Evening Star Newspaper, January 19, 1930, Page 60

THE SU NDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C. JANUARY 19, 1930—PART FOUR. _—__*_“___’*__—_%“_—‘——*——— A IBALTIMORE SPEEDS | [—sers amemican cuvex mecorn 1 [NGREASED SAFETY NCE more the campaign is s in prograss for an ade- quate airport for the Na- ¢ tional Capital. So evi- dent is the need for an airport and so marked is the absence of any opposition that such a cam- . paign never should have been nacessary. Nevertheless, though several vigorous campaigns have ! been made, the National Capital stands before the world today as one of the most backward cities - in the country in this respect and as the only large world capital unfittéd to deal with the rising tide of air transportation. During sessions of the newly created and vigorous municipal airports committee of the Ameri- can Road Builders’ Association this- week in Atlantic City, the ‘ National Capital again was held up as a terrible example. While representatives of cities of 25,000 population and less were able to point to their airports as con- crete evidence of civic progress, representatives of this city, the fourteenth in population in this country, were unable to point to so much as an “X” on a map marking the spot where the Capi- tal's airport may be located at some future date. Leaders Join in Fight. Early in the week the Washing- | ton Board of Trade, one of the| leaders in the local airport cam- paign during the past three years, | called to the assistance of the National Capital leaders of the aeronautical industry. Its airport meeting in itself constituted a confession and a plea. “We residents of the National Capital,” the Board of Trade said, in effect, “have told Congress how much we need and want an air- port. We have begged for an au- thorization to go ahead, but our pleas have fallen on deaf ears. Won't you come down here and tell Congress that we really do need an airport and should have one?” The aeronautical leaders came and did as they were requested. “It is unthinkable that the Capital of the Nation should not have an airport to serve as a model for all other cities in the country,” said Col. Paul Hender- son, former Second Assistant Postmaster General in charge of airmail. 'Get going and they can't stop you,” said Maj. Gen. John F. O'Ryan, president of Colonial Air- ways. Bingham Comments. “Washington is sadly behind every other great capital of the world in airport facilities. Even in -this country we are far be-| hind,” sald Senator Hiram Blng-‘ ham of Connecticut, president of | the National Aeronautic Asso- ciation. ° “The National Capital needs not only one large airport, but| also a chain of smaller ones,” de- clared Capt. Thomas Carroll, for- mer chief test pilot for the Na- tional Advisory Committee for. Aeronautics, vice president of the Federal Aviation Corporation. “The Federal City is attempting to get its first major airport, while Los Angelés has 18 airports with- in theé tity limits” said F. J. Eishop of Western Air Express. The failure of the Federal Gov- ernment to provide for the es- tablishment of an adequate air- port in the District of Columbia, over which it has exclusive juris- diction, places Federal aviation authorities in an: incongruous vosition, it was pointed out by Col. Henderson. From the Na- tional Capital the Department of Commerce sends field agents to all parts of the country to urge the establishment of municipal | airnorts, while the city from which they come and over which the Government they represent| has absolute control is without| an airpott. Arguments for Gravelly Coint. The Atlantic City convention brought important developments in the local airport campaign. Development of the Gravelly Point site, on the mud flats of the Potomac River between the Vir- ginia shore and the river chan- nel opposite Hains Point, was| su';ln-gorud by strong arguments. ere are two outstanding qualifications possessed by the| Gravelly Point site which cannot| be matched by any other loca-| tion, it was pointed out. The first | of these is that Gravelly Point| may be developed, without re- striction as to size in either case, as a combined seaplane and land- } plane airport; the second is that| its location at the juncture of the| Potomac and Anacostia Rivers| gives it the benefit of an in-| fallible natural guidepost which | should enable any pilot, though he had never seen the field, to locate it in any weather. There are only two possible air- port sites as close to the heart of the city as Gravelly Point. This is a factor of the utmost impor- tance in airport development. The first of these sites—Hoover Field and Washington Airport—is ruled out because it has no adequate room for seaplane harbor devel- opment and because there are very definite limits to the size of the land plane field. The second iie is at Buzzard Point, in South- west Washington. This has the advantage of frontage on the Anacostia River, but the plane field never could be made entirely safe cr adequate because of surrounding obstructions, such as buildings, high chimneys anc the Navy Yard radio towers. Moreover, the Anacostia at this point is not wide enough for the operation of heavy flying boats in a cross wind. Ample Room for Future. 