Evening Star Newspaper, March 23, 1930, Page 60

AVIA BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON. tions of hardware and chemical agents for th? se of disturbing the peace O g:xfi;%o health and physical pos- sessions of national enemies, de- veloped to a fairky high stagcv of artistry during the World War, has been the subject of quite con- siderable research since that time. The results of these studies are being demonstrated this month by the Navy in the Caribbean and will be demonstrated next month by the Army in California. The bombardment business has un- dergone much refinement during the past 10 years. : This thing of letting go un- pleasantnesses from airplanes as a means of warfare is assuming variety. During the World War the chief missile employed in thg sport was the “egg.” The “egg was essentially a can filled with| various explosive agents _and fit- | ted with vanes to guide it in its descent upon the enemy and his/ works. It was, especially in the| early stages of the war, a rather | crude form of bomb. 3 | Today, however, the bomb is a| scientific weapon. Its shape is | the result of study. It ls_des;gned to fit circumstances. It is blgger.{ noisier and messier. There are| armor-piercing bombs, fragmen-‘ tation bombs, delayed-fuse bombs and other types for various pur-| poses. There are bombs of all| sizes and shapes from 10 to 4,000 | pounds in weight. There are ex-| plosive bombs, gas _bombs and | bomb flares. Flashlight-powder bombs, attached to parachutes, are used for night photography. The Navy, in addition, drops tor- | pedoes. Bombardment has be-| come a diversified business. E practice of releasing from airplanes harsh combina- Early Aerial Bombing. Aerial bombardment, though only recsntly classed among the mechanical arts, so to speak, is| not without its history. It long has been the desire of man to rise above the objects of his dis-| like. If, when above those objects, he could pelt them with debris of various sorts, so much the better. The ape in the coconut tree is one example of the early history of bombardment from the air, The hurling of eggs and farmyard roduce by the gallery gods at of- ?endlng actors, formerly a recog- nized form of dramatic criticism, falls in the same category. The airplane offered man a splendid opportunity to shower down bric-a-brac upon his foes. He graspeed the opportunity quickly. When the World War began in 1914 the airplane was a new and untried weapon. Aerial bombs had not been considered a necessity. The first planes used in the war were for observation purposes only. In the beginning they were not even armed. Enemy pilots were in the habit of waying greet- ngs when passing on the way into ostile sectors. Then the war be- came bitter and friendly greet- ings, even among pilots, became out of place, to say the least. Some of the pilots began carry- ing pistols, with which they whanged away rather ineffectu- ally at their aerial opponents. This didn't do much real good, but it did serve to ease the war- like conscience. It is related, though I don't know how true the story is, that at least one allied pilot carried bricks, with which he attempted to shatter the pro- ellers of enemy planes. Whether rrue or not, the idea behind the brick tossing has led to one of the latest aerial developments, the bombing of aircraft from other aircraft, one of the things which will be tried out next month in California. Machine Guns in Air. The arming of aircraft with machine guns came quickly when the pilots found that the firing of pistols at enemy airplanes was causing little more than mental irritation, and that chiefly to themselves. Development of bombardment also began early in the war. Hand grenades were used by some of the pilots, pending the construc- tion of real airplane bombs. Thei French made use for a short time of metal darts, feathered for truer flight and released in showers above enemy troops. There is a classical story of a war-embit- tered British flyer who filled his cockpit with empty beer bottles. These he would heave out with savage curses while flying over enenly cities. Even when he car- ried bombs, he also carried the bottles. After letting go the ex- plosives, he would lay a curse on each bottle and let fly, trusting that some thick enemy skull would be there to stop its hurtling ca- ]regr. He was living the war, that ad. Within a very few months after the war began airplane designers recognized that separate types of lanes would be required for bom- gardment purposes, and bombard- ment became a distinctive part of military aviation. Construction of aviation bombs became