Evening Star Newspaper, December 22, 1929, Page 63

AVIATION BY JOSEPH HE year now coming to a ¢lose has been one of mixed blessings to aviation. On the whole the trend has been most encouraging and many important achievements have been entered in the aviation book gf. l1;;cm';i‘s.uOn thelother hanld. aviation people, especially the manufacturers, have felt the g:l.l:_\ pinch of adversity during the . There is no question that avia- tion has been passing through a period of overinflation. There are indications, however, that the period of unhealthy growth has about reached its peak and that the coming year will see stabiliz- ing influences at work creating a more healthy situation. Growth has been too rapid for the good of the aviation industry. Too much energy has been ex-| gended in mere growth. Condi- ions have been tolerated, of Rnecessity, which will not be " tolerated when the industry be- comes more ‘stabilized. There. will be continued growth and it un- doubtedly will be rapid growth, but it will be more orderly and better directed. ‘The most important advances of the year have been in the direc- tion of operations. In the manu- facturing end the industry has had its chief difficulties. Produc- tion has been lower than was anticipated and several manu- facturing plants have closed their doors. The crash in the financial market undoubtedly hastened the downfall of some of these weaker manufacturers, but they already were doomed and would have beeni forced out in the not far distant future. Unjustified Production. Caught up in the wave of avia- tion enthusiasm which has rolled over the world during the past two years, aircraft manufacturers have gqpe into production on a scale unjustified by actual circum- stances ‘and the fate which has overtaken them was inevitable. So much for the gloomy side of the aviation picture. The rest, fortunately, has been exceedingly bright, except for a few isolated patches. There have been great + gains made in air transport opera- tions in this country. ere have been great increases in aircraft licenses issued, though the num- -~ bers were not as large as had been anticipated. The number of new guot's licenses issued, however, as been enormous as compared with_the past record. Official reports to the Depart- ment of Commerce indicate that more than 3,500,000 American citizens will have ridden in air- planes during the year 1929. Dur- ing the first six months of the year an average of 25¢ passengers flew daily on established airways, while an_average of 8311 pas- sengers flew each day in mis- cellaneous operations, such as aerial ~ sight-seeing flights, air taxicab_services and other forms of unscheduled flying. This means that each day during the first half of the year an average of 8565 passengers took to the air. Dur- ing the last six months, though compilation of figures has not fil’m“!hg“‘:nahe nmt‘!m"znlsl:s hfim b mpleted, th along _ so nd conservative e e lines. The interdepartmental com- mittee on airways has just recom- mended the opening of a SBouthern been increased by approximately 25 per cent, it is believed. The opening of 1930 probably will find approximately X American people flying each day. Figures Show Progress. The close of this year will find s}:proxim_ ately 6,500 licensed air- ganes in the United States, with ,100 more officially identified, but not licensed. Active pilots’ licenses today number approximately 9,300; while students’ permits have been issued to nearly 29,000 persons. There are more than 47,100 licensed airplane mechanics in the country. The past year has witnessed the smashing of more aviation werld records than any previous year. ‘Thirteen new records already have been placed on the rolls of the Federation Aeronautique Interna- tionale during the year to date. The close of the year finds the United States in possession of two of the new records, another having been won ahd then lost again. The seaplane altitude record is held by Lieut. Apollo Soucek, U. S. N.,, who climbed to 238,560 feet above the Anacostia Naval Air Station. The repeatedly broken refueling endurance record now is held by Dale Jackson and Forest O’ Brine of St. Louis, who were off the ground 420 hours and 17 minutes. Great Britain holds the speed record as a result of the flight of Squadron Leader A. H. Orlebar over a measured course at 357.7 miles per hour . The fourth major record, the land plane altitude record, was captured hf' Lieut. Apollo Soucek at Anacostia, but was lost again +a few days later to Willi Neuen- hofen of Germany, who rose to 41,794 feet. Soucek is prepared for another attempt on the record as soon as he has favorable weather. Mechanical Pilot Is Aid. The other nine new records are in what are regarded as the minor categories, being speed records for distance and with loads, distance for lightgplanes, and altitude with payloads. In addition to these official récords there were a num- ber of unofficial records recorded during the year, among the most notable of the American achieve- ments being the West-to-East transcontinental non-s!oi) flight of Capt. Frank Hawks in 17 hours and 43 minutes and his return l. | Aercnautics. control and communications sys- were outstanding features o ‘Transcontinental Airway as far as Omaha and the Chicago-Boston fgsfi?fi will be in operation early with other important connecuna of S. EDGERTON. hop in 19 hours, 10 minutes and 32 seconds, against prevailing winds. There have been giant strides made during the year toward the goal of safety in air transporta- tion. The most