Evening Star Newspaper, September 8, 1929, Page 60

AVIATION BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON. advantages of aerial travel you should fly, on a clear day, across the Allegheny Mountains, carrying in your hand a railroad timetable. As you fly along on a “bee-line” course over mountains, tortuous valleys and snake-like streams you are bound to entertain feel- ings of pity for the travelers on the railroads which wind and twist below to take advantage of every favoring fold and wrinkle of the mountain geography. As the plane crosses each steep- ly wooded mountain range you may complacently unfold your railroad timetable, pull out your watch and estimate how far back you would be now if you had traveled by rail. Then, stuffing the timetable back in your pocket and snapping shut your watch, you settle back and enjoy the panorama of mountain country spread out below. Mists Bring Another Story. That is what hlwenu when the weather is clear. When the mists roll up out of the gorges and the clouds settle down dankly on the peaks, however, it is another story. Then the traveler in the train puffing and groaning its way up the twisting watercourses and along the valleys well may hunch down in his seat, gaze outside with satisfaction at the hurrying mist and give himself over to condolence for the airplane pilot feeling his way uncomfortably through the murk above. The menace of fog and cloud so revalent over the Alleghenies, gnwever, is giving way slowly as the radio beacon, altimeter, turn and bank indieator and other delicate instruments guide the aerial navigator from airport of departure on one side of the mountains to his destination on the other. The fight, however, is slow and these Eastern mountains remain one of the worst spots in the country for the flyer who must cross them day after day on schedule. That the air mail is able to cross night after night, through clouds and fog, storms and darkness, is a tribute to the progress of aero- nautics as well as to the skill of the individual pilots. As ftime goes on it becomes more a tribute to science and less a matter of air instinct and training on the part of the pilot. Radio Beacon Guides Flyers. Today the radio beacon keeps the flyer steadily on his course re- gardless of weather conditions. Radio and the instruments in his plane keep him clear of the moun- tain tops. He knows the sort of weather conditions he will en- counter ahead. The radio informs him which fields are clear and which are shrouded in fog. And the old-timer sighs for the days gone by when pilots were pilots and a man had to rely on his own knowledge and skill to get him through. Coming home from the national air races in Cleveland this week, the writer was the guest of Capt. Frank Hackett of the 2d Bom- bardment Group on a flight across the mountains on one of those days when the air traveler rides in glory and sneers at the plod- ders below. That is to say, the skies were clear and blue and we enjoyed that blessing to the fly- er—a tail wind. The trip from Cleveland to this city was made by seven big, lum- bering twin-motored LB-7 bom- bardment blanes. These things are made only to carry great loads of bombs and to be as obnoxious as possible to the enemy. They are not made for speed; carrying capacity is their forte. They cruise normally at something like 90 miles per hour and no one would choose them for long-dis- tance flying if in any sort of a hurry. Yet the trip was made from Cleveland to this city in threc hours and 15 minutes, between a 'late and leisurely breakfast and an early lunch. But for the , bombers, T should have left Cleve- land on a day express at 8 am., arriving in Washington at 10:17 p.m., a matter of 14 hours and 17 minutes. A saving of 11 hours out of 14 should have elements of appeal to the.busy business man. For this reason we may expect competing air passenger lines across the mountains in the near future. Sounds Out Possibilities. The new Clifford Ball Line, operating six-passenger Fairchilds between the National Capital and Cleveland, is sounding out the possibilities for such service. On daily runs three or four passen- gers may be counted on either way between Washington and Pittsburgh. From Pittsburgh to TO appreciate to the full the Cleveland, however, the is heavy. c-&ncny loads are flown and often it is ne to fly two lanes to take care of the over- ow. Depntml;nt of Cummamh:k- ways engineers are compl The ‘instailation of beacons an the establishment and lighting of intermediate landing fields along the Washington-Pittsburgh- Cleveland route in anticipation of the opening of air mail service in the near future, under postal con- tract. This development, natural- ly, will do the Clifford Ball Line no harm. It also will help future competitors, several of whom are ready to make their appearance. The natural clouds and mists which so often shroud these East- ern mountains are augmented around Pittsburgh, Johnstown and Altoona by the man-made clouds from the steel mills and grelz industrial plants. A dense, eavy pall always clings to the mountains there, even on the clearest days. Although the sky