Evening Star Newspaper, December 23, 1928, Page 61

ALTIETER DS PLANE LANDINES Instrument Designed to Make Flying Safer Is Perfected by Young Physicist. By the Associated Press. An instrumeat to take much of the guesswork out of landing an airplane has now been perfected. It is the Gunn altimeter, that meas- ures instantly and accurately true alti- tude up to 100 feet, and does it regard- less of weather conditions or the speed at vhich a_planc may be rising or de- scending. The inventor, Dr. Ross Gunn, a young physicist, has been at work on, the device tfor four The altimeter tells the pilot when he is | within 100 feet of the ground by means of a dial, which indicates every foot of descent below this level. The instrument becomes more sensitive the closer it ap- proaches earth, so that below 15 feet, where a mistake in judging height is likely to smash a plane landing at speeds of 40 miles an hour or more, it is pos- sible to read the altitude to within a few inches. Radio Principle Is Employed. The invisible measuring rod which this altimeter uses is the carth’s electri- cal “capacity.” Those who tune radios are familiar with “capacity” effects, whereby occasional squeals are heard, the tone of which varies with the posi- tion of the operator's hand when brought near the radio set. In Dr. Gunn's instrument the flying airplane is the “hand” and the ecarth is the radio set, but instead of a squeal Gunn gets the altitude. Actually two “hands” are used in the ship, the plane 1ts21f being one and the other a wire or plate mounted on the under side. The closer the ship comes to the ground the greater the capacity between these two “hands.” It remains only to indicate this change of capacity on an altimeter of some sort which can be calibrated in feet. The problem has been made extraor- dinarily difficult by the fact that the changes at higher altitude are extreme- ly small, compared to inherent capaci- ties on the plane. It is just like put- ting a 150-pound man on the scales and trying to weigh accurately a penny handed him by noting the increase in his weight. The change is so infinitesimal as com- pared to the high capacity of the hook- up itself that for years the solution has generally been regarded as impos- sible. The entire apparatus in its pres- ent state weighs but 12 pounds. Tested by Army and Navy. Both the Army and the Navy have purchased one or more Gunn altimeters l;lld their fiyers have thoroughly tested them. Dr. Gunn was the first to demonstrate the feasibility of such a device when he %anany conducted a series of flight on his invention at McCook Field 1n July, 1925. Hs is 31 years old, and lived in Ober- Iin, Ohio, where as a boy he was one of the State’s pioneer amateur radio oper- ators. He was graduated from the Uni- versity of Michigan as an electrical en- ginser and served there as an instruc- tor. Later he was a radio research en- gineer for the United States Army Air Service at McCook Field. In 1923 he went to Yale, where he received the de- gree of doctor of philosophy and was laced in charge of the high frequency boratory and graduate courses in radio. The development of the altimeter was undertaken at Yale and occupied large- 1y his spare time for four years. Dr. Gunn is now assistant superintendent of the heat, light and aircraft division of the Naval Research Laboratory. AIR PROGRESS AIDED - BY RESEARCH FUNDS (Continued from Eighth Page.) will be the most practicable, and also to study possible methods of dissipating fog, particularly if it is only confined to & small area. There is no pilot who THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. DECEMBER 23, 1928—PART 4. Dr. Ross Gunn (above), a young which measures altitude up to 100 feet. TRUE ALTIMETER AIDS PILOT exactly how close they are to the ground when taking off or landing. physicist, has perfected an instrument The device will enable aviators to tell | MAJOR EVENTS Twenty-five years have elapsed since the first flight of a passenger-carrying airplane. A brief review of some of the outstanding events in the quarter cen- tury of acronautical development follows: 1903. Deceraber 17—Orville Wright made the first successful airplane flight at by himself and his brother Wilbur. 1904. September 15—Orville Wright made the first complete circular flight with an airplane. During the year the Wrights made 105 successful flights. 1905. ‘The Wrights made 50 flights during the year, 30 laps of their field at Day- ton, Ohio, being made in a single flight. Up to this time no men but the Wrights ever had flown in an airplane. 