Evening star., 1935-02-03

44AA6 - ESS~
accompanying the report Of tn
suggests that until a permanent
division of the Interstate Comm
to administer the control OF air
As a result of the White
specifically only one section OF
with its 1O2 recommendations, it
effort will be directed along lines
The commission advocated the
creation Of q permanent air COM
merce commission to take over con-
troll Of all civil aeronautics. The
President specifically objected to this
recommendation, which Is the heart
of the whole body Of air transport
recommendations submitted by the
commission.
It became apparent even before the
report Of the Aviation Commission
was submitted that its major recon-
mendation for creation Of the pro-
posed air commerce commission would
not meet with administration ap-
proval. The President, in transmit
ting the report, gave his support to
the plan of Joseph E. Eastman,
Federal co-ordinator Of transporta-
ton, for unified control of trans
portation by land, sea and air.
The President expressed belief that
until such unified control can be
established it might be better to turn
regulation Of air commerce over to a
division Of the Interstate Commerce
Commission than to undertake the
creation, even for temporary period,
Of another separate regulatory agency
in the field of transportation. The
President also feels that control Of
air commerce should be vested In a
body such as the I. G. c., which is
accustomed to judicial functioning.
The Bureau Of Air Commerce, now in
charge, is not a judicial body.
Even though the recommendations
Of the Federal Aviation Commission
should not serve as direct basis for
legislation, they at least are serving as
q powerful stimulus for immediate
action to correct some of the govern
mental shortcomings which have
served to handicap the orderly de-
velopment of air commerce and air
defense.
Asks Speedy Action.
The President has called upon Con-
gress for speedy action to prevent the
breaking up of the airInail contract
systems Of several of the largest and
most efficient air transport companies,
in accordance with recommendations
Of the commission. He pointed out
that provisions of the existing airmail
law dealing with primary and Sec
ondary routes should be revised before
March ! and that the I. c. G. should
be given authority to revise rates Of
airmail payment upward as well as
downward. This Is necessary, 1t is
contended, to prevent the financial
destruction of certain of the companies.
"On account of the fact that an
essential objective during this tenn
porary period is to provide for the
continuation Of efficiently operated
companies and to guard against their
destruction" the President said, sit Is
only fair to suggest that during this
period any profits at all by such COM
panies should be secondary con-
sideration. Government aid in this
case Is legitimate in order to save
companies from disastrous loss, but
not in order to provide profits"
The commission in its report pointed
out that under its present contract
a single company operated at a loss
of $4,000 a month and that the
total net losses of all domestic air
lines for single month were more
than 100000.
"It appears, in short" the COM
mission reported, "that financial dis
aster is in the making for a large
part Of the present air transport
system. Whether it makes its ap-
pearance In six weeks or six months
or longer, we cannot see how it can
be postponed indefinitely"
Beyond the proposed emergency
legislation, however, the commission
has sought to point the way to
permanent aviation policy which will
place air transportation on sound,
efficient basis of service to the people
and to strengthen the Nations air
defenses to a degree which they be-
lieve will be sufficient to meet any
emergency which might reasonably
be anticipated.
Landing Tests Planned.
An important step in the history
OF air navigation has Just been taken
by the Federal Government with its
decision to begin the actual installa-
ton for service tests Of blind landing
equipment along the New York-Los
Angeles airway.
Under the direction of Capt. Albert
r. Hegenberger, Army Air Corps,
world leader In blind landing de-
velopment, and Chester A. Snow, jr.,
in charge of blind landing develop
ment work for the Bureau of Air
Commerce, a survey Is to be under
taken Immediately to locate suitable
sites for the installation of equip
inent.
The equipment which is to be in
stalled Is an adaptation of the Air
Corps system developed largely by
Capt. Hegenberger at the Materiel
Division, Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio.
The entire project, from beginning Of
the survey to completion of the in
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and actual service testing Of the
equipment by pilots Of the Bureau
OF Air Commerce and commercial
airline pilots probably will not begin
until late Spring.
TO use the outfits which are to be
installed along the transcontinental
route, the airplane must be equipped
with o radio compass, now standard
for most transport airplanes; a radio
receiver which flashes a light upon
signal from q radio marker beacon on
the ground; a sensitive altimeter and
q directional gyro, together with the
usual flight instruments.
On the ground there are two radio
stations transmitting on different fire.
uuencies. One Is located about 1,500
feet from the airport and the other
at q distance of about 2 miles. At
each radio station there is secondary
transmitter acting as q radio marker
beacon to flash warning to the pilot
when he passes over the transmitter.
The pilot approaches the field by