Evening Star Newspaper, December 30, 1928, Page 54

AVIA BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON. HE year 1929 is rich with promise for aeronautics all over the world. Develop- 5 ments in the United States are expected to be especially note- worthy. In this country commercial acronautics, under the powerful impotus of wealthy combinations of air lines, railroads and financial houses, should make notable prog- ress. New air passenger and ex- press lines, to be inaugurated in the Spring and early Summer, are expected to place the United States on a parity with, if not actually in advance of European nations in the operation of air transport lines, despite aid given European systems by government subsidies. Expansion of the network of United States air mail lines, which hold a position of undisputed world leadership, is to continue on an even greater scale than in the past few vears, according to present indications. The domestic web of contract air mail routes is to be augmented by lines extend- | ing into the West Indies, Central | America and eventually into South America. U. S. Seeks Air Records. American flyers, civil and mili- tary, are preparing to regain for the United States ground which has been lost in the field of aero- nautical competition. German flyers have captured record after | record until today the two coun- | tries are tied with 32 world air records each. The United States Army this week is to begin a spectacular ex- periment which may capture the world refueling-in-the-air endur- | ance record and airplane non-stop‘f distance record. The tri-motored | Fokker transport plane Question | Mark, which recently crossed the Nation to Mines Field, Los Angeles, where the attempt will be made, will be refueled from specially equipped Douglas observation | planes, two of which have been‘ provided for the purpose. Should the test be successful, it is not un- likely that the coming year may witness the first non-stop around- the-world flight attempt conduct- ed by means of aerial refueling. | Three civilian pilots at Roose-' velt Field, N. Y., are almost ready for a refueling record attempt, picking up fuel in flight with a new type of ground pick-up de- vice developed for the use of air mail lines. Competition for the Schneider trophy, the world’s premier speed event, promises to be keener this year than ever before. The race will be held over the Solent in England. Four British pilots al- ready are in training, although the race will not be flown before August. An American manufac- turer has been at work for months developing a motor for the United States entry. It is probable that speeds of six miles a minute or better will be attained. | | | Many Events Are Arranged. Many cross-country speed and endurance contests are to be held in the United States next year, in- cluding one entirely new event, a competition for $10,000 cash prizes and a cup offered by Robert E. Gardner of St. Louis. Five pre- liminary cross-country elimina- tion races will be held from the four corners of the Nation to Parks Field, East St. Louis, the latter part of May. The winners will compete in a closed-circuit race for the cup. Not onlf will the year be notable for aerial achievements, but the aeronautical laboratories are ex- pected to contribute much during the coming 12 months to the ad- vancement of aeronautical science. A number of important pieces of research now are well on their way toward completion. Cleaner, faster and more efficient aircraft, more accurate navigational aids and some degree of progress in the battle against fog and weather are anticipated. The National Ad- visory Committee for Aeronautics is at work on a number of out- standing aviation problems at the Langley Field laboratories. The Bureau of Standards is read. begin the testing of airplane motors at its new laboratory building on the Arlington Experi- mental Farm area, where experi- ments may be conducted under | conditions approximating those found in actual service. | pursuit planes in its hull, is to to|the twenty-fifth anniversary of THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. 'DE(‘E)IBER 30, 1928—PART 4. TION to be seen in operation in this country. An autogiro or “wind- | mill” plane, as developed by Juan |de la Cierva, has been test-flown jat Philadelphia and probably will |be taken to various parts of the; | country. The startling new Burn- | elli high speed monoplane, which, {it is claimed, will carry 20 pas-| sengers at a cruising speed of 150 | miles an hour and which may be | |pushed to a maximum speed of| | 175 miles, is ready for test flights. | Chance Vought has announced a ! six-passenger high-speed plane. | The big Patrician transport and | the widely heralded Fokker quad- | ruple-motored 32-passenger mono- | plane will be seen on the air- | o | ways. Army Flyers to Be Busy. ‘The military aeronautics people |also contemplate a program of | | widespread activity the next 12 | months. The Army Air Corps has| 2nnounced plans for the greatest demonstration of all branches of military aeronautics ever held, in- cluding exhibitions in various parts of the country, followed by combat maneuvers involving all available Army planes in the country. Construction of the two Navy 6,500,000-cubic-foot dirigi- bles, each of which will carry five begin soon. Department of Commerce on Jan- uary 1 will begin the long awaited rating of United States airports, placing the municipal landing field for the first time upon a def- inite status as a public utility. It is regarded as likely that during the coming year some form of | airport traffic regulations will go into effect at the more congested aerial centers. Chicago already has been compelled to station aj traffic policeman at the municipal airport to prevent collisions be- tween incoming