Evening Star Newspaper, December 23, 1928, Page 60

AVIATION BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON. HAT is regarded by flying people in this country as the most important piece of aeronautical legislation pending before Con- gress has received a temporary setback at the very start of the present session and, it is feared, may be delayed seriously by ef- forts of political log-rollers. The measure, the Furlow bill, is Intended to set up an independ- ent promotion list for the Army Air Corps and thereby relieve a very serious situation affecting the welfare of the corps. Those who have studied the problem are convinced that unless the Furlow bill or some similar meas- ure is passed during the present session of Congress the country will find itself, before another Congress convenes, with nothing but the skeleton of an Army Air Corps left because of resignations. | with adversity, particularly at the with present | House end of the Capitol. Placed Dissatisfaction conditions in the Air Corps has 1as tg the Government the serv- 1ces of many promising pilots who have gone into the field of com- mercial aeronautics rather than remain in a service in which loyalty and ability cannot be re- warded by promotion. The im- passe in which the Army Air Corps finds itself has been well ex- lained by Col. Charles A. Lind- ergh. Promotion Prospects Slim. “At present,” Col. Lindbergh said, “the average Army Air Corps officer is holding a command fa: above his rank. His prospect of promotion is discouraging, and the opoprtunities offered by com- mercial aviation are far greater than those of his Army life. “Military flying is more hazard- ous than commercial flying and will become more so as safety ap- pliances are developed which can not be used in combat planes. Also, the physical strain on an Army pilot in carrying out mili- tary missions is not comparable %i) that of commercial transporta- on. “It is of the utmost importance at the present time to take steps toward building up the morale of our Air Corps if we expect to maintain its past standard of efficiency. Rank commensurate with command is of prime im- portance. A number of our best officers have already resigned and unless steps are taken to relieve the present situation we will lose many more in the near future. In my opinion a separate promotion list will accomplish much in build- ing up an efficient Air Corps in the United States.” As a result of the present Army promotion system World War combat pilots are still serving as first lieutenants though charged with responsibilities normally given to captains, majors, lieut- enant colonels, and in some in- stances even colonels. The Air Corps morale is hard hit because today a first lieutenant in the Air Corps cannot look forward to any- thing better than a captaincy or, at best, a major’s commission be- fore he reaches the retirement age. Bill Referred to Committee. Although 40 per cent of the vacancies in the entire Army pro- motion list are found in the avia- tion branch, the Air Corps vacan- cies are not filled by Air Corps ?romotions except as they stand n order along with the Infantry officer, the artilleryman, the cavalryman, the quatermaster, the engineer, the signal officer or the officer in any other branch of the Army. The Furlow bill was passed unanimously by the House during the past session. It was passed thirds vote, as a rider on a Senate bill dealing with advancements on |the Army retired list. This was done in the hope that the measure would go to conference imme- diately and so reach early action in the Senate. Instead, the amended Senate | bill, carrying the Furlow rider, has been referred back to the Senate committee on military af- fairs, where it faces delays which not only imperil the bill but which are a source of real menace to the air defense of the Nation. The Furlow bill stands above the realm of politics, and it is to be hoped that no question of political con- sideration will be permitted to de- lay early and favorable action by the Senate committee and by the Senate. The District of Columbia muni- cipal airport measure also has met upon the unanimous consent cal- endar, it was called up during the past week, but was blocked when Representatives William P. Hola- day of Illinois and Robert G. Sim- mons of Nebraska objected to con- sideration of the bill. o Although the House bill has reached the floor, the House Dis- trict committee has reopened the airport matter by granting a hearing on the offer by Henry Woodhouse of an airport site on the Mount Vernon road south of Alexandria, Va. Experience has demonstrated that airports so far removed from the business dis- tricts of the cities they serve are severely handicapped and are sel- dom successful. This offer should not be permitted to delay consid- eration by Congress of the pend- ing airport bill. Local airport legislation still is in the hands of the Senate District committee and Senator Arthur Capper of Kansas, chair- man, has appointed a subcom- mittee to look over available sites and report back to the full com- mittee. : In conslderln%the creation of an_airport for the National Cap- ital those having the matter charge should profit by the ex- perience of France with the fa- mous Le Bourget airport, which serves Paris. This airport, which has been regarded as one of the four leading fields of the world, today¥is out of date, and a cam- THE SUNDAY STAR, MENDEZ WILL MAKE TRIP IN OWN PLANE “Gas Boy” Remains With Wrecked Ship Awaiting Arrival of Parts. Undaunted by adversity and in de- fiance of the hopes of his government, Lieut. Benjamin Mendez of the Colum- bian army air corps, affectionately known to American aviators as “Benny, the Gas Boy,” has decided to stand by his damaged airplane