Evening Star Newspaper, January 20, 1929, Page 65

THE SUNDAY STAR. -WASHINGTON, D. 0.~ JANUARY: 20, . 1920 _PART 4. ~QUEANAIR WEATHER - SERVIGE 1S URGED ~Moffett. Believes “Accurate . -Forecasts Necessary to .." - Rid Transportation. BY WILLIAM E. BERCHTOLD. (Assbcinted Press Aviation Editor.) Rear Admiral William A, Moffett, chiet of the Navy's Bureau of - Aero- - ~pautice-believes a comprehensive ocean weather service should be developed im- mediately to meet the needs of future transoceanic ' airship transportation. He recommends that such a service ‘be developed as an international under- taking, since weather affecting airship -travel . is. not = confined to national boundaries. “Air currents are not so constant in ... location, direction. and speed from day to day as are ocean currents,” Moffett points out. “It is not sufficient, there- fove, to chart the average location, di- , réction and speed of air, currents by months and years as we now do for reg- . ular oceanic. shipping. Certain Scheduies Possible. .. It is necessary to know the location, direcfion-and speed of winds at flying letels previous to the start of the flight, “4nd to select the most favorable route on the basis of actual conditions. “Once ocean weather service is de- veloped to the point that an accurate forecast of the distribution of winds and weather over the ocean can be made cach ' day, ' the'schedules for *airship can be made with great cer- travel, reports from ships in the North | Atlantie should be obtained three or| four times daily. so that the boundaries between different upper wind currents and their velocity can be determined and followed with certainty, the admiral says. The reports should be spaced at ap- proximately six-hour intervals, to corre- spond as closely as possible with the hours of observations in ‘continental Europe and the United States. Radio Channels Important. Suitable equipment for measuring at- ampspheric .conditions, similar to that now used on the Navy's battieships and cruisers,.should be installed on all ships at sea. That will eliminate inaccuracies which now, arise frequently from per- sonal estimates. While . Washington .and New York now obtain weather reports from 5 or 10 vessels at’sea, it-will be necessary to get such information from dozens of widely scattered ships in the future. “Such a weather service would not only-give advice to alrship. navigators concerping winds, but also would de< seribe ‘areas vovered by fog orTain #nd | give the location of general storms, | squalls or hurricanes, so that the air- ship could give these violent conditions wide berth,” Admiral Moffett says. “The subject of proper radio channels to enable ships at sea to file their re- rts with shore observatories is a high- important one that needs immediate consideration. Regular radio traffic from ships at sea is so voluminous as to make speedy transmission a difficult problem.” Air Shuttle System i’lanned. An attempt is being made to secure the designation of cities in. Georgia and the Carolinas along the Eastern seaboard as air mail stops. The plan ment comprehensive ocean weather air navigators, he says. at sea. OCEAN STORM CHARTS FOR FLYERS Rear Admiral William A. Moffeit (below), chief of the Navy's Bureau of Aeronautics, says the future of transoceani r travel depends on the develop- service. Maps should be available to Special equipment, such as the aerological laboratories on the U. S. S. Wright (above) would help form a network of weather stations By the Asociated Press. MEXICO CITY, January 19.—Mexi- can oil field bandits and Col. Charles A. Lindbergh inspired the establishment and development, respectively, of com- mercial aviation In Mexico, although neither was aware of the strange com- Dbination. Commercial planes were first used in Mexico to avoid bandits. Regular pas- senger .and mail air services evolved as a result of the great aviation in- terest aroused throughout Mexico by Lindbergh’s non-stop flight from Wash- ington to Mexico City. Millions of pesos for oil field pay rolls have beent carried by air from Tampico to_camps ‘throughout the oil cotintry, to the discomfiture of the bandits, un- winged and impotent, able only to stand on the ground and stare helplessly at the money-laden messengers beyond :::‘ilr grasp. This pay roll service con- 5. 