and outgoing| planes, so heavy has become the traffic there. The year also will bring, in all, robability, new . aeronautical egislation on the statute books of the various States. There has been considerable agitation for adoption by the States of a uni- number of States have patterned their laws after a suggested standard. So rapid has been the growth of aviation, however, and so complex the problems which have arisen and which could not have been foreseen and provided for by law a few years ago, that revision of many State codes is regarded as urgently needed. Scientists are working with the radio wave as a possible means of overcoming the fog menace. The year undoubtedly will see great strides made in the direc- tion of an accurate, reliable radio beacon service along the principal airways, by means of which pilots may fly “blind” through the densest fog. The problem of land- ing in fog, one of the most serious facing aeronautics today, is being attacked by many able scientists. The development of true altitude meters, which work on the prin- ciple of the rebounding radio wave used in deep sea soundings, has been one of the outstanding achievements of the aeronautical laboratories recently. Further work along this line will be con- tinued during the new year. Other scientists are working with fog dispersing mediums and fog- piercing lights, but so far no en- tirely practicable solution in this direction seems to be in sight. Weather Obstacles Overcome. Aside from fogs, weather con- ditions are becoming less serious an obstacle to commercial aero- nautics, as the result of intensive studies of meterological condi- tions, more accurate upper air forecasts and vastly improved methods of keeping pilots posted on atmospheric changes ahead of them while in flight. Equipped with all of the aids which have been pressed into service recently, there is scant likelihood of any pilot flying into even the most sporadic storm without warning. Although the year now closing, culminating in the celebration of the first airplane flight, has been the most remarkable in the his- tory of aeronautics, next year, the beginning of the second quarter century of flight, probably will make the achievements of Several new types of planes are this year seem puny by compari- son. CLUB AT KELLY F ARMY AIR CORPS “DUMB-BELLS™ To add to the trials and tribulations of Army pilots at Kelly Field, the big rmy Air Corps training center in s, post officers have organized an ve fraternity to perpetuate the blunders of the flyer who may suffer a mental lapse in the air with ludicrous but not fatal results. To become eligible for membership in this body, which, appropriately, is known as the Dumb-bell Club, a man “must have distinguished himself far sbove all expectations in the perform- ance of some deed in the air so dumb as to be beyond human conception, and yet live, and to have exercised a mental slowness ranking next and aft- er a snail while piloting or directing the course of Army aircraft.” The rules of the post require that when members of the society elect a man es a member, “he must assume this honor with dignity and pleasure.” ‘The club owns a flag, which Locomes the possession of the latest member, to be held by him until scie new feat of incredible stupidity wrests the laurels from his hands. Club Keeps Record. Among feats which have won the flag and membe:ship in the imperish- able order are numbered the flight of an officer who took off from Kelly Field for Dallas, due north, in the merning and landed at dusk 60 miles southeast of Kelly out of gas, and the pilot who *fell out of an airplane at 1,100 feet for no good reason at all." A book containing photographs of the members and an account of the cir- cumstances which led up to the award of the honor is being compiled. ‘The event which opened the club portals to its newest member, a col- lision with a mule-drawn grass-cutter, is described in the following ciiition, read when the award of the flag and membership was made before a forma- tion of all the post officers: “On the bright and sunny day of October 23, 1928, in his irusted DH, this intrepid Air Corps officer was cruising about the ozone of Kelly Fieid when, feeling a little frisky and being 8 quick-thinking pursuit pilot, he de- cided to engage in a little combat work. IELD "HONORS" could find no planss in the air to frolic with. He cast his eyes about | the sky and terrain for a suitavle prey | for his pent-up enthusiasm. | “Hjs attention was finally attracted to a two-mule-powered single-place grass attacker piloted by an Efhiopian ficld officer, which was flying at a very low altitude and at a very uncertain | speed in the vicinity of the 43d Squad- ron airdrome. Our brave hero Jicked | his chops and, turning to his mechanic, |said, ‘Watch me down the Quarter- master Air Force!’ Hero Only Slightly Hurt. “Pushing his throttle forward, he made one of those terrific dives so common to the quick-thinking Lrigade. The Ethiopian pilot, seei that hLe | was being attacked from his right flank and being sadly cutclassed, took to his parachute. However, one of the mule powers of the motor, seeing that escape was impossible, decided to put up as good a fight as possible. He clevated his tail to an angle of 45 de- grees, brought back the bo'ts of .is rear gun and, as the DH got within y, hitting the DII vital spot, causing it 15 careen over on its side and fall to the ground, a mass of flames. “Fertunately, the hero who risked his life beyond ull rall of duty, who was so enthralled with the desire to give his corps the supremacy of the uir- drome and who, without thought of personal safety, engaged an enemy far superior to him in equipment, escaped the fray with only bruises and burns and has now completely recovered and is with us today.” | ' | | Pittshurgh to Get Beacon. PITTSBURGH (P).