a dis- tinct portion of the ordnance man’s job. Though the size of the bombs is controlled only by the carrying capacity of the planes, no great sizes were actually usgd during the war, as measured in the light of present developments. Records of the Army Air Corps show that only 16 bombs of the 1,600-pound size were used dur- ing the war, the remainder being of smaller sizes. Bombs of 2,000 and 4,000 pound sizes now are standard for the Army Air Corps. Bombardment planes them- selves are undergoing variation. Light and heavy bombardment planes are used. During the war there were separate day and night bombardment squadrons. ‘The next development forecast by Army Air Corps tactical officers will be a small, fast bombardment plane for use at low altitudes against concentrated targets where great accuracy is required. The Navy has recently developed tupon planes used for maneuvers |speed. The problem of designing TION and Navy fighters. They are used fby the attack planes for clearing lenemy trenches or machine-gun | nests and for attacks on artillery land other targets in the front lines. The Navy uses them for preliminary attacks on enemy vessels, to break up anti-aircraft gun fire in preparation for heav- |ier bombing attacks. | The Army attack plane carries 250 pounds of small bombs, either 10 or 25 pounders, chiefly ot»the; fragmentation variety, which cor- | responds to the shrapnel shell of the Field Artillery. Coupled with the fire of the six machine guns with which each attack plane is armed, this bombardment is cal- culated to make the rear areas more popular than ever with the |doughboy and his hairy-eared playmate, the artillery man. Army tactical experts now are racking their braines for a means of com- bating the attack plane success- ully. The Keystone LB-6 and LB-7,| the one powered with Wright and | the other with Pratt & Whitney | engines, have been developed as standard Army light A bombard- ment planes. This type of plane carries 2,000 pounds of bombs to an altitude of approximately 13,- 000 feet, or more than 2 miles. For heavy bombardment the Army uses the Curtiss B-2, known as the Condor. Powered with two Curtiss GV-1570 water-cooled en- gines of 600 horsepower each, the Condor will carry 4,000 pounds of bombs to an altitude of approxi- mately 17,000 feet, or nearly 3 miles. Army Air Corps bombardment now is consolidated into two ma- jor organizations—the 2d Bom- bardment Group, stationed at Langley Field, Hampton, Va., and the Tth Bombardment Group, at Rockwell Field, Can Diego, Calif. The Langley Field group will send 19 bombardment planes to Cali- fornia for the maneuvers, while the T7th will be represented by 4 bombers and 20 pursuit planes from the 95th Pursuit Squadron, stationed with it at Rockwell. Diving Bomb Attack. The Navy's diving bombard- ment attack is a development of the past two years and several types of new planes designed to meet the high requirements nec- essary for this type of flying have been put through rigid flight tests at the Anacostia Naval Air Sta- tion. The attack is delivered from high altitudes; above clouds if the sky is at all overcast. The theory is that the planes shall approach so high or behind the cover of clouds so as to escape detection. Arriving over their unsuspecting target, the bombers are put into a screaming vertical dive, motors wide open. Straight down they come, so fast that no organized defense can be put up. At the last moment, the bombs are drop- ped and the planes pulled out of the dive, all in an instant. The attack depends for success upon unexpectedness and speed. Tremendous strains are imposed of this character. They not only must be built to withstand such forces, but also must have good carrying capacity, range and such a plane has been difficult and a cloak of military secrecy has been drawn about the planes developed for this purpose. The Navy has been putting its bombardment tactics to severe test' in the maneuvers now in progress in the Caribbean. No re- ports on the results of these maneuvers have been received here and it is not known whether practice has shown the need for further tactical revisions. The Army bombardment: tactics will be studied again in actual practice next month in California. The concentration of Army planes for the maneuvers is to begin this week, the 2d Bombardment Group being scheduled to leave Langley Field for Sacramento, Calif., tomorrow. Other squadrons which will participate, with their strength in men and planes and dates of departures and routes to be followed, are as follows: The 1st Pursuit Group, under command of Maj. Ralph Royce, will