Evening star., 1939-08-13
u. S. Aviation Wings to New
Heights Under C.A.A. Auspices
Safety, Confidence and Air.Mindedness Scars in
Year Since Authority Was Set
Up as Guardian
By Joseph S. Edeerfon.

AS other physical accomplishments of
the year, MIR. Hinckley cited the inaugu-
ration of the civil pilot training program
and the launching of the Washington
National Airport construction program.
Flying Taken to Students.
The Authority now is engaged in en-
rolling colleges, universities, teachers
colleges and junior colleges in its pro-
gram for the training of 10000 student
pilots during the coming school year.
Congress having appropriated 81 OOO 600
1or thls purpose in the third deficiency
DILL The training program will be based
largely upon methods worked out in con-
nectlon with the trial training of 800
students in 13 colleges and universities
during the final half of the past aca-
oemlc year with money allocated by
President Roosevelt from funds of the
National Youth Administration.
Across the river at Gravelly Point"
Chairman Hinckley said, "one-half the
hydraulic fill has been completed within
the last few days on the National Air
port, which will make the Nations Can
ltal the beneficiary of an air terminal
second to none in the world for beauty,
convenience and efficiency. Work has
proceeded so effectively and so rapidly
under the supervision of the Corps of
Engineers of the United States Army that
we can promise the Nation that this
splendid example of what air transport
can do for community will be available
at the Nations Capital for all to see and
10 use before another anniversary rolls
around.
These" he continued, "are the physi-
cal things that have been accomplished.
Congress, in the Civil Aeronautics Act of
1888, by deciding that economic safety
deserved place second only to physical
safety in the development of civil avia-
ton suitable for the foreign and domestic
commerce. the postal service and the
national defense, recognized for the first
time that this commodity air transpor-
tatlon, had become utility whose eco.
nomic soundness was of sufficient i'm
portance to the people as a whole to
warrant its regulation in a fashion long
IdulAudI WIFI puDuC UTILITIES.
Unexpectedly favorable progress can
be reported in this respect The existing
system of scheduled air mail carriers is
now legally public utility All of the
certlhcates under the so-called grand
father clause of the act have been issued
to the air mail carriers after the fullesL
investigation of the adequacy and eff
cheney OF the services they have rendered.
This has not been, as was perhaps antici-
pated, merely routine procedure.
Under the new decision affecting the
validity of administrative law, it was
necessary to make court-proof records in
all of these determinations A good re-
suit of that necessary step has been the
development of mass of information
on air line operation which will be in
valuable in the determination of cognate
actions, such as applications for new
services paralleling existing routes or
for new routes by existing or new car
riers.
Assures Fairness All Around.
THE development of this information
has also proved of great use and will
prove of further use in determining the
economy and efficiency of management
as factor in determining rates for the
carriage of mail fair to the Government,
the carrier and the public, as the au-
thority is required to do
The determination of these mail rate
cases and the hearing and determination
of applications for new routes is now
actively proceeding. Of the 16 air mail
rate cases filed, six have been decided
eight have been heard and are awaiting
decision one has been assigned for hear
ing and the other has been postponed
at the request of the company concerned
OF SO applications for new routes, one
has been decided, 10 are pending de-
cision after hearing and % have been
assigned for hearing.
"It thus may be said that for the
first time the relation of the Federal
Government to the common carriers of
the air is now upon single, unified,
rational basis as to safety, utility, fair
ness of postal payments and the fairness
of rates charged for the carriage of per-
sons and property other than mail"
Chairman Hinckley stated.
The work of the new Air Safety Board,
also created by the Civil Aeronautics Act
of last year, has been "of invaluable con-
sequence to the industry, to the Au-
thority and to all the public at large"
Mr.. Hinckley said.
Its prompt, independent and expert
analyses of accidents has already re-
suited in changes of construction in i'm
portant groups of aircraft, both public
and private, and in changes of practices
in the air and procedures on the ground
which have undoubtedly contributed to
the enormous increase in the safety
factor for both public and private flying.
evident in most recent statistics" he ex-
planned.
Safety Record Set.
During the year since President Roose-
welt nominated the members of the Au-
thority, the administrator and the Air
Safety Board there have been only three
fatal accidents on the airlines of the
United States. Only one pilot was killed.
There has been no other 12-month period
in airline history in whic honly one pilot
has lost his life. There is no other
l2-month period in the records so free
OF accidents, despite the fact that in
miles flown and in passengers carried the
past IL months has been the busiest