Tomorrow's World 7 



summer commuting to and from the "place in the country." 

 Before the end of this decade it is more than likely that as 

 Igor I. Sikorsky, the designer of the helicopter bearing his 

 name, believes there will be more than one million helicop- 

 ters in everyday use in the United States. They are the "fliv- 

 vers" of tomorrow. 



The Change in Population Centers 



Every improvement in transportation in the past has had 

 profound effects upon the development of cities in this 

 country. The first cities were located at navigable harbors. 

 The steamboat made possible the growth of cities inland 

 along navigable rivers. The railroads opened the West, and 

 cities made their appearance on vacant prairies, up in the 

 mountain passes, and in the distant valleys of the South, West 

 and the North. The air transportation of tomorrow means 

 new changes. The trend toward decentralization that has 

 already commenced will be sharply accelerated by the cheap 

 air routes of the postwar era. There will be many more all- 

 year-round country homes used by city people who will com- 

 mute to work by air. New summer resorts will make their 

 appearance in Alaska and the upland regions of South Amer- 

 ica. Vacationing on other continents, however, is certain to 

 become a general practice among Americans in the future. 

 The large air-line companies are already working on plans for 

 three-cent-a-mile global air service. 



New Business Opportunities 



All of these changes will create the need of many new 

 agencies, services, and supply sources. Every airfield along a 

 regular transportation route will become the center for new 

 stores, shops, and office buildings that will be erected close 