make a round-trip journey of 4,300 miles from Selfridge Field, Mich., leaving there about March 26, and making overnight stops at Omaha, Nebr.; Cheyenne, Wyo., and Elko, Nev. The group will take 40 pursuit and four cargo planes, with a personnel of 46 officers and 22 enlisted men. he 2d Bombardment Group, commanded by Maj. Hugh J. Knerr, will have the longest mile- age of all the participating units, a round-trip distance of 5,800 miles being required. The group will leave Langley Field, Hamp- ton, Va., about March 24, and will make overnight stops at Mont- gomery, Ala.; Shreveport, La.; Midland, Tex.; Tucson, Ariz., and March Field, Calif. Nineteen bombardment and one-: cargo plane will be taken, manned by 39 officers and 42 enlisted men, Third Travels 3,600 Miles. The 3d Attack Group, under command of Maj. Davenport John- son, will cover a round-trip route of 3,600 miles from its home field at Fort Crockett, near Galveston, Tex., leaving there about March 27 and making stops at El Paso, Tex., and March Field. The de- tachment will include 28 attack and one cargo plane, with 30 pilots and 30 enlisted men. Under command of Maj. Carl Spatz, the 7th Bombardment Group, Rockwell Field, San Diego, | Calif., will leave its home station about March 29, having before it only 480 miles, which will be made in about five hours. The group will comprise 20 pursuit planes, four bombers and two cargo planes, with a personnel of 32 of- ficers and 40 enlisted men. The 91st Observation Squadron, a new and terrible form of bom- bardment attack launched out of a vertical power dive. This has called for entirely new types of planes. Small fragmentation bombs are carried by Army attack planes [2 Crissy Field, San Francisco, al- ready is in the “battle” area. It will be commanded by Capt. Wal- ter H. Kraus.and will bi into action seven observation planes and one cargo plane, with 16 of- ficers and 10 enlisted men. THE DTBERAYMAL -SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, MARCH 23 1930—PART FOUR. l HIGH WING PURSUIT MONOPLANE FACES TESTS : This is Jim Berryman’s conception of the startling new Boeing all-metal parasol type high wing pursuit plane, now undergoing rigid flight tests at the hands of Navy test pilots at the Anacostia Naval Air Station and Army pilots at Wright Field, Dayton. Ohio. The Boeing is an attempt to answer demands for faster and yet faster military planes. The Navy test model flew from Seattle to the National Capital in 15 hours actual flying time, an average of 200 miles per hour, and the Army plane was flown from Seattle to Wright Field between sunrise and sunset. Details of the performance of this plane are jealously guarded military secrets and photographs showing details of the construction have been censored. EAST PLANS FIRST GLIDER CARNIVAL Sport, Already Popular in West, to Be Introduced This Side of Alleghenies. Gliding, which has become one of the popular sports on the Pacific Coast and in the Middle West, but which is just finding a foothold east of the Alleghe- nies, will make its formal debut in this part of the country at a glider carni- val to be held at Bayside, Long Island, April 25 and 26. The carnival is expected to bring to- gether some of the country’s foremost glider pilots and will serve to intro- duce to the Eastern public the various types of glider flying. The meet is to be staged under the auspices of the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce, the National Glider Association, the New York Glider Club, the Aero Club of Long Island and the American Motorless Aviation Corporation. Invitations have been sent to every glider club in the East, including sev- eral new glider organizations in the Na- tional Capital and it is hoped that 100 glider pilots and 50 gliders and soarers will be entered in the schedule of 14 events which have been arranged to cover all types of glider flying from the novice class to that of first-class soarer ilots. 