NATIONAL AERONAUTICAL ASSOCIATION HAS MANY OBJECTS

On October 14 there was incorporated, following a nation-wide aeronautical convention at Detroit, the National Aeronautical Association, an organization national in scope, aiming at the unification of aeronautical thought and the development of commercial aviation.

"The objects of this new aeronautical association," stated Professor Edward Pearson Warner '16 of the Department of Aeronautical Engineering in Massachusetts Institute of Technology, when interviewed by a CRIMSON reporter recently, "are, in brief, to maintain an agency capable of voicing a vigorous public opinion upon all matters of aviation; to awaken and educate the public mind to the possibilities of aviation; to supply an impartial medium through which the thought of all sections of the country may be collected and harmonized into a national expression of opinion; to encourage and promote the study and advancement of the science of aviation; to maintain an institution which will collect and disseminate general and technical data; to sanction and actively supervise under license of the Federation Aeronautique International all contests and other records involving aerial craft, and to approve all records.

"Practically these tasks fall into two classes: to supervise aerial sports and to foster the development of commercial aviation. In supervising meets and races, it is not the purpose of the Association to approve or countenance any such thing as wing-walking, plane changing, or other foolhardy circus tricks. Such exhibitions were condemned by the unanimous vote of the delegates.

Public Opinion on Commercial Flying

"More important than the control of sporting contests is the opportunity offered for public opinion to crystallize and be expressed with regard to commercial flying, which has not reached nearly the proportions in this country that it has in Europe. It is now possible to fly from Vienna to Paris between sunrise and sunset; a journey by rail of 32 hours."

Vivid Illustration of Value

As an illustration of the value of commercial aviation, Professor Warner related an interesting event which occurred at Detroit. For the purposes of the organization, it was necessary that the Association be incorporated in the state of Connecticut.

"It was resolved," Professor Warner said, "to have the Association incorporated if possible before the close of business Saturday noon, which was also the day set for the end of the convention. With this end in view, the gathering worked most of Thursday night to elect officers and get the charter signed. This we finally accomplished early Friday morning. Bearing the charter, Mr. Howard E. Coffin, the newly-elected President of the Association, drove to Packard Field. Following his telephoned request, an army plane from Selfridge Field was just landing as he arrived. The aviator saluted as Mr. Coffin approached.

"At your service, sir, he said, 'Where shall I go?' 'Hartford, Connecticut,' replied Mr. Coffin, handing the charter to the aviator. In five minutes the airplane was off, and the same night it landed in Hartford, and the document was placed in the hands of the state officials. This marked a saving not only of 24 hours over train time, but of a whole weekend, for, had the charter not arrived before Saturday noon, it could not have been acted upon until Monday morning.

Air Mail an Asset

"The air mail is proving an incalculable asset to the government. For the past two months every part of the entire route from New York to San Francisco has been covered every day, regardless of weather conditions. This represents 100 percent efficiency for that period, the normal efficiency rate through two years being at least 96 percent. There has been no fatality in the past year.

Starts Slowly in United States

"Commercial flying is slow to get started in this country because it has had no assistance from the government. We do not need a government subsidy, such as many European countries have. That is not being considered here. But it is essential, before commercial flying can render adequate service in this country, that the government assume control over aviation, and render assistance in so-called 'ground organization'. That is, it should lay out and mark air-ways, establish landing fields, and arrange lights to guide the aviator by night.

Impracticable for Private Concerns

"It is impracticable for private concerns to do these things. That would be like asking the White Star Line to furnish and maintain all the light-houses and other safety devices along the Atlantic seaboard.

"The government must also cope with the problem of incompetent pilots and improper and unsafe machines. By far the majority of accidents arise from one of these two causes. There must be a license system for flyers. We have a law to that effect in Massachusetts, and it is proving very effective in preventing accidents. Many states, however, still have no such regulations, and avoidable accidents will continue to occur until safety regulations are nation-wide. No one is more anxious to see the accident rate cut down than we who are intimately concerned with aviation as an industry.

"There is at present a bill before the House of Representatives, having passed the Senate, which provides for a Burea of Aeronautics and government regulation and encouragement of the industry. This bill, which is known as the Wadsworth-Hicks Bill, ought to be passed. The proposed Bureau will be of little expense to the government, and of inestimable value to the industry and the public.

"There are now only two active commercial routes, both over water, where marked airways are not so essential. One route is between Cleveland and Detroit, the other between Key West and Havana. Other water routes will undoubtedly be inaugurated next summer, one from New York to Newport and another in Chesapeake Bay being almost ready to commence operations. At the present time, efforts can be only on small scale.

"Our present task, therefore," declared Professor Warner in conclusion, 'is to show the public that the airplane is a safe and practical means of transportation. It is not a machine for a circus stunt--it's just a sane means of travel. It is up to the United States if they want more efficient and quicker transportation to get behind commercial aeronautics and its development."