FREAK FLIGHTS CONDEMNED BY OFFICIALS

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 143, 5 July 1937, Page 5

FREAK FLIGHTS CONDEMNED BY OFFICIALS

(Received 5, 8.45 a.m.) WASHINGTON (D.C.), July 4. Although the safety of Mrs. Earhart aud Cupt. Noonan is the chief concern at present, thero. is a strong feeling in Ameriea that the flight should not Lave been made, especially in aviatiou circles, both Government and commercial on- the grounds that it was needless and extremely unliltely to contribute anything to aviation science. Several prominent pilots had prepared a strongly worded' article condemning the flight pripr to the takeoff, but they were forced to suppress them. The Government ;s attitude to their argument has been made plain after several weeks when the Bureau of Air Commerce Exeeutive included Mrs, Earhart 's flight in the category of freak flights that are dangerous useless and more likely to cause harm to aviation than to help it and said that it regretted it had issued Mrs. Earhart 's perinit and would have banned it otherwise. Aviation officials regard it as being increasingly evident that the day of ocean flght pioneering by individuals has passed. There was a time when such a flight was needed to foeus public attentxon on the feasibility of linking continents, but now the emphasis is strongly upon safe, officient, wellplanned commercial and Government venturcs.