Evening star., 1939-08-01
Civil Air Body 'sChief
Tells OF First Years
Work on Radio Forum
Robert HinekIey Also
Discusses Progress
Of Civil Aviution

Of Civil Aviation
Robert H. Hinckley, chairman of
the Civil Aeronautics Authority, dis
cussed the first years work and
progress Of the G. A. A. last night in
the National Radio Forum, arranged
by The Star and broadcast over a
Nation wide network of the Ma
tional Broadcasting Co. The text of
his address follows:
With the organization of the Civil
Aeronautics Authority just year
ago, the relation of this Government
to civil aviation was set on a new
| footing. After a year of experience
we can take new look at aviation S
position. Scarcely more than an in
FAINT in years, much of its develop
ment' has been through years of un-
precedented depression. Yet the
record of its achievement would
have been fabulous even in the su-
premely prosperous l920s.
When the Government began to
publish records on civil air transpor-
tation 13 years ago, air transport
lines were operating on 5000 miles of
routes within the United States. To-
night they are serving over $4,000
miles of air routes within the United
States and over 47,0OO miles in
foreign countries and American
built airplanes under foreign owner
ship and pilotage fly on many
thousands of miles in addition. In a
dozen years the spread of American
operated air transport has increased
tenfold.
Like the clipper ships of hundred
years ago, the alrlines established by
American enterprise with Govern
ment encouragement and sponsor
ship range nearly from one Arctic
region to the other, cover both
oceans and touch upon a hundred
ports, both great and small. During
the few minutes in which I talk to
you tonight, American transport
planes will have travelled a distance
greater than that from Miami to
Seattle. The miles that they fly
daily and the passengers that they
carry almost double the combined
figures of the airlines of Great Brit
ain, France, Germany and Italy.
300 Pct. Increase.
In the whole year of 1926, our COM
mercial airlines carried no more peo-
pie than could be seated in many an
auditorium. During the IL months
just ended they carried more than
the population of Detroit or Los
Angeles. For every air traveller In
1926, there are 300 today.
More than 1000 prepared landing
places for aircraft spot the map Of
the United States, 1000 airplanes
use those airports and there are
$4,000 pilots to use the airplanes. In
the year since the Civil Aeronautics
Authority took office, passenger
travel by air has increased by a
third and the number of pilots Is
$500 more than it was a year ago.
All of these figures and illustra-
tions add up to single conclusion.
They dramatic the fact that, NOV
ing irresistibly ahead, American civil
aviation has multiplied itself many
times over, without check by eco
nomic disturbance. American civil
aviation has become big business.
In aviation's growth, 1t encount-
cred laws and regulations, and even
the development plans of cities that
had been drafted without considera-
ton of the needs of this fastest
growing youngster in the trans
portation family. Aviation's many
problems were parceled out piece
meal to whatever public agencies
seemed fitted to cope with them.
The Department of Agriculture
handled its weather reports, the
Department of Commerce it's air.
ports and airways problems, the
Post Offlce Department awarded
the contracts for carrying the mails,
the Interstate Commerce Commits
sion fixed the rates at which the
air lines would thereafter be paid
for mail service, and the Depart
ments of State, War, Navy, Treas
ury and other agencies of Gov
ernment all intervened to varying
degrees.
Ran Wild in the 30s.
The aviation business ran wild in
the early 193Os. In a frenzied
effort to get control of air routes,
transport companies made sui
cidal bids on airmail contracts
and engaged in so many types of
cut throat competition that by 1898,
over 80 per cent of the country's S
transport firms had failed. 1t was
said that more than half of all pri-
vate capital invested in American
air transport had been lost. The
situation is fairly expressed in the
report of committee of the House
Of Representatives early last year
That report said:
"The result of this chaotic situa-
ton has been to shake the faith of
the investing public in the financial
stability of the air carriers and to
prevent the flow of funds into the
industry"
The committee of Congress that !
have just quoted had been investi-
| eating proposal to create a new
Independent Federal agency, the
Civil Aeronautics Authority, de-
signed expressly to draw together at
one point all the governmental rela-