Evening star., 1935-11-03

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head for the Orient to open the
worlds longest aerial trade route.
The inaugural date was postponed
from November to suit the con-
venience of philatehsts, whose first
day covers" will constitute the in
augllral mail load The load Of
philatelic mail now is being assembled,
but requests were received that the
start of the flight be delayed so that
better arrangements may be made for
cancellation of the mail at points en-
route
The decision of the Post Office De-
partment to inaugurate airmail serv-
ice across the Pacific represents one
of the boldest efforts in decades to
capture the rich Oriental markets for
American commerce. Cutting travel
time between the United States and
China from % days to 60 flying hours,
IT is hoped, will give this country a
great commercial trade advantage in
the Far East.
Awarding Of the $1,000000 trans
Pacific airmail contract by the Post
Office Department to Pan-Amerlcan
Airways a few days ago found the
stage already set for the Inauguration
of service. Modern aviation bases
completely self-sustaining-have been
set I'D on what we're, as late as early
Summer. barren and little known dots
of reef-inclosed sand in the mid
Pacific. Pioneering Of the route has
been pushed and just few days ago
the big Sikorsky SAP, trail-blazer on
the route, completed a 13,000-mile
round trip between California and
Guam.
The first airmail flight Is to be q
round trip to the Philippine Islands,
leaving only the gap between Manila
and Canton, shortest Of the six legs
of the trans-Pacific route, to be closed.
The first mail load. expected to be
very heavy, probably will be composed
altogether of philatelic covers. the
terms of the contract between the
Post Office Department and Pan
American Airways call for maximum
mail loads Of 800 pounds per trip. any
excess poundage above this amount
to be paid for at the rate Of 81 per
pound mile. 1t is becoming apparent
that the maximum will be consider
ably exceeded on the inaugural flight.
Proof of the rapidity with which
aviation has developed as a common
carrier is found in the calmness with
which the world has witnessed the
pioneering for the trans-Paclf1c serV-
ice. The story of the four years OF
effort behind the casually announced
opening of the China service, however
is as full of romance and thrills as
that of any similar transportation
pioneering in our history. For sheer
aggressive daring, it is worthy coun-
terpart of the establishment of the
old pony express through the hostile
Indian country or the building of the
transcontinental railroad which tied
together the East and the West and
in large part made possible the United
States.
The trans-Pacific airline had its
real beginning early in 1881, when, In
an Office high up in New York sky
scraper, met Juan Trippe, youthful
president of Pan-American Always;
Col. Charles A. Lindbergh and Andre
Priester, chief engineer of the line.
They discussed the race Of European
countries to extend air transport lines
into the Orient. At that time four
long airlines had been started from
Europe to the Far East and soon they
would be reaping commercial advan-
tages from fast transportation which
would definitely handicap the United
States in it's bid for Oriental trade.
Other meetings followed through sue
ceeding weeks and it was decided that
the best route between California and
China was by way of the series OF
island stations, which at that time
were almost forgotten dots on the
map, but which today are in the lime
light on the world stage.
The difficulties in the way Of the
development OF the island route were
tremendous. The longest stage, be-
tween San Francisco and Hawaii, was
2,410 miles and in 1881 no seaplane
had yet been built which could fly
that far with even safe fuel reserve.
let alone a commercial load To build
the necessary chain Of island bases
was in itself a huge task. It also
would be necessary to establish meth
DDS of navigation for aircraft use,
which would give the absolute preci-
sion needed for commercial operation
over the trackless waste Of the Paci-
fic. No pilots then were available with
the requisite skill for such flying and
no ground organization existed capable
Of backing up operations from such
widely scattered bases.
organization-each Of these phases Of
the Pacific development-consti
o major undertaking in itself. Solu-
ton of the many great and intricate
problems which arose in connection
with the early planning was made
possible through lessons learned by
Pan-American Airways in the devel-
opment of South and Central Ameri-
can system, which in 1881 had reached
Q total Of $4,000 miles of operating
airways through tropic and temper
ate zones, over seas, along rocky coasts
and across the mighty mountain back
bones Of Central and South America.
This service had necessitated the
establishment Of company system
Of radio communication, weather OBJ
servatories and forecasting service and
ground bases and personnel Suit
able flying equipment for long over
water and coastwise runs was not
then available and the line succeeded
In stimulating the American aircraft
industry into producing flying boats
Of types suitable for such work. -
Each of the Central and South
American and the West Indies lines
established by Pan-American Air
ways presented serious and unpre-
cedented problems of organization,
flight technique. maintenance and
airport construction. The land plane
routes lay in large part through priini-
tive, mountainous country. The
coastal and sea routes for hundreds