Evening star., 1937-02-07

"Airplane dispatchers and pilots
therefore should not feel obligated to
get through weather which still
hinders another system of tranSporta-
ton after hundreds of years of experi-
ence-remembering that an airplane
cannot slow down to five knots once
it is in the air." Lederer said.
Even train schedules suffer from
weather, and as train speeds increase
they will suffer more" he added.
THE safety record of the airlines
is very impressive, but trains will soon
be going from coast to coast in 48
hours (as against about three and a
half days now, giving the airlines
and the travelling public something to
think about. Safety will probably be
the governing factor in the minds of
the transcontinental travels, who
will evaluate the loss of two business
days against the relative safety of fast
trains and airplanes."
THE next step in aircraft regulation
probably will come through State
aviation commissions Lederer be.
lieveS. There is little doubt, he said,
that the National Association of State
Aviation Officials is alive to the prob
lens now before them and that mem.
bers will do their best to adopt uni
form regulations based on common
sense rather than on an unrestrained
desire to regulate.
The work of some of the more ar-
tive commissions already is showing
results, he said. He cited Connecti-
cut. where monthly inspections of air.
craft now are made by State inspec-
tors and where. it is claimed, the
accident rate is 20 per cent below nor
NAL, as compared with the country as
a whole.
While no definite conclusion can
be drawn from this fact" Lederer
commented, nevertheless it indicates
what intelligent regulation can
achieve"
He said the New Jersey Commits
sion also has drawn up very wise
regulations which strike at the sources
of airplane accidents" No operator
is allowed to carry passengers unless
his moral and financial responsibility
has been checked and approved by
the commission. Transforming pilots
from other States are not permitted
to compete at field where an ap-
proved operator is located.
Lederer also cited the commissions
Of Illinois, Michigan, Florida and Ne
braska as outstanding.
"Inasmuch as these commissions
are usually intended to protect the
general public as we'll as the public
that flies" Lederer said, 1T would
seem logical that the expenses of the
commissions should be shared by the
whole people rather than by aircraft
owners. Furthermore, the commits
sions should be composed of men of
impartial judgment who will select in
spectors on the basis of their expert
ence, character and personality. A
good corps of inspectors can be of i'm
measurable assistance in developing
greater safety in aviation. On the
other hand, an inefficient corps Of
men can do immeasurable harm"
ORANGE now has a new popular
aviation" system, replacing the
old plan of governmental bonuses to
individuals purchasing airplanes OF
the private-owner types. The new
program, according to a report from
Assistant Trade Commissioner Les
trade Brown, at Paris, to the Com
merce Department. has as its aim pre-
liminary training in aviation, at the
expense of the state. for young men
and boys from IA to 81 years of age.
The plan calls for a course of ele-
mentary technical instruction, to be
followed by practical mechanical ap-
plication, with examinations in both
the theoretical and practical branches:
practice flying for boys who have con.
pleted the preliminary course, and.
finally, special training for the best
candidates leading to qualification for
a tourist pilots license.
The program includes creation of
special aviation sections, to be mcor-
porated in the various aeronautical
club already in existence and aff1li-
ated with the Federation Aeronautique
de France. There are approximately
180 of these clubs, with a total of
10000 members and with 1900 air
planes owned by individuals or groups.
THE role Of the state in the de-
velopment of the popular aviation pro-
gram will consist of financial aid to
be accorded through the donation of
airplanes to the clubs participating
and the allotment to such organiza-
tions of credits for the upkeep Of fly
ing material and the training Of
pupils" it was reported.
Allotments for 1887 for this purpose
are S2,373, 1872.