Evening Star Newspaper, March 17, 1929, Page 67

PLANE BAN PLAGED ON OVERBURDENING Rule to Prevent Abuse of Engine Issued by Com- merce Department. Abuse of airplane engines by “over- ng” or taxing them beyond rea- sonable limits is forbidden in a rule oo by 1o Depnriment of commeres. | Craft Throttled Down to 30 The rule prohibits the use of airplane propellers “so designed or adjusted that, at full throttle, the engine speed will exceed official rated speed by more than 3 per cent in level flight at ap- proximately sea-level altitude.” The rule long has been advocated by airplane engine manufacturers and or- ganizations interested in the progress | of aeronautics. Agitation for such a| rule reached its climax following the | national air tour last year in which | pilots deliberately overburdened their | engines so as to obtain extra speed.| resulting in the wrecking of several motors. The department has issued the fol- lowing st _of approved type motors, with the official rated speed and revo- lutions per minute which are to be considered the basis for enforcement of the new rule: { Fairchild Caminez. type 447-C, four- | eylinder radial, air-cooled, rated horse- power, 1320 at 960 revolutions per minute. ‘Warner, seven-cylinder radial, air- eooled, 110 horsepower at 1,850 r. p. m. | Kinner, K-5, five-cylinder radial, air- eooled, 90 h. p., at 1,810 r. p. m. Velie five-cylinder radial, air-cooled, 85 h. p. at 1815 I. p. m. ik Curtiss Challenger, R-600, six-cylin- | der radial, air-cooled, 170 h. p. lt‘ 1,800 r. p. m. | Curtiss Congueror, V-1550, 12-cylin- | der V type, water-cooled, 600 p.| at 2400 1. p. m. | Curtiss Congueror, GV-1570, 12-cyl- fnder V type, water-cooled, 600 h. p. at 2.400 r. p. m. Curtiss Chieftain, H-1640, 12-cylin- der radial, air-cooled, 600 h. p. ltl 2200 r. p. m. | Ah‘r,rl?t Comet, seven-cylinder radial, | air-cooled. 130 h. p., at 1,825 1. p. m. | Curtiss Dvli.hl'.!-ryfindzrgnx type, wa- | ter-cooled, 435 h. p. at 2,300 r.p.m. | Dayton Bear, four-cylinder-in-line, | air-cooled, 76 h. p. at 1425 r. p. m. LeBlond, 60, five-cylinder radial, air- cooled, 65 h. p. at 1,950 r. p. m. Wright J-5 Whirlwind, nine-cylinder radial, air-cooled, 225 h. p. at 1,800 r. p. m lgrm & Whitney Wasp. nine-cylin- der radial, air-cooled, 425 h. p. at| 1900 r. p. m Pratt & Whitney Hornet, nine-cyl- inder radial, air-cooled, 525 h. p. at 1,900 r. p. m. ] Axelson Machine Co., seven-cylinder radial, air-cooled, 115 h. p at 1,800 r.p. m &’nght Cyclone, R-1750-A, nine-cyl- inder radial, air-cooled, 525 h. p. at 1,800 r. p. m. Packard 3-A-2500, direct, 12-cylinder V type, water-cooled, 800 h. p., at 2,000 r.p m ll:u:nrd 3-A-1500, direct, 12-cylin- der V type, water-cooled, 525 h. p at 2,100 1. p. m. LeBlond 90, seven-cylinder radial, air-cooled 90 h. p. at 1,975 r. p. m. Geology Students Go Aloft. LOS ANGELES (#).—After taking 11 logy students on an lane flight, gfl. A. J. Tiege of the University of Southern California said the same amount of study was accomplished in the 90 minutes aloft as could be gotten from 10 fleld walking trips. SAY GOODBYE THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D C. MARCH 17, 1929_PART 2. HANDLEY PAGE WING SLOTS, SAFER FLYING AIDS, CHECK STALLS IN $Lieut. Carl B. Harper Tests! | Device on Regular Vought Corsair. SHIP FLIES ATE]W SPEED Miles in. Climb, but | Kept Level. Handley Page wing slots, those pur- | ported aids to safer flying which are so widely used and enthusiastically ac- claimed in England, but which still are under a somewhat suspicious surveil- lance in this country, were demonstrat- ed on a Navy Vought Corsair at the Anacostta Naval Air Station last week by Lieut. Carl B. Harper, the Navy's expert on slotted wings. Lieut. Harper expects to fly this ship to Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, the Army Air Corps’' ma- teriel base, within a few days to dem- onstrate it to the Army's aeronautical technicians, The Corsair is the first military plane in the United States to be equipped with the slots, though other (ypes soon are | to be ready for testing with similar equipment. Lieut. Harper has achieved remarkable results with the siot-winged Corsair in this city and at the Naval Afr Station, Philadelphia