California Airplane Forest Patrol to Start July 1

Airplane patrol of the national forests of California, again made possible by a special appropriation by Congress, will start July l, dccording to report from the United States Forest Servici headquarters in San Francisco. Planes will be used this year only for reconnaissance of forested areas following heavy thunder and lightning storms and during periods of smoke and fog when the visibility from ground lookouts is poor; for aeriil survey of going fires, and for the emergency transportation of men and fire fighting supplies and equiphent to large conflagrations. No regular patrol oI the national forests, along given courses, will be maintained.

Planes of the Air Service, U. S. Army, used in former years by the Forest Service for patrol duty on the Pacific Coast, will no longer be available for this work, according to a decision of the War Department, which states that the Army is unable to again co-operate because of the shortage of planes.

Forest airplane patrol this season will be handled throughout Northern California by the Pacific Coast Air

Service Company of Oakland, and in Southern California by the Western Air Express of Los Angeles. These companies were the successful bidders for the work and will handle the patrol under Forest Service contract.

The Pacific Coast Air Service will operate from the Oakland Airport and has agreed to furnish the Forest Service with a Waterhouse-Romain two-passenger biplane, a Ryan two-passenger monoplane, and a Fairchild five-passenger monoplane for use as a reserve ship. The Western Air Express will operate a Douglas biplane, similar to the ships now used on the Los Angeles-Salt Lake air mail run, from Vail Field, Los Angeles.

For the safety of air patrol pilots and observers flying over forested areas where there are no regular landing fields, the Forest Service is improving and marking 35 emergency fields within the national forests of the state.

Airplane patrol for the national forests of Oregon; Washington, Western Montana and Northern Idaho will be contricted for by the Forest Service headquarters. at Portland, Ore., and Missoula, Mont., respectively.