1t is regarded as unlikely that either of these sites could be de- veloped as first-class airports for all types of air traffic. There is no question about the Gravelly Point site, however, according to aeronautical engineers. There is ample room here for the develop- ment of a combined landplane and seaplane terminal, both capa- ble of earning the highest possi- ble rating of the Department of Commeérce. Both landplane and seaplane areas are capable of de- I n land- | VIATION BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON. thing now demanded. The land- plane field may be extended to an ultimate length of 10,000 feet and the seaplane -landing area is limited only by the size of the Potomac River. The approaches to the Gravel- ly Point site are unexcelled. There are no obstructions at any point around the area which might be a menace to aircraft. Toward the river front, of course, there are no obstacles of any character. Upstream the nearest obstacle is the railroad bridge, which is too far away to interfere with any plane coming in at even the flat- test possible gliding angle. The Virginia shore all along the site is open and downstream there will be water approaches until the field is developed to its full 10,000 feet of length, if this ever is done. One Advantage in Delay. There has been an advantage in the delay in establishing an airport here, from one viewpoint. While Washington has been mark- ing time, the pioneering work in airport design, construction and equipment has been going on else- where. The National Capital may take advantage of all this mani- fold experience as a guide in lay- ing out an airport which should be a world model. The benefits which have been gained by delay, however, now are being lost because of the im- possibility of building up any sort of organized aviation activity here. If there is much further delay the city may suffer sorely in the future. The various com- mercial fields in the vicinity of the city may serve some of the special needs of ‘the Capital, but they cannot remove the necessity for a Federal and municipal air- port. There now are in the vicinity | of Washington five private and two Federal flying fields. The first flying field in the United States is at College Park, Md., 10 miles northeast of the center of the city. At this field the Wright brothers carried on experimental work in 1909. The first flying school organized by the Army was opened there in 1911. There the late Emile Berliner and his son, Henry A. Berliner, carried on their experiments with helicop- ters. The Post Office Departntent operated its first experimental air route from the field in 1918 and used the field until 1921. The De- partment of Commerce and Bu- reau of Standards also have used the field for various purposes, and the bureau now conducts radio range beacon experiments there. “Marsh” Only Partly Reclaimed. In 1917 a portion of Anaeostia | Park was turned over to the Army as a flying field. It has been in use ever since under the name of Bolling Field. The Navy has taken over the river side of the field for the Anacostia Naval Air Station. The marsh area composing Bol- ling Field was only partially re- claimed, according to Edwin A. Schmitt, assistant United States Army engineer for the local Army district. It never has been brought up to the finished grade and its occupation by the Army has prevented any substantial filling. This has resulted in much unjustified criticism of dredge- filled fields, and the conditions of flooding and improper drainage which have occurred at Bolling Field could be entirely obviated at Gravelly Point, Mr. Schmitt holds. Hoover Field and Washington Airport are located on opposite sides of Military road, between the Arlington Experimental Farms and the Washington-Alexandria road. They are the closest to the heart of the city of all possible airport sites, but are limited as to size. They are doing the larg- est sightseeing passenger flying in the United States. They have been the terminal fields for all air transport lines except the airmail, which have been established out of Washington. Only one of these lines now is operating—the Clif- ford Ball Line to Pittsburgh and gie;z;land, which uses Hoover eld. Also Owns Virginia Tract. Washington Airport has been acquired by the Federal Aviation Corporation and is being develop- ed as an air terminal field at a cost of $600,000. The company | also owns a 1000-acre tract at! i Hybla Valley, Va., near Alexan-:- dria, which is to be developed as a general airport. About 12 miles northwest of the center of the city, on the Rock- ville pike, is Congressional Air- port, which has been designated as a beacon site and intermediate field on the Department of Com- merce Washington - Pittsburgh airway. Except for the Anacostia Naval Air Station, Washington now has no seaplane airport of any de- scription. Such an airport is a vital necessity. Other cities which have made the mistake of failing to provide seaplane facilities are | ow suffering from their lack of foresight. One Florida city, which devel- oped a large airport inland, has been forced to abandon the field entirely and create another on the waterfront. Cleveland, with one of the country's finest airports, several miles from the