FLIGHT ATTEMPT CONDEMNED

Press, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22137, 6 July 1937, Page 9

FLIGHT ATTEMPT CONDEMNED

Official Attitude In America

HARMFUL EFFECT ON AIR SERVICE PLANS

(united ra«s3 association—copyright.)

(Received July 5, 10 p.m.) WASHINGTON, July 4. Aviation officials are scanning reports on the search for Miss Earhart with a growing determination to discourage such flights in future. Most officials are absent from the city on holiday. Those remaining refused to discuss what action may be taken, but it appears virtually certain that the Government will take a firmer stand.

Officials of the Department of Commerce have for long been cool towards what they term "stunt flights" over long stretches of water. For example, the refusal to sanction the Lindbergh trans-Atlantic air race to Paris was due to the fear that it would result in a tragedy which might be harmful to plans for the establishment of a regular trans-At-lantic service.

Miss Earhart came to Washington several times last month to discuss the question of official aid. She was given all the technical advice available, but no official encouragement. One of the things she sought, but failed to obtain, was the establishment of a post office at Howland Island. She appealed directly to the Postmaster-General, Mr J. A. Farley, who declined on the ground that it was not feasible. Miss Earhart wanted the post office in order to have the thousands of first-cover letters which she carried franked at Howland Island.

Issue of Permit Regretted

Officials said every possible .means of locating Miss Earhart would be utilised. The cost to the Government is expected to amount to many thousands of dollars.

A message from New York says several prominent pilots prepared a strongly-worded article condemning the flight before Miss Earhart's take-off, but were forced to suppress it. This attitude and argument were made plain last week, when the Bureau of Air Commerce included Miss Earhart's flight in the category of freak flights, and as dangerous and useless, and more likely to harm aviation than to help it. The bureau regretted it had issued Miss Earhart's permit. Aviation officials regard it as increasingly evident that the day of ocean-flight pioneering by individuals has passed. There was a time when such flights were needed to focus public attention on the feasibility of linking continents by air, but now the emphasis is strongly upon safe, efficient, and well-planned commercial and Government ventures.