AERONAUTICS: Midlands Man

If cows could fly, Chicagoans would rejoice. Bovines could then be driven from the plains of Texas to the vast abattoirs of the Windy City in coveys, flocks, flights. If airplanes ever get big enough, even this may come to pass. . For the present, Chicagoans and Texans alike are content to rejoice that their lette. 3 back and forth about cows, and about oil, cotton, shipping and mail-order goods, are in transit a whole business day less than they used to be. Last week the National Air Transport Inc. inaugurated daily service with a fleet of airmail trucks between Chicago and Dallas, the Post Office Department’s third contract air route.

Stopping on the way down at Moline, Ill., St. Joseph, Mo., Kansas City, Wichita, Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, the first southbound plane reached Dallas short of twelve hours after its start at dawn—despite inaugural ceremonies at the stops. The first northbound plane bucked headwinds from Dallas up, but made connections with the air mail going east that night from Chicago.

The Curtiss planes used are of a new commercial type called “Carrier Pigeons.” The transport company is maintaining ten of them, each costing: $20,000. Specifications: 400-horse Liberty motor, 42-ft. wingspread, 28 ft. long, 12 ft. high, 3,500 Ib. weight, average speed 100 miles per hour. The heaviest load carried on the first day was 276½lb. of mail (about 10,000 letters). The first day’s total postage: $8,411.14. The post-office rates: 10¢ an ounce between Chicago and Dallas; 15¢ an ounce to points east of Chicago.