Slots Check Spins. | Stalle and spins, which with an or- dinary plane probal would prove dis- astrous, have been checked promptly by the opening of the slots. In a flight at the Naval Air Station last week with the writer as a passenger, Lieut. Har- per deliberately stalled the plane, throttling it down in & climbing posi- tion to an indicated air speed of 30' miles per hour. As the plane approached stalling speed. the slots opened auto- matically in an almost uncanny fashion and maintained the ship in flight at a speed which under ordinary circum- | stances would render the wings useless. The method in which the slots oper- | ate involves complicated aerodynamics, | but in general their effect is explained by the statement that they restore the flow of air over alrplanc wings at times when the normal flow is broken by lack of speed. Airplane wings depend upon | the flow of air around them for their | support. The air is forced up by the | leading edge of the wing in an arc above the wing surface to create a vacuum, and the sucking up of the wing to fill this vacuum is what creates the major face is a minor lifting factor. Air Stream Forces Slot. ‘The “slot” is formed by a long, nar- row, wing-shaped structure which nor- mally fits into the wing and forms its leading edge. When the stalling angle is reached the change in the direction alr stream automatically forces wing away from the parent it is driven out on rocker position in which it forces m back over the main ly to restore its lift. is a great aid in break- certain types of spins in which passes entirely out of control, h the experience of Navy pilots the Corsair shows that it is not a K cure” for spins under certain con- tish, however, have great con- ce in the efficacy of slots. C. G. a leading British authority on 58 EEE?* ‘%ggsgf EH e | as the picture might indicate. AND SPINS OF U. S. NAVY PLANE DEMONSTRATION AT ANACOSTIA AIR STATION dent. AmEuotmnsh«admn- chine always will fly so that if his slots fail he still will escape an accident. A good pilot on a slotted machine always will fly so that if his stots fail he still will save himself and his passengers, though perhaps at the expense of dam- aging the machine.” So much for Mr. Grey. Slots Can Be Locked Shut. The Navy's slotted Corsair is the con- ventional type so widely used in the Navy squadrons. The slots are installed | iso that they may be locked and pre- | vented from operating, leaving the ma- | chine as a conventional plane of its| type. The slots may be released by the | pilot at any time. < THe demonstration was made on a| rainy day, with a ceiling of about 2.000 | | feet ‘and, for this reason, Lieut. Harper | was unable to get sufficient altitude to demonstrate the use of the slots in | breaking spins or their effect in such | | maneuvers as barrel rolls. He showed them off to splendid advantage, how- |ever, in stalls, power stalls, “Dutch | rolls” and reverse turns. The take-off apparently was normal. Once in the air, Lieut. Harper pulled |the ship into a steep climb and the |speed quickly dropped to the stalling point. The slots flew open, the ship | nosed down slightly for just an instant, 'and then the climb was resumed at an |air speed of something like 50 miles per hour. Normally, without the slots, | | the plane upon reaching the stalling | point would have slipped off on one wing and perhaps have gone into a spin which, at so low an altitude, prob- | ably would have been disastrous. | | Reaching a more comfortable alti-| | tude, Lieut. Harper throttled down his | motor and pulled back the stick. The | ship nosed up into climbing position | and, of course, stalled immediately. The | slots opened wide, and in this unusual position, with the tail down, as if in a | | steep climb, the plane “squashed” along | \in almost level flight at an indicated | high~ performanee, infdnn.h in landing is 15 degrees, he sald. Climbing once more up into the first | layer of the clouds, Lieut. Harper made a few slow turns in which the wing on the inside of the turn reached stalling speed and began to drop. Instantly the lfl)t on that side opened and the fall was checked. The slot on the other wing remained closed as that wing, on the outside