--Airmen w have found the going “tough” ove Pittsburgh because of the smoke and fog, are to be given help by the city council, which has voted for the erec- tion of an air beacon on a downtown skyscraper. ‘The beacon, to cost about $22,000, will have a range of 150 miles. The aeronautics branch of the| MIAML-TO-BAHAMAS AIR LINE TO OPEN Service to Santo Domingo and Cristobal Also to Start in January. The first major aeronautical develop- ment of the new year is expected to be the opening of operations, on Wednes- day, of the first of three foreign air mail and passenger lines linking the United States with the West Indies, Central America and South America. The route to be opened Wednesday will be operated by Pan-American Air- ways, between Miami, Fla. and Nassau, Bahama Islands. Sikorsky twin-mo- tored amphibian planes, carrying eight passengers and mail, will be used on the 210-mile water hop. The route is to begin operations on the basis of three flights weekly, all trips beginning at 9:10 am. and requiring two hours. A week from Wednesday, January 9, service will be inaugurated on the Sec- ond of the routes; from Miami to Ha- Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Fourteen-passenger Fokker tri-motored transport planes will be used over the 1,440-mile_route and service will be opened with three flights in each di- rection weekly. Overnight Stop in Cuba. The planes will leave Miami each Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 9:15 am, arriving at Havana by 11:30 am. An overnight stop will be made in Eastern Cuba and the planes will arrive at Santo Domingo City about :30 pm. the next day and at San Juan at 4 pm. Northbound, the planes will leave San Juan at 8 am. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, arriving at Miami at 5:15 p.m. the following day. On January 11 service will be opened by the Pan-American concern between Miami and Cristobal, Panama Canal Zone, on a temporary bi-monthly basis. ‘The big planes will leave Miami Jan- uary 11 and on the first and fifteenth of each month thereafter, arriving at Cristobal on the afternoon of the third day. The return flight will begin at Cristobal January 19 and on the seventh :u?d twenty-second of each month there- after. ‘The Miami-San Juan line will be ex- tended later to Port-au-Prince. Haiti. The frequency of service on the Panama route will be increased from the present bi-monthly schedule, as soon as the Pan-American Airways receive new planes which now are being built, and will be placed cn a daily basis, with six of the big transport planes in the air on various parts of the line each day. Postage on the three routes, the Post form code of aviation laws and a|Office Department has announced, will On mails to Cuba and the slands, 5 cents for each half- ounce or fraction, in addition to regular postage; on malls to Haiti, when the service begins, Santo Domingo and Porto Rico, 10 cents for each half-ounce or fraction, in addition to regular post- age, and on mails to the Canal Zone and for points beyond, to be dispatched by steamer from Cristobal, 25 cents for each half-ounce or fraction, in addi- tion to regular postage. Within the year it is expected, air mail and passenger service will be available in an unbroken route from Montreal, Canada, down the East Coast of the United States through New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Richmond, Atlanta and Miami to Cuba, the Pana- ma Canal Zone and through South America to Buenos Aires, Argentina. Completion of these lines will enable mail posted at Montreal Monday noon to reach Santiago, Chile, the next Sat- urday, five days, as against the three weeks now required. Two of the connecting routes, con- necting Miami with Cristobal, and the Canal Zone with Trinidad, are to be in operation on full schedule within 60 days and the third route, from the Canal Zone to Santiago, Chile, is to be advertised soon. Three Lines to Be Operated. The three routes to be opened during the next two weeks by Pan-American Airways, under postal contract, will call for 19,996 miles of flying each week. Three air liners, carrying 12 passengers cach, are to be operated between Miami and Havana daily to handle traffic esti- mated on bookings already received. By arrangement with the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad and the Florida East Coast Railway, through tickets over the air and rail lines will be sold to passengers in New York, Philadel- phia, this city and other Eastern points, these tickets including transportation between the raillway station and airport at_Miami. When the service finally is completed it will be possible for a merchant in Buenos Aires to travel in one week to ‘Washington, New York or Chicago. The two-month Pan-American good-will trip of President-clect Herbert Hoover may be made in less than three weeks under the new schedules. PITTSBURGH PLANS FOR BALLOON RACE Stadium to Be Used for Start of National Elimination Com- petition. By the Associated Press. PITTSBURGH, December 29.—The University of Pittsburgh foot ball sta- dium will be the starting point of the national elimination balloon races next May 4. This race will determine Amer- ican entrants for the international races to be started from St. Louis tHe follow- ing October, under the auspices of the National Aeronautic Association. The stadium’s seating capacity of 70,000 likely will be taxed to the limit in view of the fact that a crowd esti- mated at close to 100,000 witnessed the Labor day elimination races here at Bettis Field when an electrical storm played havoc with many of the bags and prompted officials to choose an earlier date for the eliminations next year. Already, according to the local com- mittee in charge of next year's races here, invitations to attend the event have been accepted by Vice President- elect Curtis, Sccretary of the Navy ‘Wilbur, Secretary of War Davis and his assistant for aeronautics, F. Trubee Davison; Admiral William A. Moffett, chief of the Navy Air Corps; Maj. Gen. James E. Fechet, chief of the Army Air Service, and Brig. Gen. F. P, Lahm. ‘The local committee for the races here is headed by James M. Magee, It includes such prominent members as Col. William Thaw, who participated in this year’s non-stop air race from New York; R. B. Mellon, Richard K. Mellon and W. L. Mellon, Pittsburgh business men, and Senator David A. Reed and James Francis Burke, Republican party leaders. FLYERS’ CLUB PLANNED. NEW YORK (P).