3 Meanwhile, 'Lindbergh flew to. Mex- ico. The country went wild about avia- tion. .George L. Rihl, an American, ‘ariginally Tfrom Washington, D. C., who Had started the air pay roll service in the Tampico fields, decided. the impetis; given aviation by Lindbergh made op- ‘portune the = Jaunching of regular passenger-and air mail Jjudgment, was justified. The Mexican Aviation Co., of which" he is president, now operates daily serv- ices between Mexico City and Tampico and triweekly services between Vera calls for a shuttle system between Sa- vannah and Greensboro by way of Charleston, Georgetown, Wilmington and New Bern, the cities desiring the new service. becaus Cruz and Merida. It hopes to start. another regular service between Tam- E and Brownsyille. The Mexican. “petween Mexieo'City and Laredo. e of its routes. —, HI$ | rnment operates another air. serv- | BANDITS AND LINDY'S VISIT BUILD MEXICO'S AIR LINES “If there had not been American oil companies in the Tampico fields, and if Lindbergh had not flown to Mexico, commercial aviation. develop- ment would not have come here so quickly,” Mr. Rihl says. ‘The- first commercial plane. in Mexl- can service made- the first Mexico City-Tathpico flight in January, 1922, and then began pay roll flights in the oil fields. “During the *“boom” in the ‘Tampico fields in 1922 and 1923 10 pay roll trips a week were made from ‘Tampico, carrying 500,000 pesos a week. About three pay rolls a week are car- ried by airplane to different oil camps at present. Mr. Rihl estimates that the airplanes of his company have deliv- ered a total of perhaps 15,000,000 pesos to oil field camps for pay rolls. There has only been one loss. Sacks containing 25,000 pesos were once drop- ped -into a. dense jungle.instead of a clearing where the money should have landed.. That bit of jungle since has been searched many times, but the money has.not. been found. The ground is swampy, and the treasure probably sank into the mud and water. In addition to delivering money for paystolls, airplanes carry tools, equip- ment and supffles from Tampico to the oif ‘fields ‘and make frequent special hts ‘with oil men passengers to and from the fields. . Until Lindbergh came to Mexico this b was - entirely a “taxi service"—that is, oue ‘of special trips, as ordered by cus- ‘tomers, not a regular daily passenger 'schedule. This regular service was in- angurated April 15, 1928, between Tam- pico, Tuxpan and Mexico City. Then The m'i)t;)ring public has found some- thing in the new De Soto Six that sets it . .completely apart from others in its field. It is not surprising that a car so beauti- .ful, so. comfortable, so powerful and responsive, and so safe and easy to drive should find a ready market.: But it is significant that even such a car should set a new sales record for the . industry during the first five months of its existence. The answer must lie in a widespread public conviction that the genius and resources of Chrysler confer upon ster greater Faeton, $845; Road- Sedan Coche, $845;. . Cupe Business, $845; Sedan, $885; Cupe de 'ALABAMA AIRPORT CLAIMS HIGH RANK | Montgomery Making Bid ‘to. Be- come the Hub of Southern Aviation Activities. MONTGOMERY, Ala, (#).—Near the center of a circle, the circumference of | which is 800 miles and including more than a dozen larger cities of the United States, Montgomery is making a bid to become the hub of Southern air ac- | tivities. | ‘Maxwell Field, local Government air- port, is the home of the 22d Observa- | tion Squadron and 4th -Photo Sec- tion, under command of Maj. Walter R. Weaver. Last year the War Depart- ment - insured the permanence of the post with the expenditure of more than $250,000 for buildings and equipment. Maxwell Field is so situated that the field can be expanded to almost five times its present size - over territory which is flat and sparsely wooded, ideal terrain. for: a flying field. - Within & stone’s throw of the- Alabama River, surrounded by a wide barfen valley, the fleld, airmen point out, is available for bombing and proving grounds. Planes from the Pensacola air sta- tion, a three-hour flight, may conduct maneuvers in conjunction with land planes here, using the river on which to Jand. i ‘The flying field is at the southern end of the Appalachian chain, the surround- ing country making it ‘especially adapt- able to flylng. The field is on an air- line with Washington, Fort Bragg and Fort Benning, both Infantry posts; New Orleans and other centers of air ac- tivity. “Because of the natural location and the fine terrain surrounding Maxwell Field,” Maj. Weaver says, “this is the logical post to be designated for the gateway for East-West air travel, Down the Atlantic seaboard from. Washington there are no difficult mountains to ne- gotiate and from here on to the West: the country is excellent for flying; there are no mountains and there are numer- ous’ localities available in the event of a forced landing.” An average of 28 flying days each month is a record which-Maj. Weaver says he believes unsurpassed in any other section of the country. A shaft of light projected from Max- r\:;e;]ll Field may be seen by pilots for 80 es. TRANSPORT.ATIOYN OF SICK “BY AIR TO BE STUDIED Aeronautics Congress on Public Health to Open in Paris May 15. The transportation of the sick and injured by air both in peace and war will be considered at the first Inter- national Congress of Aeronautics as Applied to public health, to be held in Paris May 15 to 20. A demonstration of ambulance planes will be held at Le Bourget airport. ‘The congress will consider the use of ambulance planes in colonial posses- sions, the use of planes to remove wounded from the battle front, amb lance seaplanes, the Red Cross in aero- nautics, medicine and aeronautics, physiology and aeronautics, the air am- bulance in times of peace and kindred subjects. followed the Mexican government's Mexico City-Laredo mail service, and next came the Mexican Aviation Co.’s Vera Cruz-Merida, Yucatan triweekly nger and mail service. value Espanol, $845; CHENEY AWARD FOR BRAVERY "IN AIR GIVEN TO'UZAL G. ENT Valor of Arrfiy Air Corps Sec- .. ond’ Lieutenant Wins Medal. Fought Flaming Balloon in| Races to Save Body of Comrade. ‘Second Lieut.