ANGEL OF PEACE

Waikato Times, Volume 128, Issue 21364, 7 March 1941, Page 6

ANGEL OF PEACE

FUTURE OF AVIATION BARRIERS ANNIHILATED TERRIFIC EXPANSION (United Press Assn.—Elec. Tel. Copyright) (Received March 7. 3.15 p.m.) NEW YORK, March 6 Captain Rickenbacker is steadily recovering from the critical injuries which he received when a plane crashed at Atlanta last week. In a notable article in the aviation number of Fortune, he states: “Hitherto the commercial air transport industry has seemed the final word in the United States aviation, both in magnitude and efficiency, but in the ‘forcing house of war’ the industry is expanding at such a terrific rate that all previous conceptions of air operations have been dwarfed and outmoded. “Even now United States bombers destined for Britain are secretly spanning the Atlantic on schedules making the formerly dazzling performance of PanAmerican Airways seem tentative and trifling. “We are building up a fleet of long-range cargo and troop carriers many times the size of the combined United States transport fleets. The whole technique of flight operations has been rapidly pushed up.” Post-War Surplus Captain Rickenbacker predicts that the post-war surplus of planes will be used to carry all first-class mail, utilising 10,000 transport aircraft compared with 300 at present, and 80,000 pilots compared with 2000 now. Captain Rickenbacker’s dreams bring together all the people’s of the earth by aviation to ensure peace, by annihilating racial, geographic and economic barriers. “Instead of being the deadliest weapon that man has ever invented the aeroplane should be an angel of peace,” he said.