The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1934-08-18
AIR TRANSPORT DEVELOPMENT.

Nothing better demonstrates the potentialties
for Alaska in the latest advances in air transport
than the remarkable flight of the Army's squadon of
Martin bombers from Fairbanks to this city and
from here to Seattle. In flying time these planes
flew from Fairbanks to Seattle in nine hours and
80 minutes From Fairbanks here it required three
hours and so minutes; from Juneau to Seattle, five
hours and 40 minutes From Fairbanks to Nome
would require about the time from the
former city to Juneau. Thus it is evident that
planes could leave Seattle in the morning and arrive
at Nome the day.
The Army bombers have cruising speed Of 1870
miles an hour. While this is much faster than
planes operating in Alaska it is not as fast as
planes recently put into service transcontinental
routes. Early this month the long dream of trans
port operators to link the Atlantic and Pacific in
overnight service for passengers and merchandise
came to realization Douglas liners with a speed
of 200 miles hour now on scheduled
operation of 10 hours between New York and Los
Angeles. Passengers on these routes and on routes
between Chicago and New York and Fort Worth and
Los Angeles now go to bed just as the travellers
on railroads do in sleeping
That similar development of air transport in
Alaska would be possible with the advent of the
necessary facilities is ndisputable AS Col. Henry
H. Arnold, Commander of the Army bombers flight
said to a representative of The Empire during his
for air transportation than practically any other
part of the United States its possessions" Only
through it will real development be realized
he predicted.
But there are certain essentials needed before
we can attain the status which the rest of the
country enjoys He pointed these out as follows:
To prepare for this transportation it is
essential that satisfactory airports with
we-equpped airdromes, radio beacons and
ho pcto1 1aJ Of Eoir honk
Nome, Anchorage and Point Barrow. There
should also be good landing fields at Valdez,
Cordova, Kuskokwim Valley, Ketchkan and
Skagway, with emergency landing fields in
between.
He was speaking in this connection from the
standpoint of military need Turning from that
to the commercial side of the industry he said
From commercial standpoint it is be-
leved there should be established in Alaska
three principal airways; first from Juneau to
Fairbanks and Nome; second from Anchor
age to Point Barrow; and third from Valdez
and Cordova through Anchorage and the
Kuskokwm Valley to Nome. This system
OF airways would connect all of the larger
cities and important centers of Alaska and
would cover practically the entire Territory.
Naturally it is gratifying to this community
that Col Arnold so quickly realized its strategic
Importance in air transportation both military and
civil. In this he agrees with Admiral Alfred w.
Johnson, VINO commanded the recent Naval air
expedition here. Their recommendations ought to
have a great deal Of weight with the Government
in its future policies
The essentials he has set up will be of interest
to the Post Office Department, and should be
brought to the attention of Assistant Postmaster
General Harrlee Branch when he visits here late
this month. The Department of Commerce, which
has charge of development of arway facilities, will
be deeply interested in them also. The vistations
of the Army and Navy planes should give an
impetus to air transport development in the Terri
tory that will put it par with the best in
the entire country