Don't Be Sidetracked      Realizing that in order to profit by the aviation boom, a community must have facilities for attracting planes, cities thruout the country are rushing to construct municipal airports.      Kansas City is building an airport to cost $900,000, and Omaha is spending $41,000 for a like purpose. Both K.C. and Omaha are raising their funds by the floatation of bond issues. Other cities are taking similar steps to avoid being put on an airline sidetrack.      The larger cities already equipped with airports are either enlarging their present aero parks or are hastily constructing new ones. Eastern citires in particular are rusnhing to complete their airports as soon as possible in order to get on the trancontinental lines.      Many towns have had their growth handicapped by not being on the main railroad lines across the continent. Will these same cities grasp the present opportunity to become a main station on a trans-continental airl line or will they delay their progress again by disregarding the new transportation? *** Swamping MacCracken      The Department of Commerce now has on file about 2,100 applications for pilot's licenses, 2,000 applications for licenses as airplane machanics and 1,500 applications for inspection and registration of aircraft.      Thos figures have undoubtedly increased while this was being written. The Motor Age moved fast, the Air

Age will move even more swiftly *** Keeping Out Incompetents      The aeronautics branch of the department of commerce is now engaged in testing qualifications of hundreds of applicants for pilots licenses, weeding out those incompetents whose presence in the air is dangerous to themselves and others.      The aerial death toll does not yet threaten to approach the automobile slaughter figures but the government is making the air as safe as possible thru enforcement of air traffic regulations and the licensing of all flyers engaged in interstate commerce as well as others who want licenses.      Apparently the qualifications are not unduly stiff, for only one out of the first 100 applicants failed to pass. This flyer was practically blind in one eye and had no judgement of distance. *** Aid For Transportation Lines      The patron of aeronautics, Daniel Guggenheim, again adds a stimulus where most needed. From his fund will be loaned to existing passenger lines, cash for the purchase of modern planes of maximum safety and comfort.      Heretofore, lack of financial support has held back the development of this phase of aeronautics in the United States, while European operators have already taught a great percent of their countrymen its advantages.

 

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