Evening star., 1939-05-28

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Puerto Rico. The following month serv-
ice opened between Miami and the
Panama Canal Zone. In the next month
line was opened between Brownsville,
Tex, and Mexico City. On May IT serv-
ice was extended down South Americas
west coast, and on June 2 from the
Canal Zone to Curacao. On September
line was opened from Mexico City
to Guatemala
The end of this year of feverish growth
Ola miles added to its original route
BY 1888 its route length of 30982 miles
was approximately equal to that of the
15-year-old domestic air transport sys-
tenn.
BY this time it was becoming apparent
that American air transportation had
mission extending beyond Latin Amer
lea alone. BY 1881 Great Britain, France
and Holland had pushed airways to In
dia, Indo-China and Batavia. They
planned to push on into Southeastern
Asia, bringing within a week of Europe
another market vital to our foreign trade,
from which we were separated by three
weeks of steamer travel.
Caribbean the Test Tube.
Pan-American. which in the meantime
had set up a system of airlines in Alaska,
formed a partnership with the Chinese
national government and began operat-
ing an outpost network in China Col
Lindbergh and his wife. flying around
the shores of the North Pacific, surveyed
route which some day may be followed.
1t became apparent. however. that if
Pan-American were to open service to
the Orient it would have to be done di-
rectly across the mightiest of the worlds
oceans. Here its Caribbean training
came to its aid for the Caribbean almost
from the beginning had developed into
an assignment for seagoing aircraft.
There Pan American literally created the
new art OF transoceanic air transport.
1t fostered the design and development
Of new type of flying boat to meet its
requirements and pushed that type pro-
gressively forward. Schools were set up
to train its airmen in seamanship and
the general handling of the new type
airliners New methods of maintenance
and inspection had to be developed; new
radio equipment must be developed and
employed. New methods of airplane
navigation by drift sights and celestial
observations were especially adapted to
airplane ocean flying and a long-range
direction finder was produced. Not least
of all, Pan-American established its own
network of radio weather stations
throughout the entire Latin American
area and began the study of maritime
weather as it affects flying operations.
Started Multiple Crews
BY 1882, when the first big four -engined
Sikorsky flying boat was delivered, Pam
American had put into effect the null
tiple crew plan now beginning to be
adopted universally for large aircraft.
tain, in command, an officer to help with
the flying and navigating, radio officer
and an engineer officer in charge of the
engines.
This completed the list of elements re-
Quired for ocean fying-reaily big ma
rine aircraft, the necessary knowledge
and experience. fully adequate system
Of navigation and trained, highly organ
lied crews fully able to bear the re-
sponsibilities and discharge the complex
duties of ocean flying.
When it came, in 1885, the establish
ment of the trans-Paciflc line represent
ed merely an extension Of the scope Of
the technique acquired in the Caribbean,
which for several years had included
the worlds longest unbroken commercial
over water route, 700-mile hop. The
trail-blazing airplane was larger than
those on the Caribbean runs and the
China Clipper and its sister flying boats
were even larger.
The four-man crew had become q
seven-man crew and the radio direction
finders were extended to range Of 1000
miles with undiminished accuracy. Bases
were built and colonies established on
Midway and Wake Islands and bases
were ready at Honolulu, Guam and Ma
Mia. Each man knew his duties and the
flight crews had been working out Pa
cific fight problems for months on the
basis of daily weather information from
the bases and other available points. The
Pacific service went into effect smoothly
and has been in operation more than
three years with one accident.
AL Of this background of effort'in the
Caribbean and the Pacific now has be-
come a priceless American asset as our
bid is made for dominance in the coming
struggle for leadership on the most i'm