Evening star., 1935-07-07

themselves familiar with
Il whatever pertains to flying, is
probably greatly abused except in the
case of John Groves, chief OF the Air
ways Bulletin section, aeronautics
branch of the air navigation division,
Bureau Of Air Commerce, United
States Department Of Commerce-to
identify the young man completely.
To Groves, since 1927 when he first
came into the department as sort of
consulting engineer in the matter of
building pioneer airports, life has be-
come business Of answering questions
aid telling aviators where to head in.
Himself licensed pilot and some
time visitor to the majority of the
1900 sirportS listed in the Skyways
Baedeker issued by the Bureau Of Air
Commerce for flyers, Groves occupies
q unique position in the country.
Hazards such as church spires, tree
tops, high-tenSion wires and dead
spots" in the atmosphere are never q
source of anxiety for the motorist.
Which way the wind blows on a March
dawn and with what speed usually;
how to unScramble the code flashing
of radio beacons emanating from the
little airport at Ogallala. Nebr, on
the IN. side of U. S. Highway No So;
and whether the landing field at Cow
Greek, Greg, can supply him with
gasoline having an octane rating Of
8l-these are matters, however. Of
more than ordinary interest to the
traveller who mainly has clouds for
guide-posts.
Information Bureau Set-up.
In order to answer the questions Of
licensed pilots in the United States,
who have grown in numbers from none
in 1903 to 14,037 at the present time,
some sort of central information bu-
reau had to be set up. The result has
been the establishment of the Bureau
of Air Commerce, a clearing house Of
data pertaining to flying fields and air
conditions.
Over the air. telegraph, telephone
and teletype, from each of the reg
istered airports comes constantly
food of varied information: improved
landing facilities: changing meteoro-
logical conditions; hangers in process
of constructions; altered code flashes
of beacons, times of their broadcast
ing, and typographical aspects of the
fields. Ali this matter comes into the
hands of Groves for immediate dis
semination in the form OF pamphlets,
bulletins, letters and answers to in
quaries by telephone.
Periodically the bureau issues a fat
airway bulletin, called Descriptions
of Airports and Landing Fields in the
United States" Besides q section
dealing with general airway informa-
ton, which in itself is fascinating
story and an encyclopedia of aerial
intelligence, it contains AZ other di-
visions for the States, and Is broken
down into subsections for each Of the
airports within those States.
Full Of Airport Lore.
Besides aiding in the editing of this
bulletin, Groves main concern Is the
accumulation and correlation of data
about proposed and current changes
in all existing fields. and acquisition
of full information about new fields
recently registered or in process of
construction. This information goes
out from his department In the form
of weekly notices to airmen all over
the Nation and keeps the larger air.
way bulletin up to the minute.
AS a consequence Of years of ham
ding this mass of detail Groves is
walking tome of sky harbors lore. A
map of the United States to him is
a vivid graph of curved lines. arrows,
dots and numbers, all Q system Of
cerulean shorthand denoting distances
across country from one airport to
another. wind directions and speeds
about the ports, and minute physical
topography on and around the land
ing fields.
Literally, every dot on the two blue
prints and aerial-topographical map,
each for every one of the airports in
the United States, kept on file in the
bureau, has meaning all its own for
Groves-haystacks, water towers, stee-
piles and ruts in the runway stand
out photographically in his mind. It
is his business. when one of the
average Of 20 requests per day comes
in to the bureau-from Army, Navy,