recént was the flight from Dayton, Ohio, to this city of an Army transport plane flown by automatic controls. This plane also flown by its metal pilot, dubbed by the Army “Mechaviator,” from Dayton to Detroit and over New England and New York. The chief contribution of the mechanical pilot to safety is his ability to take over the controls from a pilot during foggy, cloudy or stormy weather, keeping the plane level and on it$ course b ter than the best human, pilot and leaving the pilot free to study his_instruments, check his ma and plot his course, unworried by the arduous mechanical and xtne{xtal labor of fighting his ¢on- rols. Better, more reliable and lighter motors have appeared during the year, resulting in greatly increas- ed speeds and a reduction of; forced landings due to motor failure to less thah 15 pér cent of the total number, Better aif- planes, aerodynamically and struc- turallyc now are available and the trend toward giant planes, espe- cially in Germany, has beén startling. Radio Versus Weather. The battle against the pilot's T AR TURBINE MOTOR USES OIL FOR FURL Final Drive on Propelior Is Accomplished Through Reduction Gears. 8T. LOUIS (#).—The man who was credited with bullding the first gasoline engine with electrical ignition west of the Mississippl has built an “aero-tur- bine” motor for the aviation industry. - The internal-combustion turbine mo- tor designed by Otto Larson, veteran St. Louis engineer, is intended to eliminate fire hazards through the use of crude oll as fuel, and to make possible greater capacity of plans by eliminating lubri- cating oil. Larson's aero-turbine consists of a compressing chamber at the rear where injéction and combustion of fuel takes place. Instead of directing their energy against reciprocating parts, expanhding gases actuate a series of turbines. These wheels diminish in size toward the pro- peller, reducing the motor’s frontal area. Final drive to the propeller is through reduction gears, since the turbine turns about 5,000 revolutions a minute, too fast for operating a ptropeller. Solid injection of crude oil through a small intake pipe eliminates a carbure- tor. Through graduated turbines, Lar- son claims, the full force of exploded gases is utilized, thus curtailing the usual exhaust noises. Only a low- pitched whistling sound is audible as the motor operates. Thé aero-turbine's efficiency, Larson says, is close to perfect as compared with the average gasoline engine's per- formance of approximately 55 per cent. Larson's motor, on which patents are being sought, is the result of experi- ments dating back to 1915. A Govérn- worst enemy, fog, resulted in a major victory during the year— the first completed flight made by a pilot who saw nothing of the ground from the time he climbed into his plane until he climbed out at the end of the flight. He took off, flew a course away from the field, turned back, passed over the field, turned back again and land= ed entirely by radio and his in- struments This epochal flight was made by Lieut. James H. Doolittle of the Army Air Cotps in co-operation with the Guggens heim Fund for the Promotion of Continued improvement of radio tems, chiefly of the “radio ra; ?1'" e gear. Forty additional radio range eacon transmitters have been or- dered for installation on the United States Airways thi artment of Commerce. ype radio range beacon systém has been in operation on the Cleveland-New York Airway for more than a year and has been instrumental in reducing the de- layed and interrupted scheflulea of airmail planes more than 3 per cent. Even more gratifying, according to the official records, has been the record of safety in comparison of accidents and Icsses of equipment. The radio range beacon systém has been extended west on the ral Airmail Growth Sound. Growth of airmail service transcontinental airmail service, routes to open up the South an Bouthwest. fimerlé:ans ftzrelgxm air transp e AMerice, And the Werr thaiar sras | 1ng e Rost Zout milbeite.contatr Bob: ‘The expansion ort been tremendous, constituting one of the most remarkable transpor- tation developments of the year. The building up of great avia- tion combinations was another feature of the year and today the bulk of the aviation activities in this country are in the control of less than 10 companies. Many of the remaining small companies undoubtedly will be absorbed or will pass out of existence during the coming few months. In the lighter-than-air field there also have been great strides made. The Graf Zeppelin's trip around the world marked the opening of a new era of pubkic in- terest in the dirigible. Construc- tion has been started at Akron of two immense dirigibles for the United States Navy, each of them nearly twice the size of the Graf Zeppelin. Preparations are being made for construction of commer- cial ships on the same pattern and an operating organization is being built up. Great Britain has launched and is testing two great military dirigibles, each superior in size to the Graf Zeppelin, Aviation Legislation. Aviation legi.slation of great im- portance has become effective dur- ing the year. Federal regulation and licensing of flying schools was instituted and to date 22 schools have been licensed for the train- ing of students for one or more types of pilots’ licenses. The licensing laws also have been amended to provide that transport pilots shall be examined and licensed for slpecmc types of aircraft, thus making certain that they do not carry passengers in types of planes with which they