of the turn, continued to move above stalling speed. Scribe Takes Controls. ‘The Corsair is fitted with double con- trols and, after reaching about 2000 feet, Lieut. Harper raised his hands | above his head as a signal for me to take the controls. There followed a few minutes of most prosaic and unimag- inative flying. Thonugh I had seen the slots perform so well, I was not taking any chances with a possible spin. I banked the turns with over-caution and climbed with conservatism. It must have been awfully tame for the veteran up ahead, but it was a great kick for me, as I never had had a control stick in_hand before. Signaling for the conwrols again Lieut. Harper let the slots have a little more exercise and we dropped into the field for a beautiful stalled landing at a speed so slow the plane searcely rolled after touching the ground. The Navy's use of slots is purely ex- perimental at the present time. There is some opposition to them on the part of experienced Navy pilots, who believe that they interfere with the maneuver- ability of a plane and who are willing to take their chances on fast landings and possible spins in order to maintain Advocates of the slots, however, point out that it is sim- ple to equip them with locks so that they can be kept closed at the discretion of the pilot. As has been said, however. the Brit- ish have taken to slots with a great didplay of enthusiasm and many types of military planes in the Royal Air Force are so equipped. In addition. three new 25-passenger air liners now un- der construction for use in the Lon- | the ~soctety WAR ATTRACTS FLYERS. Mexican Outbreak Causes Many Inquiries From U. 8. The Mexican rebellion is attracting young American aviators who are anx- | fous to fly in a military capacity, the | American Society for the Promotion of Aviation has announced. Many inquir- ies have been received at the office of from civilian pilots who wish to serve in the Mexican federal air torces during the period of the up- rising. Recent reports that the Mexican gov crnment is offering high pay for ators is largely responsible for many of the volunteers, and few of the appli- cants are said to be very deeply inter- ested in the politics involved. Plymetal Used as Insulation. Plymetal. used for the cabin walls of ~ new all-metal. tri-motored -Ford * transports, Is two thicknesses of aiuminum, between which is a core of balsa wood. Balsa is much lighter than cork. It acts as an insulation against noise from the three motors. 3 GERMANY WILL BUILD TWO BIGGER ZEPPELINS Dirigibles of Greater Size and Power Than “Graf” to Cost $1,700,000 Each. Two Zeppelins of much greater size and power than the Graf Zeppelin are to be constructed by the German gov- ernment at an estimated cost of $1.- 700,000 each, according to a report re- ceived here by the Department of Com- merce, from H. C. Schuette, trade com- missioner at Paris. The German air budget for 1929 also provides for construction of a revolving hangar to house these Zeppelins, at a cost of $5,000.000. The budget author- izes the expenditure of several millions of dollars for promotion of scientific re- search. . "Me Britith air ministry has issued a, notice to airmen that th§ terms “port® and “starboard” shall cease to be used in relation to civil aircraft. These terms are to be replaced. respectively, by the | terms “left" and “right.” HAWKINS NASH Our Used Car Clearance Sale has put us in a position to give our customers the benefit of |air speed of 30 miles per hour. Open- don-Paris service, are being equipped |ing the throttle once more, but without | with slots, which are to be specified | moving the stick. the ship went into a for all future passenger planes built for This plane, a Navy Vought Corsair, is not in a steep climb, 1t is “squashing” along 50 feet above the ground in level flight at ahout 30 miles per hour. The only thing that prevented a stall and crash was the Handley Page “slots” fitted on the upper wing. The slot, wide open, may be scen on the front edge of the upper wing. Lieut. Carl B. Harper, the Navy's expert on wing slots, is shown in the insert pointing out the device at close range. i Saved by slots! aeronautical matters, has this to say |check his car