WINGS FOR TRANSPOETATION — WRIGHT 567 



small relative net cost to the taxpayers of 10 million dollars. The 

 operation had been dangerous and had resulted in many fatalities, 

 as must all pioneering efforts, but the fatality rate decreased sharply 

 from its inception to the final flight at which time it was at least 

 10 times as safely conducted as at first. 



Having outlined the progress in carrying the mail which was the 

 first use to which the airplane was put in commerce, let us now 

 consider the progress in carrying passengers. As remarked above, 

 at first passenger-carrying did not strike the American public fancy 

 as the final role of air transport. This differed from the attitude in 

 Europe where passenger-carrying rather than mail-carrying seemed 

 to be the goal, and consequently where the start in air transportation 

 was made. However, there were a few lines in the United States, the 

 primary purpose of which was to carry passengers. These were 

 started in 1919 and operated between New York and Atlantic City; 

 Miami and Nassau ; Seattle and Victoria, and Key West and Havana. 

 It is noteworthy that they all used flying boats and that although 

 some useful service was given, they were not by any means suc- 

 cessful financially. 



In 1920, the Army Air Service again made a distinct contribution 

 when it inaugurated its model airways system. Capt. Burdette S. 

 Wright initially supervised the operation which lasted through the 

 next 6 years, involving a total of 336,000 miles of flying. Aside 

 from the contribution made in requirements of cross-country flying 

 for Army oflicers, a real lasting service was provided air transporta- 

 tion by spreading air-mindedness to hundreds of communities along 

 the airways. This resulted in a period of airport development of 

 great importance. 



The relationship between Government and private enterprise in 

 developing air transport was very unsatisfactory at this time. Rec- 

 ognizing this, a group known as the Morrow Board was appointed 

 by the President to investigate the situation. A very statesmanlike 

 report was made, resulting in the passage of the Air Commerce Act 

 on May 20, 1926, a date to be noted as an important landmark in 

 air transportation development in this country. An Assistant Sec- 

 retary of Commerce for Air was appointed and steps were taken for 

 regulating air transportation for the future. Then, in 1927, came 

 the solo trans-Atlantic flight of Colonel Lindbergh which set the 

 country aflame with enthusiasm for the air. Expansion followed 

 at once with such lines as National Air Transport, Transcontinental 

 Air Transport, the Aviation Corporation network (later American 

 Airways), United Aircraft and Transportation Corporation, and 

 Western Air Express, organized and started in oi^erations by 1929. 



Another development of far-reaching significance was the inaugu- 



