Evening Star Newspaper, April 20, 1930, Page 51

Model Aircraft | BY GEORGE W. WATERS. HE Kite Bug came to town the other day and went on a biting spree. And from all evidence he concentrated his attack on every model plane pilot in Washington. The first thing we know the city will be in darkness, what with all these kites shadowing the sun. (No humor intended?) glizie Kite Bug, like its big sister, the Golf Bug, has bitten young It flew in Tommy Somebody's window the other day and came smack down on Granddaddy’s invitingly shiny head. And it wasn’t long before Granddaddy and Tommy were down in the basement | making kites. But, unfortunately, it failed to sink its fangs in Miss/| Cynthia Groucho, the neighborhood radio. Miss Grouche Objects. For when Granddaddy with his head glistening in the sun and Tommy with his pie-eating smile got down to some heavy and consistent kite flying Miss Groucho's newly washed clothes on an upper ch became entangled in the kite line, to which offense Miss Groucho vigorously broadcast disapproval, while a very, very curious group of neighbors listened in. But Granddaddy, whose head had taken on a reddish hue, and Tommy. whose pie-eating smile had suddeni diminished, were not to be outdone ‘They took their prize kite, trimmed it up & bit, and entered it in the kite contests being staged here under the auspices of the District Model Aircraft | League. And from the looks of things, other kite-bug-bitten persons are not to be outdone, Kite Contest Scheduled. Here's plenty about kites ‘Three special trophies will be awarded to the three champions in the city-wide kite contest, which is to be held Thursday afternoon, April 24, at 1 o'clock st Chevy Chase Field, between Wisconsin and Western avenues at the District line. The contest is given under the direction of the District of Columbia Model Aircraft League and is sponsored by the National Aeronautic Associa- tion and by outstanding Government experts in the field of aeronautics, The champlon trophies will be awarded to: The maker of the most beautiful or most unique kite; the maker of the kite displaying the best work- and the maker of the kite giving best performance at the con- test. Hundreds of boys and girls are busy bulding kites of various styles in the hope of being among the winners of the afterrioon. Buttons to Be Presented. In addition to the championship trophies there will be buttons for ail contestants and there will be red, yel- low and blue ribbons for winners in all four groups in all four classes of kites, making 48 ribbon winners in the con- test, all of whom will receive, in ad- dition, membership in the league, to- gether with the green and white sweater emblem and the D. C. M. A. L. pin. Contestants must register their en- tries between the hours' of 1 and 3 o'clock April 24 at the Chevy Chase field. Each contestant will be required to certify that he built his kite him- self, except in the group 4, when an adult may assist a subjunior in building as well as fiying his kite. This group is known as the “father and son” gTroup. Important rules of the forthcoming contest include the following: 1. There is no limit to the number of kites which a contestant may enter. 2. No kite stick shall exceed 5 feet in length. . 3. Immediately upon entering the field on Thursday afternoon contest- ants must go directly to the registra- tion headquarters and present their kites for inspection by the receiving committee; then, having received their contestant’s button, all contestants must present their kites to the judges in reg- ular order, and no kite shall be flown until the three judges for performance give the signal. Prior to this the judges |for beauty and for workmanship will have passed upon the kites. The contest will ciose at 5 o'clock, and no kite will be judged after that | hour. Judges for beauty of design and | decoration are Burtis Baker, Felfx Ma- | hony and Hugo Inden, all well known artists of Wasnington; judges for work- manship will be F. A. Woodward of Gordon Junior High School, W. F. | Darmady ‘of the Bureau of Standards and O. Scheidel of the manual train- g department, District of Columbia ublic schools; judges for performance will be Dr. H. L. Dryden of the Bureau of Standards, Paul Edward Garber of | Smithsonian” Institution and S. T. Ferguson of the Weather Bureau. Commitiees for the kite contest in- lude: On rules, Mrs. Susie Root Rhodes |'and Paul Edward Garber. On judges and awards, Miss Sibyl Baker, Miss Maud Parker and Mrs, Giles Scott Rafter. On fleld supervision, John H. Williams, E. L. Conney, H. S. Harbour, The recelving committee includes to date R. 8. Williams, W. A. Roth of the community center department, Miss Gertrude Driscoll and Miss Helen Stohl- man of the elementary science depart- ment, public schools, and others. Miss Esther Scott is general ‘chairman of all committees for the kite contest. Club Contest Planned. John Sullivan, model planes pilot, writes in to tell more about kites. “The Washington Model Flying Club, with Robert Towles as president, has challenged the Capitol Model Aero Club to a kite contest April 21. “The contest is to be for only, and the winner is to be present- ed a prize by the loser. This is known as the contest prize. Mr. Young, our adviser, is the one who drew up the plans which were ‘O K'd’ by both clubs. “The contest will start at 11 o'clock at the Chevy Chase Flying Field, both clubs to meet at Chevy Chase Circle and march to the field. “The Washington Model Flying Club, which meets at the Washington Model Aero Supply Co. every second and fourth Saturday