lake front, now is developing a seaplane terminal on the shore and must | maintain two establishinents. | Chicago is doing the same thing and is operating an air taxi serv- ice from its landplane field to the waterfront airport. Buffalo, N. Y., with one of the most mod- ern landplane airports, has been forced to establish an airport for ;eslglanes in addition to iis land eld. Water Field Held Necessary. If the National Capital should locate its landplane airport away from the water front, it will be | absolutely necessary to create an- | other airport for seaplanes, prob- ably at 'Gravelly Point or in its | | tion of the coastwise air transport of the future is certain to be con- ducted with seaplanes and flying i progressing rapidly, with promise that | immediate vicinity. A large por-' AIRPORT PROJECTS Municipal Field, However, Is Not Expected to Be Com- pleted for Years. Special Dispatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, January 18.—Three major airport projects in Baltimore are two will be in operation by Spring. Possibly the largest project, that of the municipal airport, will not be ready | for several years, as it is necessary to | fill in millions of cubic yards of harbor | front. On the other two projects, however, | officials say that April will find the | flelds in operation. They are the new Curtiss-Wright airport being developed just outside the north lines of the city, and the East Coast Airways, Inc., ter- minus on the water front. Plan Six Hangars. At the Curtiss-Wright airport two hangars have been completed and the grading and leveling of the field is nearing completion. Officials said they hoped to land planes on the ficld by February 1, where they will be stored until Spring. Actual flying activities, however, will not be started until April or May, they said. Completion of the project, which in- cludes six hangars, a passenger termi- nal building and several other buildings, will not be completed for several years. The East Coast Airways, Inc., field will afford landing facilities for am- phiblons and_ seaplanes only. It will include a passenger station and several hangers. Will Use 17-Place Ships. It is understood that the port is being developed as a Baltimore terminus of an airline to be extended to Miami, Fla., and other Southern cities. Large, 17- place flying boats will be used on the line and will operate from the port. Ac- cording to Alfred Gieske, president of the company, tentative plans are to have the field ready and have the line in op- eration by April 1. According to Walter Hammond, city building engineer, who has charge of the new municipal airport at Dundalk. the driving of piling at the site is still in progress. MAIL PILOTS SET - NEW SPEED MARKS Wichita-Chicago Run Is Made | at Average Gait of 208.8 Miles Per Hour. Aided by howling Winter winds, pilots on the transcontinental and Texas-Chicago lines of National Air ‘Transport have greeted the new year with an orgy of speed records which leave all but one of the old divisional records - broken, according to reports received here by postal officials. The first records fell on the night of January 5, when the mail was flown from Dallas to Chicago, 995 miles, in 5 hours and 20 minutes, at an average speed of 187 miles per hour. The Dal- las-Kansas City division, a distance of 541 miles, was flown by Pilot James D. Cleveland in 3 hours and 10 minutes, beating the previous record of 4 hours made by Pilot Richard L. Dobie a few. days before. At_Kansas City, Radoll took over the mail and flew the 454 miles to Chicago in 2 hours and 10 minutes, a new record for the divi- sion. He made the last 150 miles, from Moline to Chicago, in 50 minutes, at & speed of 180 miles per hour. ‘The highest speed registered was be- tween Wichita and Chicago, the 627 miles being flown at en average speed of 208.8 miles per hour. On the Chicago-New York division, Pilots Dan Linsey and S. J. Samson took the mail through in 4 hours and | 45 minutes, at an average speed of 150 miles per hour, breaking the previous record of 4 hours and 50 minutes, On another flight, Pilot Henry J. Brown carried the mail over the Cleveland- New York section in 2 hours and 10 minutes, at an average speed of more than 3 miles per minute. He broke the previous record of 2 hours and 14 minutes, which had stood since March 3, 1928, when it was hung up by Pilot Earl Ward. On a day run from Dallas to Chi- cago, Pilots Lewis M. Gravis and Paul Recder sct a new record of 5 hours and 35 minutes. The only National Air Transport record which has not been smashed during the first part of this | month is that of Pilot Robert P. Hop- kins, who a year ago flew the 318-mile Chicago-Cleveland section in 100 min- utes. HMcre Canadian Pilots. The number of Canadian pilots is increasing _steadily, the latest figures showing 290 private pilots holding licenses, an increase of 136 since Jan- uary 1, 1929; 280 commercial pilots, as against 193 on January 1, 1929, and 271 air engineers, as against 199. chairman of the board of the New York, Rio and Buenos Aires Lines, has just signed orders for more than $2,300,000 worth of sea- plane equipment, to be used to augment its fleet on the 9,000- mile route connecting the Amer- icas. This line will pass through | this city and must have seaplane airport facilities. The development of airport fa- cilities here should begin immedi- | ately. Both landplane and sea- | plane facilities must be provided | if the National Capital is to bene- fit from the aviation development now in progress in this country. No further excuses or delays Pilot Robert Wi established a new American record of record-breaking glider. National Glider Association. William H. Bowlus of San Diego, Calif., is shown flying the glider which 1 hour and 21 minutes at San Diego recently. Mr. Bowlus, shown in the inset, was in charge of the construction of the famous Lindbergh plane, Spirit of St. Louis, and also designed and built his The new record has been accepted as official by the Bringing Out for the (Editorial Note—Mr. Wheeler is engaged in the testing of aircraft engines at the Bureau of Standards. where, under the terms of the air commerce act, thorough tests of commercial aircraft engines must be conducted before approved type cer- tificates may be issued for such en- gines. In this article Mr. Wheeler describes this test work.) BY PHILIP R. WHEELER. There is danger in a forced landing for an inexperienced pilot, or when landing under adverse conditions, but such occurrences are becoming less and less frequent. Both manufacturers and the United States Government are do- ing research and experimental work di- rected toward the building of engines which will be safe and dependable for the public. Human flight became possible with the development of the gasoline en- gine. All other forms of prime movers have been too heavy in relation to the power developed. Herein lies the grief of all designers, trying to reduce weight, to chop off a little metal here, a little there, and leave only just what is nec- essary to give a safe and dependable engine. Every part must have an am- ple factor of safety, yet no part should weigh an unnecessary ounce. The stresses in many structures can be calculated with mathematical accu- racy and the exact size and shape may thus be determined, but those in a complicated casting would almost defy an Einstein. Naturally. with the cut- and-dry method, mistakes are made. While the automobile engine had its | period of uncertain operation and im- provement toward reliability, the haz- ards of fallure in ground travel are not quite like those of the air. This fact | may be hastily passed over or left un- considered by the aviation enthusiast. but a healthy fear where it is needed can do much to prevent mishaps. Realizing the rapid change and many fleva]ermenu being made in the field of aviation engines, the Government established a system of testing whereby the public would be protected, to a large extent. from newly developed and untried engines. The testing also helps the manufacturers to locate “‘bugs” and to get the design perfected before in- stalling costly production machinery. Here are some brief glimpses of an engins in the process of being tested: “Contact?” cnlls the mechanic. “Contact,” echoes back the operato: ‘The propeller is turned and the en- gine starts. It is mounted on a queer- | Jooking steel structure with innumerable | wires, tubes and pipes leading to it from the adjacent wall. In 15 minutes, if all goes well, it will be running with wide-open throttle. Still wide open at the end of five hours. it will have com- pleted the first lap of a 50-hour endur- ance test. The remaining 45 hours are run at about 97 per cent of full-throttle speed. If still whole at the end of 50 hours, the engine is teken from the “torque stand,” carried to the shop and torn down. Vital parfs are mecasured with mi- crometers to 1-10.000 of an inch. Clearances and wear are noted. Casf ings are closelv examined for ecracks and other defects. Blue prints are compared tn see if they check with actual construction. On a hill in the oqu'skirts of north- west Washington are the buildings of the United States Burean of Standards. Here, in the offices of the automotive power vlant section, the collected data from the 50-hour run and from the tear-down inspection ate examined and worked fnto a_report. Everything being favorable, a certifi- cate of approval is issued by th> aero- nautics branch of the Department of Commerce and the type of engine can be used in licensed ajreraft. During the 50-hour run three forced stops are allowed for what are termed minor failures, such as a broken valve soring or a cracked porcelain in a spark plug. A fallure of any major part of the engine, for instance, a crank case, immediately terminates the test and eliminates possibility of approval until the faulty part has been rede- signed. One day at the testing laboratory a whole cylinder barrel, head, valves and all, popped cff from a radial engine | and struck the concrete wall. Pistons | sometimes freez. end have their heads | pushed cut. Propellers have been | known to come off. To guard against the danger of these flying missiles, the concrete blocks in | th> wall on either side are reinforced with steel rods and the hollow spaces | should be countenanced. boats. William former P./ MacCracken, jr.. velonment to a size beyond any- 4 Commerce for aeronautics, speed of 190 kilometers, or 118 miles per hour. Assistant Becretary