By William Mollenhour, Times-Union Aviation Editor
Modern airplanes and an excellent municipal airport are saving hundreds of dollars and countless man-hours for Warsaw manufacturers and business men. Dollars and cents savings and no loss in traveling time was perfectly demonstrated this week by 33-year-old Henry Foy, shown at the left of this picture, as he plans a 2,195-mile business flight with instructor Joe Carlin, manager of Warsaw's ultra modern municipal airport. (See photo below)
Foy's actual use of a light business aircraft is a remarkable case in point because he only started to fly on Aug. 12 of this year. He is a production engineer for Playtime Products, Inc., of Warsaw.
At the time Foy totaled 32 hours of flight he had occasion to make a business trip to Boulder, Colo., 2,400 miles by road and requiring nearly a week to go out and come back by automobile. After conferring with Carlin and cramming last minute instructions, Foy elected to make the trip, flying himself in the Playtime Products business aircraft --a four passenger Tri-Pacer, fully equipped with flight instruments and two-way radio.
In nine hours and 25 minutes actual flight time, Foy made the trip from Warsaw to Boulder, Colo. His trip was so well planned and executed that the return from Colorado was made in nine hours and 20 minutes flight time. Foy said that he was in constant touch with CAA stations along the way by radio and enjoyed excellent service and facilities at each gas stop.
On the entire trip, Foy burned 155 gallons of gasoline, averaging 14.3 miles per gallon at an actual ground speed of better than 118 miles per hour. He was gone from his desk at Playtime only 57 actual hours, having made the trip, conducted his business in Boulder and returned. Says Foy, "It just can't be done any other way or any easier."
The Warsaw airport, starting in the mid 1940's with public contributions, has grown from an undeveloped pasture field with a handful of farsighted students into an up-to-date transportation center with paved runways, paved taxi strips and parking ramps, 20 aircraft hangers, lighted runways and revolving beacon for night flying. The field is also equipped with a two-way radio transmitter for communications with local transient pilots.
At the present time between 25 and 30 local businesses and manufactures own their own airplanes, base them at Warsaw municipal airport and use them daily to save money and man hours in travel. Ownership of business aircraft vary from foundries, office supply firms, doctors, medical supply manufacturers, traveling men, engineers, to national religious headquarters.
The airport ground, lighting equipment and some of the buildings are wholly owned by the city of Warsaw and property taxes are collected on aircraft using the field more than return to the city the one cent general tax which supports the airport. It is self sustaining. some of the buildings, most of the flight equipment for rent and for hire are owned by Carlin Airways, operators of the field. Most of the hangars are owned by owners of the aircraft who pay the city a nominal rent of $25 per year each for the ground upon which the hangars stand. Carlin also pays the city a royalty on each gallon of aviation fuel sold at the airport.
Earl parker, president of the municipal airport board, said today that the latest addition to safety and the all-around usefulness of the airport is a lighted wind direction indicator which shows red on the left side and green on the right side as it points into the wind. Since the inauguration of the night lighting system several years ago, the Warsaw airport has provided an emergency landing spot for more than a dozen transient aircraft that were lost, facing a storm, running out of gas or having engine trouble. Value of these aircraft brought in safely under emergency conditions varied from $250,000 for a high priced military ship to $5,000 for several private aircraft. The saving in lives cannot be computed.
With four to five new businesses each year acquiring their own aircraft and two new factories being constructed by choice immediately adjacent to the airport, Warsaw Municipal Airport, easily one of the finest in the state for medium sized communities, stands to be a busier place saving more and more man hours and money for local firms.
The ownership of aircraft on Indiana farms and airports will continue to expand in-as-much as there are at least ten licensed pilots in Indiana for each aircraft owned. Manufacturers own the most aircraft in Indiana. Farmers comprise the second largest number of airplane owners and professional men, doctors, lawyers comprise the third largest group using aircraft in their business.
Warsaw Times Union, Thursday September 15, 1955
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