—America’s first Aviation country club, patterned after ! the exclusive light flying clubs spon- sored by the British air ministry, has approved the acquisition of a 110-acre tract near Westbury, L. L, as the site of its fiying field, ciubhouse and han- gars. Charles L. Lawrence, president of the Wright Aeronautical Corporation and head of the new Long Island Aviation Country Club, says that the formation of the club has resulted in plans for similar _organizations in Cincinnati, Santa Barbara, Syracuse, Pittsburgh, This will give aviators a “pick-up” after they pass over the perilous egheny 4s 1 was dyring the noon hous, be’ Mountains near Aljoona.. * ' & Philadelphia, 8t. Louis, Cleveland, washington, Wilmington, Del., and Chi< AR vana, Cuba; San Juan, Porto Rico, and { Col. Lindbergh Discusses Re- quirements for Long-Dis- tance Trips by Aeros. MUST CORRECT COMPASS Lengthy Non-Stop Flights Are Declared Impractical for Present at Least. inY COL. CHARLES A. LINDBERGH. In a previous article we considered navigation in fts simplest form. The private owner who operates his plane under favorable weather conditions v.ill find little use for an extensive knowl- edge of instrument fying and the finer points of dead reckoning or for celestial or radio observations. The profession- al pilot, on the other hand, may be called upon to make flights which re- quire the use of all modern methods. As aviation progresses, the distances covered between stops for service will continue to increase and planes ‘will often be flying over wild and uncharted areas, where accurate navigation will be_essential. Our air mail planes three years ago carried_enough fuel for only a little over 400 miles. Today, a number of stock models are capable of flights more than twice that distance, in addition to carrying a larger pay load of pas- sengers and express. Long non-stop flights are not com- mercially practical at present, but for the purpose of discussing the require- ments of navagation over long distances | a flight between America and Europe. Needs for Storm and Fog. If the start is made from New York, the distance to be covered will be more than 3,000 miles, and it is almost a certainty that at least one maior storm area will be encountered, even under the most favorable conditions At least 2,000 miles of the flight will be over water, with the consequent inabiiity to obtain a location of position from ground objects. It is entirely possible that a major portion of the trip will be either over or through fog and storms. ‘These conditions set portant requirements,. ., tne ability | to navigate accurately withcut ground | check points and possibly without being | forth two_im- | Fir | for a flight is the laying out of the | | objects on the ground whenever and under all conditions, let us consider | ¥ able to use a sextant in obtaining a position from the stars. Second, the plane must be equipped for blind fly- ing over long distances in case the fog and clouds extend to such an alti- tude that the course followed niwust be through instead of above them. In order to make full use of all avail- able instruments of navigation it will be necessary to carry a navigator in addition to the pilot. ‘The Maps Required. One of the first details in preparing course. In this case we require maps of the land passed over in America, a Mercator chart of the Noril Atlantic | and maps of Europe coverin} enough of the coast line on each side of our course to allow for a possible error in_navigation. In addition to these charts for actu~l use on the flizh. snould have a Great Circle sailing chatt, a map of magnetic variation and cne showing the time zones for use in their prepa- | ration. A straight line is drawn on the Great Circle chart, and the Ilatitude and longitude of equi-distant points, -say 100 miles apart, are noted and transferred to the Mercator's projec- tion, then connected by ctraight lines. Each of these lines will forma a dif- ferent angle with the true north merid- 1ans on the Mercator chars, d the angle between the two wil} give the true course for the 100 miles which 1t represents. Whatever porticn of the route lies over land is transferred to the maps of that territory. These wre used to check the compass course with pos- sible during the flight. Correcting the Compass. Starting at New York, the bearing of each 100-mile sector is taken in relation | to true north. These bearings are not the ones to be followed on the compass. The magnetic poles of the earth do not correspond with the true poles. Conse- quently, the compass needle points to magnetic north, and it is necessary to change from true to magnetic readings | in finding the compass course. | ‘The difference in degrees between the | true and magnetic bearings are found | by consulting the chart of magnetic variations. If variation is westerly, of the agonic line or line of no vari: tion, the variation is added to the true course to obtain the magnetic course. If the variation is easterly, it is st tracted. This procedure gives us the magnetic | course for each 100-mile sector, but not | the compass course to