of lish a mew distance record with this plane. as PY-1 patro! plane, which §iso is a high-wing monoplane. filled solid with cement. A small ob- | engine, constructed by the Pratt RESEARCH CONTINUES REDUCING PERILS OF FORCED LANDING Plane Manufacturers and United States Engines Safer Public. servation window with two sets of non- shattering glass allows the men in the control room to see the engine. The front and rear of the torque room, when the engine is running, are open to the air and are protected by two sets of heavy wire mesh, fastened about an inch apart. Apparently strange things sometimes occur. Ice, with the atmosphere 20 degrees above the freezing point, will form in the carburetor intake, choking up the opening so that the speed is reduced. It is perhaps not obvious at first, but the carburetor acts as a double refrigerating machine. Pirst the air is cooled by expansion as it is sucked in. Then the vaporization of the gasoline absorbs mors heat and, under proper | conditions, the total cooling will be great enough to condense and freeze moisture in the air. Fifty hours is not much time on an engine, It is not the object of the test to wear an engine out. It is to determine weak structural parts, poor quality of cams, gears, and poor de- sign of the lubricating system or of the cooling fins. Any parts which show excessive wear are required to be r>designed or built of different ma- terial. Competition in the aviation engine field now is rife. After watching the rise of the automobile industry, little vision is required to see the possibilities of this latest and fastest of our car- riers. Though it will take quantity production to put the airplane in the class of the automobile, few planes or engines warrant this at pres-nt. However, a sufficient number of re- llable engines are available for the present plane output, and with the large amount of experimental work being done, there is rcason to believe that better designed, more reliable and cheaper engincs will be ready by the time the pilots are trained and the landing fields made available. ‘Twenty-five years ago the following appeared in a Washington. paper: “Trips through Washington and Mount Vernon cost $3 an hour. Trips are conducted by expert drivers. Stringent tests were necessary before the chauf- feur was permitted to drive the ma- chins.” Automobiles were more of a novelty then than airplanes are today. Out in St. Louis “Red” Harrigan test-flies planes for the Ryan Aircraft Corpora- tion. During his life as a test pilot, he once lost his engine and twic> had the wings break loose. But, in his present work, he feels so sure of the planes coming out of the production line that he has abandoned th: use of his parachute. Yet airplane crashes are still rare enough so that newspapers featurs them. But in spite of much unfavor- able publicity, airmindedness is stead- ily increasing. People are beginning to buy planes. Prices are still too h.gh for the average income but construc- tion is being improved, strengthsned and cheapened. The tim2 is approach- ing when the masses will take to the sky roads with the same eag:rness with which they took to the highways a few years ago. Engine manufacturers are trying to anticipate ths and b2 ready when the time comes. It .seems quit> possible | at the present rate of developm-nt that good engines will be plentiful before landing tields. NEW ELVINE T0 OPéhATE. LONDON (/#)—Designs and bids for the construction of a fleet of 50-pas- senger flying boats for use on the pro- posed London-Cape Town route have been submitted to the air ministry. When the new line goes into opera- tion this year travelers will be able to go from here to Cape Town in eight days, as against the 17 days now re- quired by fast steamer. Sir Alan Cobham, veteran of many British long-distance flights, is working with the Imperial Alrways in surveying the rcute. Wasp Junior Is Certified. The Department of Commerce, aero- nautics branch, has issued an approved type certificate for the Wasp Junior, new 300-horsepower radial air-cooled & Whitney Aaireraft Co. The certificate was issued following a 50-hour endur- ance test and a 10-hour flight test under the eyes of the Bureau of Stand- ards and Army and Navy Inspectors. GROOMED FOR DISTANCE RECORD ATTEMPT France’s new aerial pride, the tri-motored flying boat Marcel Besson, which can transport a ten of freight at a | It is expected that an attempt will be made in the near future to estab- It bears a close resemblance fo the United States Navy's twin-motored Commutation | | | | IN AIR REPORTED Young’s Survey Shows Al- most 100 Per Cent Gain in All Classes of Flying. ? marked increase in the number of mifes flown for each accident in civil aeronautics in the United States is seen in the semi-annual report of aircraft accidents, made public yesterday by Maj. Clarence M. Young, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics. The report, covering the period from January to June 30, 1929, shows that during "this six months a total of 56,- 201,338 miles_were flown by civil air- craft in the United States, more than three times as much as during the first six months of 1928. The figures in- clude air transport operations, in which aircraft carry passengers, mail or