Evening star., 1936-01-12

I
pilots competent to undertake the
duties Of second lieutenant in q
tactical squadron, consists Of the Pri-
mary Flying School at Randolph Field,
Tex; the Advanced Flying Field, at
Kelly Field, Tex, and the School Of
Aviation Medicine, at Randolph Field
The course Of instruction is one year,
with eight months in the Primary
Flying School and four months in the
Advanced Flying School There are
always three classes in the Training
Center, new class entering every
four months.
During his year of training, the stu
dent receives a total of 1923 hours Of
flying instruction. The Training Gen.
ter during the past fiscal year used
1880 airplane hours, as compared
with 312,575 hours of flying time for
the whole of the Regular Army; 40 ,6o7
hours for the National Guard. and
23,205 hours for the Organized Re-
serves.
"The trend of military airplane de-
velopment," Gen. CLANCY said, def
nitely points to the use OF multi
engine airplanes of greater size
! greater speed and greater cruising
range. The operation and mainte-
nance of the modern military airplane,
with its radio equipment. blind land
ing equipment. supercharged engines,
controlled pitch propellers and other
instruments and equipment clearly in
dlcates more air space, more ground
space and the extension of all ground
and air courses now being given at
Randolph and Kelly fields as soon as
modern equipment becomes available"
| The War Department has approved
a 2,320-airplane program for the Air
Corps, as recommended by the Baker
Board; and the former chief of staff,
Gen. Douglas Macarthur, recon-
mended an increase to $500 airplanes.
The present strength of the entire Air
Corps is only 1900 airplanes.
Miscellaneous aircraft operators, in
cluding flying services, schools, aerial
photographers, crop busters and pri-
vate flyers, flew more miles in the
! first half of 1885 than in any previous
similar period since 1881 and at the
same time established a new safety
record. according to the Bureau of Air
Commerce.
Operators Of aircraft engaged in
miscellaneous operations few 40,234,-
l85 miles during the six months.
carrying 556.332 passengers. There
were 49 passenger fatalities during
the period, or 821 ,106 miles per ia
tality, an improvement of nearly 100
per cent over the fatality rate for the
first half Of 1884. The number Of
pilot fatalities was 81, lower than for
| any other six-month period except
the first half of 1928, when there
were 65 pilot fatalities.
OF the passengers carried, 425,s40
were flown for hire and l30,492 for
pleasure. OF the mileage flown. 3s,-
40l.970 miles were flown by licensed
aircraft and only 1,832,2l5 by un-
licensed aircraft.
Willard G. Eldridge of Washington
has been transferred by Pan-Amer-.
lean Anyways from its base at Miami,
Fla, to San Francisco to become air.
port manager at Alameda, United
terminal of the trans-Pacific service.
Mr.. Eldridge has been connected
with Pan-American Airways for the
past six years, travelling the West
Indies, Central and South American
routes as flight mechanic and later
was in charge Of Caribbean ports as
| fy-v,r ,rrfR uA
pleted three years Of service as air
port manager in Port au Prince, Haiti.
Mr. Eldridge was connected with
Washington Airport before joining
Pan-Am. He is a graduate Of the
District grammar schools and Nc
Kinley High School and attended
Georgetown and George Washington
Universities. His home here was at
542 Irving street.
Confident that 1886 is going to be
banner year for aviation, partic-
ularly for air transportation, Ameri-
can Airlines Is completing a budget
for this year on a basis Of SO per
cent increase in passenger traffic over
1885. 1t is backing its judgment with
a large outlay for new and improved
equipment, including a feet OF the
giant new Douglas sleeper transport
planes.
"The year just completed" said c.
r. Smith, president of the line, gave
American Airlines an increase OF
nearly rs per cent in passenger trafhc
and comparable gains in express ton
mage. Business conditions through
out the United States today are, in
our opinion, materially better than
on January /, 1885, and we believe
we are conservative in estimating a
so per cent gain in this new year."
Appointment of John 3. Molitor as
district traffic agent for Transconti-
mental g. Western Air in Washington
has been announced by general offices
of the airline. Mr.. Molitor has been
general trafic manager for Central
Airlines, operating between WASH
ington and Detroit. He succeeds @.
Z. Haynes as local trafflc agent.
Mr.. Molitor formerly was with the
Detroit Aircraft Corp. and before that
Wdo Will L1lC SO1Ps
at Robertson, Mo. As general trafic
manager for Central Airlines he
made his headquarters at Pittsburgh
until the recent move Of the lines
trafdc oficesto Detroit.
An increase of lS5 per cent in pas
senger trafiic over Pennsylvania Air
lines, between Washington, Detroit
and Milwaukee, occurred during 1885.
During the year air express business
increased 365 per cent. The increases
are attributed by C. Bedell Monro,
president. to expansion Of the line. use
of better equipment and more frequent
schedules and Ito the economic up
swing which improved business In
general"
Ill TpfTO