Evening Star Newspaper, March 16, 1930, Page 72

AVIATION BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON. peaceful farms and groves of Sacramento Val- ley, one of the beauty spots of California, will echo the roar of 150 fighting planes of the Army Air Corps next month in what promises to be one of the most fruitful concentrations of Army aircraft in peace times. Sacramento Valley and some 20,000 square miles of Northern California, between San Francisco and Placerville, will become a mammoth open-air laboratory, in which the Air Corps and Army field commands will work out the latest problems of aerial warfare. The maneuvers will prove a crucial test of the aerial defenses of the Nation. For the first time there is to be an actual demon- stration of the effectiveness of Army aircraft, unsupported, in protecting the United States sea coast against enemy naval attack. The close of the month should find the country with a clearer picture of what it may expect from Army aviation as an offen- sive and defensive weapon. The value of maneuvers of this type for disclosing weakness in operations methods, training and material is too well known to re- quire any elaboration. The Ohio maneuvers of the Air Corps and ground forces last year proved of great value to the Air Corps and the Army as a whole. The les- sons of the California maneuvers may, in some respects, prove even more valuable, since much new ground is to be covered. Proved New Craft Needed. Last year’s maneuvers demon- strated the necessity for two revo- lutionary new types of air craft, which now are being produced. New types of aerial bombs were found desirable, and this need is being met. Changes in aerial bat- tle tactics, demanded in part be- cause of the development of at- tack aviation, have been studied and some of the suggested reme- dies for tactical ailments will be put to the test next month in California. The California maneuvers are to go beyond the needs of mili- tary aviation alone. Some of the problems which must be solved by commercial aviation during the next few years will be tackled by the gentlemen of the Air Corps at Sacramento. Traffic control at large airports now is becoming necessary. It will become one of the major problems of airport managers in the near future. The Air Corps is planning to operate 150 planes from a single field. The traffic- control system which must be worked out to handle the pres- sure of military departures and landings should be very interest- ing to the operators of commer- cial and municipal airports, who are beginning to worry about keeping incoming and outgoing airplanes unscrambled. The atmosphere over California tively is going to become 'uzzy with radio messages between squadron leaders and ground sta- tions, squadron and squadron and individual planes of the squad- rons. Commercial aviation radio engineers who think they have troubles should receive many crumbs of comfort from the Army Alr Corps. Plan Provisional Wing. The squadrons which will carry the turmoil of modern aerial war- fare to California will be organ- ized into a provisional wing, un- der command of Brig. Gen. Wil- liam E. Gillmore, -assistant chief of the Army Air Corps, whose staff will be composed of Air Corps officers from the National Capital. The exodus of staff officers from this city began during the past week, when Maj. Willis Hale, who will have charge of operations ac- tivities, and Lieut. Guy Kirksey took off from Bolling Field, west- ward bound. Capt. Harold Mc- Clellan left Washington by rail to pick up a plane waiting for him at Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio, from where he will fly to the West Coast. With Maj. Hale is Hans J. Adamson, secretary to F. Trubee Davison, Assistant Secretary of War for Aeronautics, Gen. Gillmore and Lieut. Col. Frank Andrews, chief of staff of the provisional wing, will leave for Sacramento next Saturday. Other staff officers of the wing are Maj. M. F. Davis, personnel; Maj. Thomas D. Milling and Lieuts. Guy Kirksey and Roland Birnn, intelligence; Maj. Hale and Capts. McClellan and Frank O'D. Hunter, operations, and Maj. H. H. Arnold and Capt. Elmer Adler, supply. In addition to its internal prob- lems, the wing is going to have many natural obstacles to over- come. The imaginary battlefield over which it will operate covers more than 20,000 square miles of forest, farm land, mountains and coast line. The fighting will be carried above any limits hitherto possible. Pursuit planes of the 95th Pursuit Squadron, Rockwell Field, Calif,, equipped