express on scheduled service over regularly es- tablished routes, and miscellaneous operations, including student instruc- tion, experimental, commercial and pleasure flying. Fatality Every 1,022,371 Miles. In scheduled air-transport operations there were 9,201,338 miles flown, with nine fatal accidents, the mileage flown for each fatal accident being 1,022,371. For the same period of 1928 there were 4,484,612 miles flown and five fatal ac- cidents, the miles per fatal accident being 896,922, ‘There were 60 accidents in scheduled alr transport operations during the six months, or one to each 153,306 miles flown. During the same period of 1928 there were 35 accidents, or one to each 128,132 miles; figures which will stand comparison with any form of trans- Portation used by man, transportation officials declare. In the field of miscellaneous opera- tions, which included the most hazard- ous of all flylng—aircraft testing and student training—there were 47,000,000 miles flown, with a total of 118 fatal accidents, or one to each 398,305 miles. This is a marked improvement over 1928, when 12,000,000 miles were flown, with 92 fatal acidents, or one each 130,435 miles. The total number of all classes of accidents during the first six months of last year in the miscellaneous oper- ations was 714, or one to each 65826 miles, as compared with 395 accidents, or one to each 30,380 miles flown, in miscellaneous operations during the same period of 1928. For all types of flying, according to these figures, there was an increase in safety of almost exactly 100 per cent during the first six months of last y;‘;s;i compared with the same period o : Expect Further Improvement. ‘The record is expected to be even further improved in the figures cover- ing the last six months of the past year owing to the more favorable weather conditions prevailing during the last half of the year as compared with the first half. ‘The cause of the accidents are divid- | ed into four major classes—resulting from personnel, pawer-plant. failures, airplane failures and miscellaneous. there is a fifth category given over to undetermined and doubtful causes. ‘The largest percentage of accidents| is attributed to personnel, with a total of 59.04 per cent. The next largest cause was power-plant failures, which caused 18.08 per cent of all the acci- dents. Airplane structural failures contributed 88 per cent and miscel- laneous causes, 9.35 per cent. In the miscellaneous class, weather caused 5.02 per cent; airports and terrain, 2.78 per cent: darkness, 0.51 per cent, and other causes, not falling under the gen- eral classification, 1.04 per cent. The rcentage of undetermined and doubt- 1 causes was 4.73 per cent. ‘The accidént report is based on the finding of the accident board of the aeronautics branch of the Department of Commerce. This board is composed of two ex pilots, a flight surgeon, an aerona 1 engineer, a lawyer versed in air law, and a_ statistician. ‘The accident statistics are held of great value, particularly as they point to ways and means of decreasing the number of alrcraft accidents. They also are of great assistance, Maj. Young said, in the development of structural and flying characteristics in aircraft. ADVANTAGES OF WING DESIGNS ARE STUDIED Between Plane Surface Found Unnecessary to Efficiency. The advantages of leaving a_ space between an airplane wing and the top of the fuselage are not as great as many designers seem to belleve, it is indicated by tests made by students of the Massa- chusetts Institute of Technology and published in a technical note of tha2 National Advisory Committee for Aerc- nautics. The study indicates that except for an unimportant shift in zero lift, the lift will probably be only slightly affect- ed by extending the fuselage up to connect with the wing or by changing {mm a high-wing to a parasol-wing ype. The drag apparently is little changed by closing the gap between the wing and fuselage: if changed at all, it wiil be changed favorably or decreased, the report indicates. The tests did not re- sult favorably for the parasol type of wing, which is mounted on struts above the fuselage. It is pointsd out, how- ever, that the conclusions arz to be con- ;:k:ered as indicative rather than abso- ute. ~ Space gt AVIATION CORPORATION CARRIES HEAVY TRAFFIC More Than Third of Total Mileage Is Flown by Its Planes. More than one-third of the esti- mated total of scheduled air transport mileage flown during 1929 was flown by airplanes of the Aviation Corporation system in regular airmail, passenger and express service, according to a re- port received here. The report shows that planes of the corporation’s subsid- fary lines flew 5,657,929 miles in sched- uled operation, as compared with the Department of Commerce estimate of 16,000,000 miles-for all scheduled opera- tions in the United States. The greater part of the mileage was flown over the 11 contract airmail routes operated by the corporation’s subsidiaries, a total of 3,332,708 miles. Passenger planes of the system flew 2301,221 miles, carrying a total of 20,659 passengers over regularly sched- uled lines. These operations, however, represent only a part of the year, as several of them were not started until the Spring or Summer of 