Evening Star Newspaper, January 27, 1929, Page 64

~AVIA BY JOSEPH UESTIONABLE striving for economy, regardless of cost, on the part of the Budget Bureau and the House of Representatives threat- ens to cripple the Army Air Corps five-year building program and to destroy the effectiveness of the small force of 600 Reserve flying officers who are depended upon to form the backbone of a national flying force in case of emergency. The War Department appropri- ation bill, as passed by the House, leaves the Air Corps item $7,000,~ 000 short of the amount necessary to carry out the third year’s quota of the five-year program. Funds necessary for the training of the Reserve flyers have been reduced to a point which forbids proper training and imperils the Air Corps Reserve system. " Unless the Senate is able to re- store the required appropriations, the effectiveness of the Army Air Corps as a major arm of the na- tional defense will be seriously re- suced during the coming fiscal vear. Not only will the close of the year find the corps 110 airplanes short of the number required by ‘the program, but the corps of Re- serve flyers, for lack of training, will be unfit for active service. Construction of hangars and shops for the Air Corps, already lagging behind the program, will drop stiil further behind. 1 All branches of the Air Corps would be hard hit by the shortage of planes; the observation squad- rons more than any other. Should the bill be enacted as passed by the House, the various branches of the corps would fall behind the five-year program in_ airplane strength as follows: Pursuit, 6 planes; attack, 5 planes; observa- tion, 75 standard planes and 4 am- phibians, and transport, 20 cargo planes. This shortage, in the opin- ion of F. Trubee Davison, Assistant Secretary of War for Aeronautics, would seriously hamper the work of the corps. The situation facing the Reserve pilots is equally serious. Under the terms of the bill as passed by the House, the 631 first-line Reserve pilots will be able to get only one hour of flying time a month. This is hopelessly insufficient. In the opinion of the Army Air Corps chiefs four hours is the absolute minimum of flying time necessary each month fo keep a militAry pilot’s “hand in.” In order to economize as much as possible, the Army Air Corps has cut its list of first-line Reserve pilots down to the minimum, weeding out all men who wouid not form good material for emer- gency service. The remaining 631 pilots should be kept in training 50 as to be immediately available for duty. Should the Senate fail to increase the item for the train- ing of these men, they cannot b2 considered fit for duty without un- dergoing a ‘“refresher” course at an Army flying school, in the opinion of the Army flying people This, obviously, would destroy their usefulness for immediate service in case of an unheralded emer- gency. ENGLISH DEVELOP “FLIVVER" PLANES Small Light Runabouts Are Made to Sell for About P A $2,000. BY DON BROWN. England, already considerably ahead of America in the production and oper- ation of light, or “flivver,” planes for private owners, is making further strides ‘ahead in this department of aviation, it is learned from London. Runabout light planes, intended to challenge the popularity of motor cars for sporting purposes, are to be placed on the market by a large aircraft con- cern in the early Sprine. These little ships will sell for about $2,000. They will have small fuel con- sumption, will be easy to fly and will have folding wings, which will permit them to be housed in an ordinary ga- rage. Another small ship to be placed on the market in England shortly is of German design. Taking advantage of the experience gained in building their highly efficient motorless gliders, or soaring planes, in which flights of s long as 14 hours have been made, the Germans have built a ship to fly suc- cessfully with a 20-horsepower motor. It will sell at a figure only a little higher than that of the small automo- biles of 10 to 20 horsepower which are used so extensively in Europe. “So far the expense has been against the popularity of the light plane, but these new baby machines with small engines will make flying little more costly than motoring,” a well known English aircraft constructor said re- cently. In the United States, however, a ‘widespread movement is on foot among aircraft designers to catch up with England in this respect. The aviation magazines are fairly well spotted with advertisements of new light sport mod- els of low power at moderate cost. Most of them are in the experimental production stage, however, and it will take at least a year to show whether they can achieve permanent success. ‘The prices range from $1,000 up. (Copyright, 1929. by the North American Newspaper Alllance.) AIRPORT NEARLY READY. International Landing Field Soon Will Be Finished. ‘The international airport at Douglas, Ariz, and Agua Prieta, Meve:0, 1s near- ing completion, the airport section of the Department of Commerce has nounced. The airport will lie as a sing! unit across the international border, covering 1 square mile in Arizona