be followed. A compass is subject to a number of local errors. It is affected by various magnetic parts of the plane and engine and by the ignition system when the motor is running. Consequently, it is necessary to find the amount of error or the deviation for different headings | | direction of magnetic west, and again | , hoted and marked on a deviation chart. | degree heading until the chart has been ADVANCE IN AVIATION RANGE MAKES NECESSARY/| KNOWLEDGE BY PROFESSSIONAL FLYER OF MEANS OF FOLLOWING COURSES OVER UNCHARTED AREA Professional Pilot May Be Required to Undertake Flights by Compass. ACCURATE CHART NEEDED, Transocean Flying Calls for| Ability to Plot Path With- out Landmarks. of the plane. This is accomplished by the use of a master compass of known accuracy to lay out a line running magnetic north and south. This should be done in a spot free of any local magnetic attractions _such as metal hargars or power lines. Additional lines are then laid out for each 30 degree heading, making 12 in all. Each 30-Degree Heading Charted. The plane, with motor turning aver at two-thirds throttle, is placed on the magnetic north heading, and by means of small compensating magnets the compass needle or card is made to in- dicate as nearly as possible magnetic | north. The plane is then headed in the the compensating magnets are used to bring the card to indicate properly. In doing this, however, the needle will be so affected that it will no longer indi- cate correctly on the north heading, and a compromise must be made so that the error or deviation is as-small as possible on each heading. After the compass has been compen- sated the plane is again headed magnetic north and the error in compass reading This procedure is repeated for each 30~ completed. The magnetic bearing for each sector of the course is next corrected for this deviation, and the actual compass course to be followed, provided there is no wind drift, is obtained. We now have maps covering our entire flight with the actual compass course calculated for each 100 mile sector. The next problem is to obtain instruments which will make it possible to follow the course accurately under all conditions. (Copyright, 1928, An article by Col. Lindbergh on the pres- ent and futnre of aviation will appear each yeek exclusively in Washington in The Sun- CAMERA' REFNRDS BONBERS L Imaginary Missles Dropped Near Building to Test Ac- curacy of Flyers. By the Assoclated Press. SAN ANTONIO, Tex., December 29.— A ‘“camera” big enough for a man to sit inside records the hits of cadet bombers at the Army flying school here. The “camera” is a building, and the cadet’s bombing ability is determined by the shadow of his plane as it flies over. He drops imaginary bombs. Radio communication between the plane and the man inside the “camera” makes possible a record of the exact spot where the cadet’s “bomb” strikes. The building is constructed with a large opening in the roof, through which the camera lens picks up the plane’s shadow when it is some distance away. The man designated to make a record of the cadet’s hit sits at a target board inside. A metronome ticks off the time required for the plane's advance, and the marker traces its shadow across the board. ‘When the cadet arrives over his ob- jective and is certain that he would hit his war-time target, were it a build- ing or a battleship, he tells the marker by radio telephone to “mark that spot.” The marker then places an “X" on the mapping board, showing the effective- ness of the cadet’s hit. If it is within the central ring of the mapping board target, it is a per- fect hit. If the “X” is in one of the other rings, it is not a perfect hit and the cadet’s instructor will be able to point out the fault. Although the Army Air Corps pro- vides for some bombing maneuvers in which actual bombs are used, all of the “bombing” done by cadets at the flying school is carried on with imagi- nary explosives over the *“camera ob- Plane Passenger Up 2,500 Fet Has View of 65 Miles ‘The air passenger at a height of 2,500 feet on a clear day can see the horizon at a distance of 65 miles and commands a view of an area of 7,000 square miles, it is_estimated by the American Alr Transport Association. ‘Within an angle of 45 degrees from the point directly beneath him the air traveler is able to see every detail of an area of about 10,000,000 square feet. Traveling at 100 miles an hour ‘at 2,500 feet altitude, the aerial traveler has less than one minute to read signs having an area of 300 to 2,000 square feet. A 6-foot letter is legible at a height of 5,000 feet and a 15-foot letter at 13,000 feet in clear weather. DIRIGIBLE’S RECORD .DECLARED OFFICIAL Graf Zeppelin Entry Is First Re- corded for Class Since 1913. The Federation Internationale Aero- nautique, charged with recording all in- ternational aeronautical records, has officially recorded and approved the record of the German dirigible Graf Zeppelin on Its recent transatlantic glgm, according to word just received ere. ‘The official record reads as follows: “Class B (dirigibles): Distance (Ger- many), Dr. Eckener, with the dirigible Z-L 127, Graf Zeppelin; motors, May- bach 450-550 H.P.. from Lakehurst, U. 8. A, to Friedrichshafen, Germany. October 29-30-31, November 1, 1928; 6,384.5 kilometers.” ‘The last official entry in the federa- tion records for the same class of airships was made 15 years ago, rec- ognizing as a world record the flight of two Itallans, Castracane and Castruccio, who, on July 30, 1913, flew a distance scura” building. imaginary boml ! School at Kelly Field, Tex. ing.in the roof, over which bombing CAMERA TESTS BOMBERS’ SKILI of 810 kilometers, or 503.3 miles. \ | of the controls being bridged by strips RADIO FOR PLANES DENANDS BONDING Most Serious Difficulty in Us- ing Wireless