Evening star., 1934-02-24
BY. LIEUT.. HUGH WELLS,

fcubCs HC UuS tftC gboG PstOI ~
carry. the NelD York-Boston mail.
BY. LIEUT.. HUGH WELLS,
First Lieutenant. United States Army Air |
Service Reserve Corps. |
NEW YORK, February "a (N.A.
the air lanes we pilots who carried the
airmail until the Army took over the
job want it understood that the Army
flyers have our .wholehearted sup
port. We applaud their courage.
Their crack-ups and shortcomings
are not the results Of inefhciency or
lack of ability. They are striving to
cope with an unfamiliar, entirely
strange problem, thrust upon them In
an emergency. Tolerant considera-
ton brings realization Of their cour-
age in the face Of physical hazard
and unfair public opinion
We veteran airmail pilots salute
these men. Stories have been told
reporting the displaced commercial
mail pilots chortling over the strug-
giles of the Army flyers. These stories
are untrue.
Hold No Grudge.
The men who few the mail before
the Army took charge are sworn serv-
ants of the United States, and most
Of them are Reserve officers in one
branch or another. They are puzzled
and hurt by the trend Of affairs, as
they had no part in any of the al
legged misdemeanors, and they cam
not understand why they have been
replaced by Army pilots.
But they hold no grudge against
any one, least of all the Army boys
1t is the opinion of We commercial
mail flyers that later we will be re-
stored to the duties which we have
discharged so faithfully since 1919.
Meanwhile, we place our trust in the
President.
Carrying the airmail Is one OF the
least understood of all commercial
activities. An airmail pilot is gener-
ally regarded as just flyer who car
ries the mail However, there are as
many types Of aviators, qualified for
different kinds of flying, as you have
fingers on both hands.
Service pilots are those in the
Army, Navy, Marine, Coast Guard
and contract airmail services. All but
the last group are in the employ of
the United States and they are
trained specifically for duties neces-
sary TO each branch Of the service.
Commercial aviation has many
types Of pilots. The highest order is
that OF the scheduled airline pilot.
He may or may not be an airmail
pilot. but his qualifications for carry
ing the mail are complete.
Little Similarity in Work.
Below this rating there are numer-
Gus divisions. A sky writer is one
type of specialized worker and an
aerial surveyor is another. Unless
these men have served in both capaci-
ties and are experienced in both lines
of endeavor the sky writer is no more
qualified as an aerial surveyor than is
a truck driver as racer at Indian
apoliS. It Is not a question OF oper-
ating aircraft particularly. These
pilots are all qualified to handle air
craft.
The Army uses aircraft for war
fare and the airmail uses them to
transport the mails. The aircraft
must be fitted into a specific routine
for successful results. Therefore Army
equipment and Army pilots are speci-
flcally for Army work and the equip
ment and the personnel of the air
mail are specifically for the work of
carrying the mail. There is little
similarity between Army and airmail
flying.
The Army pilot is trained in many
ways, some of them adaptable to COM
mercial aviation. But he hasn't the
necessary experience for airline work.
Must Know Distractions.
There are several reasons. The
most important is that a successful
airline pilot Is more than just skill
full pilot and navigator. He knows all
weather conditions on any section of
his route. He is so familiar with his
route that he knows every tree. house
and barn. His knowledge of the ter
ritory over which he flies is so thor
ough that, when he can't see the
ground, he has mental picture of it.
This knack of picturing his course
develops to high degree when an air.
port is approached for a landing. He
must and does know each hazardous
obstruction and how to keep clear of
it as he loses altitude for a landing.
Travelling 100 miles an hour he can
land on mark less than so feet in
circumference without even seeing it.
Only constant flights make a pilot
capable of this.
Like Using Strange Roads.
This localized knowledge is so es-
sential that a pilot with years of ex-
perience flying the Newark-Washing-
ton route would not be qualified to
operate on any other route without at
least two months experience over it
In good weather
There is nothing odd about that.
It's like a man driving an automobile.
Any man can drive from his place of
business to his home with his eyes
shut, almost. But when he is on an
unfamiliar road, miles away from
home, and at night, it is different. The
ability to operate the car has nothing
to do with 1t. With pilots it is the
same.
1t is the wish of the airmail pilots
that the people will give the Army
men their wholehearted support and
sympathy. They are trying their best
and are risking their lives in the pub
lie service. Don't misjudge their ef-
forts.
The airmail pilots regret the con-
ditions caused by possible greed in
commercial aviation, but they hope
that because some people failed the
whole industry will not be condemned.
Copyright. 1894, by the North American
Newspaper Alliance. IncO.