and approximately the same amount in Mexico. ‘The field is to be in the form of a double triangle, one corner of each meeting and lapping against the other for a sufficient distance to permit the largest airplanes to take off by crossing the border line between the two coun- tries. Smaller planes may take off or land on either side of the line. New Airways to Be Built. Contracts have been awarded for im- Mediate construction work on three new sirways—Indianapolis to Chicago, Kan- eas City to St. Louls and St. Joseph to Omaha. ) TION S. EDGERTON, This group of 631 first-line Re- serve officers today constitutes the only source of pilot reserves for the Army Air Corps. These 631 men alone would be placed in Air Corps tactical units on mobiliza- tion day to make up deficiencies in the Air Corps regular tactical units. Military flying is, of course, a different proposition entirely from commercial flying, and the great potential reserve of trained commercial pilots could not be drawn upon for military service without intensive special training. The Reserve Army pilots them- selves are divided into three class- es, depending upon their availabil- ity for use. Group 1 pilots are those who would be able to step into a service squadron upon a moment’s notice and fly service types of ships. Group 2 pilots would be able to go into service squadrons after a short refresher course. The group 3 men are those who would require at least 30 days’ training. There are approximately 1,000 Reserve pilots in group 2 and more than 4,000 in group 3, these groups comprising a large number of commercial pilots. Should the bill be passed in its present form, the Army Air Corps will be able to purchase gasoline and oil in quantities which would enable the 631 pilots of group 1 to get only 12.7 hours of flying a year. The Reserve men in the sec- ond and third groups would get no flying at all. Lighter-than-air training in the Army virtually has been wiped out in the present bill. No funds are provided for new equipment, nor were any provided for the current year. Under the five-year pro- gram the Army is ordered to carry on balloon and dirigible training. Consequently, the corps finds itself in the embarrassing position of being required by statute to carry on this type of training, while in the appropriation act and the pending bill the facilities for com- plying with the law are withheld. Operations at Scott Field, the Army balloon base, have been se- riously handicapped. The Army has no big dirigibles. It has no rigid dirigible. Its biggest ship, the RS-1, formerly used only for training purposes, has been laid up for lack of funds to keep it in the air. The little TC types, now the only training, aerostats left are ‘all old and there are not enough of them for adequate training purposes. The last re- ports available show only 16 spherical and 14 observation bal- loons on hand in the Air Corps balloon stations. While the Air Corps is interested primarily in the heavier-than-air service, expe- rience during the World War dem- onstrated that the lighter-than- air service cannot safely be ig- nored. While economy in government may be highly laudable, the type of “economy” practiced at the ex- pense of the Army Air Corps in the present bill may prove any- thing .but economical in the long run. Trappers Make Trip To Hunting Grounds By Use of Plane ‘The old-time trapper who spent many weeks struggling through the Northern forests to reach un- tracked virgin country, where he might run his trap lines, is taking to the airplane to conquer the ‘wilderness distances. Mrs. Howard Clifton, 3014 Six- teenth street northeast, has just received a letter from her father, John Purrow, who with Ted Holts, another Alaskan trapper, flew into the wilds of the Oshenta River region last month to begin a two-year hunting trip. The two trappers chartered a cabin plane from Anchorage Air Transport and on December 30 were flown back into the wilds in a few hours over country which would have taken many weeks of hard going on the ground. The pilot landed, probably on a pond or lake, as most of the planes used In Alaska are equipped with pontoons in the absence of pre- pared landing fields, and the trap- pers unloaded their supplies the heart of the country where they will operate for the next two years. NORTHERN AIR ROUTE PROPOSED IN HOUSE Furlow Proposes Transcontinental Line From New York to Seattle, Establishment of a Northern trans- contniental airway from New York to Seattle, to be named in honor of Orville and Wilbur Wright, is provided for in a bill introduced in the House this week by Representative Allen J. Furlow of Minnesota. The Furlow bill authorizes the Secre- tary of Commerce to make an aerial survey to locate the best route over the States of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Washington. It also directs that the Secretary have maps prepared for the Minneapolis-Seattle section, in- cluding the locating and marking of airports and emergency landing fields, The Furlow bill authorizes an appro- priation of $50,000 for the preliminary survey and planning work. The actual | development, including the Freplrlmon jand marking of fields, establishment of meteorological service between fields and | other work in the field, would be paid- {for out of regularly appropriated aeronautical funds. EAKER TO BE HONORED. Durant, Okla., Will Name Airport for Endurance Pilot. DURANT, Okla. (#).