Evening star., 1934-02-25

give Clle ATIIly tllc IOusAiCoI SolI !
After the first few hours, during
which flying in large areas Of the
country was a physical impossibktlity,
the Army began clicking of airmal
mileage. Hastily set-up field airmail
quarters, many of them not yet estab-
lished when the first planes began to
move, took over the multitudinous de-
tails of an entirely new job. Lack
of ADEQUATE communications, the ham
dicap Of unsuitable equipment, the
difficulty Of creating separate air
mail organization, with branches In
every part Of the Nation-these and
other obstacles were overcome by ex-
penditure of tremendous effort, ap-
piled in an effort to beat an inexor-
able deadline. Transfer time came
and the mail went on.
Although the Army got away to
very good start, the service already
has resulted in more casualties than
are normal IN routine air transport
operation. This is inevitable because
of the new and different type of op-
Grafton the Army flyers now are
called upon to perform, lack Of ex-
perience in the grind Of fixed airline
operation in all sorts Of weather and
lack of the specialized flying equip
ment upon which the air transport
pilot depends for his security.
The military flying for which Army
flyers are trained and routine air
line flying are far different in char
acter and require individual training
and experience of divergent types
The airpline pilot is able to acquire
experience far more rapidly than the
Army man. An airplane pilot often
averages 200 hours Of flying per
month. The Army pilot, due to in
sufficient appropriations for training,
may not get so much time in a year
The Army pilot, in a squadron, will
put in virtually all Of his flying time
in formation training. His combat
flying will be in formation. Unless
he is a squadron leader he will get
no regular experience in radio opera
ton and probably none whatever in
radio range beacon flying. Radio and
the radio beacon are saviors to air
transport pilots, who do all their fly
ing alone over a fixed course which
they get to know as well as you do
the way from your home to your
place of employment. The conditions
are too different. The Army pilot
put on airline duty with which he
cannot be familiar is as apt to get
into trouble as would the transport
pilot II you took him of his airline,
stuck him into an Army pursuit plane
and sent him roaring down in the
mist of a squadron against an enemy
formation.
Ability Of the Army to take over
as well as it has, however, is the
factor which makes possible the ad-
ministration's emergency airmal pro-
gram. The Army is being used to
plug the gap between cancellation of
the airmail contracts and the creation
of a new airmal system for the
country.
AL the Government agencies which
have to do with civil aviation are hard
at work on the airmail problem. The
President and members Of his cabinet
are studying the question of a new
airmail policy. At the time this was
written 1t was indicated the new
policy might take the form of letting
OF contracts to private operators on
the basis of cost plus a reasonable"
profit. No official word, however, had
come through as to what action Is
contemplated, if, in fact, any decision
has been reached.
In view of the fact that the use Of
the Army is regarded merely as q
temporary expedient, however, it Is
probable that action will be taken as
rapidly as possible on the creation Of
a permanent policy and the putting
into effect Of that policy.
Graf Faces Busy Year.
The veteran German airship Graf
Zeppelin, now undergoing her annual
Winter overhauling, will resume reg
ular service between Germany and
Zrazil on May 26, with 10 round-trips
scheduled for 1884. These trips will
be made every other week.
Regular seaplane mail service, in
augurated by the Deutsche Lufthansa
over the same route on February 3, is
to continue, also on schedule Of one
round-trip every other week, alter
mating with the Graf Zeppelin, so as
to give Germany weekly four-day
air service to South America.
The Graf is to leave Friedrichsafen
May 26, June %, July 81, August 4,
August 18. September 1, Is and %
and October IS and 81, it is announced
by the Hamburg American Line. The
South American terminus, as during
the past two years Of service, will be
Rio de Janeiro, with intermediate
landings at Pernambuco, Brazil.
Connecting airplane services will be
operated, SIS in the past, from Fried
richshafen and Rio de Janeiro to all
points in Europe and South America.
During the past two years, the Graf
on South American service, operated
with all the regularity Of a crack
ocean liner, never once missing a
schedule. The airship now is going
into her sixth year Of service.
In addition to the South American
service, the Graf will be used, between
trips, for short cruises over Switzerland.
During her five years Of service the
Graf Zeppelin has made 355 voyages,
including so ocean crossings, Of an
aggregate flying time Of 7,343 hours,
covering 461 1893 miles. She has car
ried q total of 23,322 persons, tnclud-
Ing 5000 passengers; 44,54 pounds OF
mail and s2,775 pounds Of express.
This record has been without accident
or nishap to passengers or crew.
On February the Deutsche Luf-
thansa, in conjunction with the Ger
man-subsidized Condor Syndicate OF
South America, started through air
mail service from Berlin to Buenos
Aires, stealing march on the United
States, France, Great Britain and
Italy, which have been studying the
transatlantic air transport possioiii-
ffoc