aircraft descended below the tops of the coconut trees, it suddenly lost its lift and dropped the last 10 or 12 feet too rapidly. Later, it was decided to discontinue aerial landings on Japtan and make all contact with that island: by means of water transportation. During the period from February 1949 through May 31, 1951, inter- island air transportation carried 33,001 passengers 815,536 passenger miles in seven 15!s, sixteen L-13's, and four H-5 or H-15 helicopters. Pilots flew more than 10,065 hours, and 35,008 landings were made. 16-11