and get out of tight cor- about their effect: |{ners while maintaining a high-average “On various occasions, in writing speed, thanks to quick acceleration and about slots, one has compared them to | deceleration. A good pilot on a slotted four-wheel brakes on a car. This is {machine can make slow landings in a about the nearest analogy one can |limited space, which he could never imagine to the precise kind of safety |make without slots. And, given prac- which is given by slots on an aeroplane, | tice enough with slots, he will make those landings equally well whether To put, it bluntly, four-wheel brakes, so long as they work, will save & fool driver :lhey be forced landings or on an aero- rome. from a collision which would be bound to happen if he had back-wheel brakes | “A thoroughly bad driver, not know- only. And slotted wings, so long as they [lng his car and presuming entirely on work, will save a fool pilot from spin- |the reliability and strength of his four- ning into the ground and killing himseif | wheel brakes, sooner or later will have (and his passengers, if any), as he a bad crash. And with luck, he may would without slots. ;(lll h:“n‘-mel( znd ;’l:t;enlwve l%fie rom the road. slots & e Speedy Stopping Explained. lunatic of & pilot can equally well re- “With four-wheel brakes a good driver jmove himself from troubling the sky. can put up a performance on the road| “A good driver with four-wheel brakes which he could not possibly do with |always will so handle his car that if his back-wheel brakes only, because he can | brakes fail he still will escape an acci- zwnbiunuyu.. is a joyous adventure behind the wheel of a ES010S1X @ CHRYSLER MOTORS PRODUCT e to the commonplace when you sit at the wheel of a De Soto Six. Here is exhilaration that adds to each routine journey the tingle of a fresh adventure. See for yourself how easily De Soto Six slips through the snarl of traffic, how it darts ahead when the green light beckons—how easy it is to park. Try De Soto on the 2 ¥ easily it climbs; how surely it wings its way around the sharpest turns; how proudly and eagerly it passes to the head of the line; how snug and determined is its grip of the road. Enjoy the unrivaled safety of De Sogo’s four-wheel weatherproof hydraulic brakes! Performance which is distinctly De Soto’s —linked with that vivacious beauty and |normal climb and the slots clos Xmmrla‘l Airways. American pilots, especially military When Your Eyes Foel You. | fivers. although not hostile to the siots Dropping down to a litde more than | in principle, are skeptical. Lieut. Har- |50 feet above the flying field, Lieut. per has devoted himself to the task of | Harper deliberately stalled the plane | finding out just how much benefit can | and dragged along over the fleld at this be derived from the device and then. height in a stall, while Elwood Baker, | having found out, to demonstrating his | Star photographer, snapped the picture | findings to his fellow pilots on this | showing the slot on the upper wing| side of the ocean. J. 8. E. | wide open. Though the plane apparent- {1y is climbing rapidly in this picture, it | actually was flying parnllel to the ground. Measurements of the photograph | Dearborn, Mich., includes a tour of taken by Mr. Baker were made later by |somefimes six months in the shops, Lieut. Harper and showed that th& | where the pilot works at the shop wage plane while in the stalled position over |learning the construetion of the tri- the fleld was at an angle of approxi- | motored, all-metal air transport. 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Columbia 5050 Phone North 1104 OAKTON MOTOR CO. Oakton, Va. WOODSON MOTOR CO. Silver Spring, Md. CAYLOR-SPAULDING MOTOR CO. Clarendon, Vau H. 5. LOWE Brandywine, Md. CATLETT MOTOR CO. Catlett, Va. MONROE BALDWIN Mitehellville, M4, HUNT BROTHERS Capitel Heights, Md. WAGGONER BROS. Vienna, Va. COLLEGE PARK AUTO PLACS College Pirk, Md, C. LEO McKENNEY Alexandria, Va. CENTRAL GARAGE Warrenton, Va. SWANN, Jr., €O. Culpeper, Vau Associai . alers Associate Dealers HAMILTON MOTOR CO. Hamilton, Va. Lawrence W. White Norbeck, Md. Reney Motor Co. Frederick, Md. Toreland Motor Co. Waldorf, Md. Moncure Motor Co. Quantico, Va.