are not thoroughly familiar. Other legislative moves toward the build- ing up of safety have been noted. The year has been important in achievements and, it may be, his- tory will reveal that it has been even more important as markin, the end of the inflation period of aviation and the beginning of really sound building {or the future. CAT WON WINGS AS SWEDEN'S FIRST FLYER BY 15-MILE HOP ment engineer, Larson has worked with power plants for nearly 40 years. He is said to have built the first automobile HE SUNDAY STAR, Will Begin Duties as Chief of Information on First of Year. Work Includes Development and Preparation of Ar- ticles and Data. Frederick R. Neely, whose resignation as first general manager of the National | Aeronautic Association was announced last week, on January 1 will become the first chief of aeronautical information of the aeronautics branch of the De- partment of Commerce, a post which has just been created as & part of the expansion program of the branch. He will take over a part of the duties formerly performed by Col. Harry H. Blee, present director of aeronauticai development. Mr. Neely will be in charge of the development work of the aeronautics branch, including the issu- ance of official publications, the hand- ling of inquiries except those of special character such as would be handled by the éngineering division and similar branches; the preparation of material for newspaper and magazine articles and the preparation of stafistical data. Ranks as Important Post. ‘The new office ranks as one of the important posts in the aeronautics branch, being on a par with the division of licensing, the inspection service and similar divisions. In his capacity as genéral manager of the National Aeronautic Association Mr. Neély became nationally known in aeronautical circles. While he has been in office the association, which is the American tepresentative of the Federa- tion Aeronautique Internationale, has enjoyed the eamtupfl’mfi of growth in its history. addition to his duties as In St. Louis. GIRLS' REFUEL HOPS DESCRIBED IN LETTERS TO WALTE Elinor Smith Tells of Two Recent Attempts to Set World Record. Flew Practically Blind at Night in Plane With Bobbie Trout. The experiences of Miss Elinor Smith of New York and Miss Bobbie Trout of Los Angeles in theif two refent attempts to establish a world record for air- plane endurance flights by refueling are described vividly in two letters from Miss Smith received here by Lieut.| Walter Hinton, first transatlantic pilot. Describing their first attempt, Miss Smith said they took off at Los An- géles with 190 gallons of gasoline and started eruising around San Fernando Valley and vicinity. After 4 hours Elinor turned the controls over to Bobbie and crawled up on'the. gasoline tank to rest a while. After 4 hours she resumed the controls and was flying the ship when their Pigeon refueli plane came up to make the first refueling contact. “Believe me,” Miss Smith wrote, “for- mation flying doesn’t enter into that job. In order to allow the proper curve to the hose, it is necessary to keep the ships just 15 feet apart. Of course, the pilot from the refueling plane cannot see us, 80 it is up to us to gauge all distances and compensate the bumps and weaving of both ships, also to keep out of the wash of said Pigeon. Ask for More Gasoline. . “We took on 185 gallons of gas dur- d a note for ahother 100 gal- lons and to hurry, as about that time it was getting dark. When they fin: t up the second time, the bag had not been weighted properly and it streamed straight out behind the Pigeon, and Pete Reinhart was forced to cut it loose. We have no accurate gauge to oheck by, so sent a note down asking to lét us know how much we had on rd. ““The boys figured we had enough to last until morning, so sent a Travelair monoplane to tell us to stay up until morning. It looked like & big bug com- %nl ;lur us at night. I really had to laugh. “About 8:30 pm. in the valley it gets very black and the hills blot out most of the light, so it was necessary to fly ractically blind throughout the moon- less night. I was asleep about 10 p.m. when I got a terrific kick and heard a sudden howl and decided I had best se6 what had happened. We had just started into a flat spin, but the girl- friend shoved the wheel forward in re- verse and got it out. “At about 1:30 p.m. we were cruising out over Cahenuga Pass in Hollywood Mountain when the motor gave two coughs and died. I took in all the in- struments at a glance, let out a yell for Bobble to come out and get her chute on and grab the pump. By the time she got on I switched to the wing tank, but our hearts both sank, because we knew then we had only 39 gallons left and were were evidently burning close to 20 gallons an hour. Speed Requested in Note. “Bobbie wrote a note and we zoomed the field to drop it, telling them to hurry up, but they could not make it in time. When they did come up their lights were so poor we could hardly see them at all. In_the meantime, from the continuous flying, my eyes had gone blmr. they were watering so I could hardly see at all. “We didn't want to chance a bad landing, and it was almost impossible to judge distance, so Bobbie jockeyed the' throttle all the way down to the nd, and did very well, although we unded considerably, ground looped and tore a wing, but, considering the circumstances, I think she did very well. ““After being in the air for 18, hours we are now ready and raring to go. If we can get thlnt; started we will be taking or again a few days.” On_their