for high altitudes and manned by #pilots | who have been operating at alti- tudes of five miles above the earth in training, will take part for the first time in a major maneuver in operations at extreme altitude ranges. These pursuit pilots, encounte: ing winds in excess of 100 miles per hour and temperatures of 25 .and 30 degrees below zero, rely- ing upon oxygen tanks for every ; breath, will be in sharp contrast to Fuot.s in the attack squadrons, which operate at altitudes of 75-to 150 feet, taking advantage of the cover of every hill and grove to come on the enemy by surprise. The attack pilots probably will wear light Summer flying togs| and will take their fill of air direct from California’s vaunted source of supply. Strong Opposition Planned. The Army’s tactical experts have been busy for months cook- ing up opposition for the pro- visional wing. As a result the squadrons will be called upon to simulate warfare with enemy air- craft, ground forces in over- whelming force, enemy st: - ts and concentration dm con- and Monterey Bay. The enemy troops are to be concentrated at Stockton, Modesto and other in- land points. As the maneuvers get under way, the invaders are making ready to attack San Fran- cisco from land, sea and air. It's going to be a strenuous pro- command and staff. The men | may have to live on California air, | supposed to be worth at least one full meal any day; hope, and an occasional swig of orange juice, for days at a time. Sleep and rest will be among those things they left at home in the rush to |get away. They are going to wal- low in war and the interiors of their skulls will be incrusted with tactical problems. The Air Corps squadrons, on home, will fly a distance greater than the circumference of the globe; the total distance flown by the individual planes will be ap- proximately 1,000,000 miles. When the month is over, scenery will be, in all probability, one of the pilots’ pet aversions. The largest and most complete- ly equipped ambulance plane yet built will participate in the ma- neuvers. It is a tri-motored Ford transport with accommodations for a maximum of six patients, two pilots, a flight surgeon and a medical attendant. Radio equip- ment will be carried in addition to a complete surgical emergency outfit, medicines, drugs, drinking water, sterlized water, antiseptic solutions and dressings. The altitudes at which the com- bat planes will fly during the bat- tle maneuvers range from 100 feet and less for attack to 27,000 feet and more for pursuit. Ob- servation planes used for battle reconnaissance and fast, low bombardment planes rival the at- tack in low altitude work, flying usually at about 300 feet. Obser- vation planes used for night re- connaissance will fly at about 1,500 feet and the balloons used for artillery adjustment will be raised to about 3,000 feet. Virtually all other operations will be conducted at altitudes of from one to five miles above the earth’s surface. Night bombard- ment attacks are delivered from a height of 5,000 feet or more. Ob- adjustment and equipped with radio for communicating their observations to the artillery bat- teries will fly at about 8,000 feet. Observation planes used for pho- tographic work and long-distance reconnaissance operate at alti- tudes ranging from 10,000 to 25,- 000 feet. Day bombardment mis- sions, flown by B-2 Curtiss Condor bombers carrying 4,000 pounds of bombs, are flown at ranges of 12,- 000 to 18,000 feet. High Man Wins. Above everything else operate the pursuit planes, in formations at various levels ranging from 10,- 000 up to 27,000 feet. In this busi- ness it is the high man who wins. ‘The pursuit pilot who can get above every other ship in the sky rubs his hands gleefully, if they aren’t too busy or too cold to use for rubbing purposes, looks around below for victims and prides him- self on being able to get a little comfort out of the war. The un- lucky pilot who finds himself out- climbed, however, looks to his in- surance, curses the ¢})eople who designed his plane and the Eeople who make him fly it, carries horse- shoes, rabbit feet and other mas- cots and then gloomily expects the worst. His expectations usual- 1y are realized. Pursuit Planes Climb Slowly. In addition to climb, the pursuit plane must have speed, a quality sadly lacking in Army and Navy pursuit and fighting planes in this country. There are many com- mercia}y planes in the country which 'can run away from any pursuit plane in the military services. The sluggishness of the stand- ard pursuit