Evening Star Newspaper, April 13, 1930, Page 62

AVIATION BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON. - ECESSITY for greater speed in military planes has been stressed by developments of the past week. There are-in regular commercial opera- tlon in this, country types of closed - cabin * passenger planes which can run away from any military plane in the Army or Navy service. That is not a par- ticularly healthy situation from the viewpoint of military aviation. .. Hearings which have been con- ducted during the past week by a subcommittee of the Senate com- mittee on naval affairs -have drawn attention forcibly to the high-speed airplane situation in this country and abroad. Ostensibly launched to de- termine why Lieut. Alfred J. Wil- liams, jr., resigned from the Navy and the effects of this resignation upon speed-plane development, the hearing culminated in an ex- pression by Senator Millard E. ‘Tydings of Maryland, chairman, of his determination to find just how the military planes of the country compare in point of speed and performance with similar planes of other countries and what steps, if any, may be neces- sary to improve their speed or performance. The hearings have proved a ecomplete vindication of Lieut. Williams in his long fight for high-speed airplane development in this country. Members of the committee, especially the chair- man, Senator Tydings, expressed dissatisfaction with this country’s failure to take part in the Schnei- der classic or to share in the bene- fits that accrue from the efforts to make ready for such competi- tion. Senator Tydings expressed the belief that either the Navy is not obtaining sufficient appropria- tions for éxperimental and re- search work, especially with a view to the increasing of speed of service planes, or that e ap- propriations which are being made are not being applied prop- erly. ‘ “I am convinced,” said Senator Tydings, “that any nation which has the speediest planes has a tremendous advantage in time of war. It is no consolation to us to consider that England, Italy and France have faster planes than we have, even if they are purely racing types. I do feel most em- hatically that future wars, if here are to be future wars, are going to be won by speed.” Calls for Speed Data. Senator Tydings called upon the Navy Department to prepare for the Senate tables showing the speed and performance character- istics of every type of naval fight- ing plane since 1925, the year the Navy dropped out of racing plane development, up to the present time, with comparative as far as possible, on the planes of corresponding types in the mili- tary service of other nations. These figures, being matters of military secrecy, will be submitted to the committee in executive session within a day or two and will not be made public. Upon the basis of these figures, Senator Tydings said, he hopes the Senate will be able to de- termine whether this country’'s military planes require improve- ment for the sake of national security and whether the Navy Department should take up again racing plane development. Spring maneuvers of the afr forces of the Army and Navy, the one now in progress, the other just completed, have. served to focus public attention on military aviation. F. Trubee Davison, Assistant Secretary of War for Aeronautics, plans to leave the National Capital for Mather Fleld, Sacramento, Calif., headquarters for the provisional wing now in the field, during the next day or two. He probably will go in a new Consolidated Fleetster cabin | tactical monoplane, now being considered as & p plane. Leaving this city in the morn- ing, Mr. Davison could be at Mather Field the next day. Car- rying’ six passengers, the Fleet- ster, a single-motored plane, can run away from any single-seater ;mrsuit plane in the Army’s astest squadrons. Military Planes Too Slow. It is true that commercial planes do not have to be’built to withstand the extreme stresses imposed upon nghtl.n& planes, nor do they carry military loads. Nevertheless, there can be no dis- pute over the fact that, in com- parison with the faster com- mercial planes, our military planes are too slow. During the past five years there has not been much improvement t squadron transpo) in the Navy fighter or Army pur- is suit planes in point of speed. This 1s true especially in com- parison with the speed increases which have been made in com- mercial aviation. Basically, the gumflt plane is the same as it as been for years. A few miles r hour have been added from ime to time by better stream- lining, the use of ling over air-cooled engines or the substi- ° rhe. standsrd_pursuit eooling. e nt equipment of the Army and Navy %?;ml today, however, is the uncowled air-cooled and the past no mon: be built which woul the terrific t'htn!