—Durant, the + birthplace of Capt. Ira Eaker, will name its airport for the chief pilot of the Army monoplane Question Mark on the fiight that shattered all endurance records, Capt. Eaker was born, reared and educated in Durant. He was graduated from Southeastern State Teachers’ Col- lege here just before he entered the THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, AERO CLUB STARTS VIGORQUS PROGRAM Body Adopts Resolution Urg- ing Quick Action on Model Airport Bill. ‘Washington's largest aeronautical or- ganization, formed this week by the consolidation of the Aero Club of ‘Washington and the District of Co- lumbia Chapter of the National Aero- nautic Association, has launched upon a vigorous program for the advance- ment of aeronautics in the National Capital. One of the first resolutions adopted by the new body urges upon Congress the immediate enactment of the Stalker bill providing for the creation of a model airport for the National Capital at Gravelly Point. Allen Smyth, chair- man of the committee on airports of the former local chapter of the na- tional assoclation, recommended that the body call upon Congress to divide the cost of the airport between the Federal and District governments upon an equitable basis, and requested that a five-year program of alrport con- struction be authorized, with the first unit to be completed for operations within two years. The new organization also adopted resolutions calling upon Congress to amend the pending War Department appropriation bill so as to keep up the five-year building program of the Army Air Corps and to allow at least four hours of flying time each month for the 600 reserve flying officers, who form the nucleus of the country's emergency military air forces. It was explained by Senator Hiram Bingham of Connecticut, president of the Natlonal Aeronautic Association, that the Budget Bureau and the House have cut $7,000,000 from the Army Air Corps’ appropriation in the bill, re- ducing the number of new planes to be acquired under the program, so that the end of the fiscal year will find the service 110 planes short of the au- thorized number. The reduction also would prevent construction of sorely needed shops and hangars and would make impossible the proper training of the emergency nucleus of 600 Reserve Army flying officers, he sald. TWO NEW PLANES SEEN IN WASHINGTON Largest Flying Boat in U. S. and First of Panther Bombers Visit Here. ‘The largest flying boat in the United States alr?d a yx'l‘?w type of bombing plane with air-cooled motors, which is to become the standard for the Army Air Corps, were in the National Capi- tal this week end. The flying boat, constructed for the Navy in accordance with the winning plans in the Navy's flying boat compe- tition held early last year, is convert- ible into & commercial transport plane having comfortable passenger quarters in a cabin 60 feet long. It is of the monoplane type with a span of 100 feet. It has two 430-horsepower Wasp air- cooled motors and an emplacement for a third engine. The plahe was built by the Consolidated Aircraft Corpora- tion, winner of the competition, at Buffalo, N. Y., and flown here for offi- cial tests. ‘The bomber is the first of 35 new planes of the Panther type. It car- ries 2,200 pounds of bombs at a max- imum spped of 128 miles per hour and has a cruising range of six hours with full military load. It is a biplane with a span of 75 feet and is the first Army bomber powered with air-cooled motors. It has two 525-horsepower engines. The plane was completed only a few days ago and has had but one short test flight. It was flown here from the Keystone plant in Pennsyl- vania and from here to Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, where it will undergo official tests. The new bomber was de- signed to meet a need for sturdier bombing planes capable of carrying greater loads and attaining greater speeds. TRAVEL BY AIRPLANES CHEAPER THAN RAIL Subsidies Paid European Lines Re- duce Flight Rates Below First- Class Coach Fares. As a result of government subsidies paid to commercial air transport lines in Europe seven of the mafor air lines operating between Berlin and other im- portant European cities have been able to reduce their passenger rates so that travel by air is cheaper than first-class railroad transportation, according to re- ports received here by the Department of Commerce. Between Berlin and Amsterdam, for example, the railroad fare is $25, while the airplane fare, with a time saving of seven hours for the journey, is only $20. Between Berlin and Copenhagen the rallroad fare is $25 and the air- plane fare $15, while more than seven hours is saved by air. The fare from Berlin to Vienna is $35 by railrvad and $20 by air. Corresponding reductions are in effect on the routes from Berlin to Konigsberg, Cologne, Frankfort and Dresden. CANADIANS PROSPECT FOR GOLD FROM AIR Geologists Spot Ore-Bearing Rocks From Planes in Far North. WINNIPEG, Manitoba (#).