Continued progress in civil aviation is most gratifying. Demands for
airplanes and motors have taxed both the industry and the licensing and
inspection service of the Department of Commerce to their capacity. While
the compulsory licensing provisions of the air commerce act apply only to
equipment and personnel engaged in interstate and foreign commerce, a
Federal license may be procured by anyone possessing the necessary
qualifications. State legislation, local airport regulations, and insurance
requirements make such a license practically indispensable. This results in
uniformity of regulation and increased safety in operation, which are
essential to aeronautical development. Over 17,000 young men and women have
now applied for Federal air pilot's licenses or permits. More than 80 per
cent of them applied during the past year.
Our national airway system exceeds 14,000 miles in length and has 7,500
miles lighted for night operations. Provision has been made for lighting
4,000 miles more during the current fiscal year and equipping an equal
mileage with radio facilities. Three-quarters of our people are now served
by these routes. With the rapid growth of air mail, express, and passenger
service, this new transportation medium is daily becoming a more important
factor in commerce. It is noteworthy that this development has taken place
without governmental subsidies. Commercial passenger flights operating on
schedule have reached 13,000 miles per day.
During the next fortnight this Nation will entertain the nations of the
world in a celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the first
successful airplane flight. The credit for this epoch-making achievement
belongs to a citizen of our own country, Orville Wright.