plane was given pointed emphasis during the past week when a new type of fast transport plane demonstrated The new Elco boats a We are showing the sells for $3,475.00. money. boat which sells for $5,7 gram for the Air Corps pilots, | their way to Sacramento and back | servation planes used for artillery | See the 1930 Elco over these wonderful boats., This is positively the finest small cruiser eéver shown in Washington for this Also see the 1930 Elco Veedette 20-mile THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, MAIL PLANES SET NEW SPEED MARKS Eastern Transport Pilot Makes 200 Miles an Hour Average From Macon to Jacksonville, | New speed records have been hung up by Eastern Air Transport pilots on the Southern half of the coastal airmail line passing through this city as a re- sult of recent winds which reached gale force over portions of the line. According to reports received here all speed records were broken between | Atlanta and Macon and between Macon and Jacksonville, Fla., while the previ- ous record between Atlanta and Greens- boro, N. C., was tied. Frank J. Andre, mail pilot on the Southern run, set a new record betweer. Atlanta and Macon by covering the 77 miles in 25 minutes. He transferred ) his plane to A. P. Kerr, superintendent for the Southern half of the line, who flew the 210 miles from Macon to Jack- sonville in 65 minutes, completing two new records. Kerr's average was 200 miles per hour and Andre's 180 miles per hour. | " 'Gene R. Brown, taking off from At- | lanta for New York, covered the dis- | tance to Greensboro in two hours, aver- | aging 153 miles per hour and equaling | the previous record. at Bolling Field and the Anacos- tla Naval Air Station, with the expectation that it will be adopt- | ed by the Army Air Corps as a pursuit transport plane. There is need for fast transport /to carry mechanics and supplies when the pursuit squadrons change base. The irony of the | present situation is that if the new transport plane, a Consoli-| dated Fleetster, is adopted for the purpose, no pursuit plane in the | service will be able to keep up | with it at top speed. It is so fast that it cannot be convoyed by military planes. | The writer was a passenger in | the Fleetster during one of its test | flights, with Hughie Wells at the | controls. Unknown to the pilot, |who was making nothing more ! |than a routine hop, the writer {held a watch to time the climb |from the field. Wells stuck the nose up as soon as he cleared the ground and 40 seconds later the altimeter showed 1,000 feet. There were several planes in the sky, which the Fleetster over- hauled as though they were glued | to a theater backdrop. The top speed of the ship in level flight |is about 180 miles per hour, and in one diving pass over the Naval Air Station Wells pushed the speed up to 225 miles per hour. 16 Longerons Used. ‘The fuselage of the Fleetster is of all-metal monocque construc- tion, no internal bracing being used from nose to tail, the thin metal skin, every portion of which is bent to a compound curve, tak- ing a large part of the stresses. Sixteen metal longerons are used in place of the usual four, the skin being riveted to these longe- rons and to metal rings. The power plant is a Hornet 525-horsepower air-cooled engine, equipped with N. A. C. A. cowling to redice air resistance. Small ra- diators are fitted in front of the cylinders to cool the lubricating oil. The wings are of the full can- tilever type and are of wood, ply- wood covered. A feature is the tail wheel, built into the fuselage and running on a fixed mounting which does not permit it to ac- commodate itself to side motion of the tail. To turn the plane sharply on the ground, the pilot locks the wheel brake on the side toward which he wishes to turn, shoves the control stick forward and opens the motor. The slip- stream on the elevator kicks the tail wheel off the ground and the plane turns like a skittish colt. The Fleetster and other trans- ports of its ilk are a challenge to the designers of our military planes. When an eight-place transport plane is able to outfly a single-seated pursutt plane with the same horsepower, it certainly seems time to do something about pursuit. Sixteen Different Plane Motors. ‘While there are only about four types of automobile engines in use in the United States today, there are .more than 16 more or less separate and dis- tinct aircraft engine classifications, ac- cording to officials of the Department of Commer re here. Be sure and look Elco 27-ft. cruiser which 50.00. This