second attempt the girls stayed inr the air 42 hours. In another letter to Lieut. Hinton, later, Miss Smith te: . “On the afternoon of the second day, while refueling under the P , T no- ticed black smoke and gasoline pouring out of her as she rapidly settled down on us, so I yelled to Bobbie to let go the hose, while I pulled out from under her. They were forced to rét her down in a slel fleld back of the airport. Of course, I prayed all the way down, as Y | Ropurification Device Is Mounted general manager Mr. Neely has had the WASHINGTON, D. NEELY TO HEAD NEW AERO UNIT OF DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE C.,. DECEMBER 22 FREDERICK R. NEELY. editorial direction of the- association’s n;onthly magazine, the Aeronautic Re- view. ‘Formerly With Newspaper. Prior to assuming his post with the association Mr. Neely was for seven years aviation editor of The Evening Star, and also was associate editor of United States Air Services. While with The Star Mr. Neely flew more than 220 hours on newspaper as- signments, including four tfips across the United States. He also followed the course of the Army “round the world” flight from England to_Iceland, Green- land and Labrador. He gained wide recognition among aviation people through his newspaper and magazine articles, which covered the development of aviation since the World War, He was identified with the National Aero- nautic Assoclation at the time of its or- ganization in 1922, and has been active u;: the work of the association ever since. R HINTON B, MISS ELINOR SMITH. So 1 called to Bobbie to let go of the e . pe. “When they straightened out I could see the roge bouticing around under- neath the n. We decided to take a long chance and ‘%‘e‘e the rope. This I knew had only n accomplished once before, but then I was desperate for gas and figured if we could get up very close to the Pigeon and get the rope to lay across the top of the wing the blast of our propellér would blow the hose back, so I flew up close to them and worked our way under. Got the and 185 gallons of gas. Oh boy, we were glad.” . PORTABLE HELIUM PLANT DEVELOPED on Trailer to Be Pulled by Truck. Development of a helium repurifica- tion plant mounted on a pneumatic- tired trailer, which can traverse any terrain which a truck can negotiate, has been announced by the Helium Co. trl:r'ough the American Chemical So- clety. The plant has a capacity of 1,600 cubic feet of gas per hour and is ex- pected to be of immense value in mili- tary and civil dirigible and balloon operations. Previously designed port- able repurification plants have had a curtailed usefulness owing to the fact that they were so heavy as to necessi- tate mounting on railroad cars. The plant consists of two com- ressors, one handling air, the other elium. the air compressor supplies air at high glreuurn to the expansion column, which serves to liguify a gvr- tion of the air, tormlnfi & cooling bath at a temperature of us 170 degrees centigrade. . ‘The second compressor forces helium at high pressure through copper coils immersed in the liquid air, with con- sequent removal of impurities by lique- faction. The hellum passes through nearly a half mile of copper tubing, finally being discharged at a purity of 98 per cent. The loss in repurification is aproximdtely one per cent. The plant was designed by R. R. Bot- toms, director of research, and E. G. Loening, executive vice president of the hellum _corporation for the Goodyear Zeppelin Corporation of Akron, Ohio. HORSES IN THE DISCARD. Denver, Colo., is one of those cities where the horse formerly relgned su- greme as a means of transportation. he poor horse certainly has seen his day there, however. In its abstract of assessments, Denver revealed that airplanes owned in that city are valued at $77,800, while there are only $31,260 worth of horses. | ! cqntihuation of the work of*filling and AERIAL TERMINAL PROJECT STARTED Transport Center to Be Built on Site of Washington Port Near Bridge. Construction of what is designed to be the. first airport to be used exclu- sively as an air transport terminal in | this part of the country, has begun on the site of Washington Airport, at the South end of Highway Bridge, A total of $600,000 has been made available for the construction .of an administration | and passenger building and a hangar of the most modern design and for grading the site. ‘There will be little hangar space at the fleld in proportion to the amount of traffic anticipated, as the company also has acquired Mile Squaré Airport, near Hybla Valley, Va., which will be used as a servicing, storage and gen- eral utilities airport base. The Washington terminal fleld will comprise 08 acres, ‘being the entire area between the Alexandria and Mil- itary roads, extending south and west- ward to the Pennsylvania Railroad branch line. Since acquiring the field the Washington Terminals Corporation has filled 15 acres of the swamp land south of the present flying area, leaving 30 acres to be filled during the com- ing year. The company also owns land between the Milltary road and the Potomac River and now is clearing from this area the old Arlington Beach amuse- ment park buildings. The half of the beaeh nearest Highway Bridge already has been cleared and the remainder is to be cleared by Spring. Telephone and telegraph lines along Military road also will be razed and the wires run underground, it was announed. Three principal runways will be de- veloped, though the entire fleld is to | be made available as landing area. The