Market Place

Sixteen years ago Charles Coolidge Parlin, commercial researcher for Curtis Publishing Co., toured the U.S., studied the automobile industry. "Conservatively," accurately, he then forecast the mergers, used-car crises and heavy casualties among builders which soon after came to pass.

Last week appeared Mr. Parlin's analysis of the aviation industry, based on a six-month, 20,387-mi. flying survey of the land. "Conservatively" predicted Researcher Parlin:

In ten years, 250,000 privately owned planes will fly the U. S. airways; in 15 years, 1,000,000.

Air transport between neighboring major cities will approach "streetcar frequency."

A large proportion of U. S. businessmen will commute between offices and country homes in their own planes, piloted by flying chauffeurs.

Within ten years, ten companies, producing fewer than 20 makes of planes, will hold more than 90% of the total volume of business.

Aware of the Parlin vista, aware also that more wealth reposes in Manhattan than anywhere else in the U. S., the aviation industry last week arrayed itself as never before in the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce's first New York show.

On show were the most massive ships now plying the transport lines within the U. S. and to Central and South America. Assembled for the first time anywhere were a Fokker F-32, a Consolidated Commodore boat, a Ford 5-AT, a Curtiss Condor, a Savoia-Marchetti S-55 boat, a Sikorsky S-38 amphibian.

Surrounding these monsters, suspended above them and ranged about Madison Square Garden were 41 commercial, sport, training and fighting planes, five gliders, 15 types of engines. Total value of exhibits: $2,000,000.

Professional and lay interest alike centred upon the Diesel engine which is already well known by name to thousands who never looked upon an airplane motor.

Another to capitalize upon advance fame was the tiny Aeronca sometimes referred to as a powered glider, which, with its 2-cylinder 30 h. p. motor, had flown from Cincinnati to New York at $9.60 fuel cost (TIME, April 21). Other comparatively new features were likewise to be found among small craft: the Sikorsky S-39 four-passenger sport amphibian; the Eastman small flying yacht; the Whittelsey flying boat; three two-place craft. Huntington Governor, the Continental Sport, and the Engineer Aircraft Corp.'s The Engineer, the latter capable of storage with wings folded in a garage 20 x 11 ft.

Only one markedly radical design was shown: George Fernics "tandem" monoplane with its three-wheel landing gear. Of low-wing sport type, the plane has a small auxiliary wing mounted in the fore of the fuselage which, by stalling earlier than the main wing, reduces the chances of complete involuntary stalling and spinning. The third wheel, mounted beneath the nose, places the ship in constant flying position, also prevents nosing over.

Engines in the show ranged from the 30 h. p. Aeronca to the 1,800 h. p., 18-cylinder Isotta-Fraschini, largest single-unit aircraft power plant ever built.

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