Evening Star Newspaper, September 21, 1930, Page 57

AVIATION BY JOSEPH S. EDGERTON. ASHINGTONIANS appar- | inaugural period will'stand as one ently are taking to air|of the most remarkably success- transportation with all| ful in air transport history. -Its the avidity of so many |initial success and whatever suc- young gaslins hiking for the|cess it may achieve in the im- nearest watering trough. If the|mediate future will be due large- air passenger records of the past|ly to the efforts of Paul “Dog” two weeks are maintained, the|Coliins, one of the country's air travel enthusiasts of this city | greatest airmail pilots, who is in soon will be able to crawl out of | charge of the line’s operations, their hiding places in the dark|and Eugene Vidal of this ¢ corners and even to stick out!mer Army pilot, who is a vice their chests and begin to strut a,president of the line. 3 Congratulations Pour In. For several years this city has| been the only large capital city! Collins and Vidal have been re- in the world without a real air|ceiving congratulatory messages transport passenger service. To-|from all parts of the country. day it finds itself the terminal for | Among the letters received by Vi- one of the most heavily traveled | dal is the following from Charles passenger air lines the world has| W. Darr, president of the Wash- 8een, surpassing by far the world- | ington Chamber of Commerce: famous line between London and| “From today's papers I learn Paris. | with the greatest of pleasure that It is natural to expect a falling| your line has established a new ! off in the volume of travel as the | world record for the number of first novelty of a new air passen- | passengers carried in interstate ger line wears off. Officials of the | traffic by an air passenger line. { New York, Philadelphia & Wash-| “It is most heartening news to | ington Airway Corporation, how-|learn that your splendid new ever, are confident that the d hourly service in so short a space | crease on this score will be less of time has placed America's! than has been experienced by any | Capital City upon an air passen- previous line. ger line which has shown such The tremendous volume of | wonderful performance. “passenger hopping” over the “All chamber members, I am National Capital, amounting to|sure, are proud of your achleve-| some . 72,000 passengers in two|/ment and extend their hearty years,’' is making “thrill” riding congratulations.” here a thing of the past. You Collins, who was in charge of can't very well boast about having operations for the Transconti- taken an airplane ride. Too| nental Air Transport system be- many people are doing it to make | fore its consolidation with the the boast worth while. Maddux Line, is building up a Buying Transportation. staff of tri-motored plane pilots The character of the people who are patronizing the air lines out of Washington is comforting to those who advocate air trans- portation for ordinary business and social purposes. It is appar- ent to any one who cares to spend a little time at Washington- Hoover Airport that a large pro- rtion of the passengers are not uying airplane rides, but that they are buying fast, comfortable transportation. The fact that they able to travel quickly and con- veniently at a cost comparable with other forms of transporta- tion. Many business and professional men are making frequent round trips over the line. It is not un- usual to see a man come to the airport by taxicab, briefcase in hand,.a few minutes before hourly plane time, and sit down quietly to read a newspaper until the an- nouncer informs him his plane is | ready: Though the schedule provides | 10 planes daily out of Washing- ton over the Nypwac Line, this has not been sufficient, and on several days since the line was established on Labor day, it has been necessary to run double sections. This has been true par- ticularly on the last runs of the day, the final flight being made from Washington and New York terminals at 5 p.m. In addition to the 200 seats available daily on the Nypwac Line, there are more than a score more places available | in the big tri-motored planes of Eastern Air Transport, flying daily between New York and Richmond, with a stop at Wash- ington Airport, and on Saturday New York Airways operates a lane between this city and At- antic City, connecting there with planes to New York. Consider Schedule Change. As a result of the heavy de- mand for seats, especially during the morning and afternoon, offi- cials of the Nypwac Line aAre considering a 30-minute instead of an hourly schedule in the early morning and late afternoon, with a possible 2-hour service during the middle of the day when traffic is lighter. During the first 10 days of op- eration of the line, a total of 1,557 paid passengers were carried, and a total of nearly 39,000 miles were flown. Seven out of 200 flights scheduled during that period were canceled because of weather, and two others were incompleted, making a record of 95 per cent performance of schedule. traveling by air is lnci-f dental to the fact that they are| | for the new line which is ex- | pected to be one of the best in the | country. Though all the pilots on | the run have had a minimum of 3,000 hours of flying time, Collins |8aid, they all are working on a | trial basis and will have to make good on the basis of their records on the new line in erder to re- main. | Airport A-Buzz. ‘What with all the air transport | activity and the recently consurg- mated working agreement be- tween Washington Airport and | Hoover Field, resulting in the transfer of much of Hoover’s fly- ing activity to Washington Air- port, the new administration building has become one of the busiest aviation centers in this part of the country. There always {is a stir and bustle there these | days. Taxicabs and busses come and go; there are