longest runway is east and west, in the | direction of the prevailing wis and will be 2,600 feet long. Most of this | runway now is available. The other two runways, forming almost equal | been installed, one machine always be- 'Private in Army Flying Corps Is angles with the long runway, will be 2,100 and 2,200 feet long. The terminal building, now under construction, will occupy the corner of | the field nearest the bridge-head, with ample automobile parking ~pace tween i1t and the two roads and the airplane loading platform on the field side. The bullding hes been designed | and its surroundings will be landscaped to fit in with the adjoining Potomac Park and Mount Vernon Boulevard de- | velopment. The plans have been ap- nr(aled by the Commission of Fine Ar The terminal building will have ticket ,office, waiting room, rest rooms and other pubiic conveniences on the first floor. Above will be an open deck commanding a view of the flying field and the river front. Above the center of the building will rise the control tower and observatory. The hangar now under éonstruction is located at the south end u‘ the field, adjacent to the Alexandria®road. It will harmonize with the terminal build- ing and will be large enough to house 20 planes. It will contain shops and servicing facilities to handle the emer- gency needs of the airport. The main hangar and shop [facilities, however, are to be located eventually at Mile Square Airport. The terminal field is one of the most advantageously located in the country, being only two and a half miles from the White House and having ample transportation facilitles to the city. It is bordered by two of the heaviest trav- eled roads to the south out of Wash- ington; has bus lines operating on two sides of the field, electric rallway along one side and steam railway along an- other. Technical work in cennection with the development is in the hands of Capt. Albert G. Ober, who handled a simi- lar development in Baltimore, and Capt. Thomas Carroll, for 10 years chief test pilot of the National Advis- ory Committee for Aeronautics. NEW AIR PASSENGER TERMINAL | Amelia Earhart, George Palmer Put- 1920—PART FOUR. AR STUDENTS BUY | THEIR OWN PLANES Granddaughter of Robert T. Lincoln One of Purchasers at Aviation School. During the past week three students at the Washington Flying Service School of Aviation, Washington Air- port, have purchased their own air- planes for private use. The class of students has grown toe15 members fol- lowing the establishment of a ground school courge in connection with the school. Flight instruction is given at Wash- ington Airport under direction of Lieut. Howard W. French, chief instructor, and Lloyd L. Cox, who has just re- turned to this city after several years of flying in the West. French was a former Army flight instructor. Shop work and theory are being taught at the Aviatlon School of America, 1108 Sixteenth street. The new airplane owners are Miss Mary Lincoln Beckwith, granddaughter of the late Robert Todd Lincoln, last surviving son of President Lincoln; Charles A. McAtee of Chevy Chase, who recently won his Eann‘e pilot's license at the school, and Stuart Jenks of Chevy Chase, another licensed ama- teur pilot. Miss Beckwith, a new student at the field, though she has had a number of hours of instruction previously at Balti- more, purchased a Waco sport model. McAtee chose a Challenger and Jenks a Waco sport. All three planes are open cockpit types carrying pilot and two passengers and are powered by 0X5 engines. The present class at the school rep-| resents many varied callings, among the students being a congressional sec- retary, a musician, radio and garage mechanics, an actor, a steel worker and a public guide, The members of the class are Miss Mary L. Beckwith, John C. Box, jr., son of Representative John | C. Box of Texas: John Irving Fisher, master of ceremonles at the Fox Theater; Edward L. Yeatman, Claren- don, Va.; H. F. Tillson, the Winston Hotel: R. Schrader, 216 Tenth street southwest; Elton Edward Posey, 1208 FEvarts street northeast: W. W. Kerr, 3537 New Hampshire avenue; Levi W. Gree, 304 East Capitol street; G. A. Bennett, 717 Shepherd street; Norman Beall, 3803 Fourteenth street: John Blanks, 304 FEast Oapitol street; Ray- mond Richardson, the Madrillon; James 8. Moran and Charles A. McAtee. TELETYPE MACHINES AID IN HANDLING OF MAILS | Apparatus Installed in Bolling Field and Other Stations. Teletype apparatus has been installed by Pltcy:flrn valaLlon at Bolling Pleld and other operating fields along the | New Yotk-Miami airmail route to ex- pedite_the handling of the mails. At Bolling Field two machincs have ing kept in reserve so that there may be no breakdown in service. Weather forecasts and other general instructions to pilots and ground forces, as well as all company interfield business i be- ing handled over the system. eletype apparatus is being used by many Or the large air transport com- nies as a means of improving the andling of weather data along the lineg, thus speeding u¥ schedules and incréasing the factor bf safety. RIGBY WINS PRIZE IN AVIATION TEST First in Scientific American Light Airplane Competition. Pvt. James P. Rigby, Army Air Corps, | stationed at Luke Field, Hawaii, has won first prize in the Scientific Ameri- can light airplane contest, it has been announced here. He designed a bi- lane with steel fuselage and wooden- | ?rnne wings which was selected as the best of many designs submitted, the committee of judges being composed of nam, light plane