—As the “Forty-niners” used the covered wagon, 80 the “Twenty-niners,” their modern counterparts, are using the airplane in explorations for gold in barren wastes of the Canadian Northwest Territory. Capt. Charles Sutton, former Royal Flying Corps pilot, credited with three German planes, has added three new monoplanes to his aerial caravan, which takes expert geologists over territory where gold may be hidden. The geologists say they can determine from the air where gold-bearing veins are likely to be by examining the char- acteristics of the rock. These sites are marked on a map and miners later are flown to them to do the actual pros- pecting. Capt. Sutton is chief pilot for Domin. ion Explorers, an expeditionary subsid, jary of the Thayer-Lindsley mining group. AIR CIRCUS PLANNED. France Will Have Traveling Plane Exhibit. As a part of the ambitious efforts of the Aeronautical League of France to promote interest in aviation in all parts of that country, a traveling aeronau- tical exposition will leave Parls Febru- ary 1 and visit every important center in the nation, according to word re- ceived here by the Department of Com- merce. The exhibition will include all the leading types of French planes, descrip- tions of motors, plans of airports, com- plete details of air travel in France FOR LONG Points Out Military Vzlue in Increased Range of Bombers. REFUELING RISK SLIGHT Motor Is Held Limiting Fac- tor, With Repairs En Route as Need. BY CHARLES A. LINDBERGH. A world record flight is usually a hazardous venture and one wherein the strength and endurance of both crew and equipment are taxed to the utmost. The flight of the Question Mark was remarkable if for no other reason than that a record was shattered without great rist to any one. concerned. With characteristic thoroughness the Air Corps quietly prepared the large Fokker and its three Wright engines for an en- durance flight which was to make pre- vious records seem insignificant in com- parsion. Plans were not made to load the ship down to the last pound with fuel, no long runway or favorable wind was required and the crew were not to be subjected to a test of their maximum physical endurance. Only passing attention was directed to the preparatory flight across the continent or to the preliminary tests of refueling. Even when Maj. Spatz and his four companions took off from the Metropolitan Airport at Los Angeles there were few people not actively con- nected with aviation who realized the significance of their venture. The re- ports of their flight reminded one more of Regular Army routine than of the spectacular attempts which have be- come associated with long-distance and endurance records in the public mind. Flying hours turned into flying days and nearly to a week as the engines continued to deliver their horsepower after the sixth day aloft. During the entire flight there was not one instance of extreme danger or of physical exhaustion, yet when a landing was finally made the previous world record for non-stop heavier- than-air flight was more than doubled, and even the lighter-than-air records were surpassed. The Army Air Corps had added one more outstanding flight to its long list of pioneering achieve- ments. What is the actual value of such a flight from a military standpoint? ‘What hazards are connected with re- | below and pumping fuel up D. C. JANUARY 27, RECORD-BREAKING FLIGHT OF QUESTION MARK STARTS FLOOD OF SPECULATION BY AVIATION ENTHUSIASTS ON POSSIBILITIES -RANGE ACTIVITIES IN AIR, SAYS COL. LINDBERGHf |3 ASS[][“A“[]N A|M = 1929—PART 4. The Army endurance plane “Question Mark,” which set a world record of more than 150 hours thi: during the record flight over Los Angeles, Calif. month, —Wide World Photo. fueling in air and can it be done as a regular service operation? Does this demonstration open new possibilities to the fleld of aviation? These questions | are heard wherever the subject of fly- ing is discussed. The range of a homber might be materially increased by this method. It i3 often impossible to find fields closs to the front lines suitable for taking off with a heavy load. A bomb- ing plane could take-off far back of the trenches, be accompanied across the lines by one or more refueling planes and thereby add hundreds of miles to its effective range either over land or water. Smaller airdromes might be operated from and the fuel load received after the take-off The hazard involved in refueling is not great and consists mainly of the possibility of the gasoline hose from the refueling plane being struck by the propeller of the other, resulting in a broken or bent propeller and the lower machine being covered with a spray of gasoline from the hose. This possibility might preclude the refueling of commercial transports in flight. On the other hand, there is nothing to prevent the service plane from fying to "the transport. The danger of the two planes colliding could be reduced to a negligible quantity by the use