1906. Aviation activity began in France. The Wrights continued their experi- mental work, building new planes, and began the work of commercializing their invention. 1907, October 26—Farman made his first turn while in flight in a Voisin plane. April 5 to December 6—Bleriot made 8 flights, the longest being 1,978 feet. On the last flight he made his first turn in the air. 1908. February 10—The United States Gov- ernment signed a contract with the Wrights for the first Army airplane. August—Wilbur Wright began his se~ ries of famous flights at Le Mans, France. September 21—Wilbur Wright estab- lished & new world endurance record, flying 1 hour, 31 minutes and 25 sec- onds, winning the Aero Club of France rize. September 9—Orville Wright at Fort Myer, Va., began a series of public dem- onstrations of the Army's first plane before many notables. September ..17—The _first-—fatal air- plane accident occurred at Fort Myer, Lieut. Selfridge, Army Signal Corps, being killed and Orville Wright injured. 1909. July 25—Bleriot flew across the Eng- lish Channel from Calals to Dover in 23 minutes, August—The first international air meet was held at Rheims, France, Glenn Curtiss winning the Grand Prix and will not recognize this as one of the most important undertakings in avia- tion today, and there is no pilot also who will not enthusiastically agree with the desirability of supplying better ‘weather reports that will tell him what kind of conditions he may expect on his flight. The weather reporting services in California, between San Francisco and Los Angeles, which the fund estab- lished about a year ago, have demon- strated the practicability of supplying the pilot with accurate, timely informa- tion about the weather; not only the wons over his route, but the con- round about him which might wffect his journey. ‘Work on the Fundamentals, It has been a cardinal principle of fund from the beginning to confine attention to work which otherwise ‘might not be done. In its scientific re- search, for example, the fund has been called upon to consider literally thou- sands of inventions seeking support, many of which were, of course, worth- less. As far as possible the fund has diverted these inventions, where there was any sign of merit, to organizations such as the National Advisory Commit- tee for Aeronautics, the Army Air Corps and the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics, ‘which are far better equipped for this Paulhan making a record flight of 84 miles. October 4—Wilbur Wright flew from Governors Island to Grant's Tomb and back over New York Harbor, with a canoe strapped beneath his plane, mak- ing the first amphibian airplane. 1910. January 14—A new world’s altitude record of 4,165 feet was established by Paulhan at an air meet at Los Angeles. August 21—An over-water, non-stop record was made by Clifford H. Harmon, who flew a Farman plane across Long Island Sound, 28 miles in 30 minutes. September 23—George Chavez flew across the Alps. November 7—The first commercial air transport flight was made when Parmelee flew from Dayton to Colum- bus, Ohio, 65 miles, in 66 minutes, car- rying five bolts of silk. 1911. June 27—Lincoln Beachey flew over g:mn Falls and down the Niagara ver. June 30—Harry N. Atwood flew from Boston to this city. August_14-25—Atwood flew from St. Louis to New York. September 17-November 5—Calbraith B. ers flew across the American type of investigation. But a more striking indication of this &rmciple is found in the change in pol- y of the fund, announced last June. Because of the rapid progress of com- mercial aviation in America the fund decided to transfer its emphasis from the work of assisting commercial avia- tion to the consideration of funda- mental aeronautics and aerodynamic problems. “Much of the previous work of the fund has been dirccted toward the purpose of helping aviation help tself,” Harry Guggenheim, the presi- dent, stated. “Commercial aviation in America is now established on so sound and profitable a basis that further as- sistance of this kind is not necessary and the public interest in aviation has been definitely and permanently aroused.” ‘The fund is, therefore, now engaged in such fundamental research as mete- orology, fog flying, aerodynamic safety and other activities which the commer- cial aviation company will not be pre- ared to handle. The fund is following ts original purpose of doing the thing that is most needed and the thing that otherwise might be left undone. (Copyright, 