of the month, will welcome any members who can build and fly model planes, and will uphold the standing of the club. At present the Washington Mode! Flying Club is leading the race for the committee cup given each year by the D. C. M. A. L. for the club having the greatest num- ber of points.” Plan Meet April 26, The District Model Arcraft League will hold a contest at the John Quincy Adams School at 9:30 o'clock the morn- ing of April 26. Here are the winners in the contest held at Bolling Field April 12: Class Ace—First, John Sullivan, 9 points; second, Everett Meeks and Rob- ert Towles, 5; third, Luther Schmidt, 3. Class A—First, Oliver Larison, 5. Class B—First, Billy Street, 8; second, Lloyd Barrett and Frank Salisbury, 5; third, Robert Starkey, 3. Class C—First, Lloyd Bushing, 8; sec- d, Hugh Kabler; third, Monroe Bran- denburg and Douglas Phillips, 4. Class Prank Ball, jr, 8; McNell, 5; third, second, _ Richa George Petrides, 4. John H. Williams was in charge. Re- corders and timers were E. L. Cooney, H. S. Harbour, Kenneth Petrie. PLANE FIRE DANGER 1§ ELIMINATED New Diesel Motor Promises Safety for Aviators, Its Makers Claim. DETROIT (#).—Danger of fire will cease to be the bughear of aviators using the new Packard-Diesel aircraft engine, its makers claim. Fire that might follow a crash. or breakage of a fuel line in flight has been prevented by elimination of the electrical ignition system, according.to construction details of the motor re- leased today. Marked economy in the cost of oper- ation is another advantage of the new engine, its builder, Capt. L. M. Wool- son, says. In the Diesel engine pure air is com- pressed in the cylinders te a point that raises its temperature 1,000 degrees F. to ignite atomized fuel ofl. “Thousands of hours of ground and flight testing,” the statement said, “have proved it is impossible to ignite accidentally the fuel oil used in the en- gine. It is practically essential to atomize this fuel into a very fine spray | before it can be ig time has it been pos at ail, and at no ible to start a fire under any conditions simulating the re- | sult of an airplane crash or accidental breakage of the fuel line in flight.” In fuel consumption, it is claimed, a 20 per ‘cent reduction in weight, as compared with a gasoline engine has been achieved. Fur is the fuel used. Due to the higher specific the ofl, & saving of more th cent by volume is effected. C: vity of n 30 per of fuel DIESEL is also reduced, owing to the lower | grade used and the higher. efficiency of the Diesel principle, it is declared. Absence of electrical ignition 91 - ment removes a troublesome obstacle to extensive radio use in airplanes, ac- | cording to the manufacturers. A com- | plete absence of radio interference has been noted in test flights. Excessively high or low air tempera- tures also do not affect the new engine, it is claimed. - NAVAL AVIATION DEATH TOLL IS CUT Fatality Rate Is Improved 100 Per Cent in First Six Months of Fiscal Year. Marked improvement in the fatality rates in naval aviation is revealed in a report covering the first six months of the current fiscal year, which is be- lieved to show the best record ever made by any military organization, the | Navy Department has announced. During the six months the Navy flew approximately 21,510 hours per fatal ac- cident and approximately 14,340 hours per fatality, the records show. “There is a chance that it may be bettered during the closing six months of the year if all possible efforts are made by the operating personnel,” it | was stated in the announcement. The fatalities during the six months were one commissioned naval aviator, one student naval aviator, one Brazilian officer, one Marine naval aviator, one | Marine officer passenger, one Marine | mechanic, one Marine Reserve officer, one Marine Reserve sergeant and one | chiet aviation pilot. Not only has the fatality rate im- proved more than 100 per cent, the | records show, but the ratio of hours per | crash also remains low, though not | quite as favorable as during the previ- {ous six months. PROMISES AIR SAFETY THE SUNDAY INCREASED SAFETY IN AVIATION SEEN Commerce Chamber Official Reports Fewer Accidents in Air Revealed by Survey. Increased safety in all types of com- | mercial flying in the United States, and especially in scheduled air transport operations, is revealed in the semi- annual report of aircraft accidents, made public during the past week by Clarence M. Young, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics. The report, covering the last half of 1929, shows that the percentage of fatal accidents in proportion to the number of miles flown has decreased as com- pared with the same period of 1928. During the period covered by the re- port civil aireraft in the United States flew a fotal of 78.940.161 miles, an in- crease of 25,000,000 miles over the same period in 1928. This total includes all Operations of aircraft, among them STAR, WASHINGTONY D. C. APRIL 20, 1930—PART FOUR. s poei. comess 22| SEVEN-DAY AIRMAIL SERVICE transport operations. In scheduled air transport operations, including the carrying of the air mails, passengers and express on scheduled service, there were 15940,161 miles flown, with only 15 fatal accidents, or| Inauguratisn of uven-d:ge airmail one to each 1,062,677 miles. In 1928 service from all parts of United for the same six months there were| States to B Alres over United 6.183,838 miles flown, with seven fatal ' States domestfc and foreign airmail accidents, or one for each 884,120 miles. lines is to take place April 26 and will