AEROPLANES AS MAIL CARRIERS

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 91, 11 January 1919, Page 3

AEROPLANES AS MAIL CARRIERS

Washington, October 14—Otto M. £s?eger, Second Assistant PostmasterGeneral, has announced that the performance of the aerial mail service between New York and Washington has , been rated 100 per cent, for the month of September. One hundred flights were scheduled for the month, and all were completed,' despite the fact that September was particularly rainy and generally considered unfavourable for flying. On several occasions the mail pilots flew the entire distance through driving rainstorms. Friday, Septembor 13, was the most difficult day during tho period, and on this day ail the i.flying fields were so soaked with water ( that the mail-planes sank to their hubs lin the mud, both when starting and landing/ Lnst month was the first whole month during which the service was carried on by the -use of specially-built mailplanes. Previous military machines, were used, but now the mail is transported between the two cities in six.'planes, constructed to meet the airmail requirements. Three forced landings were made during tho month, and all resulted in only minor delays which had practically no 1 effect on the time required to make the flight. The distance covered during the month's service was slightly over 11,000 miles, and over 15,000 pounds of mail were carried.