The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-05-23

What the Air Corps chief refers
to Is not only the efficient man
ner in which U. s. airplanes are
being rushed to the far-flung
fighting fronts, but to the pio-
neering possibilities for future
peace. For out Of the tragic de-
struction Of war, out Of the tons
of steel sent daily to the oceans
bottom, out of the cities wrecked
and loves lost, will come a great
forward thrust for aviation a
network Of airlines spanning the
world like a spiderweb.
For today the Air Forces Air
Ferrying Command (AFAFC) Is
conducting operations on a larger
scale than all the civilian air.
lines Of the United States put to-
gether. And in a few months,
when present plans completed, Its
operations will be ten times larger
than all the civil airlines Of the
world before the war began.
Headquarters of this giant net
work Is a temporary wooden struc-
ture near the Lincoln Memorial,
with maps as big as a barn, hous-
ing the offices Of Brig. Gen. Har-
old l.. George, commander Of the
Ferrying Command.
1--WE are not only the arsenal"
General George will tell you on
the rare occasion when you can
get him alone for q moment;
I'VE are transport agent for the
world. We are picking up planes
In California and putting them
down q few days later in Libya,
Persia, India, Australia, Alaska,
Russia, Great Brltain-any place
you want to name.
''Our operations offices are
scattered from here to the end of
the earth. No airline was ever
conceived on such q scale. And
after the war-well! that's some
thing to think about"
$500 PLANES A MONTH
The principal job of the Ferry
ing Command is to pick UP air.
planes at the factories and fly
them to tactical units In the
United States, to U. 8. combat
forces abroad, or to allied coun-
tries under Lend-Lease. Accord
ing to figures disclosed by Speak
or Of the House Sam Rayburn, U.
s. factories are producing $500
planes a month. Except for the
small Navy quota and trainers,
the AFAFC handles them all.
A lesser job, but more publ
cized, Is the job Of flying ."bie
shots" around the world. When
Ambassador Winant and Admiral
Stark went to London last month,
the Ferrying Comamnd took them
across. When Bill Bullitt went to
Cairo and Syria last fall, the
AFAFC sent Lieut.. Ben Funk and
crew In a big bomber whcih, in
cidentally, Travelled $1,000 miles,
or 81 times around the world,
before It got back to the United
States. It delivered Bullitt, then
proceeded to the war areas, where
Funk carried Wavell from Java to
Rangoon and back, flew Brett from
Java to Australia and back, then
flew into the Philippines at night
to pick up some airplane tech
nicians (more than q proper
planeful Of theln) and flew them
out to Java.
Losses are not published, but
not for the reason that they are
high. On the most important
route - the route across he South
Atlantic and across Africa = only
three planes have been lost since
we got into the war Tor since the
operations began), and the crews
Of two were saved.
Incidentally, this Is the route
which supplies planes to four
foreign fields of combat. A bunch
Of pilots at the Florida airfield
some fine morning will start ask
ing each other about assignments.
@T'm going to Brert0A where
ere yen going"
"Calrc; xou' Saek'"
And 3 fourth declares his des-