Show Night X JL JL JL Air Service Will ViII Be Regular til ar Post Office Department to Start It June 1 Washington D. D C. C Sunset C.-Sunset Sunset dawn to dawn mall mail service between New York and Chicago which is being projected by bythe bythe bythe the Post department to start by June 1 finds the postal service In hi an on anold anold old role that role that of sponsoring night com com- In the early da days s 's of the railway service servIce service ser ser- vice postal demands brought about night trains Trainmen were horrified that the postal officials should urge such a u risky thing as running trains at night Now ow the eight-cent eight stamp I demands night air service in order that I mall mail deposited In New York at the end of one day ma may o be In Chicago o at the beginning of another It ma may be that night air service In Inthe Inthe the time future will be as common as the night sleeping cars of today The Fast Night Mall Details of the first night air service placed In operation by the Post Office department from rom Chicago to r-he r Cheyenne enne Wyo Wo are described in the following communication to the National Geographic Geographic Geo Gee graphic society These methods of ot lighting and control are similar to the facilities which will be extended between between between be be- tween New York and Chicago Last July the time Post Office department began to carry mall over the entire route from coast to coast In planes In preparation for this project eight rela relay flights were made a year ago and letters bearing a San Francisco postmark of 0 6 a n. n m. m August 24 were canceled at the New York post office the following day It was durIn during these lights flights that the great white e airway along the night route from Chicago to Cheyenne was wal tested and night flying shown to be practical For this achievement the theair theaIr theair air mall service was awarded the Colher Collier Collier Col Col- lier her trophy for the second successive year The electrical engineer provided five stations with aerial beacons aptly I nicknamed midnight suns of the air airmail mail mall Each beacon Is a intensity high arc searchlight mounted on a foot 50 I tower and it revolves three times a aI I minute Set at an an angle le of one degree the candlepower power beam of each of these land lI lighthouses sweeps the sky sly Just above the horizon and has been sighted on clear nights at miles At miles where It is plainly plain plaIn- ly iy visible the diameter of its beam Is about two miles Special Paint Used At 31 34 emergency landing fields along the nl night ht airway large Jars guiding lights have huye been cen installed and there three are smaller light guides S every I miles making a continuous light lane over oyer the time mile route Numerous mechanical difficulties had to be solved before nl night ht flying was practicable Searchlights are affixed affixed af- af fixed to the wings wIng the glares of or the exhaust must be hidden from the pilots pilot's eyes ees and special paint point Is used on the propeller blades so they will I not reflect light In addition to the obvious commercial commercial commer commer- cial value of speeding up business letters It has been estimated by a n I bank I official and of course the tho amount is purely purel an estimate that has been saved sated in a single month on ou the interest on notes which otherwise would have been in mall mail sacks sucks for two business da days s 's between New York and Chicago |