ARKANSAS FARMER FLIES TO MARKET

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 3, Issue 287, 26 March 1941, Page 7

ARKANSAS FARMER FLIES TO MARKET

Caddo Gap, Ark.—When Parks Shields of the Hopper community wants to market a basket of cggs<

can of cream, or other products from

liis garden and farm, he doesn't straddle a mule or cnink the family flivver as his neighbours do. He merely goes to liis private airpiane hanger back of the bam, swings open the doors, steps on the starter of his small plane, taxics across the meadow, and within less than seconds is in Hot Springs 40 miles, away. Time was when travel from the Hopper community was exceedingly slow. It took two or three days for the older member of the Shields family to make the round trip in -i linchpin wagon. But now the rough topography of the Ouachita hills is no barrier. Wings have replaced wheels and even Little Rock is only an hour aw 7 ay. Park Shields is a young air-mind-ed farmer of the hill country. His boyhood ambition was to oAvn and fly his own plane. He took flying lessons at the air field in Hot Springs and obtained a pilot's license. Then he obtained a plane. For his private use and built a shed hangar and landing field on his farm. He visits local fairs and picnics in the surrounding country and adds substantially to his farm income. Neighbours vide for a look nt their hill farms from the air. Wings have conquered the Ouachitas.