5 There are to be four events for du- ration, the first being for novices in primary training planes, which will be open to any one not holding a glider pilots’ license; the second for holders of third class licenses in primary trainers; the third to second class glider pilots in primary gliders and in secondary gliders, and the fourth for first calss pilots in primary trainers, secondary gliders and soarers. Two events are scheduled for women and there will be contests for accuracy of landing in the various classes and trials for the various glider pilots’ li- censes. Special exhibition glider flights will be given by Dr. Wol!rnx Klem- perer, holder of glider pilot's licence No. 1 in Germany, and Capt. Frank Hawks, who has done a great deal of winners in the various contests. BALTIMORE MAYOR INSPECTS AIRPORT City Executive Prepares for Visit of ‘Dr. Hugo Eckener Next Month. Special Dispatch to The Btar. BALTIMORE, March 23—In prepar- ation for the visit to Baltimore early next month of Dr. Hugo Eckener, com- mander of the Graf Zeppelin, to con- sider a site for a transoceanic airship line, Mayor Broening has just returncd from an inspection trip of the airport at_Akron, Ohio. He said he desired to be prepared to offer Dr. Eckener an available site in Baltimore and also to be in a position to discuss the question of an airport for transoceanic lines in Baltimore. “We will show Dr. Eckener-every site on the water front that is available mrid‘ transoceanic airport,” the Mayor said, It is probable that the Mayor will send a committee to meet Dr. Eckener when he arrives in New York and ex- tend him an official invitation to Bal- timore during his stay in the United States. AIR ROUTE. PLANNED. Line Linking Rome and Tripoli to Start Next Month. TRIPOLI (#).—This seaport-capital of Libya will be connected with Rome by air some time early in April by a direct route, with stops for refueling at Syracuse and Naples. Including those halts, the entire voyage will be made in less than 12 hours, the technicians believe. Hydroplanes have been running be- tween here and Syracuse ever since the opening of the Tripoli fair on February 23, the departures occurring twice weekly. The distance by air is nego- tiated in about four hours. MOTOR OlL_ “BEST OIL IN THE WORLD" Autocrat Motor Oil pen- etrates and adheres to the very grain or pores of the . metal—becomes an integral part of it, 0 that every moving surface, every bear. ing always has an oil film on it. From the first turn of the starter there is per- fect lubrication — oil roll- ing against oil—not metal against metal. New Flying Icebox For Use in Planes Will Test Dry Ice CHICAGO (#)—A flying ice box is being developed for ship- ping perishables by airplane. Experiments are being con- ducted on a new type of refriger- ator plane, according to American Air Transport Association, with compartments lined with dry ice. The ice, which is solid carbon dioxide, is coming into broad u.u%e in shipments of sea foods, frui®, flowers and other perish- ables. WOMEN'S AVIATION SCHOOL TO OPEN Women’s City Club Sponsors Classes to Give Students All Ground Work. Plans for the opening next month of what is thought to be the first accredit- ed ground school for the training of women in aeronautics to be organized by a woman's club have been completed by the aviation section of the Woman's City Club. ‘The course is to be given by a teacher accredited by the aeronautics branch of the Department of Commerce, il was announced by Mrs. Lyle B. Steever, aeronautical director of the section. The course will equip members of the club to pass the theoretical examination of the Department of Commerce for lim- ited commercial pilots, but will not in- clude flying instruction. ‘The subjects to be included in the course and the time to be assigned to each follow: Air commerce regulations, 5 hours; aviation emgines, 15 hours; airplanes, 15 hours; aerial navigation and meteorology, 15 hours. Collateral reading will be assigned, Mrs. Steever said, and there will be the required amount of shop practice. There also will be one lecture each month by an au- thority on some phase of aeronautics. Upon completion of the ground course, Mrs. Steever said, it is planned to form a flying unit and to make ar- rangements with some approved flying school for flight instruction. Next Priday evening the aviation sec- tion and the city planning committee of the Women's City Club will hold a dinner meeting to consider the local munfcipal airport situation and to hold an informal discussion of the District airport bill. ‘The ‘guests of honor will be: Lieut. ‘Wailter Hinton, chairman of the avia- tion committee of the Washington Chamber of Commerce; Lawrence E. Willlams, chairman of the aviation committee of the Washington Board of "Trade; Col. U. S. Grant, 3d, director of the Office of Public Buildings and Public _Parks, and Charles W. Eliot, 2d, city planner. A general discussion of the local airport situation will fol- low talks by Lieut. Hinton, Mr. Eliot and Mr. Williams. TEST DEFENSE TACTICS England’s air maneuvers this year will consist of defensive tactics over sea trade routes, it has been reported, and the aircraft carriers and heavy coast patrol flying boats will play the major part. It will be assumed that hostile aireraft carriers are