-Uzal G. Ent,~Army Air Corps, stationed at Langley Field, Va., has Dbeen. designated to receive the Cheney award for the year 1928 for the year's oitstariding* deed of - valor and self-sacrifice in aeronautics, it was an- nounced last night by the War Depart- ment.. Lieut. Ent, in addition to the mes%?o egal, ‘will receive a cash award o . . The, incident. which won the Cheney award for, the joon officer oc- curred during the national elimination balloon race which started from Bettds Field, Pittsburgh, May 30.. Lieut. Ent, flew ‘in’the Tace as aide to Lieut. Paul Evert, pilot of.the Army Air Corps' én- try in the race. Shortly after the start of the race, and while at an altitude of 1,200 feet over Youngwood, P4., the Army ballogn, ran inte a severe electrical -storm and the balloon was struck by lightning. Lieut: Evert was killed, the balloon set afire and-Lieut.-Ent shocked so-that his left leg and right arm were paralyzed temporarily. . Tries to Revive Comrade. Despite his own injuries and the gravity of his situation, Lieut. Ent tried to revive his companion was still alive. Meanwhile the burning balloon was descending at an alarming rate of speed, with the likelihood of ex- ploding at any moment. Had he co sidered his ‘personal safety alone Lieut. Ent could have jumped from the bal- loon .and landed safely. with his para- chute, but, relieved of his weight, the balloon would have ascended and, after rning, would have had a dead fall of several thousand feet, destroying what- thinking he | ever spark of life might have remained’ A SIX LIEUT. UZAL G. ENT, ‘Army Air Corps, whe has been awarded the Cheney medal for the oustanding feat of aeronautical heroism during 1928. The medal is shown below. in Lieut. Evert's body, declared the Army board which made the award. Not being certainof Lieut. Evert's condition, Lieut. Ent risked death when ‘he chose to remain with the balloon. By throwing out of the balloon basket all’ the available ballast he succeeded in’ checking its rapid descent and landed on the bank of a stream with but little jar. “When the balloon was about 15 feet off the ground, the gas bag had completely burned away from the basket. Second in Air Corps Honored. Lieut. Ent is the second member of the Army Air Corps to receive the Cheney award, the first one being pre- sented to Master Sergt. Harry Chapman last year for conspicuous bravery in the airship Roma disaster of Pebruary, 19 The medal was awarded to Lieut. Ent by a board composed of Brig. Gen. Benjamin D. Foulouls, as- sistant chief of the Air Corps; Maj. L. W. Mcintosh, executive, and Maj. Ira Longanecker, chief of the informa- tion section, with_the approval of Maj. Gen. James E. Fechet, chief of the Air Corps. The 8sheney award was established in memory of Lieut. William H. Cheney, Air Corps, who was killed in an air collision at Foggia, Italy, January 20, 1918. The donors are Mrs. Mary L. C. Schofield, Peterboro, N. H., and Mrs. Ruth Cheney Streeter, Morristown, N. J., mother and sister of Lieut. Che- ney,, who set aside a trust fund of $15,000 to be used in making up the award. Lieut. Ent was born at Northumber- land, Pa., March 3, 1900. He left school to enlist in the aviation section of the Signal Corps during the World War, serving through the enlisted grades in the lighter-than-air branch | of thie Air Corps until he was appointed |as a cadet at the United States Mili- tary Academy, from which he was graduated in 1924. He was graduated | from the Balloon and Airship School, Scott Field, 1ll., and was rated balloon observer and airship pilot on June 29, 1926. ‘The heroic conduct of Lieut. Ent also won him the distinguished flying cross, which fecently was awarded. TEST RADIO ON FLIGHTS. Several test flights were made re- | cently at Wright Field, Ohio, in the | Fokker C-2 radio laboratory plane of | the Army Air Corps to measure antenna characteristics, it has been announced here. . Approximately six more hours of flying will be required to complete these measurements. A new radio beacon receiver which utilizes a six-foot vertical antenna also has been installed in an 02-C plane and has been found much more suitable for radio beacon ‘work than the one using a_trailing wire antenna. The beacon zone is narrowed nearly one-third and the directional effect of the antenna is eliminated. making the zone more sharply defined. FLYING INSURANCE: RATES ARE LOWER R Policies Are