of a hose of sufficient length, The Non-Stop Limiting Factor. ‘The Question Mark has demonstrat- ed that the limiting factor of a non- stop flight is no longer the fuel capacity of the airplane, but is dependent rather upon the length of time a motor can run without overhauling. This indi- cates the necessity of being able to work on the engines and to make minor repairs in flight if the latest method of refueling is ever to be used in service. It could well be argued that the time saved to a transport or mail plane would be so slight that the extra expense and equipment could not be justified, and under present conditions this would ap- speculate on what may be done in the future. If we are able to construct large transports with a number of power units accessible for repair in flight, with sufti- clent reserve and reliability to make forced landing a negligible quantity even in flights of several thousand miles without a stop, and if we use super- charged engines and construct cabins to withstand a few pounds of pressure at high altitude, then the question of ob- taining fuel at twenty or more thousand | feet and possibly above a thick layer of | storm clouds and fog becomes of para- mount importance. Radio Decreases Fog Perils. The great value of the airplane is over long distances. Its greatest danger | lies in landing in fog. little to send a trained pilot out into | fog and storm if he has proper equip- | ment, but to send out a transport | story. | himself and his plane. He has no other | lives depending on his judgment. If | he is fiying a cargo plane, his cockpit is back away from the motor and the danger of injury in a crash greatly reduced as a result. In extreme emergencies he can use his parachute. Consequently, if the meteorological re- ports are unfavorable, we tell the mail pilot to use his own judgment whether to go through or to entrain his cargo. but we advise our passengers to take the train to clear weather even though fairly good. It seems probable that ra ment and ground lighting de instru- lopment pear to be true. All we can do now is to | We hesitate | laden’ with passengers is a far different | The pilot is responsible only for | the prospects of continuing by air are | to operate in fog without great ris Radio has almost eliminated the diffi. culty of fog navigation. Passenger planes have already been bpuilt in this country which are capable of cruising 20 people at 130 miles an hour, and subsequent developments point to in- creased speed in future designs. One struction within the next two or three vears of commercial planes capable of cruising at between 150 and 175 miles an hour. Flying Above Rough Weather. Speculating once more, it is not diffi- | cult to see the future air transport tak- ing off under complete automatic con- trol from a fog-covered New York air- port. Once at sufficient altitude, its flight will be guided by radio direction- finders, while the altitude is decided by the wind-aloft reports of meteroligical stations along the route. Any storm areas will be passed over at high alti- tude and the rough air encountered close to the ground thus avoided. By keeping above the violent air cur- rents. the entire trip may be made with far greater smoothness than by a means of ground transportation: noi and vibration will be minimized by plac- ing the engine out on the wings and using mufflers. Fuel and supplies will be obtained from special service planes at regular intervals along the route, while the passengers themselves have little or no concern about -the weather below. California would then be less than 24 hours from New York on a schedule which was not as dependent on weather | as are our trains and ocean liners today. (Copyrizht. 1929.) An article by Col and future week. day St of aviation will appear each exclusively in The Washington Sun- ar. BILL GIVES FUNDS FOR 297 AIRPLANES Army Still Would be Short 100 Ships at End of 1930. Funds carried in the War Depart- ment appropriation bill for 1930 will purchase 275 planes for the Regular Army and 22 for the National Guard, making a total of 297, of which 14 will be attack planes, 67 bombardment planes, 146 observation planes and 70 pursuit planes. No training planes are provided, as the Army has 13 planes over the present requirements of the five-year program. On October 1, 1928, the Air Corps had in its possession 1,005 serviceable air- planes, 470 more planes were on order, and the above-mentioned funds will purchase 297 more. These figures in- clude 148 planes in the hands of the National Guard on June 30, 1928. This will mean that at the end of 1930 the Air Corps will be short more than 100 planes, most of which will be of the ob- servation type. With respect to pilots in the Air Corps on November 30, 1928, there were 873 regular officer pilots and on De- cember 31, 1928, 38 enlisted pilots, 296 flying cadets were undergoing training at that time and there were 91 Reserve officer pilots on active duty with Army Air Corps units on January 14, 1929, On June 30, 1929, the National Guard will have 152 planes, which will equip 19 squadrons with eight planes each. This