is the fastest and ‘most comfortable cruiser on the market today for this money. this part of the country. take care of your boats, : ‘We are also showing the 1930 Chris-Crafts and Old Town dinghies and outboards. This is the finest display of boats ever shown in Remember, we store and Winter and Summer, at our own Service Boat basin. Washington Motor Boat Sales Agency 1344 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Dupont Circle BOMBARDM C D. MARCH 16, 2] RON IN 1930—PART FOUR. ECHELO! This unusual photograph, taken by an Army photographer from the last plane in a formation of LB-7 Keystone bombardment planes, shows the formation in echelon, preparing to come in for a landing near San Diego, Calif. The Second Bombardment Group, Langley Field, Va., will send 19 planes of this type to Sacramento, Calif., this month to participate in the Army Air Corps maneuvers there during the month of April. A total of nearly 150 Army planes will be engaged in battle maneuvers, culminating in the first coast defense problem by the unsupported Army air squadrons. —Army Air Corps Photo. U. S. AIRCRAFT EXPORTS | SET NEW RECORD IN 1929 354 Planes, Valued at $5,574,480, Shipped Overseas by American Manufacturers in Year. | American aeronautic exports estab- lished a new trade peak in 1929, treb- ling over the preceding year. Three hundred Afty-four airplanes were sent overseas, according to Leigh- ton W. Rogers, chief of the Commerce Department’s aeronautics trade division. | The aircraft were valued at $5,574,480, in contrast to the 1928 export figure of | $1,759,653. Twenty-five countries purchased planes, Latin America and the West Indies taking 56 per cent of the trade, while less than 4 per cent went to| Europe. | Aircraft engine shipments increased | from 179 in 1928, valued at $654,826, to 321, valued at $1,375,697. Germany was the leading motor market. One Plane for Every 19,800. NEW YORK (#)—One licensed or | which will cover some 20,000 square Mather Field Will Be Congested With Army Planes. | The Department of Commerce, aero- | nautics branch, has issued warnings to commercial planes to stay clear of Mather Field, Sacramento, Calif., dur- ing the month of April because of con- | gestion caused by the use of that field | as a base for approximately 150 Army Air Corps planes during maneuvers, April 1 to April 24, Commercial operators also are warned not to fly too close to military forma- tions engaged in tactical maneuvers, miles of Northern California. RADIO TEACHES FLYING. CHICAGO (#).—One may learn now | by radio how to fly. Flying instruction “in eight weeks of | easy lessons” is being sponsored by | WJJD. The only entrance requirements | are a desire to learn. | Charles Beard, the “flying ticket | agent of Chicago,” is the instructor. It | FOUR NAVAL AVIATORS ASSIGNED TO ANNAPOLIS Lieut. Sherwood of Hydrographic Office Ordered to Duty on Air- plane Carrier Langley. Naval orders issued this week cover the assignment of four aviators to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., for the Spring aviation training of mid- shipmen. One officer on duty here is affected by the week's orders. Lieut. Comdr. Leon S. Fiske, now on duty at Annapolis, is ordered detached from duty at the academy about May 10 and assigned to the alircraft carrier U. 8. 8. Lexington. Officers ordered to Annapolis are Lieut. Forest P. Sherman, to be detached as aide and flag officer on the staff of the aircraft squadrons | of the Battle Fleet about May 22; Lieut. Norman R. Hitchcock, deta<hied as aide on the staff of the aircraft squadrons, Battle Fleet, about May 22; Lieut. Louis N. Miller, from the U. S. S. Saratoga about May 24, and Lieut. Selden B. Spangler from the Naval Air Station, Coco Solo, Panama, about May 15. Lieut. Gordon B. Sherwood. now on identified commercial airplane is in op- is announced he will “explain various | duty in the Navy Department hydro- eration in the country for every 19,800 ' types of planes, give actual construc- | graphic office, is ordered to duty aboard | persons, according to the Aeronautical | Chamber of Commerce. | ; tional information, and in plloting.” instruct the airplane carrfer U. S. S. Langley about May 1 CAPITAL LISTED FOR NEW AIRWAY Completely Equipped Line to Connect Washington With Distant Points Proposed. The National Capital will take its place before Fall on the second lighted and completely equipped airway con- necting this city with other portions of the country. The New York-Atlanta | airway has been equipped for night | fiying for two years, and