Evening star., 1936-11-08

Only because Of private enterprise
In the face of discouraging obstacles.
many of them placed in its path by
agencies, has Washing
ton been able to maintain . place on
the domestic air-transport map. It
has been on the verge Of losing this
service several times.
This week Washington began to pay
the penalty of its neglect, when Pan
American Airways completed nego-
tiations with the city Of Baltimore for
a reported 25-year lease Of space at
the new Baltimore Municipal Airport
for a transatlantic flying boat ter
minal. The terminal will be estab-
lished on the Colgate Greek side Of the
city airport, which Baltimore con-
structed by filling a large shallow
water area in the Patapsco River.
Necessary facilities for q seaplane
operating base, including q hangar
office space, q ramp and landing fioat,
are to be provided by the city by ex-
penditure of municipal airport funds
and p. w. A. money. Baltimore Is
looking forward to becoming world
airport" and to q great stimulation OF
all phases Of its aviation activity.
There probably is little doubt that
Washington could have established it.
self as a jor East Coast terminal fol-
all types Of air-transport operation
had it not neglected its opportunities
For 10 years local aviation organiza-
tions have advocated the construction
here Of combined seaplane and land
plane facilities. At Gravelly Point, il
has been contended, Washington has
q seaplane site possessing far better
natural advantages than were found
by Baltimore on the Patapsco Flats
But while Washington talked Balti-
more filled the flats.
Washington has airline connections
to every part of the United States, anc
its commercial airport today is one
Of the worlds busiest air-transport
terminals. It obviously would be tc
the advantage Of any transoceanis
airline to connect directly with such q
network of lines.
But, while Germany and France
established successful and regular air
transport service across the South
Atlantic and while Pan American
Airways pioneered its trans-Pacifit
service and four nations engaged in
spirited competition for trans-Atlan-
tic airline privileges and franchises
Washington continued to do nothing
Germany already has bla1ed the
air-transport trail across the North
Atlantic, two of its commercial fy.
ing boats having completed expert
mental round trips for the study o!
weather, radio and bases. Pan Amer.
lean and Imperial Always, the great
British Empire service, are working
toward joint Atlantic operations
England has built flying boats Of ocear
type and now Is breaking them in
Pan American has under construc.
ton clipper-type flying boats ever
larger than those in service across
the Pacific. BY 1898, it has been an
nounced, operations across the At
lantic will be in operation, with Balti'
more, not Washington, as the ter
minal.
TRAINING schedules have beer
worked out by the Soaring So.
ciety of Washington calling for in.
struction periods Sundays beginning
at am. and Mondays at 9 am. d
Congressional Airport. Six members
Of the club already have arranged fol
flight training, and others are ex.
pected to be lined up today.
Hereafter, regular meetings Of thu
society will be held at the Maryland
flying field at 10 am. each Sunday
following the first Of the weekly in.
struction periods.
Members Of the society who wish tc
arrange for transportation to and
from Congressional are asked to gel
in touch with Percy Warner, presi-
dent Of the society. at Cleveland
6593; s. L. Harrison, treasurer, Cleve-
land 1891, or Beatrice Greenhalgh
secretary, Randolph sos.
ONE-STOP service between Wash.
ington and Chicago, reducing
travel time between the two cities tt
hours IS minutes, has been es.
tablished following the recent consol-
idation of Pennsylvania and Central
Airlines. One of the eight daily sched.
ules westbound from Washington
connects with United Airlines al
Cleveland to provide the new expires,
service.
Under the new management, the
Sundowner leaves Washington al
Sis pm, arriving in Chicago al
9:13 pm
With the revision of the Pennsyl.
vania- United services to the West
improved airmail. express and pas.
senger schedules to Midwestern cite.
have been established. New schedules
are in effect to Minneapolis, st. Paul
Des Moines and Omaha, all beins
reached before midnight after depart.
ures from Washington at Sis pm.
MORE and more Americans makine
vacation trips abroad are max.
ing use of air transportation to get
beyond the normal tourist frontiers. ,
Transatlantic steamship lines report
that they are called upon with stead.
lily increasing frequency to book trip.
to distant European, Asiatic and Al.
rican points by air.
American travellers are finding that
with three or four weeks at their dis.
posal, they can enjoy not only the At.
lantic crossing by steamer, but see 9
great deal Of Europe and even NOR,
distant points as we'll.
If they decide they want to see thu
Pyramids, they can take an airlinel
from London to Egypt and be strad.
ding q camel within two and q hal.
days. London to Nairobi, in the very
heart Of the African big-game coun.
try, is only q fve-and-a-half- day trip
cutting two weeks from surface trave
time.
New airline schedules are availabl.
to Arabia and on to Baghdad anc
India. A. trip from London to Cal.
cutta now requires . half day less thar
q week, rs compared with az days fol