Dusk to Dawn

Five years ago when he was buzzing about the U. S. making inter-city speed records, Frank Hawks predicted overnight transcontinental air service. Last week his prediction came true when Transcontinental & Western Air inaugurated dusk-to-dawn passenger & express service between New York and Los Angeles (2,609 mi.) with stops at Chicago, Kansas City and Albuquerque.

The big Douglas airliner City of Newark, one of a fleet of 41 soon to be completed for TWA, left Newark Airport at 5:24 p.m. The last pink tint had faded from the sky when she came down at Chicago. Spitting thin blue flames from her big Cyclone motors, she flew on under the stars across rolling prairies, battled screaming headwinds, sleet and dust storms between Kansas City and Albuquerque, had to land at Amarillo to refuel. Over the Painted Desert dawn came up behind her. At 7:13 a.m. she landed at Los Angeles. In 17 hr. 49 min. she had carried 14 passengers from the Atlantic to the Pacific at an average speed of 163 m.p.h.

First eastbound flight left Los Angeles at 4:06 p.m., reached Newark at 11:40 a.m. next day. Elapsed time: 15 hr. 34 min.

No airmail is carried on these overnight transcontinental trips because Transcontinental & Western Air has no mail franchise. Following Postmaster General Farley's wholesale cancellation of contracts last February, a new operating company, T. W. A., Inc., was formed to bid successfully for a new contract. This new company, using older and slower equipment, continues to operate a coast-to-coast mail & passenger service, while the old company, still intact as "The Lindbergh Line," enables passengers to beat the mail across the country by eight hours.

Scheduled flying time for the new service is 16 hours eastbound, 18 hours westbound, the difference being due to prevailing westerly winds. Rates are unchanged ($160 one way; $288 round trip). United Air Lines, with a competitive 18-20 hr. coast-to-coast service, hopes to inaugurate dusk-to-dawn schedules late this month after delivery of ten new Boeings.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.