operator, and_Prof. Alexander Klemin, head of the Daniel Guggenheim” School of Aeronautics at New York University. BSecond place went to F. R. Huep, rofessioned airplane designer, of Des oines, Iowa, and third place to Mid- shipman P. Beebe of the United States Naval Academy, Annapolls. The contest began last March, and designs were received from all parts of the United States afd England. The Cir- rus Mark III engine was stipulated as the power plant around which all the designs were drawn. Rigby's plane is designed wi lage of low-carbon steel. Two cockpits are located well back of the wing, giv- ing good visibility and ease of access. The wings are of conventional wood and fabric type. Allerons are used only on the upper wing. The ship is desi{lned for a landing speed of 39 miles per hour, top speed of 95 miles per hour, service ceiling of 14,500 feet, climb of 693 feet per minute and endurance of five hours. Huep's plan calls for a low-wing, full-cantilever monoplane with tandem seating accommodations, convertible | from open cockpit to cabin type with only & slight increase in weight. Beebe planned a side-by-side seating arrange- ment in a log-wing, semi-cantilever monoplane. The ailerons extend the whole length of the wing and may be used as flaps or differential ailerons. - Attack Group Is Given Band. The 3d Attack Group, Fort Crockett, Texas, now has a band to help lighten the burden of official duties and to permit due ceremonies upon appro- priate_occasions. The band was sent from Fort Sam Houston, Texas, and is composed of Warrant officer Carl Mueller, leader, and 32 musicians. It has given several concerts since arriving at its new home. BUILDING ith a fuse- Model Aircraft BY GEORGE ‘W. WATERS. Aviation experts in the making labor industriously over tiny model planes in the workshop of the Chevy Chase Community Center Tuesday of every week. And weaving in among them, issuing advice, pointing out errors in construction and’ lendin assistance in general, one finds John Williams, model plane instructor and adviser, who was recently i released from Providence Hospital I'hurt while repairing a model. Wing Placement Cited. “Place that wing farther down— you'll get more flight,” counsels the in- structor to a pilot busily engaged in constructing a minute model. - Then he moves farther along to an- other builder bent over a plece of balsa wood which in time will form the fuselage of a plane. “You'll need more wingspread than that,” he says—and then builder and instructor go into a huddle. Yes, sir, this building of model planes is important business. Every piece of material for the tiny ships must be placed in exact position. Tests for the weight of the plane must be made. It takes weeks and some- times months before a model is per- fected. Thirty Boys Work Industriously. And nearly 30 boys hurry to the workshop every Tuesday and pour forth questions to Willlams. He an- swers all of themr with the patienceé of Job and they file off to the many work- benches in the shop to make the neces- sary corrections. “Don't you ever feel like giving up when they fire so many questions at you?” the writer asked. “Well—you see it's this way: Most eople have the impression that this guslness of building models is a cinch. Let me tell you it takes brains and plenty of hard work to make a model ship that will fly—and that's why I'm patient. Say, have you ever tried to build one?” ended the instructor abruptly. But the writer pretended not to hear and changed the subject. Propose Reclassification. Following a recent conference of the newly organized Council of Model Air- craft Advisors and Instructors a gro- posal for the reclassification of the o trict Model Aircraft League was recom- mended. following an operation on a hand The council suggested the followini changes in the classes of flyers: The time requirement for class A would be 3 minutes, class B 114 min- ues and class C 30 seconds. The class for aces will remain unchanged in the contests. A The council voted to defer action on the proposal for the approval of the fiyers of the league. counell, through this column, asked that the various pilots of the city sénd in by mail just how they feel toward the pro- posal. These comments will be pub- lished in this column to allow ers the benefit of each recommendation re- ceived. The proposal would cut the present seven classes to five. No fiyer would bé demoted by this proposal. The council also discussed the eon- duct of the meets held in the District and the regulations governing the va- rious typés of planes flown. was recommended that one city-wide in- door meet be held each month, with the regular meets continuing as at present. During the warmer months it was recommended that monthly eéity- wide meets be held outdoors. These meets probably will begin during March. The next meet to be held by the Dis- trict League will be at the Maéfarlana Junior High School, December 27. The types of planes to be flown at this contest are rise-off floor and hand- launched scientific models. Other meets on the 'Fro(rnm for the Winter dre acheg;xle for Januaty 24 and Febru- ary 21. ‘The model aircraft advisers pr 1t at the council meeting were: Williams, Walter Roth, Robert Williams, head of the science work for the el mentary schools, and W. H. Robertson. Miss Scott has interested many of the teachers of elementary grades in the establishment of model aircraft clubs in their classes. A model aircraft club has been formed at the Maury, Edmonds and Wheatley Schools, and it is expected that more clubs