the first regular air trans
port passenger.
Air Law Group Formed.
Creation of an American section of
the International Technical Commit
tee of Aerial Legal Experts has been
authorized by the State Department
as a means of fostering more active
participation by the aeronautical,
legal. insurance and maritime in
terests of this country in the vitality
important work of progressive codi-
! flcation of international private air
law now going on.
Thirty-three countries now are rep
resented on the international group,
which is undertaking through re-
searches and the preparation and
adoption of international conventions
to create a body of international air
law under which air transportation
can develop with the minimum of
legal interference consistent with the
protection of the rights of all nations.
The American section in its final
form will be composed of representa-
tives of such organizations as the Ma
tional Association of State Aviation
officials, Aeronautical Chamber of
Commerce of America, National Aero
nautic Association, Independent Av-
iation Operators of the United States,
American Bar Association, National
Conference of Commissioners on Uni
form State Laws, an insurance or
ganization yet to be designated and
a maritime law organization to be
determined.
while it has been deemed advisable
for administrative purposes to limit,
for the present at least, the Advisory
Committee to membership as out
lined above" the State Department
announced, this would in no way pre-
clude the submission to the American
section of opinions upon any of the
matters pending before this section
by any other interested person or
group"
Airline Forecasts Accurate.
Twelve meteorologists employed by
TranScontinental and Western Air on
its Nationwide cir transport system
maintained an average accuracy of
98.3 per cent for the forecasts made
for passenger and mail flights during
the month of September, it Is said by
airline officials.
The forecasts were graded as to &C
curacy by the pilots of the airlines
at the completion of each flight. Dur
ing the month the IL men made a
total of 1,640 forecasts, or more than
so each day. The consistency of their
work is indicated by the fact that the
highest individual accuracy was 99.7
per cent and the lowest 96.4 per cent.
The accuracy record was made pos
sible, according to the T. w. A.
Meteorological Department. by the
adoption of the polar front" or "air
mass analysis" method of forecasting
The air mass analysis method, which
has been in use by T. w. A. for a
year or more, is based upon the move
ment of specific air masses, each with
its own peculiar characteristics and
their reactions on other air masses.
The older method was based largely
upon the movements of areas Of high
and low barometric pressure,