overhead may be crisply clear and blue as you fly over, the earth be- low is dingy and dimly seen through a dirty screen. Visibility is limited to a few square miles directly below. On sides the smoke rises like the sides of a gray-brown bowl to a height of about 3,500 or 4,000 feet, where it is cut off sharply. Above this level is the clear open sky. Trip Covers Beautiful Section. The trip from Cleveland is over beautiful country, agricultural in character over part of Ohio, but f;owlng steadily more industrial appearance as the Pennasyl- vania boundary is approached. Great railroad yards, cement lants and factories are seen be- ow. The Ohio River is first seen near East Liverpool, Ohio. When we came over, at the end of a long, dry spell, the river was low and apparently crystal clear, a strange condition for the usually cloudy Ohio. In the clear green stream engi- neers are raising new dams and canal locks for many miles below Pittsburgh. There is an impres. sion of tremendous activity as the plane passes over loop after loop of the river. The engineering fea- tures of modern development in the mountain country are inter- esting and impressive. From the air it is possible to follow the rail- road lines for miles and to appre- ciate the problems encountered in laying them out through the mountains. These roads very busy. Train after train can be seen winding among the hills. Many bridges span the rivers, In the narrow valleys, between rug- ged, tree-covered mountains, are {lroads, on either bank of the river, and many roads. They wind and twist, are lost in the distance and reappear, having wound off around some mountain spur, los- ing many miles. The bombers crossed the Alle- ghenies at an altitude of 5,000 feet and the mountains were dis- appointingly small from this height. Shrouded in smoke, only one or two ridges could be seen at one time. Owing to the poor visibility below, they looked low and not altogether impressive. It was only in passing directly over the crest of a range and getting a momentary glimpse of some flper- spective down the mountain slope, off into a valley below, that there was any impression of grandeur. Smoke Pall Left Behind. The smoke pall was left behind and the country below became fresh and clear once more as Pittsburgh and the steel and coal district was left behind. The Potomac River, easily recognized by the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal along its northern shore, was first picked up below Frostburg, Md. Like the Ohio, the Potomac was clear green and low in its banks. It slipped by rapidly as the bomb- ers boomed along on a following wind in wide-spread cross-country tugmtltm;“.nh ring surpris- real , appearing ingly soon, was one of the most beautiful pictures of the trip. Creamy foam shading into every concelvable shade of filled the gorge below, all effect of coarseness lost from 3,000 feet above. The bombers swung into echelon formation, each behind, above and to the left of the one ahead, in preparation for land- ing. In circling line, the forma- tion swung down across the War College to approach Bolling Field. The air, crisp and cool above, be- came hot as the great ships drop- ped into the field. One after an- other, in quick succession, they landed, Cleveland only three and a quarter hours behind. A few portation. ROMANCE DISPLACES ROUTINE IN ISSUING PILOT LICENSES By the Associated Press. There is romance in the task of issuing licenses to the thousands of airplane pilots, mechanics and students of the country. It might seem a dull routine matter, but it is not, take the word of the girls who issue them in the lcensing section of the Department of Com- merce. They “feel the heartbeats of the game.” “Handling such a large volume of work, it seems strange that we remem- ber so many of the pilots to whom we send licenses,” the young woman who supervises the work writes for the de- Pumnenvl Air Commerce Bulletin. “Some of the old timers I would recog- nize in the hereafter, just from han- dling their papers and photographs so many times. We know those gho think kindly of us and those who take every opportunity to knock. Often Work Overtime, . - “‘Often ':p:fl"l' 'lnund onrumm e n‘: t & al’ some p wi e on‘ ice letter saying that a good was awaiting receipt of his license. “It has been lots of fun wal the young boys come in for their student permits and take the steps up and to 3 us that is his graduation and we often m’%o‘nm‘ along a little note h private and limited commercial , licenses. To real Americans each girl has a favorite. My pick of-what a young aviator should look him up—but, alas, he came back with the report that the pictures myust have been taken before the war, as he was now bald, fat and rharried. Girls Get “Extras.” ‘Feminine aviators sometimes receive a little extra attention by we call a ‘nice number.’ one of the girls say: ‘Gee, m number is 2500—I wonder if I A girl's 8etung what ften I hear next ve & this bunch.’ showing head a mwln( the entire aeronautics hysterics. “I could tell dozens of real human interest alive with the :Rl'.rfl.olllilhk I could tell stories of R RS, e, o, 2 B Wi 241 ment and determination of a ‘who hadn't the funds to continue to but xpected to take it up again in the S , and the ridiculous assuredness the student who wanted to learn to fiy by Summer so he could make & transcontinental trip. “Sometimes I wonder if the issuing of ’ licenses will ever become a "De- | routine Government job. I think not.” business| War Department Plans to poin! the coastal airway an Mmbuo t Dayton, "rhe operations ‘operaf experiences like that are sufficient to convert any one to air trans- 1920~ PART- . 4,.. e e PLANE ON COAST TALKS T0 CAPITAL Two-Way Radio Communica- tion Carried on With Aero Over San Diego. SCHAUSS TO TOUR COUNTRY BOLLING WILL GET SHOWING PASSENGER PLANE WEATHER STATION e t eave wasigto This Month, to.Be Gone for a Year. Trip Will Take Him Into Vir- tually Every State in the Union. Equip Airport With Ideal Observatory. Bollin.g Meld is to have erations office and tion Direct two-way rad between this city and a Nevy sieoiaon fiying over San Diego, Calif., was effect~ ed during recent radio tests by the %llflel of Scouting Squadron 1B, of the . 8. 8. Langley, it has been announced by the Navy Department. This is be- lieved to constitute a world's record for two-way ‘airplane communication. The squadron has been conducting experimental radio work and the com- munication between the National Cap- ital and the squadron was_established during night flying tests. Communica- tion was carried on between an O2U-2 Loboratory at Beevi B G o dseancs al levue, D. C., of 2,300 statute miles, o7 Sener ‘The best results were obtained altitudes, the lowest altitude n‘;:‘l:: successful communication was possible being approximately 8,000 feet. The squadron has had excellent results from an idesl s ‘The United States Weather Bureau is g merietic savin o e y the War Department as s permanent Army Air field. The station is being eq with the most modern instruments and charts and will be able the new passenger plane, is chief pilot at Standard Lieut. Schauss now Congressional on the Rock- ville road at Md .nd 37| member of the Marine of s.nerican Alrways and the United States "n: e . ’ Alreraft ration, :‘i‘;"mnmd;l:m only 'LMW, weather mput.’nunrk. N, J., and will 3 days there 11 Army field is an important ‘manufacturing int on the Army airways system. "1t | B \3icre Jeaving o his Jong ok, which will take him into practically every State in the Union. LIEUT. FREDERICK SCHAUSS, The first hop on his tour will*be from Teterboro to this city. He then will fly by easy stages down the Atlantic coast to Florida and across the Gulf States to California, where he plans to put in most of the Winter, continuing up the Pacific coast and back across the country next Spring and Summer. Schauss left the Army shortly after the war, but has had several tours of duty since as a_Reserve officer, includ- three months with the Pirst Pur- t Group at Selfridge Field, Mich., and ar at Bolling Meld, umlnu!m’ in Ju.{:, 1928. During his year on duty here he flew an estimated distance of 25,000 miles, of which 20,000 miles was on cross country work. radio compass loops used during the " While the tests e the tests were in ess the Langley was visited by ‘Eraest Lee Jahncke, Assistant Secretary of the Navy, who had flown to the West Coast in a Navy Ford transport plane from the Anacostin Naval Air Station. The lane was piloted by Lieut, W. G. Tom- inson and Mr. Jahncke was accom- panied by his aide, Lieut. Comdr. Ralph Davison, d Meigs Frost. planes to and from the field, has been .e.linn its | consideral during the Sum and he » A CAR FOR ALL been so0 A number Ye were m: cussing the Most eomplain from lack ¢Air Minded”’ Canine Is Proud Boast of BENNETT CUP HOLDER SEEKS 2D TROPHY Lancaster Aviator LANCASTER, ':lh:‘ dogs are going “air-minded” American shi) ul "of suggestions to the pub- ade by Mr. Coleman in dis- eral postal situation. of mail service result owledge of it, he stated, citizens to use the malls more intelligently. p] of kn Demuyter Hopes to Take Now Bal- loon Award Home to Bel- Pa. () —Even AIR MAIL EXPERIMENTS PROMOTING AVIATION Assistant Postmaster General Sees People of U. 8. Becoming More Air-Minded. BALTIMORE, September mail experimentation has been the foremost factor in making the United States air-minded, Arch Coleman, First Assistant Postmaster General, declared in an address before the Advertising | Club here this week. incurred by air mail experi- mentation and by mail contracts with ing lines, enabling them | to_commer to face foreign competition, has not g‘n as to cause any radical postal T.—Alr rates, the speaker ; Speedometer Repaired Miller-Dudley Co. 171 MARMON-BUILT News of the new models is here. Many new values are claimed. The Roosevelt, with a great six months back of it, is still on the crest, without a rival in sight. . . . It, alone, of all $1000 automobiles, is a straight-eight. It alone offers glght-cyllndor smoothness and flexibility at the Eegular six-cylinder price. « « « Powerful adjectives don’t make a car perform better, but real advanced eight- cylinder engineering dpci.‘.".’. 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