component of the Army has 218 qualified pilots. In the Organized Reserves there are 631 pilots of class 1, 1,000 pilots of class 2, and there is still another large group of pilots who are not so highly trained. The class 1 pilots are efficlent enough at this time to be ordered into service and to take charge of flying planes, while the class 2 pilots can be brought to that state of efficlency with a short refresher course. NEW YORK (#)—The first atten- tion attracted by the now patented method of refueling planes in flight, such as the Question Mark used, was the folowing curt military command in the World War: “Stop stunting. We don't want to be spending money for flowers for your funeral.” The man who holds the patents is Alexander P. de Seversky, now & con- sulting engineer for the Army Alr Serv- ice and in charge of the aeronautical division of the Sperry Gyroscope Co. of Brooklyn. When he first went to work on the idea, Seversky was a war-time flyer for his native Russia, before the revolution, convoying bombing planes on the Baltic front. A graduate engineer, Seversky, while he flew his fighting ship, studied | how to enable pursuit planes, with but half the flying range of the bombers, to get enough fuel to guard their big FLY WINTER AIR MAIL DESPITE OBSTACLES Canada Prepares to Keep Up Serv- ice by Packing Down Runways. In the face of serious obstacles, the regular air mail service between Mont- real and Toronto will be continued throughout the Winter, according to a report received here by the Department of Commerce, The St. Hubert airport is using heavy rollers to pack down the snowdrifts, and the runways, kept packed hard, will be marked by black and yellow disks. Plans are being devised for warming these disks so as to melt snow which may fall on them. The Canadian Colonial Airways, which fly the air mail between Mont- real, Albany and New York, have fitted their planes with skis and wheels, the wheels protruding about 6 inches below the skis, so that the planes can land either on ground or snow. TRAILING ANTENNA OF PLANE SHOWS WAY TO REFUEL IN AIR proteges to the flight's end, instead of turning back at the half-way mark. Gasoline obtained from the bombers in flight was his answer. But would it work? He had a bomber drop its wireless antenna, ending in the well known “iron fish.” Flying underneath, he caught hold of this antenna and found that he could throttle down to the bomber’s speed. and. maneuver in step with the big ship. It was for this experiment that he received the warning about the flowers. Seversky continued his study of the problem, but not until after the war did he perfect the ideas that are the basis of the patents. He came to the United States after the Russian revolution and served the United States air forces, but not as a pllot. He had lost his right leg in the Russian fighting, where he was credited with shooting down five enemy planes. VAST AIR LIBRARY PLANNED BY FAIRCHILD Miss Clara Widger Undertakes Task of Assembling Big Aviation Collection. One of the most complete aeronautics libraries in the world has been under- taken for the Fairchild Airplane Manu- facturing Corporation at Farmingdale, L. I, by Miss Clara Widger, former Ibrarian of the Army Air Corps and the aeronautics division of the Department of Commerce. Miss Widger left the aeronautics division here last month to build up the Fairchild library. Miss Widger has commenced the sys- tematic assembly and cataloguing of an extensive nucleus of literature dealing with every phase of aviation. Eventually the library is to include every recog- nized aviation reference book, copies of all patents granted on aircraft or air- craft accessories; engineering data and current files of ation magazines and other periodic: NEW TYPE AIR LINER FLOWN HERE and throughout Europe, with rates, Army in 1917. The city's aviation fleld will be dedi- cated in his honor next Spring or early Summer. time tables and descriptions of planes used. Prominent aviators will be on hand at the leading cities to make ex- hibition flighta The wheels fold NEWEST TOP-SPEED PLANE FLOWN HERE Machine Is First of Fleet Contemplated by Skylines, Inc. The new 20-passenger, high speed Burnelli transport plane, which is said to be the fastest and most luxurious, as well as one of the largest commercial planes in the United States, was flown here for demonstrations this week by Lieut. Leigh Wade, one of the Army round-the-world flvers. The plane is the first of a fleet which will be put into operation betwen New York and Chi- cago by Skylines, Inc. Unique in several respects, the big plane has attracted more attention from aeronautical people than any new type produced for several years. Some of the features which distinguish it from the conventional commercial types are the wide fuselage, constructed in the form of a huge wing section to give a positive lift; the location of its two 625-horse- power Curtiss Conqueror motors inside the fuselage side by side at the nose so they are accessible from inside in flight, and the retractable landing gear. 145-Mile Top Speed. ‘The plane has a top speed of 145 miles