The Waterbury Democrat., 1939-04-06
Zigzag Airmail Pickup Service
 Scheduled to Start Early In May
West Virginia, Pennsylvania,
 Ohio on Route
BY BRUCE CATION Democrat Washington
 Correspondent


 Washington, April 6.-Take the old stunt by which a ffying airplane picks up bag of mail without com ing to the ground, add it to new sort of schedule which sends mail plane wandering all over the map on Q weird zigZag rod:e-and you get a new sort of airmail service which may have far-reaching effects on the aviation business.
 This service will be tried on May 12, when All American Aviation, Inc begins operations in Pennsylvania and West Virginia under a years experimental contract with the Postoffice Department.
 Basically, the idea is to give air. mail service to cities which are too small to support regularly sched- uled landing = which, in some cases may not even have adequate landing fields.
 IRREGULAR
 CIRCUIT
 The best way to describe 1t is to take 8 sample route of the new service = the route between Pitts burgh and Philadelphia.
 A morning plane will take of from Pittsburgh and head due north It will get steadily farther away from it's destination, Philadelphia, until it gets to the town of Corry, up near the extreme southwest cor- ner of New York state.
 Then it will wander back almost to the Maryland line in long zig gag. Not until it is over Chambers burg will it straighten out and head more or less directly, for Philadel- phia.
 On its route, 1t will pass over 25 cities and towns, which range in size from Mt. Union, with 4,800 inhabi- tants, up to Altoona. which has 3D. 900. It won't stop at these places but 1t will deliver and pick up mail
 At each airport there will be two upright posts, 25 feet high and 40 feet apart. A light, strong rope will be extended between them, fastened to the tops of the posts by twine: its lower ends will be joined together on the ground, and will be fasten- ed to a fabric -and-fiber container, two or three feet long by perhaps a foot in diameter. The city's out going mail will be in that container HOOKING THE
 MAIL
 When the plane approaches, an operator in the cabin will let down a line. At the 65-foot length, this lire carries a four-pronged grap- bling iron. The line extends some 30 feet beyond this iron, and at its end there is another container, this ono holding the mail destined for the city.
 The plane swoops low, to drag the rope across the line which is at- tached to the two uprights. When the container at the end of the air. planes dragline hits the ground, ar automatic device cuts 1t loose. {. A moment later the grappline iron grabs the line which is tied be- tween the two posts. The twins which makes that line fast breaks and the operator reels in his line bringing up the container of outgo- ing mail.
 It all takes about minute, and the plane never touches the ground
 This description is somewhat over simplified. In actual prac- tice, the plane probably won't fly nonstop to Philadelphia. It will either come down halfway there to refuel, or will turn around and go back, meeting a plane sent out from Philadelphia.
 IDEAS
 POSSIBILITIES
 In addition to the Philadelphia. Pittsburgh run, there will be an other run from Pittsburgh tc Charleston and Huntington, w. Va. looping back via such Ohio towns as Gallipolis and Marietta. Three oi four Stinson Reliant cabined planes will be used, each manned by two men-a pilot, and a man to operate the drag ilne.
 Charles P. Graddick, superintend- ent of air mail service, is enthusi- astic about the venture. He says il will be tried for year.
 After that, the Postoffice Depart ment will report on the results to Congress, and if 1t is the success it is expected to be extensions will be sought.
 The idea has far-reaching possi- bilities. First of all, of course, 1t points the way to a vast extension of the airmail service. If it works on these routes. the way is open for many other towns to get simi- lar service.
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