will be formed in the graded schools soon. GREAT ADVANCE IN AVIATION IS NOTED IN Air Transportation Rapidly Than in SOUTH AMERICA Forges Ahead More the United States, Recent Survey Figures Disclose. During the past two years air trans portation has forged ahead more ng- idly in South America than in the United States, according to a survey just completed by the New York Rio & Buenos Aires Line, which operates transport service down the east coast of South America, with a proposed ex- tension to New York to be opened early next year. ‘The ploneering work in South Amer- fcan aviation was done by Germans, who now operate extensive lines, chiefly along the west coast. French operators are active on the east coast. American enterprise has entered the field during the past two years, and now threatens | oy to eclipse all other South American operations. Because of vast areas of mountain and jungle, which form an effective barrier to surface transportation, avia- tion works to special advantage in South America, in some instances a three-hour flight taking the place of 24 days of surface travel. Time Between Capitals Reduced. The time between the three principal capitals—Rio de Janiero, Buenos Aires {and Santiago, Chile—is reduced from & week to two days. major markets in Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Vens ezuela, where three-fourths of all South American international trade originates, (have been farther from the United States in travel time than from Conti- nental Europe until shortly after the World War, when United States ex- porters stepped in. The establishment of air lines in South America has been an effort to recapture this trade. In their drive to regain South Amer- ican commerce, heavily subsidized Ger- man and French air transport routes have been established between the east coast markets, with a second German company in the northwest and a third in Bolivia. Scadta, the German-Colombian sys- tem, was the first foreign air route on the South American continent and has been in operation nearly 10 years. Lines have been exténded through the in terior to the Pacific Coast ports and south through Ecuador and Peru to Lima. A northern line was established several months ago between Baran- quilla and Cristobal, in the Panama Canal Zone, to complete the Scadta system. German Company's Developments. Several {ears ago another German company, Lloyd-Boliviana, obtained a foothold in Boli¥ia and has extended its routes from the border of Argentina to La Paz, the Bolivian capital, and other principal cities, as well as over the Andes to Arica, Chile, where con- nection is made with the Chilean na- tional service, operated by army pilots, with governmental equipment, between the Peruvian border and Valparaiso and Santiago. This company plans to ex- tend its lines from Bolivia to both coasts and northward to connect with Scadta in Peru and Colombia. Following the amalgamation of sev- eral French air transport groups into one gowerlul unit, Aeropostale, behind which the resources of the French government were massed in the form of heavy subsidies, this company pushed its lines across the Mediterranean and along the west coast of Africa to Dakar, West Senegal. Fast steamers made con- nection with Natal, Brazil, and im- portant concessions were granted Aero- postale for extension of service down the east coast of South America to Rio de Janiero and Buenos Aires. With this basic line in operation, and after two unsuccessful attempts, Aeropostale established an airmail line between Ar- gentinia and Chile, over the Andes. Buenos Aires to Natal Service. ‘Today Aeropostale operates a weekly service for mail between Buenos Airés and Natal on an eight-dby schedule to Paris. This company has announced plans for replacing the steamers with big flying boats for the transatlantic stretch of its line. Following the French, the Kondor Syndicate, a subsiddary of the great German Lufthansa system, heavily oroximately 9,000 miles of were established in South Ameri¢a by the beginning of 1929. They had ob- tained a strong foothold within the major republies of South America and presented a formidable obstacle to American air transport operators at- tempting to enter the field after the European program was well under way. U. S. Post Office Achlevement, ‘Working from the United States southward, the United States Post Of< fice Department provided for the es- tablishment of air service down the comparatively quiet west coast of h America as far as Sanl Chile, intending to enter the east markets by way of the “back door” into Arx-m 3 t the same time American air trane) engineers began the founda~ tion for a seven-day air transport sys tem over the established enst coast trade route, through the “sf ing stones” of the West Indies and up the At_lrl;uun!lnlrd. t = e erican air transport invasion of South America has develo) nto a competition between Pan-. Airways, the first in_the field, and the New York, Ri0 & Buenos Aires line, which 15 concentrating on the east coast development. Pan-America &lso is working down the West Indies and has established lines through Central America and down the Pacific coast. Line Known as “Nyrba.” The New York, Rio, Buenos Aires line, known as “Nyrba,” has obtained important mail contracts from Argen- tina, Chile, Uruguay and Verezuels and operating concessions in Brasil and thé ench and English colonies, it i8 an- nounced. The company has sént a fleet of 15 multi-motored transport planes over its lines for operation in South America and by late Winter