Evening star., 1938-08-14
By joseph S. EdgerfOn.


- glare attending such spec
tacles as the flights of Howard
- Hughes around the world and
Douglas Corrigan in his Atlantic fly
ing jallopy the international air
transport systems of four great ma
tions are moving rapidly toward
establishment of regular scheduled
service across the Atlantic.
Farthest advanced is this country's
Pan-American Always. which has
completed its schedule of training and
survey flights. establishment of bases.
installation of radio and weather aids
and assignment Of personnel and now
Is awaiting only the completion of
engineering and flight trials and de-
livery of six giant horsepower,
74-passenger super clipper" flying
boats, now completed or under con-
struction.
Great Britain and Germany are in
the midst of their second summer
of survey flights across the North
Atlantic. Both are handicapped by
lack of flying equipment of sizes
judged to be economical for trans
oceanic ranges, though England, with
50000-pound improved Empire" type
flying boats. is ready for preliminary
service. France has planned series
OF six. possibly more, experimental and
survey flights from Bordeaux to. Port
Washington, N. Y, this summer.
With typical thoroughgoing atten-
ton to detail, american AirWays
has extended the period of trials of
the first of the giant new Boeing flying
boats in order to work out number
Of minor improvements in design and
engineering. although the extension
has necessitated postponement of in
auguration of ocean service beyond the
tentative date of August /.
WHILE Great Britain announced a
series of Is experimental flights
across the North Atlantic, beginning
with the crossing Of the pack"
plane. Mercury. July 20-2l. officials
of Pan-American Always. with long,
rich experience in ocean flying across
the Caribbean and Pacific behind
them. announced that they have
scheduled no further training flights.
Pan-American Airways began its de-
ve!opment program on the Atlantic in
1881, and had already accomplished a
bulk of the preliminary research work
upon which the European companies
now are engaged before the American
experimental flights on the Atlantic
routes were begun last year.
In addition to five meteorological
expeditions sent to study sources of
Atlantic weather in Greenland and
Iceland ana in the Azores region. the
first survey flight across the North
Atlantic was made for Pan-American
late in 1882 by Col. Charles A. Lind
bergh. technical adviser to the airline
Accompanied by Mrs Lindbergh. the
aviator scientist made thorough
flight study of the Atlantic border
areas practically from the Arctic
Circle to the Equator, across and on
both sides of the ocean. The results of
this survey we're used in planning the
flight and technical training of per-
sonnel anG the development Of the
specialized radio, weather and en-
eineering facilities which are the basis
for Pan-American's air transport rec
ord over the ocean routes of the Carib-
bean and Pacific and during its At
lantic trials of last year.
C1X transatlantic flights were made
last Year by the Pan-American
Clipper. covering both the route via
Newfoundland and Ireland to Eng
land and, the route by way Of Bermuda
and the Azores to Southern Europe
and thu Mediterranean. These flights
completed the field research program
initiated seven years ago.
All of the survey and experimental
flights of the three European national
aiilines will depend upon the aid of
the radio and weather services of the
Pan-Amerlcan Airways system. All
three will Use the temporary American
transatlantic service base at Port
Washington, Long Island, as their
terminal this summer. This co-opera-
ton is the result of agreements be-
tween the American company and the
air transport systems Of Great Britain,
France, Germany and other European
countries relating to the sharing OF
technical facilities. all of which, so far
have been privately installed.
Pan-American Airways, the first in
ternational air transport system to un-
dertake extended transport operations
over the open sea. has accumulated
some 100000 miles Of over-ocean
operating experience. OF this total
100000 miles has been flown along
the 9000-mile route across the Pacific
from San Francisco to Hawaii, the
Philippines and China.
Pan-American now has available Il
complete ocean-f1ight crews, including
ocean-fight captains, pilot officers
flight engineers. navigetors and radio
officers, each with more than 100000
miles of actual over-ocean transport
flying to his credit.
A IRWAYS personnel especially
trained for ocean transport op-
erations, is being moved gradually to
the Atlantic stations as radio. weather
and technical facilities at the ocean
bases near completion in anticipation
of the early Inauguration of scheduled
transport service.
Preliminary water and air tests OF
the first of the fleet of six "superclip.
pers," largest transport aircraft in the
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