Evening star., 1940-12-29
Commercial Aviation
Made Greatest Strides
In History in 1910
Many Routes Opened,
Pickup Service Started,
Pilot Training Launched
BY JOSEPH 8. EDGERToN.

Is nearing the close OF the greatest
year of expansion in its history.
Air transportation, airways con-
struction, airport building and pilot
training all participated in record
breaking developments.
Although 1t now faces threat OF
cUtailment of new equipment de-
hveries to meet national defense
requirements, commercial aviation
in the United States during 1910
has enjoyed the greatest year Of
growth in its brief history and its
officials have forecast even greater
gains next year. If they are not
stopped by restrictions.
The increased emphasis on air
travel during 1910, the Civil Aero
nautics Board reported in a year.
end summary, brought numerous
new routes and extensions to ex-
listing domestic routes and new for
eign and territorial routes in op-
Grafton. New routes have been in
augurated into Canada and Alaska,
through the Caribbean and Latin
America, down through the Pacific
to Australasia and to Europe.
Z. s. and Alaska Linked.
probably the most striking de-
velopments during the year in the
air transportation field were the
establishment of an air route con-
Meeting the United States with
Alaska-between Seattle and Jul
neau-and the Inauguration OF
scheduled operations to New Zea-
land-oetween San Francisco and
Auckland" the board announced.
AS OF the end of the year, sched-
uled carriers are flying an estimated
90 800 miles of routes, as compared
with 8o,loo miles at the end OF
1893.
The G. A. 3. reported that the
domestic carriers few an estimated
i08 8,254,000 revenue miles during
1910, an increase of about 81 per
cent, as compared with the preced-
ing years, and that revenue pas
senger miles increased 55 per cent,
to q new total OF l,054,393,000, Ex-
press pound miles increased rs per
cent.
An important development in the
airnail field during 1910 was the
approval of airmail pickup and de-
livery service, now being carried on
over five routes in New York, Penn
sylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and
West Virginia.
C. A. A. Reorganized.
In the field of Government con-
troll, the most important develop
rnent of the year was the reorgan-
ization of the Civil Aeronautics
Authority, on June 80. Activities
of an administrative nature were
transferred to an administrator of
Civil Aeronautics, tunctioning un-
der the Secretary of Commerce. The
Civil Aeronautics Administrator
and the Civil Aeronautics Board,
which operates independently, to-
gether form the Civil Aeronautics
Authority. The Air Safety Board
was abolished and its duties trans
ferred to the Civil Aeronautics
Board.
An outstanding achievement of
the year on the part of the Civil
Aeronautics Administration was the
large-scale establishment of the
Civilian Pilot Training Program, as
a result of which the number of
active airplane pilots already has
risen to record levels. BY the end
Of 1910, there are an estimated 65,-
900 active pilots in the Nation, an
increase Of more than 100 per cent
over the 3l,264 active pilots on jan
uary /. The number of certificated
aircraft Is 1900 a gain OF more than
80 per cent over the 1929 at the
beginning Of the year.
The administrator also has
launched a s40.o0o,00o airport con-
struction program as a contribu-
ton to national defense.
The G. P. T. P. already has fed
more than $500 trainees into the
Army and Navy air training centers.
An additional 677 have applied for
military aviation training but have
not yet been accepted.
Aircraft Construction Gains.
Despite the accent on warplane
construction, the building of civil
aircraft In the United States also
has been on the increase During
the first nine months of 1910, 4,543
civil aircraft were constructed, an
increase Of 1920 per cent over the
total of 3,7l5 built during the entire
preceding year. Estimates are that
1910 civil domestic production will
total more than $3.50 units.
At the end Of 1910 it was estimated
there were 1889 airports in the
United States, as compared with
1880 a year ago.
Locally, the Washington National
Airport project at Gravelly Point
is an outstanding Federal contri-
button to aviation progress. The
S12,500, 900 airport is scheduled to be
open for air line operation in the
spring Of l941.
Officials of Transcontinental e.
Western Air reported that the years
end finds air line executives con-
cerned over the problem Of handling
194l's anticipated increase in traffic
should the Government freeze air
line equipment in the name Of ma
tioral defense" Hope was expressed
that the present priorities order
might be relaxed.
Passenger traffic on the air lines
has broken sll-time records during
the past II months. The Air Trans
port Association of America reported
q 81 AZ per cent increase in passen-
ger volume during the first 10
months as compared with the same
period last year. A total of 2,0l3, ,208
revenue passengers were flown dur
ing this period for a total of $780,
525,l53 revenue passenger miles.
Extremely heavy fall and Christ
- -,