on Airships Is Closed Circuit. The difficulties which have been en- countered by radio engineers in meet- ing the demands for efficient and de- pendable _outfits for airplane use are illustrated in the mere basic operations of bonding and shielding the metal parts and electrical lines of airplanes, as a preliminary to the actual installa- tion of the radio units. Bonding is the operation of connect- ing all of the separated metal parts of the plane by wiring so as to form a single electrical unit. This is necessary because a ground connection, of course, is impossible and a good counterpose ; must be substituted. All the wiring of the ignition system and plane lighting system then must be shielded 5o as to prevent the leakage of energy and consequent radio inter- ference. Bonding of the metal parts also is necessary so that when a transmitter is used on a plane there will be no spark- ing between metal parts, with a result- ing fire risk or injury to the plane. Bond All Metal Parts. The bonding of an airplane, according to Department of Commerce engineers, is performed by electrically connecting all metal parts, the actual details vary- ing with each type of plane. Wheie wooden wings are used, all drag and anti-drag wires must be connected by running a copper wire or strip along the wing spars and binding them to the wires. Metal parts in the ailerons must be connected either through existing metal control connections or by install- ing wire “jumpers” across the hinges. If the plane is a biplane care must be taken to keep the lift and anti-lift wires from rubbing against each other, or having a permanent connection betweeu the two at the point of contact. If this is not done, interference will he caused each time the two wires touch. With the prevailing metal fuselages, the bonding here is comparatively sim- ple. If welded, the bonding will be only that of connecting parts which may be clamped to the welded members. The bonding of the wings and their metal lfiltlngs then is connected to the fuse- age. In the case of wooden fuselages, how- ever, wires must be run along each longeron, connecting with all brace ‘wires. All controls and control wires must be properly bonded, all moving joints of copper braid. Two Types of Shielding. There are two types of shieldings— low-tension and high-tension shielding. They differ only in the care which must be taken due to the difference in fre- quencies of the currents carried in the wires. Shielded wires must be used in making all connections to batteries, lights and other electrical equipment. The shielding consists of a metal tub- ing over the insulated wires, grounded at points 12 to 14 inches apart. All instruments in_the planes should have metal cases. If a metal instru- ment board is used it is necessary to make a good eclectrical connection be- tween instruments and board and then grourd the board to the rest of the plane. With a wooden board the case of each instrument must be bonded in- | dividually. Proper shielding of the magneto or distributor and the spark plugs of the motor today forms the most trouble- some problem facing the electrical engi- neer. At present the most satisfactory method seems to be the use of a shielded spark plug. Shielded plugs now in use, however, are susceptible to a breaking down of the insulation. Spark plug {nnuulacmrers are working on the prob- lem. ‘With proper bonding and shielding accomplished, the radio engineer then is able to undertake the radio installa- tion with some hope of success. The entire field of aeronautical radio com- munication, however, is open to im- provement and forms today one of the most important fields of research in connection with aeronautical develop- ment. A T Clinic Considers Airport. Officials of the Mayo Clinic, Roches- 1 A “camera” big enough for a man to sit inside records the effectiveness of | bs dropped by cadets of the United States Army Air Corps Flying The “camera” is & build (above), .with an o] l'l-l '"lhlr.lo-h’!' i 8 to “drop ter, Minn., have under consideration the establishment of a suitable airport HELICOPTER FIRST INTRIGUED MAN Tests of Machine Made Dur- ing Civil War Failed to Materialize. Celebration last week of the twenty- fifth anniversary of the first airplane | flight made by man has served to focus | attention on other early efforts in this country to satisfy man's yearning to ' fly. The Wright brothers, whose experi- | ments led to the first successful air- plane flight at Kitty Hawk, N. C., De- | cember 17, 1903, have said that their personal interest in aviation dates from 1878, when their gather gave them a toy helicopter. They later began mak- ing these helicopters for themselves, but, disappointed with the results, turned to kite flying. ‘The helicopter seems to have been the first type of flying machine with which serious experiments were made. Sir George Cayley, during the early part of the last century, won the title | of “the father of British aeronautics” by his experiments with helicopters. He is the first man, according his- tory, to make a flying toy beyond any possibility of question. In 1796 Cayley | made a small helicopter of two corks with four feathers stuck in each like fan blades, a vertical shaft connecting the two “propellers” and a bow and string to spin the shaft and propellers. Predicted Aviation in 1809. In his famous paper of 1809 on aerial navigation Cayley proposed to substi- | tute large planes for the feathers and to install an engine to provide power. Cayley was the first, so far as can be learned, to definitely prophesy aerial navigation as it is known today. ‘The helicopter as a machine for mili- tary reconnoissance excited the interest of ‘Army officers and scientists in the United States during the Civil War. The first- such proposal on record was made