1828.) An article by Col. Lindberzh on the pres- ent and future of aviation will appear each Week exciusively in Washington in The sunday Star. HENDERSON IS ELECTED AIR ASSOCIATION HEAD Planes of Group Comprising 17 Transport Companies Fly 9,000,- 000 Miles in Year. Election of Col. Paul Henderson, former Second Assistant Postmaster Continent from New York to Califor- nia, 4,231 miles, in 49 days. 1912, October 16—Lieut. John Towers, U. S. N., established a new duration record of 6 hours, 35 minutes and 10 seconds. August 20—Lincoln Beachey set a world’s altitude record of 11,642 feet at Chicago. During this year the Army Air Force was increased to 12 planes and 6 licensed pliots. 1913. January 31—United States naval ipilots attempted the first night flying. Merch—The Turks used a German airplane for the first time in battle against the Bulgarians, with negligible results. August 17-18—Harry Hgwker flew arourd the British Isles, 1,043 miles, in two and a half days. * 1914, May 18—The automatic parachute was invented. May 29—The Langley plane, re- stored, was flown as a seaplane at Ham- mondsport, N. Y. June 25.—The duration record was raised to 18 hours by Basser, Germany. 1915, ‘The airplane made its first successful appearance as a weapon of war, April 3—The National Advisory Com- mittee for Aeronautics was created by President Wilson. 1916. November 20—Ruth Law made her famous flight from Chicago to New seconds. 1917, September 20—Caleb Bragg set a new altitude record of 20,250 feet. 1918. OF AVIATION ARE COMPILED Calendar Briefly Reviews Development of Flying and Records Established by Pioneers and Moderns. Kitty Hawk, N. C., in an airplane built | York in 8 hours 55 minutes and 35, IN 25 YEARS | tance, 1,890 miles. Time, 16 hours 12 minutes. 1920. February 27—Maj. Schroeder set an altitude record of 36,020 feet. June 4—Lieuts. Bossoutrol and Ber- nard, at Etampes, France, st a duration | record of 24 hours 19 minutes and 7 seconds. July 15— New York-Alaska flight headed by Capt. St. Clair Streett; four land planes. Distance, 8,690 miles. Time, 31 flying days. | November 25— The first Pulitzer | trophy race, at Mitchell Field, was won | by Capt. C. C. Mosely with a speed of 178 miles per hour. 1921, April 1—Mme. Adrienne Bolland, French, crossed the Andes from Ar- gentina to Chile, 4 hours and 2 minutes. September 28—Altitude records broken by Lieut. John A. Macready, 40,800 feet. December 30-31—Eddie Stinson and | Lloyd Bertaud, at Roosevelt Field, es- tablish a world duration record of 26 hours 12 minutes and 35 seconds. 1922, April 18—The South Altantic was spanned by Capt. 8. Cabral and Admiral Gage Couthino; Lisbon to Rio de Ja- nerio, 3,600 miles. October 5-6—Lieuts. Kelly and Mac- ready established a duration record of 35 hours 18 minutes and 35 second at Rockwell Field, Calif. 1923, April 16-17—Lieuts. Kelly and Mac- ready set a new duration record of 36 hours and 5 minutes at Dayton, Ohio. May 2-3—Lieuts. Kelly and Macready crossed the continent in a non-stop flight, New York to San Diego, in 26 hours and 50 minutes. November 4—Lieut. Al J. Willlams, U. S. N, set a world speed record of 266.59 miles per hour. 1924, April 6-September 28—The Army round-the-world flight, _one of the greatest of its kind, including the first west-bound crossing of the Pacific and the first west-bound crossing of the At- |.lantic, was made by Lieuts. Lowell Smith, Leslie B. Arnold, Erik H. Nelson and John Harding; 27,553 miles; flying time, 371 hours and 11 minutes; elapsed time, 175 days. June 23—Lieut. Russell L. Maughan's “dawn to dusk” flight across United States, New York to San Francisco, 2,670 miles, in 21 hours and 48 minutes. 1925, August 31-September 1—Comdr. John rs, U. S. N, sets new distance rec- ord of 1,730 miles in unsuccessful non- stop fiight attempt from San Francisco to Honolulu. August 7, 8 and 9—Droughin and Landry, Etampes, France, set duration record of 5 hours, 11 minutes and 50 seconds. October 27—Lieut. James A. Doolittle, U. 8. A, establishes speed record of 254.74 miles per hour. 1926. May 9—FPirst flight to North Pole: | Comdr. Richard E. Byrd and Floyd Bennett; Spitzbergen to North Pole and return in 15 hours 51 minutes. 