The Washington times., 1938-03-25
World
of
Aviation
By BILL CAMP

with predictions Of Government
authorities that the House Inter
state and Foreign Commerce Com
mittee by next week would favor
ably report the bill introduced By
Representative Lea Cd Of Cali
fornia, putting aviation under the
protective wing of Government.
Public hearings on the bill prob
ably will be concluded this week,
shortly after testimony of Colonel
Edgar Gorrell, president of Ameri'
can Transport Association.
The airport situation in America
menaces the whole civil aviation
industry, according to Richard
Aldworth, superintendent of New
ark Airport, who testified this
week before the committee.
Aldworth, chairman Of the Fed.
eral Advisory Committee on Aero
nautics and prominent World
War figure, urged that the Fed
eral Government share the cost
of airport construction with
States and cities on the same basis
as building aids to highways.
X X
The United States has not given
official sanction to the shipment
of 19,800, 900 cubic feet OF helium
gas for imitation Of Germany's new
transoceanic Zeppelin, and may
not for some time to come.
Secretary OF Interior Harold
Ickes, upon whose shoulders lies
full responsibility for seeing to 1t
that Germany does not use the gas
for war purposes, has not satisfied
himself that Hitler will carry out
his pa:t OF the agreement. Engi-
neers say Germany's order will
thrice fill the new Zeppelin.
A contract calling for sale of the
gas to the German Zeppelin COM
pany mas not been signed, and
won't be until the President re-
turns from Georgia.
A German tanker today waits
in Houston port for shipments Of
the precious gas from wells near
Amarillo, Tex, to launch the sister
ship to the ili-fated Hindenburg,
which exploded and burned with a
loss of 36 lives at Lakehurst, N. j.,
last May 6.
The Senate Commerce Commit
tee today was considering recon-
mendations by the Maritime Com
mission that Federal subsidies be
granted to private aviation COM
panies TO develop and expand
tranSo2eanic routes.
The committee, headed by Sena-
tor Copeland CD of New York,
will call leaders in aviation, includ-
ing Clinton M. Hester, assistant
general counsel. Treasury Depart
ment; Fred Fagg, director of the
Bureau of Air Commerce; Lieut.
Col. Harold E. Hartney, technical
adviser of the Senate Air Safety
Committee, Thomas Knowles,
American Zeppelin Transport AS
sociation; John E. Slater, Export
Steamship Corporation; Col. E. S.
Gorrell, Air Transport Association;
Leighton w. Rogers, president,
Aeronautical Chamber OF Com
merce; Eddie Hamilton, Airline
Pilots Association, and Robert G.
Thach, counsel Of Pan-American
Anyways.
Three aviation companies, suing
for $3,110,556 growing out OF
cancellation of air mail contracts
by the Government, will be heard
by Commissioner Richard H.
AckerS, of the United States
Court OF Claims on April 10.
Air mail carriers involved are
Pacific Air Transport, Boeing Air
Transport and United Air Trans.
port companies.
Installation of a blind flying
school was announced today by
Brinckerhoff Flying Service, Inc,
which conducts an aviation school
at College Park Airport.
Twenty-Five D. c. residents have
enrolled in the new private flierS
ground school at College Park
Airport, to be instructed by George
M. Hannah, National Guard fly
ing instructor, in Bureau Of Air
Commerce regulations, naviga
tion, aircraft servicing and meteor
ology,
The school has just completed
installation of instruments and
radio equipment on a plane to be
used for the blind-flying course.
A new air service, linking Wash
ington and Norfolk, effective April
/, has been established by Penn
sylvania-C Central AirlineS.
WaShingtonianS, wishing to fly
to Virginia Beach, now can make
the trip in go minutes, a trir
which usually requires a full days
driving by auto.
, The Securities and Exchange
! Commission today was considering
the application of the Interocear
Dirigible Corporation for 1000, ,00(
shares of stock to finance con
struction Of the first dirigible EN-
ploying the Venturi-tube principle
The company estimates 81.
.765,000 a fair construction cos
OF the giant new interocear
dirigible. Work will begin on thu
new ship within 80 days at a sitI
near Richmond, Va, if the regis
tration of stock is approved.
Other costs estimated arr
S750,000 for an airship dock
1884 ATT for construction n