per hour and a cruising speed of about 115 miles per hour. Experience obtained in the operation of the first model is expected to result in refine- ments which will increase the speed of subsequent planes considerably. The folding of the landing gear into the body increases the speed of the ship |from 12 to 15 miles per hour, in the opinion of Lieut. Wade. The wide fuselage, about “11 feet, makes possible the most luxurious ar- rangement of the passenger compart- ment. A yacht-like salon is provided for the passengers, with a short com- panionway leading aft to a kitchen, radio room and rest room. A fireless cooker and refrigerator are included in the kitchen equipment. At the forward end of the passenger cabin doors lead to the pilots’ compartment and engine room. Curtained ports open into the +control cabin, which is open above to give the pilots full vision above the mo- tors. A luxurious double sofa is placed in the center of the cabin and deeply upholstered swivel chairs are provided. | The cabin is equipped with an air i speed Indicator and altimeter so that | passengers may know the height and speed at all times. Silken loops hang from the cabin top for the convenience of “aerial straphangers” and to steady the passengers if they choose to walk about the cabin while in flight. The entire cabin is soundproofed to deaden the roar of the motors and propellors. Personnel of Crew. ‘The crew includes two pilots, a me- chanic and a steward, who acts as radio operator. On the flight here Lieut. Wade brought Capt. Earl F. Stewart, co-pilot; Kenneth Stone, me- chanic; H. V. Burnell, designer, and Howard Peterson, representative of P. W. Chapman, builder and owner. Lieut. Wade, who has been chief test pilot during all the flights of the new plane, says that it handles unusually well. On the flight down here from i | Newark, N. J., on Thursday, he said an altitude of between 4,000 and 5,000 feet was maintained because of high winds and “bumpy” atmosphere. “At times we had a 78-mile wind abeam and at other times encountered head winds of from 38 to 50 miles an hour,” Lieut. Wade said. “In spite of the adverse winds we made the trip from New York to Washington in 3 hours, and 38 minutes. landing gear results in a very notice- able increase in speed. The wheels are drawn into wells under the fuselage by a positive action hand gear.” ‘The plane is of all metal construction, the metal covered wings having a span of 90 feet. Three fuel tanks give a 1,000-gallon total fuel capacity, sufi cient for 20 hours’ sustained flight. All The new 20-passenger Burnelli plane, which has been called one of the most striking examples of aeronautical engineering advances in recent years, was a visitor here la st week. unique fuselage arrangement. The body is 11 feet wide and is sha) own weight. The two 625-horsepower motors are inclosed in the into the body, increasing the and a maximum speed of 145 miles per hour, These pictures, taken at Bolling Field, show the like a huge wing section to assist in carrying if ly and are accessible to the mechanic during flight. speed 12 to 15 miles per hour. The piane has a wing spread of 90 - oy gas, oil and water lines are contained within the fuselage and are accessible during flight. The plane, with full pas- senger, baggage and fuel load for 7 hours' fiight, weighs about 15,000 pounds. Seek Entry Airport Rating. Watertown and Utica, N. Y., have made application for the designation for their respective airports as airports of entry. The Newark metropolitan air- its | port has been created an airport of en- try. bringing the total of airports with dulfl:flon to six. All airports of ene try’ have customs officials on duty, will soon permit highly skilled pilots | might conservatively predict the con- | Lindberg on the present The retractable | pe ~ IAERIAL LEADERSHIP |Program of 15 Measures Adopted by Aeronautic Body, Senator Binghami Sayx A program of 15 measures which, if foliowed, would put this country in a position of world leadership in the air has been adopted by the National Aeronautic Association’s board of gov- ernors as a goai for the membership during the present year, it was an nounced last night by Senator Hiram Bingham of Connecti president of the association. The program was drawn up by Sena- tor Bingham with the co-operation of the advisory board of the association, which includes many of the country's leading authorities on aeronautics, was approved by the board of governors “In the opinion of the advisory board and the board of governors,” Senator Bingham said in making the program public, “these measures are of the great- est importance to the development of aeronautics in the United States. Our object is to have America first in the air, The program indicates what we believe will achieve that patriotic aim. I believe that the Nation-wide member- ship of the association will approve the | action of the board of governors and support the program with zeal and enthusiasm.” Members of the advisory board who assisted in drawing up the program were | F. Trubee Davison, Assistant Secretary of War for Aviation: Edward