1929, AT FLYING FEAR TESTED. Air Line Cut Rates to Determine Cause of Light Travel. TULSA, Okla. (/) —One air line is attempting to determine whether it is ‘alr fear” or the high cost of plane travel that is responsible for the com- paratively slow increase in commercial air traffic. Excursion rates, almcst as low as train fares, have been put into effect on week ends by the Southwest Air Fast Express on its lines to Kansas City and Oklahoma City to see how much the price of plane travel affects patronage. —Wide World Photo. | is-ucd on the line to Oklahoma City. | | | | D board, announced that the will begin. The new classes are: Class D, C, 30 seconds to qualify; class B, 1 and class A, 3 minutes to qualify. Stout Cited as Ace. The advisory board cited Ernest Stout, one of the District’s leading pilots, as an ace after he qualified for_that distinction with a flight of 7 minutes 10 1-5 seconds at the Louisville model aircraft finals last year. The national commit- tee of that tournament officially reported the flight to the board. The Powell Model Aircraft Club at the Powell Junior High School was officially recognized by the advisory board. The Powell club has a membership of 45 pilots, 16 of whom have qualified for the District Model Aircraft League. Miss Myrtle Moore and Mrs. 8. L. Harries were recognized as cer- tifying officials with the author- ity to qualify flyers for the league and certify the time of flights made under their observation. - The advisory board has the pow- er to cite a flyer as an ace for spe- cial achievement, while an ace may be cited a silver ace for spe- cial achievement. The reclassification cf the flyegs comes as good news to the hun- dreds of model pilots here who have been striving toward this end. New Registration Announced. It was announced that all fiyers must register anew for the 1930 season. League officials said that registration and new timing can begin immediately, but the new classes will not be recognized un- til March 29. In the meantime, the follow- ing meets will be held at Macfar- land Ccmmunity Center, begin- ning at 9:30 o’'clock in the morn- ng: Contest for hand-launched, sci- entific, baby rise-off-ground and flying true-scale models, January 25; contest for helicopter, rise-off- ground fuselage and rise-off-wat- er models, February 15, and a con- test March 22. March 29, when the preliminary contests for the 193 Model Aircraft BY GEORGE WATERS. ECISION to reclassify flyers of the District Model Aircraft League was made at the recent meeting visory board. Maj. Gen. Mason M. Patrick, ch: of the league's ad- airman, of tha 0 into effect tournament reclassification will lowest, 5 seconds to ualify; class minute and 30 secon to qualify, The scale model contest for workmanship, which was to have been held in the Fall, has been scheduled for March 7 and 8. Details of the rules, awards and where the meet will be held will be announced later. The league advises scale-model builders to begin preparation of their ships for exhibition. Letter Sent by Walker. Sammy Walker, the Capital Model Aero Club pilot, who spends most of his spare time interrogat- ing aviators at the nearby air- ports, writes a letter to the col- umn. It follows: “The Capital Model Aero Club held a contest at College Park Ajr- port last Saturday. The events were for hand-launched scientific, fuselage and dynamic models. “Owing to the cold weather there were few flights made. Frank Salisbury, with his new fuselage model, made several good flights. He also had with him his compressed-air model, which caused much interest about the airport. One of the aviators at the port, upon seeing the model, said, ‘It would be fine if all we real pilots had to do was to turn a valve and have the motor start like this model does.’ “Everett Meeks and I had our skyrocket models at the meet. Everett’s model stayed in the air for 3 seconds while mine was a bit luckier and made a flight of 9 sec- onds and came to earth whole. ‘Sullivan and Schmidt Fly. “John Sullivan also made sev- eral good flights. Luther Schmidt brought along’ his new plane, which he calls a ‘pusher-tractor. The new plane made several suc- cessful flights. “Frank Salisbury and Joe Pen- dleton have opened a model air- craft supply store on Thirteenth street just above the Franklin School.” Studies Flat Spin 0. G. BARNUM, Test pilot, who stuck with a falling plane through 13 turns of a flat spin to observe what was happening while the plane was out of control. He found the spin centered in the tail members, with the wings slicing through the air, destroying all aileron control. When he left the plane his parachute opened at only 500 feet above the ground. He narrowly escaped being struck by the spinning plane on the way down and it crashed beside him as he landed. PITCAIRN COMPANY NAME IS CHANGED North American Aviation, "Inc., Buys Airmail Route From New York to Miami. Changing of the company name of Pitcairn Aviation, Inc., operators of the Government contract airmail service from New Ycrk to Miami, through. the National Capital, to Eastern Air Trans- | pert, Inc, has been announced to the Post Officc Department. The change is a result of the pur- chase of the airmail route from Harold F. Pitcairn by North American