Show e 18 Conference Irons Ir ns Out rz a World Air Problems r 1 If Future of Commercial Flying Depends on i L Freedom of Air Pacts Allowing Planes c To Fly and Land Anywhere L B By y News Analyst and Commentator 3 c has ha made a study o of that highly important question Freedom o of the Air The air transport command with the help of the tie American aviation industry indus indus- try has built up the greatest international aerial communication system in history military and civilian Chilian experts alike admit that this thi tremendous system that links the globe from Arctic to Antarctic and around the world is the result of the know how imagination energy and which hate have made this nation what it is toda today t How flow shall the arts of wartime communication be woven into the expansion of o American trade development in the peace to come sets forth some of o othe the leading military and civilian at aviation opinions in this series serie of o two articles appearing as CIO United Nations Council on International Organization opens in San Francisco Some time after V-Day V when the forces of the occupation are wIthdrawn withdrawn withdrawn with wIth- drawn and the world once more settles settles set set- tics back to peace the greatest international international international in in- air transport system which was ever built will largely cease to be That s system stem the Air Transport Command of the U. U S. S army crosses criss-crosses the western hemisphere from Nome in Alaska to toRio toRio Rio de Janeiro from Iceland to Panama City It stretches eastward across the Atlantic laces Europe and Africa reaches India and then 1 swings around the globe by way of Australia through Honolulu to the Pacific coast Over the ATC's more than a hundred hundred hundred hun hun- dred and fifty landing fields the I American flag now flies Big planes travel the routes at the rate of 51 million miles a month which is equal to 70 trips around the world at the equator every 24 hours From the flagpoles on most of those bases the Stars and Stripes will be lowered after the world has returned to peace And strange as asit asit asit it may seem the thing that worries the friends of commercial aviation mos moss mos is s not so 0 much whether Old Glory flies free tree over those bases as whether the air over them and the rest of the world is free to the extent that American planes will have bave access to those and other bases over the globe We have achieved freedom of the thet seas Why cant can't we have freedom t o of the air too l' l I I carried that question right into the Pentagon building to the office of one of the officers whose job includes worrying over that important important important im im- question He is William Mitchell lieutenant colonel United States army air nir force assistant executive executive executive ex ex- ex- ex to the assistant secretary of war for air This was his answer Colonel Mitchell made it clear that he be was expressing his personal views and was not speaking for the war department but he stated that his opinions were shared by many other members of the air staff stam Conflicts over artificial barriers on intercourse by sea he said used to be a fertile breeding ground h for wars But for years vessels i hi of any nation have been able to travel travel trav- trav I tel el the oceans in peacetime without international supervision and as a result this source of international conflict has disappeared I If It he had stopped there I 1 might have left his office feeling quite re re- assured But that was only the be be- ginning Each Country Rules The The Airways Above It The analogy between freedom of the sea and freedom of the air it seems is an attractive one but it wont won't hold water An airplane does not merely r touch the coast of a country the or colonel explained it may penetrate into the remotest interior Accordingly Accordingly Ac Ac- Ii cordingly it has bec become me fairly well established that a nation has jurisdiction juris juris- I I diction over the airspace above its N land to the same extent that it has jurisdiction over the land itself The result is that in the absence of agreement between countries no plane may cross a foreign border Ip The air is not free it is closed American ambition doesn't like to tobe tobe be fenced in and already we have mapped a pattern of air routes wed we'd like to establish when peace comes Those routes will encircle the globe Our own civil aeronautics board is in the process of holding hearings to determine which carriers will be certified to fly these routes But the certificates issued says Colonel Mitchell will be mere scraps of paper unless other countries countries countries coun coun- tries consent to operations by United United United Unit Unit- ed States carriers Arrival at such common consent Is in the making today and has been i greatly advanced since the state de- de deI I called the conference In Chicago last November Representatives Representatives Represent Represent- Representatives of 52 countries met At the thelast thelast thelast last minute the Soviet Union dropped out but certain basic agreements agreements agree agree- agreements ments were reached This conference conference conference confer confer- ence Colonel Mitchell calls the civil civil civil il air part of the peace settlement because it provided in the main convention which was prepared a proposed international organization which might with respect to air matters within its competence di directly directly directly di- di affecting world security enter enter enter en en- ter into appropriate agreements with any general organization tion set up by the nations to preserve peace Colonel Mitchell believes that the degree or lack of It to which the world can be linked by aviation will willbe willbe willbe be an important element in determining determining determining deter deter- mining whether the nations of the I world can be brought together In peaceful understanding Preliminary Agreements Made at Chicago Meeting Now what did the Chicago conference conference conference confer confer- ence achieve After considerable discussion In which there were sharp differences of opinion the conference prepared two multilateral agreements on commercial operations which were separate from the main convention and which any country was free to sign if it wished They are concerned concerned concerned con con- with the five freedoms of the air which will be taken up In n detail in a later article They are 1 the right to fly over a country 2 the right to land for traffic non-traffic purposes 3 the right to disembark passengers mail and freight from the country of ot origin of the aircraft 4 the right to embark traffic for forthe forthe forthe the c country of origin and 5 the right to do business along the way wayt Because all of the countries were not prepared to accept all the freedoms freedoms freedoms free free- doms a choice was provided One agreement offered between the signatory signatory signatory sig sig- countries merely the first two freedoms That is right to fly flyover flyover flyover over the country and the right of traffic non-traffic stop which means permission permission per per- permission mission to stop at an airport for refuelling and such purposes The other grants all five freedoms but the fifth could be denied by any country on proper notice to other contracting countries At the time this is written the Two Freedoms agreement has been signed but not definitely accepted accepted accepted ac ac- ac- ac by 34 countries accepted by four tour including the United States Canada the Netherlands and Norway Norway Norway Nor Nor- way The Five Freedoms agreement has been signed but not definitely accepted by 22 countries definitely accepted by two including the Netherlands Netherlands Neth Neth- Netherlands erlands without the filth fifth treed freedom om and the United States The main work of the conference was the writing of a convention on International Civil Aviation and nd Interim Interim Interim In In- Agreement which will set up an international organization The conference also recommended a amodel amodel amodel model form of agreement on com corn commercial commercial mercial services to be used in bi bilateral bilateral bilateral bi- bi lateral negotiations The work of the Chicago conference conference conference confer confer- ence said Colonel Mitchell Is merely a blueprint for further ac ac- ac- ac A start has been made but like Dumbarton Oaks much remains to be done Further details of some of the problems involved and the attitudes revealed in negotiations so far will willbe willbe willbe be set forth in a second article appearing appearing appearing ap ap- ap- ap next week Australia's s 's famous Empire Air Training Scheme which provided airmen for Britain has ended Ten thousand trained were promised provided Of them more than have been killed 2000 are missing 1000 are prison prIson- ers ors |