P. Warner, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Aeronautics; W. Irving Glover, Second Assistant Postmaster General in charge of air mail; Rear Admiral Willlam A. Moffett, chief of the Bureau of Aero- nautics; Maj. Gen. James E. Fechet, chief of the Army Air Corps: Dr. Joseph S. Ames, chairman of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics; Dr. Charles F. Marvin, chief of the United States Weather Bureau, and Miss Amelia Earhart, first woman to make a flight across the Atlantic Ocean. ‘The program Zfollows: We favor: (1) Adequate and thorough training for civilian pilots not only as a protec- tion to the new pilot, but also to make him of potential value in the defense of the Nation. (2) The energetic development of the activities of Organized Reserve aviation {in the Army and Navy with liberal pro- | vision of airplanes for the reserves and supplies for maintenance and opera- ) The formation of private fiying luds by the varlous chapters of the . A. A, N. A A | _4) The continuation and perfe . of an industrial war pian system v | o¥ the vartous manufacturers of aircraft | will be able on short notice to supply | equipment for military or naval purposes in time of need. (5) The enactment of uniform State aeronautical legislation, which should include provisions making it mandatory for all pilots and aircraft engaged in commercial activities to carry Federal licenses. (6) The maintenance by the Federal Government of an adequate network of meteorological stations, personnel and equipment, under a central organization, for the purpose of furnishing weather advices and information, so that pilots may never lack adequate information as to weather conditions ahead along any of the commercial airways, and to in- sure for national needs in times of emergency. (7) The enactment by the Congress of the United States of legislation which will correct the injustices wrought ‘l:gllnst the personnel of the Army Air T) ps. (8) Participation in such aircraft competitions of an international charac- ter as will maintain this country’s pres- tige in aeronautical affairs and at the same time enable it to profit from the technical knowledge such competitions produce. (9) Urging upon every community in the United States the importance both nationally and locally of the establish- ment of adequate air navigation facil. ities, particu’arly landing flelds and wherever feasible airports, in their vicinity. (10) The development of rigid air- ships for the purposes of transoceanic and intercontinental travel as well as for naval purposes. (11) The encouragement of American aircraft markets in foreign countries. (12) The prompt construction for the United States Navy of additional aircraft carriers to the number of at least three in the next two years, with the object fully developing the technical and tac ical ‘mssibimll.‘s of that type of naval vessel. (13) The completion of the five-year aircraft programs for the Army and Navy as scheduled by Congress, with such amplification from time to time as may be required to meet the needs of the national defense. (14) The continued expansion of the air mail system and its use, and, further, ]tlhe dr':)el?gmem of chmmrrclll air mail nes e countries of Centr: so:llt‘r’:\ AAmer;sm A%6ng model airport for the Nation' Capital at CvrlvellrypflPoln!. i —_— AIRPLANE TUBING DATA IS GATHERED Strength of Materials Being Test- ed by Two Bureaus—Findings to Be Made Available. Valuable new data on the strength of tubing used in airplane construction soon will be available for designers and engineers as a result of co-operative work of the Bureau of Standards and the Bureau of Aeronautics of the Navy ?oep!!-l;,tm;nt. Tubir]:[ is used extensively r the framework of airplan 3 cially in the fuselage. R Experience has shown that tubing used in airplane structure must carry both compressive loads, applied from end to end, and transverse loads, under which they act as beams, and some- times both types of loading. The strength of tubing of three diameters made from duralumin and from chromium-molydenum steel was found by experiments on tubing of varlous lengths, up to a slenderness ratio of 120. The column strength, beam strength and strength under different combinations of compressive and trans- verse loading are being determined for n;‘r;l size -x;d length of tube. e results are to be published in graphical form so that :trphn:d en- gineers can design structures which v1:1 safe because the strength of ths members will be known. sl CANADA PLAMES GAIN. Increase of More Than 200 Psr Cent Noted in Dominfon, An increase of more than 200 per cen in the number of airplanes oper:llu h: Canada was recorded during the t year, according to a report received here by the Department of Commerce. On January 1 there were 333 airplanes in operation in the Dominion, as com- 11.1;;:d with 101 planes on Janauary 1, Of the total in operation the first of this month, 246 are commercial planes and 87 are in the government service. The number of airports in Canada in- creased from 25 to 44 durlnf the past year, and ths number of licensed f Ppllots Increased from 40 to Lont