The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1937-07-16
u. 5. SET TO AID
TRANS0CEAN
AIR LINES
BY EARL GOODWIN

Tremendous expansion in the
actual commercial business of
passengers-to- Europe by air, with
an American subsidy for COM
petent airlines, is apparently ''in
the bag" If the present indica-
lions at the newly created Mari
time Commission mean all that
they appear to mean, this Govern.
ment is about ready to give COM
mercial transatlantic passenger
flying the biggest boost it has ever
had.
It apparently stands ready to
substitute ships Of the air just as
effectively as ships Of the sea. and
actually start fleets Of commercial
airplaneS or dirigibles which will
be doing a constant, regular
twenty-four hour transatlantic trip
business every day-and maybe
more than once q day when the
business gets its growth.
Interest In Flight
Maritime commission opinion to-
day favors neither the lighter
than-air Zeppelin type nor the
heavier-than-air China clipper
type; but there is a marked inter
est in the office Of Aviation
Adviser Grover Looming in the
achievement Of the Russian fliers
who have twice vaulted the North
Pole. He said:
"This proves that the heavier
than-air type has the lOng-diS-
lance ability which formerly was
credited only to the lighter-than-
air ZeppelinS, blimpS, ETC."
Meantime the real question the
Maritime Commission is asking is
this:
''What is the comparative
cost in landing . passenger In
Europe as between heaVier-than-
air and the helium-filled type
Of ship"
There is plenty Of information
as to the costs Of hydrogen-filled
Ships-but there will never be an
other hydrogen-filled Ship-after
the Hindenburg disaster. AS to
the use of helium by Germany, it
may be said on good authority that
this Government is now willing to
lease American helium to the Ger
man government on generous
terms.
Wait on Congress
This Government Is anxious to
get from Germany the benefit Of
its long experience in building
and navigating the big Zeppelin
type Of ship.
This exchange Of helium for
experience plus little cash seems
ready to negotiate. Government
officials dclare they. have the pow
er to lease heliun to Germany
now, but would rather wait for a
favorable expression from the
Military Affairs Committees of
Congress.
Germany is now building or
preparing to build the sister ship
to the Hindenburg: the new ship
is officially LIZ 1870 while the Hin
denburg was LIZ 1919. It is this
ship which the Germans hope to
fill with American helium; and
apparently American aviation ex-
pertS are anxious to give the ship
q try-out with helium to find
out just how much it costs to
operate a ship with this non-in.
flammable gas which is found in
large quantities only on the
American continent.
Helium does not have as much
lifting power as hydrogen-hence
must carry a lighter pay.load.
This is one large element in the
problem Of TRANSATLANTIC paSsen-
ger flying.
Little Use in War
There still remains to be dis
posed Of the fear on the part Of
many American officials that it
would be unwise or unsafe to
lease, lend or sell helium to a
nation which is building heavy
ornaments and putting up a
warlike front. In answer to this.
one Of the Governments aviation
officials said today:
"There Is not much military
use for . helium filled Yep type
Of ship of the air. There will be
thousands Of the other sort to
one or two of the big balloon
type. The lighter than air craft
would be stqng to death by .
swarm Of airpIaneS. think the
Yep Is done rs . warcraft."
Meantime, the American public
soon may hear about the building
Of one or more huge clipper type
airplaneS; these are flying boats
weighing leo tons and are foul
times the size and capacity Of the
China clippers which have been
flying the Pacific for several
months. It is understood there
are six of these 100.ton heavier
than air flying boats ready to be
built at q cost Of a million dollars
apiece. Builders and operators OF
these boats are intensely interested
in the Maritime Commissions at.
titude toward substituting transat.
lantic airlineS.