Avia- tion, Inc., including the great Keys- Curtiss group. The new name was se- lected as representative ‘of the territory served by the line and as conforming with those of the National Air Trans- port, Inc. and Transcontinental Air | Transport, with which the Keys or- ganization also is identified. | Only minor reorganization has been | put into effect since the Pitcairn line was taken over by the North American group and, except for improvements and additions incident to the normal growth of business, it was announced. | no further changes are contemplated | for the near future. | Mr, Pitcairn still retains control of | his other aviation interests. including | Pitcairn - Aircraft, Inc., manufacturers | of airplanes and the autogiro; Pitcairn- | Cierva Autogiro Co. of America and Pitcairn Aviation of Pennsylvania, Inc., operators of Pltcaim Fleld at Hallo- well, Pa. INTERFERENCE OF PLANE WINGS IS MEASURED Wind Tunnel Tests Show Reduc-| tion of Efficiency of Only 1 to 3 Per Cent. The interference of airplane wings, whether of the monai}]lne or biplane type, to the motor slipstream from & nose motor causes a reduction of en- gine and propeller efficiency of only 1rom 1 to 3 per cent, it hes been reveal- ed by wind-tunnel tests conducted by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics at Langley Field, Va. ‘The tests show that this reduction of ragulslve efficiency was experienced oth with monoplane and biplane wings tested with cabin and open-cockpit fuselages. The loss in efficiency. was | slightly greater at high propeller pitch settings. About the same loss was caus- ed by the monoplane wing as by the bi- plane wings. ‘The tests were conducted in the 20- foot propeller research tunnel with full- also have been Fred scale models equipped with standard metal !propeller and Whirlwind engine. | ~ooled, inverted power plant. MODERN ARCRAFT SOON ONDISPLAY Large Exhibit Proposed as Feature of St. Louis Expo- sition in February. ST. LOUIS (#).—The aviation in- dustry's “take-off” for 1930 will be signalized in the International Air- craft Exposition by the largest single display of ultra-modern aircraft ever exhibited. Problems of merchandishing these latest creations for sky travel will stand to the forefront as leading res in aviation gather in St. Louis from Feb- ruary 15 to 23 for the industry’s sec- ond “world fair.” Speed Outstanding Feature, Speed will be the mark of many new designs. Chief among ihe design trends will be wider use of N. A. C. A. cowling, the “dishpan nose,” whose application will be typified in a Boeing 18-pas- senger plane, first tri-motored craft to carry the cowling; the Lockheed Sirius, production model of Col. Lindbergh's new ship, and the Travel Air “mystery ship,” swift sport plane. About 100 of the newest, speediest vehicles yet devised by man to conquer time and space will be exhibited by nearly 30 aircraft manufacturers. More than 200 exhibitors will display ac- cessory products. . St. Louis’ huge arena will house the prize products of aeronautical en- gineering. The show will be sponsored by the Aeronautical Chamber of Com- merce of America. Trend of Imdustry Considered. The trend of the industry in all its phases will be considered at allied meetings of the Society of Automotive Engineers, Government officials, com- mercial airplane and motor manufac- turers, and sections of the aeronautical chamber. Special sessions of executives will be held for manufacturing, transport, flying schools, distributors, airports, and materials, to outline constructive pro- grams for future aviation development. ‘The exposition, covering nearly 300,- 000 square feet of space, will be sup- plemented each night by a pageant de- pleting a history of transportation from its earliest beginning to most modern developments. CHEVROLET T itive i3 0 BUILD Will Move Experimental Plant From Indianapolis to Martin's Baltimore Factory. Spectal Dicpatch to The Star. BALTIMORE, January 18.—A new industry will be added to Baltimore's aircraft operations with the removal of the experimental engine plant of the Chevrolet Aircraft Corporation, a sub- sidiary of the Glenn L. Martin Co., here, which was ordered at a meeting g‘l the directors of the latter corpora- on. ‘Work of transferring the equipment of the Chevrolet plant in Indianapolis, Ind., to a unit of the Martin airplane factory at Middle River w.> be stattea immediately and completed by Febru- l.r;’d 15, Mr. Martin announced. He sald: “For the last two years Louis Chev- rolet, former automobile manufacturer, has b2en experimenting. with a new type of an airplane engine. “The engine is a four-cylinder, air- e Experi- meni: have progressed so rapidly the enxgxe'u now r-.l\d":' ;or pmd‘ucunnAM “Unti. a separal actory is evec Mr. Chevrolet will use a section of our plant. He will bring a number of his executives here from Indianapolis. “The addition of this factory prom- ises to be a helpful addition to the aircraft industry here.” 2 AVIATION NEEDS AIRCRAFT DRAFTSMEN COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF DRAFTING Enroll any time—Day and Evenin Classes. Continued throughout t.h: Correspendence Instruction. Send for Free Catalogue year, Weick and Donald H. Wood were in charge. 3 S 1itb and E Bt NW, _ Dsite. 630 .