at Colon Bay, Panama, until it can be repaired for flight, according to word received here. Lieut. Mendez visited Washington re- cently, a short time before beginning his flight from New York to Bogota, the capital of his native country, in a Curtiss Falcon seaplane purchased for him by his fellow Colombians. Lieut. Mendez won his nickname when he accepted a gas boy's menial labors at Curtiss Field four years ago so that he might learn to fly just as hundreds of youths are learning in this country. He began his 4,600-mile flight home from New York on No- vember 23 to demonstrate to his coun- trymen the excellence of American air- planes and training methods. His flight was uneventful until he arrived at Colon Bay, only 1,200 miles from home. In attempting to land there, he came down in too steep a submerged his plane. The ‘ans, who had been looking for- his arrival with keen antici- pation, were sorely disappointed. Strike troubles in the banana zone were em- barrassing the government and, to di- vert national attention, the government urged Mendez to complete his flight im- mediately in another plane. The United States Government, in a spirit of co- operation, offered a substitute plane. “Benny,” however, had other ideas. “I set out in my Falcon and I'll finish in it he sald. He has ordered new parts from this country to replace those damaged in his dive into the bay, and is standing by his ship. Russia Plans Winter Line. TIFLIS, Caucasus (#).—The first Winter air line in Russia soon is to link Tiflis and Bakua, on the Caspian Sea, with Moscow. The service will be carried on by six multi-motored planes. paign is being waged for its abandonment in favor of a new location. Traffic has increased so great- ly at Le Bourget that what was regarded as a model airport a few years ago is inadequate to meet the demands imposed upon it by the operations of today. One of the most serious objections to Le Bourget, however, is its distance from the city. While the flight from London to Paris requires two hours, it takes at least a full hour to reach the center of Paris from the field. z From the standpoint of the pilot there is another very serious objection to the noted French air- port; the existence of buildings or other obstructions in the line of take-offs and landings on three sides of the field. The French experience with Le Bourget was duplicated by that of the British at the splendid Croydon airport, at London. Two years ago Croydon, which ranks today as one of the finest in the world, was found inadequate to meet the burdens of expanding trafic and was completely recon- structed. With these experiences in mind, Congress should see to it that air- port legislation is passed which is adequate to care for the needs of the National Capital and remove this city from the humiliating status which it now occupies as the only world capital without na- again by the House during the past week by more than a two- tional airport facilities. MANY CROSS-COUNTRY RACES SLATED FOR FLYERS IN 1929 Many cross-country airplane races will feature the official aeronautical con- tests to be held during the coming year, it has been announced by the contest committee of the National Aeronautic Association in selecting locations and dates of the coming contests. A new aviation contest has been authorized in the cross-country flying classification, for prizes aggregating $10,000 and & cup, to be awarded by Robert E. Gardner of St. Louis. In the order of their occurrence, the contests for the coming year will be as follows: First Is at Miami. Contest for commercial airplanes, in- tluding races, for prizes totaling $6,780, 8t Miami, Fla., January 7 and 8. The contest will be part of an aeronautical exposition, a feature of which will be the opening of service on the new Pan- American Airways passenger and air- lines from the United States to five West Indian Island countries, with Jater extensions to Central and South America. The National balloon races, to decide the three contestants who will repre- sent the United States in the Gordon Bennett international belloon = races. The national contest will start at Pitts- burgh May 4. The new Gardner cup races will be held May 28, 29 and 30, converging at St. Louis, the finishing point for a series of cross-country races. The first reliminary race will be from Buffalo, g’. Y., to St. Louis, 660 miles; the sec- ond from Jacksonvile, Fla, to St. Louis, 790 miles; the third frora San ‘Antonio, Tex., to St. Louis, 7iv miles; the fourth from Denver to St. Louis, 770 miles, and the fifth from Bismarck, N. Dak., to St. Louis, 794 miles. The win- ners then will split prizes totaling $5,000 and will enter the final event, a race from East St. Louis to Indianapolis and Teturn for the Gardner cup and a $5,000 cash prize. All landings are to be made at Parks Field, Fast St. Louls, TIL The big aeronautical event of the year will be the National Air Races, for $100,000 in prizes, to_be held at Cleve- Jand August 24 to September 2. The selection of Cleveland as the scene of the races was made upon the condition that air enthusiasts and civil authorities who made the 1929 awards were Orville Wright, chairman; Dr. George W. Davis of the advisory committee of the National Aeronautic Association; Brig. Gen. Frank P. Lahm, assistant chief of the Army Air Corps; Porter Adams, chairman of the executive committee of the National Aeronautic Association; Comdr. John H. Towers, U. S. N.; Ed- ward P. Warner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Aeronautics, and Maj. Clarence’ M. Young, director of aero- nautics for the Department of Com- merce. BABY AIRPLANE SETS NEW NON-STOP MARK Berlin-London Flight Is Seen as Great Advance to Commer- cial Aviation. LONDON (#).