the beacon and illuminated intermediate field sys- tem now is being extended into Florida. The second airway through this city to be equipped for night operations will be from Norfolk, Va., to Pittsburgh and Cleveland. ~ Bids for the lighting of the Norfolk-Washington section were opened two days ago. Beacons Under Construction. Construction of beacons on the ‘Washington-Pittsburgh section is in progress and will be completed late in the Summer. There are to be 13 standard alrway revolving beacons be- | tween this city and Pittsburgh and 4 Intermediate fields will provide emer- geney landing places for planes using the airway. In addition to the inter- mediate fields there will be three air- ports between Washington and Pitts- burgh available for use, Landing fields available between this city and Pittsburgh will be Congres- | slonal Airport, near Rockville, Md.; an | intermediate fleld at Frederick, Md.; the airport at Hagerstown, Md.; inter- port at Greensburg, Pa. Three Intermediate Fields. ‘There will be three intermediate | fields on the Norfolk-Washington Air- way, which will terminate at the Naval Alr Station, Hampton Roads, Va. These Wharf and Haynesville, Va., and Rock | Point, Md. These flelds now are being surveyed and conditioned for use. Eight standard 24-inch airway re- volving beacons of 2,000,000-candle- power each will be erected between ‘Washington and Norfolk. . Purchase of four 18-passenger Curtiss Condor biplanes, which are the com- bombardment plane, has been author- ized by the board of directors of Trans- continental Air Transport-Maddux Air Lines for use on the Columbus-Way- Lnok&, Okla., division of the Transcon- | tinental line. The big ships are powered by two 625-horsepower liquid-cooled engines, which give a cruising speed, it is claimed, of 118 miles per hour. The new planes ‘are required to meet the in- creased traffic demands resulting from the reduction in passenger fares last month, it was announced. Announcing National Auto Sales Company DE SOTO DEALERS Located at 33 NEW YORK AVENUE N.E. WASHINGTON, D. C. mediate fields at McConnellsburg, Ev- | | erett and Buckstown, Pa., and the afr- | fields will be in the vicinity of Blands | PLANS-FOR AIR TRAVEL. | | mercial counterparts of the Army B-2| FREE INSTRUCTION IN FLYING PLANNED Airplane Purchasers Declared En- titled to Course With- out Charge. | Pree flight instruction to purchasers |of new airplanes is planned by the Washington Alr Terminals Corporation, operator of Washington Airport. This is & new policy in airplane sales, which, in the opinion of Albert G. Ober, jr., | executive vice president of the corpora- | tion, some day will become a universal | practice, as it has in the case of the automobile. It is estimated that the average cost of a private pilot's flying course is $565, based upon replies to a questionnaire sent by the aeronauties branch of the Department of Commerce to all flying schools operating under Federal cer- tificates. The replies, received from 55 schools, revealed a range of from $435 to $795 in the cost of instruction for the private license. “The obligation upon the airplane dealer to teach buyers the operation of planes is quite as definite today as was that of the automobile dealer many years ago,” Ober said. “That such a policy will be helpful in taking the air- plane out of the luxury class and bring- ing it within the range of a larger num- ber of potential buyers is the sentiment g{ r:llny authorities in the aviation in- st GRAY'S HILL INN Overlooking the Potomac Formerly a part of Mt, Vernon Dinner ~Ph. Lorten 3-F Luncheon Richmond Road—16 Mi On Richniond Road * 24 een /exandria Homz CéoKin Luncheon or | er- Dinj er | 85 i .'1.7-._’ #9150 The appointment of this new De Soto dealer is one that we announce with much pride and satisfaction. It assures a standard of merchandising and maintenance fully in keeping with De Soto’s policies and provides a setting worthy of the new De Soto Straight Eight— the lowest-priced Eight in the world—and its companion car, the famous De Soto Six. ¥ We are certain you will find every member of the organization spurred on by a sincere desire to serve ypu. Everyone interested in fine motor cars is urged to come in, meet the men in charge, inspect the facilities at their command and see the special showing of De Soto Sixes and Straight Eights—both of which achieve a standard of quality and value comparable only with far costlier cars. De Soto Motor Corporation (Division of Chrysler Corp.) Detroit, Michigan PN orTeo STRAIGHT s>~ EIGHT k)