1927, April 12, 13 and 14—Clarence Cham- berlin and Bert Acosta set duration rec- ord of 51 hours, 11 minutes and 25 seconds. May 20-21—First New York-to-Paris flight: . Charles A. Lindbergh; distance, 3,620 miles; time, 33 hours, 29 minutes. June 4 and 5—First non-stop cross- ing to Germany: Clarence D. Cham- berlin and Charles A. Levine; New York to Eisleben, Germany; 3,930 miles, in 42 hours. July 28—First non-stop airplane flight to Hawaii: Lieuts. Lester J. Maitland and Albert F. Hegenberger of United States Army Air Corps; Oakldnd, Calif., to Honolulu; distance, 2,390 miles; time, 25 hours, 15 minutes. August 28—William F. Schlee and William Brock, from Detroit, Mich,, to Tokio, Japan, by air, making first air- plane non-stop flight to England; dis- tance, 15,810 miles; time, 145 hours in air, 18 days on trip. July 25—Licut. C. C. Champion, U. S. N,, sets altitude record of 38,418 feet. | August 16-17—Dole race, San Fran- | cisco to Honolulu, won by Art Goebel; 12,407 miles. December 13-14—Lindbergh flew non- stop from Washington to Mexico City, 2,031 miles. 1928, March 30—Maj. Mario de Bernardi, Italian air service, set a new world speed record of 318 miles per hour. April 12-13—First non-stop west- |bound North Atlantic crossing: Baron von Huencfeld, Capt. Hermann Koehl and Maj. James Fitzmaurice (German land moncplane), Ireland to Newfoundland; 2,070 miles, in 37 hours. May 31—F% . United States-Au: tralia flight: Capts. Charles Kings- ford Smith, Charles Ulm, Harry W. iLyon and James Warner; Oakland, Calif., to Brisbane, Australia, in three heps. Total distance, 7,357 miles; time, 183 hours 18 minutes; nine days on trip. ~Round-the-word speed rec- | Capt. C. B. D. Collyer, pilot, and John Henry Mears; from New York ipping plane over At- | Teturned New York 5—¥urst non-stop flight Italy to Brazil, sctiing new distance record for airplanes: Capt. Arturo Ferrarin and Maj Carlo P. Del Prete (Italian landplane) ; distance, 4,417 miles; time, AUTOMATIC PILOT FORPLANESTESTED Possible Aerial Terrors for| War Periods Foreshadowed by German Device. BY DON BROWN. (Copyright, 1928. by North American News- paper Alliance.) The fantastic and probably terrible acrial possibilities of the next war are | hinted at in an announcement from Germany that an “automatic pilot” has | been developed which will fly an air- ))‘Iane without human control in the | ship. The device said to differ radically from the “flying torpedo” developed by the United States War Department | during the World War at the suggestion | of Gen. William Mitchell. It consists of an ingenious apparatus which maintains the machine to” which it is fitted, at a uniform level and in perfect equili- brium while it is in the air. Seen as Aid in Bombing. By its use, it is claimed, flights of automatic bombers could be launched in the air, and guided without human pilots to their objective. Use of the device for dropping explosives may not be accurate as compared with artillery and planes controlled by human pilots, but in conjunction with the inevitable deadly gases and disease germs for wiping out civilian populations, its pos- sibilities are obvious. Skilled pilots, however, probably will not worry much about their jobs yet. The ability of an automatic device to keep a plane flying toward a definite objective through varying side and ver- tical currents and with a motor de- veloping different powers under differ- ent temperatures, strikes one as close to_the impossible. But it may not be. It is hoped, however, that the new invention will enable altitude record- ing instruments to be sent to a greater height than has ever been achieved with man-piloted machines in thg past. At present, pilots who take par¥ in altitude tests are forced to wear elec- trically heated clothing on account of intense cold, and also to take in oxygen through a mask because of the rarcfied alr. Another radical development in avia- tion is the improved helicopter which is being built for the Engiish air ministry at Cowes, Isle of Wight. The machine involves both the principles of the heli- copter, which is intended to raise itself vertically by the life of its propellers, and the autogiro, which has rotating wings. Remarkable results are expected of the English machine by the builders. They claim that it will b2 able to rise and descend vertically as well as to| hover in the air. Blow to Sneering Habit. That the world which once sneered almost automatically at the mention of new and revolutionary ideas about | flying has become somewhat chastencd is proved by the serious attention and interest which the announcement of | such devices as the auto; and pilot- less plane ideas are received. Orville Wright, co-inventor of the air- plane, is one of those most interested | in new aviation inventions. “It is difficult to prophesy the future development of aviation and I would not care to do so,” he informed the writer in Washington, “but I will say that I believe there are changes ahead which will be startling and revolution- ary. The man who predicts great changes and improvements cannot be far wrong.” . AIRPORT BONDS UPHELD. KANSAS CITY (#).