In miscellaneous civil air operations, | be made possible X part by the world's including the hazardous student train-| longest airmail ocean crossing on regu- ing, experimental and test fight flying, | lar_schedule. there were 168 fatal accidents to 63| Every large city in the country is to 000,000 miles flown, or one fatal acci- dent to each 375,000 miles. ] For both transport and miscellaneous operations there was one fatal accident | to each 431,367 miles flown during the| Jast six months of 1929, as against one| for each 416,837 miles flown during the same period in 1928. | There were 924 accidents of all kinds in civil aviation operations during the last half of 1929, or one for each 85433 | Car! | miles. | | During the last half of 1928 there| were 692 accidents of all kinds, or one | for each 78,308 miles of flying. The causes of accidents are divided | |into four major classifications—person- | | nel, power plant failures, airplane fail- | ures and miscellaneous—and one minor |class devoted to undetermined and | doubtful causes. | | 'The largest percentage of accidents| was attributed to personnel, the total | | being 55.75 per cent. The next largest! be given seven-day sexvice, through air- mail networks which will conve at Miami, Fla., and Brownsville, Tex. From these points the mail will be transferred to planes of Pan-American ., operating the contract foreign airmail service to Central and South America. Mail from the eastern half of the United States destined for South Amer- line cutting across the heart of the aribbean Sea. Except for a 50-mile stretch along the coast of Central cause was power plant amount- ing to 18.95 per cent. Airplane struc- tural failures contributed 11.26 per cent and miscellaneous 8.47 ‘per cent. the miscellaneous class weather was credited with 4.12 per cent; airport and terrain, 2.12 per cent; darkness, .61 per cent, and other causes, 1.62 per cent. The percentage of undetermined and doubtful causes was 5.57. In| TO SOUTH AMERICA PLANNED America, the mail planes will fiy over the ocean for 12 hours between 6 a.m. and 6 pm. ‘The first transcaribbean scheduled mail flight will begin at 6 a.m., April 27, when a Pan-American amphibian piloted by Basil Rowe and lward Schultz, veteran foreign airmail pilots, and carrying a radio operator and the mails, will take off from Havana and head direct for Cape Gracias a Dios, on the headlands where the Nicaraguan and Honduran boundary meets the sea, 600 miles from Cuba. For six hours, they will fly over the ocean, aided in their navigation by radio contacts with Pan-American radio sta- tions. Arriving off Cape Gracias a Dios, the plane will continue south along the where a modern flying fleld has built and where fuel will await them. From Tuapi, the plane will head away from the coast aj on the direct line over the ocean to France Pield, Canal | Zone, where the plane is scheduled to arrive 12 hours out of Miami. Mail from the western half of the | United States, carried over converging | mail lines to Brawnsville, will be flown from there over the Pan-American line | Prance Pleld. coast about 50 miles to Tuapi hfim' | en through Mexico and Central America to | a Vi oring ‘mail leaving Américan ¢ Priday night to 8t. , Ecuador, ol Monday night; to Lima, Peru, Tuesds: night; to : Chile, Wednesday night; to Santiago, Chile, Thursday night, and over the Andes into Buenos Aires at 4:30 Friday afternoon. ‘The same schedule will be followed on the return flight and planes of the line will fly 88 miles a week, linking 27 nations by air. Last year Pan- American planes flew 2,086,000 miles, maintaining a schedule during which 99.67 per cent of all flights were com- pleted, according to records of the Post Office Department. ‘The National Capital will be con- nected with the Pan-American line through Eastern Alr Transport. oper- ating from New York to Miami. At- lanta will be a mail concentration point on the East Coast, mail planes con- verging there from Minneapolis, St. Paul, Chicago, Kansas City, St. Louis, New Orleans, Birmingham, Detroit, Cleveland, Buffalo, Rochester, Montreal, Albany, Boston, New York, Philadel- phia, Washington and Baltimore. From Atlanta all the mail will go over the Eastern Air Transport line Miami. ._Mail rates, per half ounce, from in the Uni States to Felntl in ith America are listed as follows: Argen- tina, 55 cents; Uruguay, 55 cents: e, 50 cents; Bolivia, 40 cents; Peru, 40 cents; Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela and the British, French and Dutch Oul':nu. 30 cents, and Panama, 20 cents. FRENCH FIRM BACKS AVIATION PROJECT Proposes First Heavier-Than-Air Sea Line to Link Toulouse and Buenos Aires. B the Associated Press. u"rh;flflr:tc hoe::‘ls-t.h.m-nlr line over e Atlan is proj he French Aeropostale Oo.p i Toulouse, Prance, will connected with Bueuos Aires, Argentina, by the service, according to plans re) to the Department of Commerce by W. L. Finger, Paris trade commissioner. ‘The route is in existence, but steam- ers which have plied hetween Dakar, Africa, and Natal, Brazil, will be re- moved in favor of sea planes, which are expected to cut travel times in half to four days. Inauguration of the service “in the near future” will give wings to the line between the two points where Africa and South America are closest mgflnr. 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National Auto Sales 1812 E St. N.w, 33 New York Ave. N.E. . e Increased safety and efficiency are claimed for the new Packard-Diesel air- m& wdul.nhnn.h section _(right) and on plane (left), by its bullder, Capt.