Evening star., 1937-01-24

press poundage jumped from 488,0l9
pounds in November, 1885, to
ISL, 800 during the past November,
this total being the highest for any
one month, with the exception of
October.
!, The percentage Of seats occupied in
the transport planes continued high
6747 per cent. This Is said to be far
higher than for any other form OF
transportation.
british aviation Is looking for
ward, in common with American
aviation, to the greatest progress in its
history this year, according to COM
munications from officials Of Imperial
AirwayS.
The new empire air scheme. which
calls for the flying of letter mail with
out any surcharge for airmal service.
will be inaugurated on the African
service and extended stage by stage
on other lines, it was announced
Suggestions have been made fire.
quently that the special airmail rate
in the United States be abandoned
and that all first-class mail which can
be handled by available air transporta-
ton be given expedited service by air.
No action has been taken on the pro-
posals, but it is regarded by many in
the aviation industry as likely this
procedure will be adopted ultimately
by the Post Office Department if con-
greSsional approval can be obtained.
Imperial Airways pointed out that
preliminary fights will take place on
the North Atlantic with a view to the
establishment of regular ocean air
mail service connecting Great Britain
with the aerial networks of Canada
and the United States. An important
route also will be opened between
Bermuda and New York, it was an
nounced.
Further units of the new Imperial
Airways feet of giant multi-engined
aircraft will be coming into service"
it was announced Already the C
class flying boats, Of which % are in
construction, have proved themselves
the fastest in the world, besides being
the most silent and luxurious; while
speed in the neighborhood of 200
miles an hour is to be attained by the
IL huge 20-ton landplanes of the E
class, which are now being built for
the company"
On the Atlantic. it was explained.
the aircraft employed in preliminary
flights will include four-engined flying
boats OF a special long-range type
Considerable publicity has been given
the composite" aircraft Great Britain
Is preparing for the ocean service.
This will be composed of fast multi
engined seaplane, to be launched from
the wing of large flying boat.
| Yet another method of approaching
the problem of long-range flying wit.
commercial loads is by means of fuel
ing in the air, direction in which
Imperial Airways have been collabo-
rating with Sir Alan Gotham In re-
searches and experiments which are
shown to have great PROMISE" it was
announced.
Great Britain also is expected to
make great strides toward the COM
pletion of a system of ground organiza-
ton similar to that in use in the
United States. including new airports
and intermediate fields, radio weather
service and beacons and the operation
OF continuous day-and- weather
service.
The ever-groWing network of the
worlds long-distance airlines will be
augmented during 1887 by the opening
/ nf l1o
route" it was stated. Other links
also are promised in trunk air routes
and the year 1887 should, in fact, go
a long way toward realizing the ambi-
ton OF great interconnected imperial
airlineS carrying their loads completely
around the globe"
a IR transport operations in Boliv.
are conducted in the face
natural handicaps which tax to til
limit the abilities of aircraft anC
! pilots 1t is claimed they operate
/ the highest attitudes and under til
most exacting condition of any III
| the world. Regular passenger and maj
services are maintained over the high
/ est parts of the Andes, both in Bolivi.
! and, by Pan American AirWays, farthe
| to the south between Buenos Aires
and Santiago.
The airport at La Paz is at an alti-
tude of 13.500 feet, and at Orunu, in
the mining country, at 12,l00 feet
Transport airplanes often take off at
more than $4,000 feet in temperatures
of below zero, climb to a height of
10000 feet to clear intervening noun
tains, and then land at the end of the
journey at sea level and in torrid
climate.
! CANADIAN pilots flying in the Fa-
North are responsible for the story
of an Indian medicine man in a remote
wilderness village who was more
frightened than any Of his tribesmen
at the apparent verification of one Of
his "tallest tales"
| The medicine man used as o part
of his stock in trade stories of
mythical "thunderbird" which was
supposed to haunt a neighboring
mountain, Matching out lightning and
making thunder with its wing. He had
told the story SO often he apparently
came to believe it himself.
One day there appeared exactly
over the mountain the big transport
airplane of surveying party-the
first aircraft to visit that region. The
Indians stared aghast at the mani
festation of the great bird their medi-
cine man had conjured. The medi-
cine man, however, rushed out of his
hut, took one amazed look skyward and
disappeared into the brush.
A record increase in the use Of
telephones in Great Britain is at
tributed to the improved purchasing