—The way for development of the new Kansas City airport is cleared by a decision of the Missouri Supreme Court upholding the legality of the city's $1,000,000 airport bond issue. Construction of runways and diking along the Missourl River, whizh skirts two sides of the field, are among the improvements contemplated. The airport of 687 acres is within five minutes’ drive from the post office. FOREIGN FEATURES WILL MARK FIELD Best in European Develop-| ments Will be Incorporat- ed in St. Louis Airport. By the Associated Press ST. LOUIS, December 22.—St. Louis is rounding out plans for construction of its proposed $2,000,000 airport, for which a bond issue has been voted, | along the lines of the best European | airports, where airway travel has be- come highly developed. Returning from a tour of European | countries in search of data on airport construction, a group of more than 100 St. Louisans reported the need of neon lights, large concrete aprons in front of the hangars, radio equipment, accurate weather reports and commodious wait- ing rooms to bring American airports to the standard of the best visited abroad. Six Recommendations Are Made. ‘The findings of the air enthusiasts were crystallized into six recommenda- tions made by Harold M. Bixby, chair- man of the board of directors of the | Chamber of Commerce, and one of the backers of Lindbergh’s New-York-to- Paris hop. Most of his recommenda- tions have been incorporated into the plans for the St. Louis airport, which will have a terminal buflding with a midway tunnel through which planes may pass to take on and discharge passengers. Neon lights should be used to {llumi- nate American airports, Bixby said. From his observations at leading European airdromes, neon appears to function best because it produces a soft light, easily distinguishable from other lfigh!,s. and capable of penetrating mild ogs. A extending the concrete apron length of the field, and wegeng to a width of at least 350 feet at s widest section, should be constructed in front of the hangars. Such a strip, Bixby pointed out, has been laid at the Tem- plehof airdrome in Berlin, and extends 2,000 feet in front of all hangars and administration buildings. The dust is minimized and airplanes may taxi onto the concrete apron to discharge their passengers. While no runways are found on Euro- pean fields, Bixby believes American airports should be provided with them. They should be constructed of semi- hard material such as cinders, and should run in every direction to allow planes to take-off into whatever wind is blowing. Turf on foreign ficlds is generally in such good condition that runways are unnecessary, Bixby said. Urges Radio for Planes. All airplane should be equipped with radio so that they may maintain con- airports, and receive weather reports and other helpful data to keep them on a course free from storms. Accurate weather reports, which have been lacking at many American air- ports, should be available at all times, Bixby recommended. He suggested the establishment_ of a comprehensive net- work of weather stations to obtain fiy- ing information and communicate it to planes in the air. The waiting room at the airport should be equipped with telephone and telegraph facilities, and a restaurant should be installed. “All of these improvements,” Bixby said, “as well as others which have been outlined can be made for $2.000,- 000, the amount which the people of St.'Louls have voted in their airport bond issue. Push Metal Plane Building. Mass production in Australia of an all-metal monoplane of the “Lascoter” type is expected to begin early next vear, the Department of Commerce has been informed. The plane was designed in Australia especially to meet flying conditions in that country by one of the designers of the famous British In- flexible, the largest all-metal mono- plane in the ‘world. stant communication with their home | Sk 'VARIETY IS OFFERED BUYER OF AIRPLANE! ) Wide Price and Style Range Prove i Popularity of Flying in United States. The man planning the purchase ¢ an eirplane for his own use soon Wi be able to make his selection as care fully and from as great a range of types, styles and prices as the automo- bile buyers, according to Maj. Clarence M. Young. director of aeronautics