holding the trade lanes and the problem will be to de- stroy them, together with their flying equipment. Last year the English air fleet ma- neuvered principally to defend London from air raids America’s air ma- neuvers, soon to get under way, will be the defense of San Francisco by air from an attacking sea force, it being assumed that the Panama Canal has been badly damaged in an enemy air raid, cutting off the Atlantic fleet, and the enemy having taken possession of the southern part of California. RADIATORS-FREEZEPROOF See Our Model A Radiators for pHOEEE A AT WITTSTATTS RADIATOR, FENDER & BODY WORKS 9 13th St. N.W. Metropolit; 641 S0 stk B0 Norsn Ta T Nothing is more important than thorough lubrication. AUTOCRAT—THE DIFFERENT FROM %'IPI- T)'I"AH‘EIE Beware of Substitutes Try Autocrat the next time you need oil, and judge its advantages for yourself, At the Better D 30 T300-MILE PLANE RACE IS PLANNED Flyers of Both Sexes Will Compete - for Prizes Totaling $25,000. Following preliminary sanction by the National Aeronautic Association, regula- tions now are being completed for what is sald to be the longest airplane race ever planned—a 7,500-mile contest through the United States, Canada and Mexico for Hght planes powered with American Cirrus engines. Prizes totaling $25,000 already have been offered, and the race is scheduled to start from New York about July 21, provided at least 15 planes have been entered. The course will extend from New| York to Mexico City, Los Angeles, Mon- | treal, ‘and back to the starting point, with control points at Atlanta, Ga.; Houston, Tex.; Mexico City; Tex.; El Paso, Tex.; Los Angeles; Salt I Maitland and Hegenberger made o non-stop flight from California to Hawail in an cirplane powered with an gir-cooled engine. Lake City; Neby.; York. The race is to be open to man and woman pilots of any nationality and to airplanes of any style or make, domestic or foreign, the only requirement being that they be powered with Clrrus or Ensign engines. The engines may be mounted for direct or geared drive, and superchargers may be used. 3 ‘Total flying time over the course will determine the winners, but each lap from control point to control point will constitute a race in itself. Technical rules are to be in the hands of the National Aeronautic Association contest committee. In announcing the race the sponsors declared that it is desired to promote interest in aviation as a means of trans- portation, in which speed is a major factor, and that the race, therefore, shall be as nearly as possible a free-for- all, go-as-you-please event, with victory rewarding the pilot who not only nurses his plane to best advantage but exer- cises the best judgment in making his pace and selecting his route between control stops. Cheyenne, Chicago, Montreal and New Flying Fireboats Ordered. MONTREAL (#).—Five flying boats, of all-metal construction and capable of carrying seven firefighters, pilot and mechanic, have been orde by the ,| Canadian department of national de- fense to combat forest blazes. ‘Wyo.; Omaha, | pytch U. S. AIR LINES EXPANDING SOUTH AMERICAN OPERATIONS Agreements With Other Systems for Inter- change of Travel and Facilities Announced by 2 Companies.v intrenchment of United transportation in 80\32 past few days in announcements by Pan-American Airways and the New York, Rio and Buenos Aires Lines of operating agreements which have been negotiated with some of the largest air transport system in South America. What once was regarded as one of the grea barriers to United States de- velopment of air transportation in the Bgugem cvnun;nn: has been mm unt- e an_operat agreement between Pan-American Airways and Scadta, the pioneer German line, which holds iron- clad operating concessions in Colomb! Scadta is one of the oldest if not the oldest transport system in existence, having been operated continuously sirce 1919. The Scadta system now comprises 3,000 miles of airways and other services and formerly stood as a bulwark against foreign development in that part of the New World. Under the new agreement, Pan- American Airways officlals have an- nounced here, the Scadta network will operate in co-operation with the Pan- American system, with which it will connect at Colon, Panama, and at Bar- ranquilla and Buenaventura, Colombia. 