many private places and inside porters hustle around with baggage. So busy has the airport become that two more loading gates have :been constructed, making five gates through which passengers may be loaded or unloaded from local or interstate planes. There is scarcely a 15-minute period dur- ing the day when some plane is not in motion on the airport or above it, and the tri-motored plane movements during the day compare favorable with those at the country’s busiest airports. The agreement between the Capital's two leading private air- ports is a most sensible arrange- ment and one which should prove beneficial to the managements of both fields, the aviation industry and the flying public. Hazard Eliminated. One of the most important re- sults of the agreement from the standpoint of the public is the elimination of the potential haz- ard from crossing of the lanes of | take-offs and landings from the two fields under certain wind con- ditions. Though pilots from both fields have exercised excellent tion and have gotten away with- out accident, the situation was | one which might have resulted in trouble. Under the new arrange- ment this particular hazard has been disposed of most effectively. The agreement also makes pos- sible the best possible handling of the separate iteins of interstate air transport flying and local pas- | senger hopping or sightseeing. For the present both types of fly- ing are being done chiefly at the Washington Airport site. With |the slightest traffic congestion, cars parked on the wide parking | judgment in meeting this situa- There have been several dem-|however, the local hopping can | enstrations during the opening two weeks of service of the abil- | be shifted across the road to the Hoover Field site, either for an ity of the tri-motored Stinsons|hour or a day so as to “clear the | used on the line to fly with fulk load and two engines. On one of the first flights a passenger threw an empty bottle into a propeller. ‘The shock unkeyed the propeller and resulted in wrecking of the engine. The flight was completed on schedule on two engines. On another occasion a nut fell into the crankcase of one of the en- gines and smashed up the motor badly. The run was completed on two engines ¥ The establishment of service on the line every hour on the hour was decided upon in an effort to avoid any complexity of schedules One of the problems with which air transport, like bus transporta- tion, has had to contend has been complexity of schedules and un- certainty of the public about how | to use the line, Nypwac officials stated Airport Location Helps. Railroad tracks, they pointed out, are permanent features of the landscape and advertise themselves. The exceptionally convenient location of Washing- ton-Hoover Airport, one of the most accessible airport sites pos- sessed by any large city, has ob- viated one of the irritating con- ditions in air travel. The hourly schedule was an effort at further simplification, obviating the need for time tables The time schedule by airplane from downtown Washington to | atmosphere.” More efficient servicing and | storing of visiting ships also is made possible by the agreement, which brings under unified man- agement the four hangars, two machine shops and independent servicing plants of the two air- ports. Lighting of Hoover Field for night operations is made unnec- |essary by the unification of the | field managements. The recent | lighting of Washington Airport is expected to provide all the com- mercial facilities required for night operations for the all night *an be handled on the single area As a result of the recent air transport developments and the | alrport agreement civil aviation progress in the National Capital | during the past two weeks has |been greater than during any | similar period in the city's his- | tory. | AIR GUIDE ISSUED Department of Commerce Publishes | Canada. Information on | F to C Canada the Department of merce | licensed seaplane ports, fogether | | imme- | the new | benefit of American pilots flying | Com- | has issued a bulletin describing | 47 licensed Canadian airports and 34 | with | i downtown New York is placed at 2 | jocations and descriptions of many un- hours and 40 minutes, including |licenszed landing places for both types bus transportation from the land- | of planes. ing field in Newark, N. J,, to New | The bulletin also contains a sum- York, and transportation from |mary of topographic and climatic con- downtown Washington to Wash- | ditions in Canada, information regard- - | ing lighting and communication facili- ington-Hoover Airport. | ties and extracts from the Canadian rour daily connections With| sy Regulations dealing with alr trafic Colonial Air Transports are made | rules, at Newark Airport, bringing Bos- ton to within four hours of the National Capital. The line re- duces travel time to New York by half and the trip to Boston can Ee made in one-third the former| ., Airport instead of Hldl‘;y Hfll‘i, ime. N. J. Mail trucks drive from the Whatever may happen to the|Newark Airport to the Battggy in 35 Nypwac Line in the future, its|minutes. PRSI sl 158 Airmail Saves Hour. One hour is saved in the handling of irmail sent from the West to New York :nd Washington by landing at the New- ) ~KEY~ —— MAIN AIR ROUTES R WTES SUSPENDED ¢ &'{?nm wrfirffl MONTHS emasa PRINCIPAL CONNECTIONS! BY LAND OR SEA LEAD AL EUROPE DESPTE NETWORS Glover Cites Commercial Field. Influence on Aviation By the Associated Press. American flyers are continuing a record-setting pace in transporting the mails. In the first half of 1930 they car- ried 3744453 pounds, 202,375 more than they flew in all of 1928. Euro- | pean countries, though covered with a fine network of lines, have been un- | able to challenge the record. Where the United States carried 7,097,281 pounds of mail in 1929, Ger- many reported 