Public losing its air qualms, Dolan learns

Charles H. Dolan, Jr., aviation expert of the Inter-Island Steam Navigation Co., returned Tuesday from the pacific coast where he has been for the last month attending the national aeronautic exposition at Los Angeles and gathering information on aviation equipment from the manufacturers assembled there.

“;As an aviation enthusiast it was worth $15,000 to me to see what is going on in the aviation field,”; he said.

One of the outstanding observations that was impressed upon Dolan is that aviation has now reached the status of a recognized industry.

“;The exposition in Los Angeles is the first time to my knowledge that the manufacturers have gathered en masse to display their wares over the counter, argue the merits and advantages of competitive products and solicit business,”; the Inter-Island man said. “;It shows that at last the aviation business has become an industry.”;

He was besieged with questions concerning Hawaii and its potentialities for an inter-island air line, he said.

Two of the most interesting sidelights on Dolan's trip were trips made between San Francisco and Los Angeles by air, once over the route of the Western Express and the second time over the Maddux air lines.

“;Patronage of the present air lines reveals that the public is losing its qualms over air travel. En route to San Francisco from Los Angeles, I was astonished to see a 70-year-old lady, wrinkled and tottery, climb into the big Western Air Express plane, take a seat beside me and calmly open a newspaper and start to read it before we had even taken off.”;