—The “baby airplane,” a Simmonds Cirrus Spartan, holder of the world non-stop flight record for a light plane, has helped center aviation interest on these smaller craft. The plane, carrying pilot and pas- senger, flew direct from London to Ber- lin and then repeated the feat three days later, returning non-stop with the same crew from Berlin to London under six hours. The London-Berlin flights were not undertaken as stunts. They are con- sidered to represent the light airplane at its true commercial worth, capable of carrying at a moment’s notice pilot, passenger, 50 pounds of luggage and a 20 per cent reserve of fuel for over 600 miles at a speed exceeding 100 miles an hour under bad weather conditions. H. W. R. Bantine piloted the baby plane on the flight and his passenger was Lieut. Col. L. A. Strange, director WASHINGTON, D. C, DECEMBER 23, 1928—PART %~ AVIATION'S DEVELOPMENT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY FINANCIAL INTEREST OF U. S. GOVERNMENT AND LATER B Early History of Aeronautics Strikingly Reveals Need for Such Organization. PROBLEMS ARE VARIED Fund Has Made Important Contribution to Each One of Difficult Questions. BY COL. CHAS. A. LINDBERGH. Practically every new development faces at the start the handicap of a lack of capital. Yet that is the time when capital is particularly needed for research and experiment. If the enter- prise is a fundamental one, such as a transportation industry, this lack of ad- equate funds is felt acutely because of the greater need for careful, compre- hensive development. To some extent aviation has escaped this handicap. A number of non-com- mercial organizations have made and are making valuable contributions to aeronautics—The Army Air Corps at Wright Field, the naval aircraft factory in Philadelphia and the air station at Lakehurst, Bellevue Laboratory = the Bureau of Standards, the National Ad- visory Comrnittee’s laboratory at Lang- ley Fleld. In the past three years, how- ever, no organization has contributed more to aviation’s advancement than the Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics. ‘The early history of aeronautics strik- ingly reveals the need for some organiza- tion of that kind. It was just 25 years ago, in 1903, when the Wright brothers made their memorable flight at Kitty Hawk, N. C, and when that daring achlevement was accomplished — an achievement now known throughout the entire civilized world—it attracted prac- tically no attention until nine days aft- erward a New York paper published a 5 ; i Y DANIEL GUGGENHEIM FUND Harry F. Guggenheim, president of the Daniel Guggenheim Fund for the Promo- tion of Aeronautic: short paragraph about it which did not mention the name of the two inventors. For years after that the Wrights strug- gled with the development of the air- plane without public recognition or support. ‘War Planes’ Use Limited. Even the war, which suddenly cre- ated a demand for military airplanes, did not develop them along lines which made possible their use in commerce in active competition with older and more economical means of transportation. At the end of the war there was, of course, an immediate cessation in the demand for aircraft, and only a few manufac- turers were able to survive the depres- sion which followed. As a result the aircraft manufacturer had neither the capital nor the equipment for extensive scientific research. It seems, therefore, fair to regard the foundation of the Daniel Guggenheim important period in aviation. The fund received deeds of gift from Daniel Gug- genheim totaling $2,500,000, of which both interest and principal could be expended for the general purpose of furthering the sclence of aeronautics and stimulating the development of commercial aircraft. The fund was not intended to be a permanent organiza- tion. Its purposes will be realized when aviation has advanced to such a point that private enterprise will be able to carry on by itself. The developments since then have been astonishing. It is frequently pointed out that aviation has pro- gressed much further in the first 25 years of its development than did the railroads. And to the Guggenheim Fund, which filled a need that no one else could at the time supply, must be given a large part of the credit for this amazing progress. Grants for Research. In my articles I have mentioned a number of things which have been par- ticularly vital to the development of aviation, such as the great improve- | ment of the airplane, the gradual edu- | cation of both the general public and | those actually engaged in aeronautics, the need for an adequate weather re- porting service and the desirability of a system of roof markings that would | identify towns so that the aviator could find his way with less difficulty. To {each one of these problems the Gug- | genheim fund has made an important | contribution. Its first activity was to make grants considerably in excess of $1,000,000 to various aeronautical institutions for the | purpose of research and instruction in the science of aeronautics. In particu- lar, the fund made a large gift to each of five engineering universities in this country—one in the East, which already had the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aeronautics at New York University; one in the Middle West and three in the West. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Michigan, Leland Stanford, California Insti- tute of Technology and the University of Washington—each of these institu- tions has, or will have, at least one wind tunnel in addition to complete laboratory equipment. ‘Through the instruction® connected with these laboratories the fund is mak- ing possible the training of skilled aero- nautical engineers, upon whom so much of the future progress of aeronautics will depend and, in addition, we must Fund for the Promotion of Aeronautics early in 1926 as the inauguration of an rely upon the research laboratories of these institutions for many of the de- vices which will solve the remaining problems of aviation. Education of another sort is repre- sented in the fund’s committee on ele- mentary and ucondng aeronautical education. It is hardly necessary to say that the aviation of tomorrow, which will be so much more extensive than that of today, will depend in large measure upon the familiarity with which the young people can deal with aeronautics and the airplane. The Eng- lish vocabulary has added a new word to express this quality. The committee is attempting to make the younger gen- eration “air minded.” It will do this by introducing courses in the schools supplementing other scholastic studies by text books and by other methods that may seem helpful. For the benefit of the public as a whole, the fund supplies through its bulletins and through the newspapers current information on its work and on aeronautical developments in general. A most interesting development to- ward increasing the reliability of the airplane is going on now and will come to consummation in 1929. That is a competition for the safest airplane that man can at present devise. The safe aircraft competition of the Guggenheim Fund is offering prizes totaling $150,000 to those manufacturers who can pro- duce an airplane embodying all the latest developments in safety without materially damaging the machine’s ef« ficlency. A Study of Fog Hazards. Those who have been flying for a number of years have witnessed at first hand the great improvement in the air~ plane as a mechanical structure. They can be justifiably proud of the record of safety in modern aviation. It is obvious, however, that there are cer- tain problems which must be solved be- fore the airplane can come into gen- eral public use with the maximum de- gree of safety. Foremost among these problems is the need for better weather reporting services and for devices that will eliminate, at least to a large ex- tent, the hazards of fog flying. The Guggenheim Fund has now established a full flight laboratory, under the di- rection of Lieut. James H. Doolittle, which will study the question of fog in aviation. Here it will be possible to test the op« eration of an airplane in actual flight in conditions of fog to find out what can be done to maintain the stability of the machine when the pilot is flying blind, to determine how he can best be guided to a landing field and what communication and _signaling _devices (Continued on Ninth Page.) PLYMOUTH The FULL-SIZE Car in the Lowest Price Field of an aircraft construction company, who made the trip to transact business in the German capital. The fuel cost a head for the one-way trip was about $15. READY FOR DIRIGIBLE. Montreal to Erect Mast for British of the city agree to certain conditions, not made public. It was stated that there is no reason to anticipate that these conditions will not be met and it s considered certain that the 1929 meet will be held there. Balloon Races in October. The international balloon races for the Gordon Bennett trophy will start from St. Louis about October 1, the date depending upon weather condi- tions. These races will be the first contest for the third Gordon Bennetit trophy, donated to the National Aero- Bag. MONTREAL (#).—Montreal is pre- aring to receive the giant airship h;ldno. now nearing completion in Eng- A huge mooring mast, capable of ac- commodating the biggest dirigible ships, is being constructed at the St. Hubert air fields. Other improvements are be- ing made which, according to G. J. Desbarats, deputy minister of national defense of the Dominion government, will make the Montreal airport second to none on the North American Con- nautic Association by the Detroit Board of Commerce. The first of these trophies was won by Belgium and the gecond by the United States. Members of the contest commiiten tinent. ‘Two _breakwaters, 300 feet long, into the St. Lawrence to provide quiet maters for seaplanes also are $o be byllt, Sedan, 4-Door . Sedan, 2-Door . De Luxe Coupe TRy Roadster and Tcuring Car prices unchanged: Roadster, $675; Touring Car, $695 All prices F. O. B. Detroit In the past, scores of thousands of buyers seek- ing the greatest dollar-value, have purchased Ply- mouth—on the basis of simple comparison and contrast with other cars in its price range. At these new lower prices, the contrasts that Plymouth presents —in all-round economy of operation and upkeep, combined with full size, weatherproof hydraulic four-wheel brakes, modern engineering, im- pressive power and performance— are even more conclusive, even more emphatic of the Chrysler manage- 095 and upwards, F. O. B. Detroit New Prices 695 ‘675 695 655 Savings ‘40 25 40 ‘30 NEW LOWER PRICES Old Prices 735 s700 735 685 ment’s determination to give quality and value far in advance of anything else in the lowest priced field. This most significant reduction inPlymouth prices is thus in keeping with Chrysler ideals, while passing on to purchasers the benefits that accrue from hugely increased pro- duction. See the Plymouth! Drive it—and try to match it in quality and value. We believe you will find these new low prices remove Plymouth further than ever from any other offering in the greatest motor car market. H. B. LEARY, Jr.,, & BROS. _Executive Offices and Service, 1612-22 You St. N.W. DISTRIBUTORS Salesrooms—1612-22 You St. N.W., Connecticut Ave. and Que St. N.W. nn:l 10th and H Sts. N.E. Used Car Salesrooms—1321-23 Fourteenth St. N.W. and 1612-22 You St. N.W. Skinker Motor Co., 1216 10th St. N.W. Marvel Motor Co.; 14th and Col. Rd.