November 7, 1861, to Gen. Mitchell, in command at Port Royal, S. C. There was exhibited to him a tin model wound up with a string, which would fly into the air a hundred feet or higher and would carry a bullet or two if the string were pulled hard enough. It was argued that a big device of the same sort, with air screws for horizontal propulsion, could be made to carry an observer. Mitchell fell a victim to yel- low fever, however, and nothing further was done. Captive balloons were used during the Civil War, but with little success. During the siege of Charleston, in the Summer of 1863, attention again turned to the helicopter and there were long discussions between Maj. Richard Butt and Capt. James E. Place, of the En- gineers, and Edward Wellman Serrell, who had experimented with models. During the siege of Petersburg, in 1864, the problem of learning enemy move- ments became one of concern to the Eyglneers, and Serrell went to work with energy. He flew a four-inch fan to a height of more than 100 feet and Maj. Gen. B. F. Butler, commanding the Army of the James, expressed the belief that a man- carrying helicopter could be made. He ordered Serrell to submit an official re- port. Serrell devised a four-fan heli- copter, to be driven by a steam engine, with two lifting fans above the engine and two pushers below. Twp fans were provided to propel and steer the device horizontally with a system of gliding pll:nes and balancing bars on either side. Experiment is Unsuccessful. ‘The body was to contain fuel and water and a high-pressure boiler and steam engine. The machine was to be 52 feet high and about the same width across the wings. Gen. Butler was much impressed and ordered Serrell to superintend the building of the ma- chine at once. There were no funds, no tools and no engine, however, and delays resulted. Funds were provided by private subscriptiom, tools made and a New York firm was commissioned to make the engine. A sheet-iron air screw 32 feet in di- ameter was built and it was found to be capable of lifting 600 pounds, or more than the weight of the screw it- self, Serrell reported. It was found upon experimentation in a closed build- ing, however, that the device would drop after rising a few feet, due, as Serrell put it, “to the downward cur- rent of air that soon became nearly or quite as fast as the pitch of the screw; hence it would lift nothing.” The New York firm was unfortunate in its experiments and_the close of the war at Appamattox also was the end of the helicopter. FLIES 8,000 HOURS IN LAST 11 YEARS Frank R. Yager Has Spent Twelfth of His Life in Air Since November, 1917, Frank R. Yager, one of the Nation's leading air veterans, who joined the air mail service in this city in 1920, when the lines were still under government operation, has spent one-twelfth of his life in the air since November, 1917. One_month, day and night, of each year, Yager spends flying and in ihe past’ 11 years he has amassed the tre- mendous flying time of 8,000 hours. He is as much at home in the sky at night as in the day, for one-fourth of his total flying time was run up by night flying. ‘Yager started his career as a pilot in the Army at Kelly Field, Texas, where he made his first flight. He later became an instructor at Carlston and Door fields, and after two years of teaching rookies to fly he was dis- charged after the close of war. He then bought a plane and barn- stormed in the vicinity of Denver, Colo., for twe years, operating an aerial taxi service, jiving exhibitions and do- iny any oth:r odd jobs of flying that presented t'iemselves. He joind the air mail in 1920 and when the government went out of business a3 an air mail operator joined one of the contract air mail companies and continued in the air mail service, For eight years he has flown the Chi- cago-Omaha, the Omaha-Cheyenne and the Cheyenne-Salt Lake City air mail routes, covering the long Western routes day in and day out, week after week, month after month and year after year. He now flies the Cheyenne-Salt Lake mail planes of the transcontinen- tal line for Boeing Air Transport. lig 88 DUNDALK AIRPORT WORK WILL START NEXT MONTH! ‘War Department Issues Permit for Bulkhead and Fill Construction. Work on the new $3,500,000 Baltimore municipal airport at Dundalk will begin next month, following the issuance ny the War Department of a permit for the construction of a bulkhead and fill along the water side of the proposea airport site from a point near the mouth of Colgate Creek to a point 7,500 feet west of Sollers Point. ‘The city is required to dredge a chan- nel into the entrancé of the creek with a depth of not less than seven feet and & width to be determined upon by the adjacent to the sanitarium buildings to make possible quick communication with the clinic by air for and patients.. 3 ut. Col. is. The k] permit requires completion of the bulkhead by Decem- ber 31, 1931, unless the time is extend- ed- by tite. War Department. \ = S, TESTMAY OPEN WAY 10 WORLD FLIGHT Non-Stop Trip Around Earth Held Possible Through Refueling in Air. BY WILLIAM E. BERCHTOLD, Associated Press Aviation Editor. Whether man can fly around tl world without stopping may be detes mined after the Army Air Corps’ tri motored plane Question Mark com pletes its endurance test next month. The Army’s projected refueling-in flight tests at Los Angeles, scheduled t get under way at dawn New Year da) are being watched with unusual interes by experts in both military and civi aviation. If the tests are successful they ma. show the way for aerial exploits nov inconceivable to the average layman Airplanes that can remain in flight fo thousands of miles, speeding througl the air at 100 miles an hour witl safety, would be of untold value to mili tary and civil aviation. The quartet of Army flyers, by