Evening star., 1935-11-03

rainy spells to barren deserts. from
the blazing heat of the tropics to
the bitter cold Of the high Andes
and from fog to hurricanes.
New problems of airplane mainte-
nance caused by hot, moist climate,
desert sand and ocean salt. forced de-
velopment of a most painstaking sys-
tenn of inspection, overhaul and serv-
icing. The radio communications
service had to overcome the conditions
of severe static in tropical operation.
Weather observation and forecasting
services presented unusual problems.
which have been overcome, not only
to the benefit Of the airline. but to
the advantage Of every community and
industry in the Caribbean area and to
the betterment Of weather reporting
and forecasting throughout the Amer
icas.
BY 1881, when the trans-Pacific
planning began, the engineers had
the major problems Of maintenance
and operation well in hand. The line
had operated hundreds of thousands
Of miles without a single flying-boat
accident, and this record still Is main
tanned. The percentage of scheduled
operations completed was better than
SO per cent over the whole system.
On the foundation of this expert
ence, American set about build
ing for its transoceanic service. The
airline opened 1,25O-mile trans
Caribbean line from Miami to Bar
ranquilla, Colombia. over the longest
ocean route in regular operation in the
world. This route became an ocean
laboratory" to train crews in naviga-
ton while out Of sight Of land.
Trippe, Lindbergh and Priester
worked out an ideal conception Of
a crew to man q transoceanic flying
boat. This crew consists of cap
tain, copilot, navigator, radio officer
and flight engineer. all OF whom
should have training which would per-
nit them to be interchangeable in case
of emergency. This meant that the
radio operator must be capable Of
commanding the engine room or Of
flying the ship; that the engineer
must be able to navigate or operate
the radio or handle the controls; that
the pilots must be able to operate the
radio or engines or do their own nav
igating.
To produce such men, then not to
be found in the industry, with few
notable exceptions. the system set up
schools at divisional headquarters.
Pilots, without exception. went
through systematic courses in blind
flying, on many airplane types. All
flying personnel took training courses
in meteorology, navigation and radio.
New pilots went through engine shop
training and, for years after joining
the line, served as assistant pilots,
junior officers and even as clerks in
charge Of clearing cargoes and caring
for passengers. They served also as
radio operators, weather men and
mechanics.
Most Of the Pan-American flying
personnel Is composed of men who
know at least one language in addi-
ton to English. Each of them has
been trained in the basic principles
of international law affecting air
transport.
After the ns-Caribbean line was
in operation for some months as an
airmail and express line, passenger
service was added, with immediate
success. The first Of the 17-ton Sikor-
sky clipper type bacame available and
the full complement of officers could
be carried. Crews began navigating
by the sun, by radio bearings and by
dead reckoning.
Last year the new 19-ton Sikorsky
of the S-42 type became available and
two Of them went into service on the
East coast Of South America. The
third was turned into q laboratory
plane for the final phases of training
for the Pacific project. 1t is this plane
which has completed successive round
trips from San Francisco to Hawaii.
to Midway Island. to Wake Island and
finally, last month, to Guam. Dur
ing the Guam fight alone, the ship
covered 10000 miles.
All four round trips were made
incident, although most of
them were made deliberately in bad
weather for training and test pur-
poses. A plan Of crew rotation was
put into effect and the opening of
operations will find five full crews
ready to man the great 25-ton Martin
clippers, three Of which are to be
ready for the China service.
The China clipper type, built by
Glenn L. Martin in his Baltimore
plant, has a gross weight of Is tons
and has demonstrated flying charac-
teristics in its tests which should put
it in command of at least IA world
aviation records If 1t were applied to
this service. The Sikorsky S-42 type
holds II official international records.
The Martin, in overnight service
between San Francisco and Hawaii,
will be able to carry 18 passengers in
full size berths, ton of mail, a ton
of express and fuel sufficient not only
for the 2,400-mile Jump, but also q
reserve for 800 miles additional On
the shorter day runs west Of Hawaii,
the payload will greatly increase.
The $40, after its splendid trail
blazing flights. Is to be returned to
the East for service along the South
American coast. Though only q year
ago it was the largest transport plane
in service, it now is too small for
the Pacific service and must yield to
the Martin clippers.
Already plans are well under way
for great flying boats twice the size Of
the Martin China Clipper" type.
They will have a gross weight Of so
tons. The present Martin type can
carry 1921 per cent Of its own dead
weight as payload. The new 50-ton
ships will carry an even larger pro-
portionate payload - considerably
more than double the useful load Of
the present ships.
Transatlantic service is next in
view, and Pan-American Is working in
cooperation with Imperial Anyways
Of Great Britain with a view to the
operation Of service between the
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