%l °§n o:otghu;z maneuvers, _thou construction long h'u been favored for speed. Monoplanes on Trial. and Navy t testing mono- by d eud‘ at the Afia ! condu - :.:fi Naval virtually Aifr Station, been concluded, but no re- have been not known made public and - u:hether the lane will be adop e squadrons. The Army tests of the same of plane are at Wright Field, +| tive in time of emergent combined fleet has been engaged in the Caribbean Sea. Minc joint Army and Na involving the aircraft forces, were held prior to the gen- eral exercises. ‘The necessity for close co- operation between airplane car- riers and other units of the fleet, if aircraft are to be used prop- erly, was demonstrated by the ex- ercises in the Caribbean, accord- ing to reports received here by the Navy Department. There is a de- cisive reduction in the effective- ness of the air force of the fleet, according to a report from the commander of the aircraft squad- rons when the fleet is prevented from using destroyers freely for scouting and for extending the safe distance of search by air- planes. Fleet Exercises Held. ‘This was demonstrated, he re- ported, in an engagement between the Blue Air Force, represented by the Saratoga and Langley and their air squadroms, and the Black Fleet, represented by the airplane carrier, Lexington, and alrplanes from the battleships and cruisers of the fleet. Scouts from the Lexington located the Saratoga and Langley when all but the Langley search- ing planes were on deck after landing from a dawn patrol and before sufficient information had been obtained to justify their being sent out again. Due to the lack of information it was feared that if they were sent out again at random they might run short of fuel and be forced down at sea before locating the Black Fleet. The Black scouting forces caught the Saratoga entirely un- Prepned and simulated attack HANGAR BULT FOR FIRE TESTS Bureau of Standards to Ex- periment With Various Types of Sprinklers. Whether any type of water sprinkler system is adequate to control an air- plane hangar fire will be determined by a special committee of the Depart- ment of Commerce by 17 actual fire tests during the week of April 22-30 in a hangar which has been constructed for the purpose in the Bureau of Stand- ards grounds. Nearly a score of worn-out and con- demned airplanes have been donated by the Army and Navy for use in these tests and more than 12 different makes of automatic sprinklers will be put tc the test. The tests are to be of great - tance to the aeronautic industry, since they will in a large measure determine the policy of the National Board of Fire Underwriters in dealing with the con- struction and protection of airports. The tests will climax 18 months of conferences on the subject of hangar fire control by water. Build Hangar for Tests. So that actual conditions may ob- tain, the Department of Commerce has Constructed an actual at the Bureau of Standards. The building, donated by the National Committee of Wood Utilization of the department, which is making a study of airport structures, is of frame e eqt permit the use of four types of automal sprinkler instalaltions, including both wet-pipe and dry-pipe types, wi than 12 types of standard automatic sprinkler heads. ‘The 17 tests will cover fires of all de- scriptions, starting in the planes, in the hangar walls, on the floor and in mmediately with bombs before | gmay “1ocal the Saratoga’s planes could be aunched to beat off the attack.|wiring The umpire ruled that the forward part of the flight deck had been damaged, and before the planes could be cleared for taking off from the undamaged after portion of the deck a light bombing squad- ron from the Lexington arrived and completed destruction, theo- retically, of the remainder of the flight deck. The Langley also was ruled out of action as a result of a bombing attack before her planes could be launched. Not only did the problem dem- onstrate the need for adequate scouting and information, accord- ing to the report, but it also dem- onstrated the vulnerability of the flight deck of a carrier, “the de- cision of the umpire after attack by only three enemy scouting Pm" making it impossible to launch aircraft from the Saratoga before she was attacked by enemy planes.” Alr Efficiency Lauded. “Commander aircraft is well pleased with clency displayed his command d the prob- lem,” the report continued, “and is proud, in addition, of the com- which Lexington pe; her mission for the Black Fleet. 