Evening star., 1943-08-17
United Air Lines
New RouteLinks
D. {. and Coast
Mrs. Jimmy DooIittIe
Christens First PIone
To Make Trip Here

A new air link between WASH
ington and Chicago, Toledo and the
Pacific Coast was in operation today
following Inauguration of the service
by the United Air Lines yesterday
and the christening Of the first plane
to make the trip here-the City
of Washington, D. C.
Before crowd Of several hundred
persons, including various officials,
Mrs. Jimmy Doolittle, wife Of the
Army Air Forces major general,
christened the ship at National Air
port by placing sticker in the form
OF an American flag over a drawing
Of the Capitol painted lon the ships
silver nose.
The City Of Washington, D. c.,
arrived at the field with Capt. E.
Hamilton Lee, veteran airline pilot,
at the controls. He reported the trip
from Chicago was made in 3
hours and II minutes. Capt. Lee
new in the first airmail service
inaugurated Is years ago at the
College Park (Md.) Airport.
Ar TTamc Cited.
l.. Welch Pogue, chairman of the
Civil Aeronautics Board. told the
assembly that since 1899 Washington
has produced more air passenger
traffic than any other city in the
country, excepting New York and
Chicago. There is every reason
to believe that 1t will continue to
maintain that hign rank as a traffic
producing country" he declared.
Commissioner Guy Mason. who
served as master of ceremonies, as
serted that people of Washington
are conscious "of our city's i'm
portance in events today, and there
fore believe that this new airline
service to our city is important to
the whole country"
Just prior to the christening,
Mrs. Doolittle spoke briefly. declar-
ing that ''aviation's greatest role
must be in peace" Today, the big
gest job is to finish up the war and
get aviation back on a peacetime
basis, she said.
Two Departures Daily.
Other speakers included Civil
Aeronautics Administrator Charles
I. Stanton, William A. M. Burden
special assistant to the Secretary
OF Commerce in charge Of air:
G. C. Thompson, vice president of
the United Air Lines. and Steward
ess Loretta Nazar, first accredited
War bond salesman of the airways,
She reported sales Of nearly $50, ,0O0
on the liners trip here from Chi
cago.
Passengers on the first fight in
cluded Mayor Lloyd Roulet of To-
ledo: c. E. Swartzbaugh, president
of the Toledo Chamber of Com
merce: Harold Boechenstein, a War
Production Board official, and Col.
Chang T. Chem of the Chinese Air
Force,
I Flags Of the States through which
the line will fly to Washington were
presented to Col. Edwin A. Halsey,
secretary OF the Senate. A recep-
ton for Capt. Lee was held later at
the Statler Hotel.
Earlier Fu&nt Recalled.
In an interview at the hotel. Capt
Lee recalled the first time he flew
mail from Washington to New York.
1t was in an open cockpit plane with
few instruments. He first became
interested in planes in 1911 when he
heard man remark that the new
tangled airships think they can 70
faster than BIRDS" Two years later,
A. T. Heine of the Curtis Flying
School gave him his first ride.
During the last war Capt. Lee was
a flying instructor in the Army Air
Corps. After the Arrnistice he de-
cided to fly the mail although his
fellow-instructors told him he would
not live long
Capt. Lee survived, however, and
today his 28-year-old son is a pilot
on the same line. Father ard son
have flown as co-pilots.
United Air Lines will operate two
daily round-trip flights between
here and the West Coast, with de-
partures at S pm. and 7 pm. and
arrivals at 2:22 pm. and 4:37 pm.