"OLD FOGEY IDEAS ARE HOLDING BACK THE INEVITABLE"

PLANE CAN FLY NON-STOP FROM U.S. TO PARIS WITH TON OF EXPLOSIVES BUT ARMY WON'T O.K. TEST

Chicago, Illinois (JFK+50) On August 29, 1925, Associated Press reports that Colonel William Mitchell*, former head of the Army Air Service says "an American super airplane capable of a non-stop flight to Paris with a ton of explosives has been perfected, but Government permission to test it has been withheld."

Because of this, Col. Mitchell believes "old fogey** ideas are holding back the inevitable."

JFK+50 NOTE

Col. Mitchell advocated the Air Service be made into a separate organization from the Army & Navy.

*William "Billy" Mitchell (1879-1936) was born in Nice, France & played a major role in the creation of the US Air Force.  BM served in France during WWI.

**old fogey refers to a person who is excessively old-fashioned, conservative & unwilling to consider new ideas

SOURCE

"Plane Capable of Attacking Paris From U.S. Denied Test, Mitchell Says," The Evening Star, Washington, D.C., August 29, 1925, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

Col. William "Billy" Mitchell

1920s

USAF Photo

"WORLD'S GREATEST AERIAL TRANSPORT TRUNK LINE"

ARMY COMPLETING 1500 MILE MODEL AIRWAY

Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) On July 22, 1923, the United States Army air service "is engaged in drawing to completion the greatest and most extensive aerial transportation trunk line in the world--the model airway."

So reports Frederick R. Neely in his front-page article in today's Sunday Star.  He says that this development is "generally unknown except to those along the route or engaged in flying 'cross country'."

Mr. Neely writes that the ultimate success of this model airway "depends almost entirely on landing facilities, easily accessible and plentiful in numbers."

The main points of the airway in place at the time of the article include Mitchell Field, New York; Bolling Field, Washington; Langley Field, Hampton, Virginia; and McCook Field, Dayton, Ohio.

SOURCE

"1,500-Mile Model Airway Flight Reveals New Era in Aviation," by Frederick R. Neely, The Sunday Star, Washington, D.C., July 22, 1923, Chronicling America, Library of Congress, www.loc.gov/

 

 

DH16 Aircraft Transport & Travel

Croydon 1920

Flight 17, Oct 1952