1t is particularly pertinent to note the comment of commeander air- craft squadrons, Scouting Fleet, to the effect that, broadly speak- ing, it is fortunate that one air force was decisively defeated, since thereby the fleet as a whole may be impressed with the tre- mendous advantage in main ac- tion achieved by that side which " he Army Alr Corpe hi e rps has con- centrated more than 150 planes of all types at Mather Fiel ramento, Calif., including approx- in force drons e effi- units of these planes will represent complete %:llpn\ent for all tical . e various fires involve one to four or more airplanes at a time. ‘The tests are to be conducted by & commif on automatic '3 H;:ry H. sle:. . nautic velopmen! Departmen! Commerce, chairman; W. 8. Garland, Navy Bureau of Aeronautics; R. W. Hendricks, Underwriters’ Laboratories; . Hoagland, National Automatic Association; - Maj. Frank M. Standards; H. F. Board of Pire Underwriters; Starr Trus- ational Ad WATRES BILL HELD AID TO CONTRACTORS Aviation Corporation Officials See Need for Revision to Offset Loss of Revenue. ted Sac- | tion, imately 130 fighting planes, for|, exercises whi will April 26. The two weeks have been to training of the various end about devote battle elements and to elementary problems. This week brings the climax of the ma- rt | neuvers—the first coast defense problem to be worked out in this country by Army planes unsup- ported by ground forces. Need for Training Urged. ‘The importance to the country of the California maneuvers has been pointed out by Brig. Gen. William E. Gilimore, assistant chief of the Army Air 00?3 for training and operations an mander of the provisional wing which has been organized at Mather Field. 7 If the Air Corps is to be effec- cy, Gen. Gillmore said, all combat aviation elements—pursuit, attack, bom- bardment and observation—must be trained to work together. In ace times these units are scat- %;Eég %g"‘?! Halee DENVER RATED A-1-A Municipal Airport Is Second to Re- ceive Designation. red all over the country and it| Colo. onl z‘l:‘ such mnneuvtefi‘a as those now in progress on the ‘West Coast that concerted train- ing of all units can be carried out. “Another factor that is a prime necessity to the Air Corps,” Gen. Gillmore said in a speech a few days ago in California, “is the future development of equipment. ‘The performance of the airplane through jolnt operations that the ugh jof raf at the absolute necualge increased speed, climb or weight- capacity in planes of va- and er factors success or b definitely determined.” ‘lmctplmwm' high fire test, in- dicating ability to withstand heat. It will seal the pistons against fuel leakage, ty of developing|manuf; Beware of Substitutes mawm et At the Better Dealers and will function as a A @UART good oil is expected. Lieut. Harold Bromley Fahy (right) plans a round-the-world companion of John Henry Mears in another globe-girdling enterprise. PLANS BEING MADE ited twice last year, Brom- PEsmaL s e, nus, ‘ash., in May on an east-west flight of 4,700 miles over the great circle route. Has Two Setbacks. e took off last year his monoplane second setback came when a Three Long Flights Now Is Prospect for Coming Summer Months. p _transpacific round-the-world air jaunt -distance performances Lieut. Harold monoplane of Bromley's flight. ed in a trial 3 third craft will be similar in de- sign to those of 1929. One-time holder of the solo endur- ance record, Lieut. Herbert Fahy, in- jured severely in testing Bromley’s mon- oplane last year, and Mrs. Fahy, an ex- pert pilot, are out to break the silvery Graf Zeppelin's time of 21 days around the world. Their airplane is being con- structed, and in June the Fahys hope to start their winged trip from Detroit, Mich,, to the Atlantic seaboard, thence acress the sea. Sixteen stops are scheduled, with a hop from Newfound- Iand to Valencia Island, off Ireland, be- ing the longest single jump. Race in Prospect. ‘There are indications of a race in an effort to beat the Graf's time, as John (center) will try a transpacific flight again in May over routes in map. Lieut. Herbert flight with Mrs. Fahy (inset), while Bernt Balchen (upper left) is mentioned as Henry Mears, fastest globe trotter be- fore Capt. Hugo Eckener L] dirigible around the world, has ordered an _airplane similar to Fahy’s. Bernt Balchen, now on the high seas from Dunedin, New Zealand, with Rear Admiral Byrd's expedition, is mentioned | as Mears’ companion. DESIGN NEW PLANE Boeing Uses Long Experience in Constructing Low-Wing Ship. Designed from lessons learned in 9,- 000,000 miles of flying on the San Prancisco-Chicago and Lcs Angeles- Seattle mail-passenger routes, an all- metal, low-wing, Hornet-powered mon- | oplane, to cruise with & ton of mail or | mail and passengers at 145 miles per hour, will be ready for test fl.lfhl next month, representatives of Bos~g Sys- tem have announced. ‘The new plane is radically different in many