Transatlantic Troubles

While the squabble between Compagnie Generate Aeropostale (French) and New York Rio and Buenos Aires (U. S.) continued crackling up from South America last week (TIME, Feb. 17), ominous thunderclouds of air trouble rumbled on the transatlantic horizon. Diplomatic protests from the U. S. and Germany were being launched at the actions of France, who, by devious and somewhat obscure methods, was making a determined effort to get control of South American air lanes.

Since March 1, 1928, Aeropostale has run a combined plane and steamship line from France to South America. Last summer it learned that Portugal intended to subsidize airlines to her colonies:

From Lisbon to the Azores

" " " Madeira

" " " the Cape Verde Islands

" " " Portuguese Guinea

" " " Angola

" " " mozambique

(" " " Paris)

Aeropostale with another French company and Portuguese capital hurriedly organized Societa Portugueza de Estudos de Linas Aero-postaes (Spela), and without competition won the contract for these lines. With the contract go certain favors: Spela, and hence Aeropostale, now receives full and exclusive rights to fly from, over and to land planes on these Portuguese possessions.

Horta, port of the Island of Fayal in the Azores, can hardly be called a port, although it has a thriving farming and fishing population. Steamships send in loads of travelers by lighter, but ships of the air have found it a port of great value. Since May 1919, when the NC-4, U. S. flying boat, boomed proudly in from the first crossing of the Atlantic, many flyers have used it as a real or potential haven. The German ZR-3, now the Los Angeles, flew over it. The Graf Zeppelin flew over it. It forms an ideal hopping-off point for North America. Madeira and the Cape Verde Islands to the south, likewise form fine harbors for Europe to South America air traffic. Of 22 successful flights across the Atlantic, both north and south, one-half of them have either flown over or stopped at these groups of islands. Still farther south are the British Ascension and St. Helena islands, in a direct line towards Cape Town. Some day an air line may pass that way.

Many countries are interested in trans-atlantic air traffic. Germany's Luft Hansa, France's Aeropostale, England's Imperial Airways are counting on the use of these Portuguese Islands. In South America besides Aeropostale are the German Condor Line and the U. S. Pan-American and NYRBA lines, all of which anticipate linkage to Africa and Europe.

But the French, by establishing contract with the Portuguese for exclusive privileges, have put themselves in an admirable position to bargain with these other countries. Not for nothing will they relinquish to other air companies the use of these harbors.

Chief ray of hope 'for the U. S., whose airlines are still incubating the possibilities of trans-ocean air travel, remains in the Armstrong Seadromes (TIME, Oct. 28). The first is now being built to be anchored between New York and Bermuda. If it proves feasible the Atlantic will be bridged with them, and the necessity of using the Azores as a U. S.-Europe way-air-station, while convenient, will not be vital.*

*Because this map is a Mercator projection, wherein the meridians do not converge at the poles, there is sidewise distortion. Two places either north or south of the equator, seem farther apart, east and west, than they really are. Hence for example, the actual space between Buenos Aires and Cape Town is less than that indicated.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.