Evening star., 1937-10-09
RF|RMS REVISE
EXTRA-PAY SCALE
Pilots to Get Awards for
Showing Good Judgment
in CanceIing Trips.


In an effort to withdraw any pos
sible incentive for air pilots to ny
in the face of dangerous weather and
to remove grounds for any possible
future charges of pilot pushing"
three of the Nations major airlines
on November l will put into effect a
new system of computing extra pay
for their pilots.
Under the new system pilots will
be paid extra for displaying good
Judgment in canceling flights under
dangerous weather conditions. In the
past they have been subjected to loss
Of flight pay for Cancelled or incom-
plete flights. Thus pilots will be re-
warded for refusing to subject them
selves and their passengers to undue
hazard as well as for flying a high
percentage of schedules when weather
conditions are safe.
The new system, initiated by United
Air Lines. also will be put into effect
BY American Arlines and Trans
continental Il Western Air.
Similar Procedure.
Somewhat similar procedure already
h followed by Eastern Air Lines,
which until lately was the only major
air transport operator which never
suffered a passenger fatality. East
ern's record was broken recently when
one Of its airliners, taking off at
night from the municipal airport at
Daytona Beach, Fla, crashed into an
electric power line pole which had
been put up that night without no
tice to the airline or operators Of the
field. The Commerce Department in
Its ofhcial report freed the airline
Of blame for the crash.
The new arrangement will put a
stop to existing procedure. which pro-
vides that more than half the salary
Of the air transport captain or first
pilot is dependent on the number Of
scheduled flights he completes.
This practice resulted in charges
OF pilot pushing" at the National
Air Transport Safety Conference held
here early this year by the Bureau Of
Air Commerce as result of a series
of disastrous crashes last Winter.
These charges were denied vigorously
by executives of the airlines and the
Air Transport Association.
The new method OF awarding extra
pay, worked out by w. A. Patterson,
president of United, and Maj. r. w.
Shorty" Schroeder, who resigned re-
Gently AS assistant director of air
commerce to become vice president
OF United in charge of operations, is
expected to guarantee to airline cap
tains during the bad weather a month
ly pay check approximating their
previous monthly income regardless
Of hours flown.
Seen Aid to Safety.
In explaining the new system Pat
Aerson said: The captains in our
fying personnel are paid for their
judgment not to start trip as well
AS to start one. Although the base
pay our pilots receive in addition to
flying pay is intended to compensate
the captain for trips he may miss
during q given period, our new pro-
cedure OF giving pilot personnel guar
Anteed compensation for seasonal
fluctuations in flying time Is, in our
opinion, increasing the margin Of
safety"
Another cooperative agreement by
the transcontinental airlines which
is expected further to increase safety
this Winter provides for termination
of speed wars" and a voluntary
reduction OF cruising speeds to a
point which will reduce strain on
engines and permit a more substan-
tial power plant reserve.
Reversing the practice Of trying
for more and more speed. the three
major lines will arbitrarily add an
hour to westward transcontinenta
schedules and q half hour to east
ward schedules, which are favored
bv prevailing winds