ex- pects to have a seven-day schedule di- Tect to New York from Buenos Aires, clipping 14 days from the best steamer sefvice and making it possible for mail and passengers to travel to theé United States faster than by any similar serve ice offered to Europe. This company has established service over the Andes between Santiago and Buenos Aires. A second route between Buenos Aires and Montevideo, has proved so popular that three round trips now are flown each day. Two other routes have been inaugurated, one link- ing Buenos Aires with La Paz and the other from Buenos Aires south to Mar del Plata. The American operators. as a result, now have the largest network of airlines in Argentina, their routes covering 2,000 miles. “‘American business institutions Ke- dominant in the Latin American field, Wwho have backed the projection of the longest airline in the world,” the com= pany stated, “believe that operation of this system will back up United States industry in its bid for international trade and commerce in the rich Latin markets and that it represents the « greatest single move for develo) it of good will between the peopies o{ North and South America, a political and ccmmercial asset now largely enjoyed by Europe." PLANES TO SERVE TURKEY Special Holiday Menus Planned by Transport Air Line, You may dine well during the Christ- mas holidays while flying in planes of one of the big Western transport lines. Turkey with all the trimmings will bé featured, though several ol of courses will be offered. In the main the menu will closely follow that for Thanksgiving dinner aboard the big tri-motored pla: which consisted of canape caviar, ripe olives, sweet gherkins, stuffed oelery, consomme 8&ux 'croutons, roast young turkey with eranberry sauce, baked Vir- inia ham sandwich, shoes! macaroons, frult cal fruit, salted nuts, after-dinner mints and coffee. Pete Reinhart lies on his stomach in a | little opening in the floor boards. If the landing gear éver gave out he would have been crushed. Also there was that hose dragging with all that gasoline streaming out of it. Talk about excite- ment! Run Out of Fuel Again. “Well, they tried to Elut tanks in the Buhl, but by the time they got through it was almost dark. Maybe we didn't have some fun refueling under a strange ship. However, the tanks didn't hold enough and we ran out of gas again| about 4 am. and had to land after 42 hours. “On the first night there was a delay 24 in refueling us. The Pigeon didn't get ‘The Austrian “%t ‘h-: :bol- unmd almost dark, w;al:: ::efl::“.d the i Development of Washington Alrport -ln c‘ nmde‘rln alr l::. e on af eros and rope. They % re “on Caz:n ashington Terminal Corporation, which have made available ,000 for this purpose. The as a means of stimu- the load we were carrying and banked | ture is -"W.'.'nm - It § ot ncm-‘l:\ administration and passenger buildin, will contain walting room, ent of aviation, around so sharply I 't keep up. mmm.w.n&mmw,emmm:rndam Awm“n‘.‘. L] STOCKHOLM (#).—Sweden's first | cat—and a letter to the finder request- aviator was a cat, which ascended in|ing him to return the balloon to the a balloon in 1784 before a resplendent | Royal Academy of Science, were placed. mssembly of royalties and dignitaries, ac- | The Queen herself cut the string hold- cording to a paper of that year. ing the balloon, it slowly rose, It was decfd‘ed that 8 n should | by the cheers of those present, and undertake an experiment in aviation. | disappeared in the direction of the sea. The Queen, the crown prince and many | The balloon later was found some others contributed. | ‘1’5 mfl:% l:l'y '(l{gm s'fic.:h:lg., .u.m]! aerostatic machine, a gorgeous | damaged, buf cat .disappeared, b-fi;m 12 feet in diameter and elab- | vidently unhurt and Eoblbly th the orately decotated with blue stripes, | firm intention of not 23 cing itself aga'n golden stars and the Swedish coat of | 8¢ the disposal of those Who contem- sarms, was made and filled with gas Plated experiments of this character. ealled combustible air. On September 17, 1784, the King, the Queen, lge royal court, foreign diplomats | and Swedish dignitaries weré assembled | ished the dut; to witness the memorable event. nautical suj In the small gondola the aviator—a |lating devel subsidized by the German government, got a foothold on the east coast of South America and began weekly op- erations from Rio Grande do Sul, near the Uruguayan border, to Rio de Ja- neiro. early six months ago, when the first information was made public concerning the giant DOX lz-mowz:s flying boat, this company announ that the plane was being developed to close up the South Atlantic Ao be- tween Brasil and Europe. Within the past few days the Kondor Syndicate announced plans for extension of serv- ice from Rio Grande to Montevideo and Buencs Aires and from Rio to Bahia, where it plans to establish its ocean terminal to provide seven- day_service direct from the Argentina to_Betlin, Between mmmq French constrnction. Chilean and vian air servioes, ap- MISS STINSON SAILS. Flyer Going to California by the Panama Canal. Miss Marjorle Stinson, it o Sy West Coast Frta and Ha salled from New York .boud':hu; A‘r::y trans. for the port Chateau Thierry for San Fran- cisco. At _Panama she will leave the and fly across the Canal Zone, re| The" A Army 1nf. the ship at Panama Cif brief visit with friends Alr Corps and commercial aviation the sone. She expects to ) ::r Honolult here will m'l.ll v, wi month, o —e v 2 i R e i i b rt terminal fleld has been begun by the Federal