Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1958-05-23
Sky Troqedy

When may we expect &C
ton to be taken to end these
massacres in the sky? Was 1t
not sufficient reason when an
Air Force jet rammed into a
transcontinental airliner over
Nevada on April 81, killing
40 persons, when the day
was clear and perfect flying
conditions prevailed? Must
we wait for another disaster
such as the one in Maryland
last Tuesday?
Military aircraft should be
forbidden to fly in or across
civilian air lanesl
Is it not time for a COM
plete coordination between
the various Government
agencies controlling military
and civilian flying? A single
agency with complete juris-
diction over all planes is an
imperative need at present.
Jet pilots confess they do
not see the civilian aircraft.
Why are they permitted to
enter the civilian airways?
The Capital plane was on
course and at a proper alti-
tude.
Instead Of enquiries" I
implore Congress to do some
thing. We spend billions to
reach the moon, let's do
something realistic about a
happy landing in the u. s. A.
Mrs. Arthur o. Woodbridge.
= \ 4
A cloudless sky Is like a
clear highway on a beauti-
full day-neither keeps the
reflexes tuned. The sun plays
tricks and the result is that
some of our worst auto and
air accidents have occurred
on cloudless days.
I have a solution for this
problem which would re-
quire the sanction Of the
CAA:
Require all passenger car
rying airliners to install a
vapor- producing chemical
tank, feeding chemicals out
the tail end of the ship
through a small nozzle. The
resultant vapor trail, much
like the trail a jet leaves in
high altitude. would mark
the wake Of the liner. Any
one flying in the clear sky
would have his attention
automatically drawn to this
white pencil line against a
blue background.
An outfit like this costs
little to install and operate.
but I do believe it would save
lives.
Martin Buxbaum.
4 4 II
So far this year, Americas
airlines have killed 100 peo-
pie in collisions. On June 80,
1856, 1913 died in a collision
of two airliners over Grand
Canyon. On August IL, 1855,
two planes carrying United
States troops collided over
Germany and killed Sc Air
Force personnel. Between De-
cember Is, 1851, and Feb
ruary II, 1852. 1927 persons
have been killed or reported
lost by United States airlines.
Since 1850, only 1874 per-
sons have been killed in ma
jor railroad accidents. The
worst railroad accident since
1850 killed IS people in 1851
in New Jersey. Since then,
the railroads have had no
major tragedies. In 1856
alone, only 81 people were
killed in railroad accidents,
while 143 were killed by
United States airlines. Per
100 million passenger miles,
the airlines killed so people
while the railroads killed
only 20. Buses killed 80 peo-
pie in 1856 at the rate of .l6
per 100 million passenger
miles.
The point I am trying to
get to is very simple. The
railroads have the best safety
record since 1850, as COM
pared to other modes of
transportation, including the
private automobile. If the
Americans want to keep the
death rate of the United
States down. why don't they
help support and patronize
Americas railroads? It's the
safest mode of transportation
we have today in the United
States and it will be the safest
for years to come.
Victor Fetter.