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HELICOPTER AIR SERVICE PROGRAM 387 The future transportation needs of the nation are readily apparent in the areas of urban transportation and in the short-haul and long-haul aspects of intercity transportation. For some time, there has been recognition of potential applications of vertical-lift aircraft to each of these US transportation needs. In his book, Straight Up, R.G. Hubler has described the potential usefulness of vertical-lift aircraft in our system of transportaion. "One measure of man's progress is the efficiency of his communications and transportation. Man's ability to move swiftly and at will has expanded his understanding of other people. Modern jet transports have conquered intercontinental distances, and future fixed-wing aircraft will decrease still further the time required to cross oceans and continents. The time, however, required for distant flights has become disproportionate to the total travel time from the center of the city of the departure point to the ultimate destination. It is not unusual to find a passenger's ground time to be equal to his flight time. "If the increasingly higher speeds of intercontinental aircraft are to be utilized to the fullest, it is a practical requirement that transportation time between cities and airports be reduced proportionately. "It is here that direct-lift aircraft, with their versatility and capability for vertical flight, have the potential to bridge the expanding gap in airport-to-city transportation. Technical advances in the development of rotary wing aircraft make it possible today for helicopters to operate from the very centers of our major cities. Thus, this type of aircraft will greatly reduce over-all flight time between the basic point of departure and final destination. "The phenomenal growth of the world's urban areas with their hundreds of thousands of cars literally thre ens to strangle surface transportation to suburban residential districts. Not only will helicopters help solve this increasingly complex problem of intra-urban transportation, but the faster high-capacity machines now on drawing boards will be utilized to provide efficient transportation between moderately distant cities. "....What is needed is a kit of transportation tools to take care of what might be called 'interior mass routes.'" There has been continuing recognition of the need for vertical-lift aircraft as an important tool in this "kit of transportation tools." The present Chairman of the Civil Aeronautics Board has expressed his vision and faith of the future of commercial helicopter service in these words: "Our three helicopter airlines are apparently making useful application of helicopter technology. A very significant contribution is being made and will continue in the immediate years ahead. I have made clear my faith in the future of the helicopter and its operation in commercial service. The helicopter industry has come far on the vision and faith of its pioneers. Progress cannot be gained without mistakes, and mistakes inevitably create critics and doubters. But, essentially the basis of a man's investment is his faith in himself and his fellow man. The people through their government have invested heavily in the manufacture and operation of V/STOL with the conviction that the investment is sound- I believe in it- and you can insure that it is so. The helicopter has promise of being a true gem of the future, one that can change the mode of our lives in the years ahead." II-5
