In the next twenty years aviation advanced tremendously from biplane technology to fixed wing aircraft made from tin and steel. These aircraft were even beginning to be used in mail delivery.
With the rise in aircraft production, and growing interest in private flight air traffic was escalating. With any complex situation comes a director to keep order and safety among aircraft in the skies. The first Air Traffic Controller became in the early 1920's, his name was Archie Liege, and he worked a small airstrip in St. Louis Missouri made of a gravel runway and grass fields surrounding. Archie burnt weeds, twigs and small lumber in a wheelbarrow to create smoke for aircraft to see and locate the field. Once aircraft established position, the pilot then looked for Archie sitting under a windsock indicating wind direction for which direction to land. By waving a checkered flag this meant, "cleared to land- or if on the ground it meant, "cleared for takeoff- by waving a red flag, this signified stop or wait. The organiztional idea of ATC caught on quickly and thus spread nationwide. Aircraft research and experimentation in the next few years revolutionized with the con!.
cept of air passenger travel. People could now travel from .
Safety in Air Traffic 4.
coast to coast in 36 relaxing hours, versus the next effective, travel by train. The American public grasped this new idea with great enthusiasm. With no consideration in safety, the aviation world grew out of control with no further though advance in aircraft separation and safety, but for now it seemed to work just fine. Expansions in airfields were now beyond expectation when almost overnight airfields were built and in service. The American public could now travel to any major city in the Continental United States, thus expanding the density and proving Andrew Dickson's statement "why worry, it's a great big sky with small planes -plenty of room-.
