Evening star., 1936-09-06

w fast, fire-fghters and physi-
clans have nothing on the practitioner
of this oldest of modern odd jobs -
sky-taxi chauffeuring.
When fireman grabs his boots,
slides down the pole and swings
aboard the apparatus, his ride is
matter of blocks. For the doctor, the
hospital or baby-case is apt to be just
around the corner.
But when the sky-taxi man is
hailed it means at least hundreds of
miles of flying and perhaps thousands.
For instance, in the last year. Paul
Mantz, whose home hangar is at Bur
bank, just outside Los Angeles, has
flown fourteen times across the con-
tinent, to Panama, to Florida and
Mexico, and to innumerable nearer
points. It's his job to be ready to taxi
passengers any place. any time.
1t is in the small hours of the morn-
ing when the telephone rings in the
Mantz home. Always at his bedside
are three things - a phone. packed
bag and a brief-case of maps - maps
of everywhere. Air maps, of course.
"A surgical case for Rochester.
Minnesota" says the voice on the
phone How soon can you start??"
Fifteen minutes" he replies.
Climbing into his clothes, he phones
the mechanic at the airport. By the
time he reaches the hangar the engine
is purring sweetly, well warmed up,
and the convertible fuselage seats
have been replaced by special
stretcher-bed.
The map shows uncertain weather
to the eastward and Paul, realizing
that he might have to fly unusually
high over the Divide beyond Salt
Lake, throws in an oxygen tank.
Shortly the ambulance rolls up.
Brain operation" says the physi-
clan. "One-to-twenty chance"
They take of, the pilot in the cock
pit. the patient stretched on a thick
hospital mattress, nurse and doctor
beside him.
Here are the first entries in the log
book for that night:
l:55 - Take off, Burbank. Flying
blind through 1000 #. of fog.
5:4S - Landed Salt Lake City.
ITO gals. gas. Patient still alive but
looking terrible.
Clio Above Salt Lake. Bad
clouds over the mountains. Climbed
14,8OO. Looked back in fuselage.
Patient in convulsions. Saw doctor
administer oxygen from tank.
$40 Patient resting comfort
ably.
During the flight Paul. Of course,
has kept Rochester informed with his
radio so that an ambulance is waiting
at the field. Thirteen hours after the
first call at Los Angeles - 100 miles
away - the sick man is on the Mayo
Brothers operating table. And he
RECEIVERS.
That is typical enough of the long
haul jobs that come to the sky taxi.
But while critical sickness, where time
counts desperately, often causes sud-
den charters, there's vast variety in
the reasons for private hops.
Incidentally, while taxing and
instruction are the chief jobs of Paul
Mantz, just at present perhaps his
most colorful task is helping with the
equipment and preparation of the
flying laboratory" of Amelia Ear
hart, whose technical adviser he has
been on her record-breaking flights.
Whats the most amusing taxi
job you recall?" l asked.
perhaps the air hunt for Greta
Carlo qualities. You remember"
Paul explained. when Miss Carbo
and a motion-picture director slipped
away secretly from Hollywood. The
newspapers got high blood pressure
and one of them chartered my ship.
We had tip that Miss Garbo's big
,oJ,r x,,c m the road leading east