13,000 Miles Operating. ‘The Pan-American system now in- cludes 13,000 miles of operating lines, which girdle the Caribbean, extend from Texas through Mexico to the Panama Canal, from Miami to Paramaribo, in Guiana, on the East Coast of South America, and down the direct West Coast route along South America to Santiago, Chile, and thence across the Andes to Buenos Aires and Monte- video, carrying United States and Latin American mail and passengers. ‘The agreement just signed, Pan- American officlals announced, provides for the free interchange of traffic, ex- pediting through travel and shipping of baggage and goods. The companies have agreed to share the use of all airports, mphne anchorages and airways facili- ‘The Pan-American radio system, one of the most highly developed commer- clal aviation communications system, will co-operate with Scadta in the ex- tension of the Pan-American radio service to Scadta’s planes and routes. ‘Wave lengths, operating hours and me- teorological aids will be organized to be of the greatest mutual benefit. AVIATION NEEDS AIRCRAFT DRAFTSMEN COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF DRAFTING Enroll any time—Day and Evening Classes. Continued throughout the year. Correspondence Instruction. Send for Free Catalogue 13th and E Sts. N.W. Metro. 5626 ‘Though the uncmo:z deals mlally .;llt.h passenger, express and non-mai p- ments al !?the planes of the two lines, negotiations are in progress look- ing to the expediting of through mail. ‘The agreement is in pursuance of the program sponsored by President Hoo- ver that American enterprises in South America should expand with successful business organizations already operat- ing there. Other Agreements Made. ‘The New York, Rio and Buenos Aires Lines have negotiated operating agree- ments with two of the largest national air transport systems in South America —the Chilean National Air Line of Chile and Aero Lloyd Boliviana, which has a national airline monopoly in Bo- livia, it has been announced. The companies will exchange pas- sengers, express and certain classes of mail. Through the Chilean agreement, the American line is to have access to every important airport in that country over the 1,700 miles of airways flown by the Chilean line. The alliance with Aero Lloyd, which operates 2,000 miles of scheduled air- way service in Bolivia, it is said, pro- vides access into the central sections of the South American continent to American airlines. Schedules on the combined route provide direct air serv- ice from the United States to La Paz, the capital of Bolivia, and to prac- tically every industrial city in that country, it was announced. These agreements increase the com- bined operations of the New York, Rio and Buenos Aires Lines to 13,700 miles, it was stated, and gives direct service to all but four countries of South America. — Egyptian Aero Club Formed. ‘The Aero Club of Egypt was recently formed W%ith Prince Abas Halim as its president. The club will devote itself to the development of aeronautics in Egypt, and will be affiliated with the Federation Aeronautique Internationale. Prince Halim is a cousin of King Faud. Experienced Automobile Salesmen Warrington Motor Car Co. M 2035 17th St. N.W, Auburn Cord == FRANKLIN PROGRESSIVE GIVES THE WORLD THE MOST POWERFUL TYPE OF ENGINE — s THE PIRATE TOURING swept aside previous conceptions of motor car performance and developed an AlR- PLANE-TYPE ENGINE—an engine that delivers the greatest power for cylinder capacity of all automobile power plants— an engine that has FLOWN THE SKIES and " traveled the highways from coast to coast for dramatic and sensational new road records. No other motor car performance compares to Franklin airplane performance. Its great Aviation disregarded the anchor- ing traditions of motor cars and developed a superior power plant. And Franklin, with that 'same progressive spirit, has type of power remains at the peak throughout the longest, fastest runs and most grueling hill U climbs—it never lets up—it never varies. THE CONVERTIBLE COUPE NESS Riding is gliding. At every speed there's smoothness, quietness and comfort heretofore unknown in motor cars. Sixty, seventy, eighty in fourth speed—you cannot describe the thrill because the usual sensations which go with high speed are entirely lacking. The 1930 Franklin gives you a glimpse of the motor car of the future. Not only is its per- formance advanced, but it introduces new beauty, new style innovations. Concealed running boards, embossed paneling, low hung doors, and slender gracefully arched hood give smartness to the new Franklin just as Patou or Chanel through subtle touches give smartness to a Paris creation. You'llwant to see the new Franklin—and you'll surelywanttodriveit. We inviteyduto do both. FRANKLIN AIR-COOLED FRANKLIN MOTOR CAR CO. ; HARRY W.BURR . . _ , Salesrooms and Service: Station, 346-348 Pa. Ave. N.W. * Telephone Metropolitan 0961-