features of design from pre- vious pianes buflt for Boeing System's operations and for six other mail-pas- senger lines. NAVY PILOTS ARE PLANNING FLIGHT TEST FOR AIRPLANES Program at Anacostia Station Expected to Have Far-Reaching Influence on Fu- ture Battle Plane Aviation. Pilots of the Navy flight test section, Anacostia Naval Air Station, now are at work on the flight testing of four plan the results of which may have f: reaching influence on future naval erations in the air. The planes under test are a Boeing parasol monoplane fighter, a Martin diving bomber, a Great Lakes torpedo and hnmbtng‘glme and a British Bris- tol Bulldog ter. Tests on the Boeing virtually have been concluded and a re- port 'lfi the results of the flight test soon be sent to the Navy De- ent. Assembly of the British plane, the second of its type received here, was completed a day or two back and flight testing is to be in progress this week ‘The first of these planes was lost when part of the wing assembly let go in the air during a dive, carrying to his death Lieut. George T. Cuddihy, famous Navy racing and test pilot. Simultaneous Tests Listed. ‘Tests of the Martin and the Great Lakes planes probably will be carried on simultaneously. The tw# planes have been demonstrated by civilian test pilots representing the manufacturers and have been turned over to the Navy for flight tests. The Great Lakes, the latest arrival of the quartet of planes, is said to be the only plane in this country which will carry a useful load equal to its own weight and land at less than 60 miles per hour. It is a biplane capable of be- ; used either as a landplane, a carrier or & seaplane. Flown here a few days ago by Charles ‘W. Myers, chief test pilot of the Great Lakes Aircraft Corporation, Cleveland, builders of the plane, the torpedo- bomber already has made the required one-hour run with full load at full throttle. While performance figures are withheld as military secrets, it is under- stood that the top speed of the plane ‘with full load is approximately 113 miles per hour and the cruisi speed about 95 miles. With full load the landing speed is said to be 57 to 59 miles per | Will hour, based upon unofficial flight tests at Cleveland. ‘The plane is powered by a Pratt & ‘Whitney 525-horsepower ‘“Hornet” en- gine. The ghne weighs approximately 4,000 pounds “light,” or without fuel, ofl or , and will carry approximately two tons of useful load. Torpedo Equipment Outlined. As a torpedo plane, it will carry a single 1,700 - pound torpedo. As & bomber, it will carry three 500-pound bombs or the equivalent in smaller bombs. It may be converted on short notice from a landplane to a seaplane. The model now here is equl;?ed with arresting gear for carrier landings. It also is designed for catapulting from battleships, though there now is o catapult in the service capable of launching so large a plane. To with- stand the catapuiting strain, the plane has a catapulting stress allowance of 48,000 pounds, according to Col. B, P, Castle, president of Great Lakes Air- craft Corporation, who accompanied the plane here from Cleveland. ‘The plane carries four machine one built into the top wing and con- trolled by the pilot, two in a rear gun- ner's cockpit and one mounted to fire through a trap in the fuselage floor. Radio System Provided. Complete radio and inter-plane tele- phone systems are nrovided, and there also is a tube to carry messages from pllot to the rear compartments. A crew of three is required to man the plane. Following vertical power diving tests with 1,000-pound load, in addition to full tanks of fuel and ofl, the Martin diving bomber has been partially dis- mantled for inspection of all parts for damage resulting from strain. Tests will be resumed as soon as this inspec- tion is completed. ORDER FORD PLANES Two Tri-Motored Ships Will Be Added to Navy. Orders for two all-metad tri-motored Ford planes, with special equipment for military use, have been awarded by the Navy Department and the first of the planes is to be delivered at the Ana- costia Naval Air Station probobly early next month. The second will be delivered in Detroit & month later. ‘The planes will be of the 5-AT model, powerd by three Fratt and Whitney Wasp motors developing a total of 1,260 horsepower. A trap door will be built in the floor to permit the loading of an extra motor for delivery to stranded planes or for other purposes., The seats be of a special type to accommodate men wearing parachutes and the doors are designed to open easily and quickly for parachute jumps. ~ 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. Metpo. 8626 Eetp— QUALITY IS+« THE «: BEST - POLICY =t GRARAM .. 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