for the Depurtment of Commerce. “The prospective purchaser,” saic Maj. Young. “will be able to gain a | full’ knowledge of the advantages or disadvantages of any plane, with the | knowledge that Government regulation and keen competition will have elimi- Inflted the structurally inefficient and poorly designad airplane of the past.” There now are more than 140 air- plane manufacturers and designers, ac- cording to Department of Commerce figures, and 133 different airplane mod- els are being produced in this country, of which 51 bear approved-type cer- tificates showing they have met all gofvemmrm tests. Others are under st. “Airplane manufacturers,” said Maj. Young, “have learned a lesson from the ‘zummublle builders in realizing the | public’s desire for comfort and finely | appointed decorations in the cabin-type planes. The new cabin planes being | developed will soon equal the finest au- tomobile made in point of equipment. “The final governing element in the prospective purchaser’s choice of any airplane is usually the price range. At present the lowest range is about $2,000 for one or two passenger sport planes. The three-passenger open planes range from $2.500 up to $10,000. Three-pas- senger closed planes may be bought, for $4,000, while the six to eight passenger cabin ships are priced at from $10,000 to $15,000. The large, tri-motored transports, generally used for extensive commercial service, sell between 842.00 and $60,000.” the dirazior says. Come to Our Initial Showing on December 29th On December 29th we shall present to the people of this community our Initial Showing of The Outstanding Chevrolet of Chevrolet History—a Six in the price range of the four. The tremendous popularity accorded the Chevrolet car during the last few years combined with the enormous resources of General Motors and the manufacturing facilities of Chevrolet has at last made it possible to achieve the building of a quality six-cylinder car in the low-price field. OURISMAN CHEVROLET SALES CO. 610 H St. N.E. Be We cordiallyinvite youto attend this Initial Presentation —for it will constitute one of the greatest automotive surprises this community has ever seen. Not only do these magnificent new cars introduce an order of per- formance, comfort, safety and handling ease that has never before been approached inalow-priced automobile —but in sheer beauty and elegance of appointment they rival the costliest custom creations. sure to attend our Initial Showing of this spectacular new car. COALE SANSBURY CHEVROLET SALES Upper Marlboro, Md. AERO AUTO CO. 1101 King St., Alexandri , Va. General, as president of the American ); diste . 81 hiours) 29 miau i3th St. & Good Hope Rd. S.E. Anacostia, D. C Wik Mg i T 0GR Vi Air Transport Association has been an- nounced here. Col. Henderson is vice president of Transcontinental Alr Trans- port and vice president and general manager of National Air Transport. The American Air Transport Associ- ation is composed of 17 air mail, ex- press and passenger companies whose planes this year are reported to have flown 9,000,000 miles over established airways on scheduled flights. May 15—The first regular air mail| service in the world was inaugurated between Washington and New York by Army pilots. September 18—Capt. R. W. Schroeder reached 28,000 feet at Wright Field, a world record. 1919. May 31—The first transatlantic flight was completed by the Navy NC-4, 4,791 Other officers are: G. 8. Childs, Phil- adelphia, and Gen. John F. O'Ryan, New York, vice presidents, and W. G. Herron, 8an Francisco, secretary-treas- * miles. June 14—First non-stop crossing of August 19-20—United States nen-stop West-to-East speed record: Arthur Goebel and Harry Tucker; Los Angeles to New York; 18 hours, 58 minutes. October 25-26—Non-stop East-to- West Coast record: Capt. C. B. D. Collyer, pilot, and Harry Tucker; 24 hours, 51 minutes. — TASHKENT, Turkestan (/).—Sovict flying authorities have decorated with gold badges five pilots for their success- Atlantic; Capt. John Alcock and Lieut. Arthur W. Brown (British land bi- #09); Newtoundland to Irelpng, Di ¢ ful work on Central Asian air routes. Each of the flyers has flown 200,000 ' miles without accidents, & BARRY-PATE MOTOR CO. 1218 Connecticut Ave. WOLFE MOTOR CO. Q U A L 1 T ¥% CAMP SPRINGS GARAGE Camp Springs, Md. OWENS MOTOR CO. 6323 Georgia Avenue R.L. TAYLOR MOTOR CO. 14th and T Sts. NW. LUSTINE-NICHOLSON MOTOR CO. Hyattsville, Md. BOYER MOTOR SALES Capitol Heights, Md. 2525 Sherman Ave. Silver Spring, Md. AT L O W Cr. 0B B