ob taining fuel from another plane whil in flight, plan to remain aloft 300 hour. or more if their engines, equipment anc nervous systems can endure the strain . Estimate for 300 Hours. If they remain in the air 300 hour they will fly more than 27,000 miles, ¢ distance greater than the circumferenc of the earth. The Army is not plan ning a globe-girdling flight without stop. but the significance. of the flight n spanning comparatively shorter dis tances can be realized best from thi: startling comparison. It would be carrying the feat only : step farther to place refueling plane: on battleships and at strategic land bases around the world to accomplish a non-stop globe-girdling flight. If an airplane can remain aloft over a speci- fied course in Southern California for 300 hours, it could place the miles it covers on end around the globe just as easily as it could cover them on a closed course. One reason the Question Mark will carry on its tests over California rather than in some spectacular long-distance flight is that the Federation Aeronau- tique Internationale insists in its rules that a plane must return to the point of departure if it wants to claim a world record. The Army plans to break the present world record for endurance anc distance with the aid of refueling, : record now held by Belgium. Present Record, 60 Hours 7 Minutes. The present record, made last Jun by Adjt. Louis Crooy and Sergt. Victo Groenen of Belgium, is 60 hours and " minutes. The Army plans to make that mark just a milestone on its projectec flight of 300 hours or more. The greatest hazard in lcng-distance gylng l‘lc’ro;s ocefln: ane }:‘onlinenu to- ay, aside from bad weather., b danger of crashing under mfiz‘m heavy gasoline loads when taking off. If the refueling test is successful, futurc transatlantic planes probably will ge! into the air with a small amount of gas and then receive their heavy loac¢ from another plane as they fly to sea Likewise, transcontinental planes carrying priceless cargoes of silks 0! gems, now carried by fast heavil: guarded trains, could continue thei: long journeys with greater speed ar safety by obtaining fuel while in flig Long distance could be cut down taking a great circle course rather tI a route which must include well eq' ped fields at the bigger cities. Refueling Problem Considered. ‘To military aviation the refucla test is of great importance, hecaus Army bombers nmow must carry eithc heavy bombs or a large supply of g They cannot lift unusually heavy load: of both bombs and gas from small fields However, with the new system the: could get into the air and then tak: on their supply of gasoline which woul¢ make possible operation over long dis tances into enemy territory with heav: armament. The four men selected by the Arm Air Corps for the long grind of livin in the air for from 10 to 13 days ar ready for the tests. Cots have bee: placed within the plane’s cabin, so tha one pair may sleep while the other i flying the plane. Food and water wi’ be lowered to the endurance plane fror the two planes which are to bring g into the air during the long flight. Extreme Test Guaranteed. Capt. Ira Eaker, Maj. Carl Spa Lieut. Elwood R. Quesada and Sta Sergt. Roy Hooe will remain aloft wit the giant tri-motored Fokker plane un til its engines give out, or they are ur able to stand the strain of remainin aloft longer. A special hose, dropped from the re fueling plane, will carry gasoline to th big transport at the rate of 150 gallon in two minutes. Refueling in flight ha already been proved a success, but it | believed possible that with the ne equipment extraordinary distances ma be spanned without stop. FIVE WEATHER STATIONS Danger of Colliding With Wire Attached to Kites and Balloons Disclosed by Bureau. All airplane pilots are warned by th ‘Weather Bureau to avoid five upper ai. weather stations, at which captive bal- locns and Kkites are used to carry re- cording instruments aloft. There is serious danger of colliding with the wires and it is suggested that pilots leave a clear 10-mile radius around the stations. ‘The observatories are located at Broken Arrow, Okla.; Due West, S. C.; Ellendale, N. Dak.; Groesbeck, Tex., and Royal Center, Ind. Work is carried on at these stations daily at irregular hours, observations being made by means of kites when there is sufficient wind to support them and by balloons when the wind is very light. Both kites and balloons are at- tached to very small piano steel wire. a% times reaching altitudes above t: miles, the record being four and one- fourth miles. Although the kites and balloons can be seen in clear weather, they are, of course, hidden in cloudy weather. Th wire, which constitutes the chief dan ger, cannot be seen at all any appre ciable distance even in clear weather. AIR AND AUTO SAFETY COMPARED IN CAMPAIGI. ‘The safety of airplanes as compared with automobiles is being emphasized by the Automobile Club of Southern California in a campaign to reduce au- tomobile accidents. ‘The club has pointed out that while an automobile accident may be expected for each 10,000 miles of travel, one air transport line in this country has oper- ated its planes nearly 2,000,000 miles without an accident. The club has pointed out that one reason for the comparative safety of the airplane is the fact that the planes are kept in per- fect condition and the pilots take no foolish chances. “Pulots of all the large operating com- panies never s with passenger-car- rying airplanes,” the club pointed out. “There iS no occasion for it, as their business is to get their passengers to a given destination on scheduled time.” In closing the appeal to motorists to reduce the hazards of ground travel, the club asks: “Do we autoists want to admit that the airplane is safer than- the. aulomobile2” fer