Now Being Written at 40 Per Cent Less Than in 1922 ! Acronautical insurance policies of all classes are being written today at an average premium rate 40 per cent lower than when the first policies were written in 1922, seven years agp, ac- cording to a survey just completed by :hr American Air Transport Associa- ion. One of the outstanding developments recently in the aviation insurance fleld has been the entrance of new under- writing firms, which now are compet- ing with the old-line life insurance companies in writing this type of in- surance. The selling of airplanes on the in- stallment plan, the same as automo- biles, recently has come into vogue, and the insurance companies now are pre- pared to cover such transactiona. Time buyers of airplanes make a mjnimum down payment of one-third plus stand- ard finance charges. s Of the 50 leading insurance ¢ompa- nies in the United States and Canada, 42 have eliminated the former prevail- ing anti-airplane travel clauses, and the remaining 8 have more of less modified clauses. s Insurance coverage for airplanes is inclusive, repaying for losses by fire, theft, winds, crashes, public liability, property damage and passenger haz- ards if passengers are carried for’ hire, In case of a plane costing $21,000, the present insurance rates against all haz- ards cost $3,750, more or less, depend- ing upon three main factors—type of plane, pilot’s record and character of proposed service. { Enters Aircraft Engine Field. The Lycoming Manufaeturing Co., a subsidiary of the Auburn Automobile | Co., has entered the aircraft engine field, after nearly two years of experi- menting, it has been announced. The company has on display at the New York Automobile Show a 185«horse- power nine-cylinder radial air-eooled motor and plans to be in production on ;bn.f']s of 175 engines per month by pril 1. IN THE PRICE RANGE OF THE FOUR JMoothness 7 i ~ Never Before Achieved in a Low-Priced Automobile Of all the exceptional perfofmance qualities resulting from the advanced design of the new Chevrolet Six, none is more impressive than its remarkably smooth operation. : Aldiongh the new six-cylinder motor develops 32 more power with higher speed and faster acceleration . : : although it delivers better than twenty miles to the gallon of gasoline— =—its ‘outstanding feature of performance’ls a degree of smoothness never before achieved in any low-priced automobile. Whether you are flashing away from a traffic stop with the accelerator to the floor, whether ""youare rolling along at twenty-five miles an hour or doing well above sixty on the open road —the power is delivered easily, freely built and subjected to over a million miles of testing atthe General Motors Proving Ground' before the preseat motor was adopted. The new power plant has many unusual features, such as the non-detonating high compression cylinder head, new acceleration pump, the new gasoline pump and filter and the new automatic lubrication of the rocker arms. The frame is stronger and more rigidly braced: Transmission and axle have been newly gears are stronger made of nickel steel. The four-wheel brakes and quiet action. Steering ha: been made easier. And the new Fisher bodies with their new lines, new colors, adjustable driver’s seats and new appointments, represent new heights of style, distinction, comfort and value. We extend you a cordial invitation to see and and without annoying vibration. To achieve such remarkable per- formance in a car of such low iprice, Chevrolet spent years in development work. Over 100 drive the new Chevrolet Six. We believe it an experience that every motorist should have. 'We want you to know how finely the new Chevrolet Six is bailt Lujo, $885; Sedan de different engines were designed, Lujo, $955. All prices at factory. . MAYFLOWER MOTORS, Inc. 2819 M Street N.W. Phone North 1104 Moncure Motor Co. Quantico, Va. De Soto a standard of value that is un- matched by any car of comparable price. . 'nn Roadster, $525; The Phaeton, $525; The Coach, $595; The Coupe, $595; The Sedan, $675; The Sport Cabriolet, $695; : The Coavertible Landau, $725; Sedan Delivery, $595; Light Delivery Chassis, $400; 1% Ton Chassis, $545; 1% Ton Chassis with Cab, $650. All prices £. o. b; Plint, Michigan. QUALITY . AT E&v OURISMAN CHEVROLET COALE SANSBURY SALES CO. CHEVROLET SALES 610 H St. N.E. Upper Marlboro, Md. 13th St. & Good Hope Rd, S.E. CAMP SPRINGS GARAGE Anacostia, D. C. Cainp Sprlngs, M BARRY-PATE MOTOR CO. OWENS MOTOR CO. 1218 Connecticut Ave:’| 6323 Georgia Avenue 2525 Sherman Ave. WOLFE MOTOR CO. R. L. TAYLOR MOTOR CO. 14th and T Sts. N.W. COST AERO AUTO CO. 1101 King St., Alexandria, Va. Wilson Blvd. and Holly St... : Clarendon, Va. i LUSTINE-NICHOLSON MOTORCO. . .- ; Hyattsville, Md. -~ Ty A BOYER MOTOR SALES CapitqkHeights, Md, . - ‘Associated Dealers Neumeyer Motor Co.,. Inc. Moreland Motor Co. Waldorf, Md. 1825 14th St. N.W. Phone North 7522 DE Sor10o S1 A CHRYSLER MOTORS I’RODUCT Roney Motor Co, Frederick, Md.