897,878 pounds; France, 216,714 pounds, and Italy, 141,653 pounds. Glover Praises System. W. Irving Glover, Assistant Post- master General under whom the American network has largely been routed, says that the airmail systém “has done more to build up and stimu- late the field of commercial aviation than any other Governmental agency.” American malil pilots fly an average of 52,121 scheduled airplane miles dally, speeding their cargo throughout the Nation, feeding into lines that have spread into Pan-America and Canada, and to steamships that find planes waiting for them in foreign ports. Great Britain, with little develop- ment possible on its isies, has pushed alrways down into Indla; France has read to African possessions and ross to South America, and Japan is linked with the Asiatic mainland by air. It is poesible to fly from London to Russia, from Stockholm to India. Steamship Service Speeded. Planes leave & number of steamships from 300 to 600 miles from shore, saving several days in mail delfveries. Mountain-bound communities in South America have been able to cut mail deliveries from 28 to 4 days. LARGEST AMPHIBIAN PLANE STARTS TOUR 16-Passenger Sikorsky Will Visit| East Coast of South America. [ The largest amphibian plane ever | tuilt, & 16-passenger Sikorsky, known | as the 8-41 type, is to be put in service | today by Pan-American Alrways at| Miami, Fla. The big plane is to leave | on an inspection tour of the east coast of South America as far south as| Buenos Aires and will carry officials .of the airways line, which 15 the United | States contract airmail organization in | South America. The §-41 is powered with two Pratt & Whitney Hornets, delivering a total | of 1,150 horsepower. The S-41 s in-| termediate between the §-38, which holds several world records for alti- | tude and speed with loads, and the | 8-40, forty-passenger ocean-going am- | phibian now under construction at the Bridgeport, Conn., plant One of the principal objects of the inspection tour will be a survey of the equipment and stations of the New York, Rio & Buenos Aires Lines, re- cently acquired by Pan-American Afr- ways. The tour will require five weeks, and the plane will be piloted by Basii Rowe, who was Col. Charles A. Lind: bergh's co-pilot on his Central and | South American inauguration flights | over the Pan-American lines. ! The S-41 is rated for a useful load of 22 tons, and its gross weight is 61 tons. It has a wing span of nearly 79 feet and an overall length of more than 45 feet. It has a cruising speed of 110 miles per hour, top speed of 125 miles per hour and service ceiling of 16,500 feet, 1t is claimed. The hull is all metal, covered with alclad sheeting and is fitted with wa- ter-tight compartments for operation in heavy seas. The wings are metal, with fabric covering. It has a tafl wheel, a new feature of amphibian de- slgn, and wheel brakes PLANES ABLE TO LAND ON NEW AIRPORT LIGHTS Top Surface of Markers Level With Ground, Allowing Craft to Roll Across Them Safely. As an aid to pilots who must land after dark on airports with which they are not thoroughly familiar, a new type of marker light has been perfected for outlining landing circles and marking the direction of runways. The light is designed for installation in the ground, .with the top surface flush, so that planes may roll over it. serfes of such lights, Installed as & circle 100 feet in diameter, may be used to mark the center of the landing area, with arms pointing along the runways The glass top is nearly an inch thick and is set in plastic cement to make the light box water-tight and to produce | & surface across which planes may be | {axied or upon which they may even | 1and. Planes Reduce Alaskan Travel. Travel by Alaska this Winter will be cheaper than by dog team, which costs $25 per day with driver, or 65 cents per passenger mile, ‘with an average speed of 30 to 40 mile: a day. The airplane has reduced dog- team mail time between Nenana and ‘Nome from 29 days to 4 hours. Gold dust and furs are carried between Nome and Fairbanks, 540 miles, at $1.50 per pounds alrplane in souTm AMERICA eozABETH This map shows how a world-wide network of airways speeds your letters. New airmail routes are being developed constantly and the volume of mail is increasing monthly, especially in the United States, where more than 7,000,000 pounds of mail were flown last year. RULES ON AIRWORTHINESS BEFORE CONFERENCE HERE |Parley to Be First Under New Code| That Allows Makers to Give Their Views. recommendations rather than ironclad | What is regarded as one of the mns” . 2 requirements. important conferences of the year from | the standpoint of the aviation industry | Manufacturers of aircraft do nof look favorably upon the present procedure of Erlmlldr‘rn!lon of changes in the air-| even though the change be minor as | is to be held at the Department of Com- | filing a ream of blueprints and engineer- | merce Thursday and Friday for the| INg data with every new design of plane - | compared with the craft approved by & e enoaoments of the alr| Crlious set of enginecring data. They Radical changes which have been |hope to have the department recognize made in the economic structure of the | the responsibility of the major com- aeronautical industry during the year | panies and permit the minor changes on will have a marked effect on the views | improved type planes upon the presen- of manufacturers regarding the pro- | | posed changes which will be discussed | by officials of the aeronautics branch of the Department of Commerce and representatives of the industry. First Under New Code. | ‘The conference will be the first held under a new code of procedure, which | affords the manufacturers full oppor- tunity to express their views before | airworthiness requirements as promul- | gated by the department. The air-| posed for consideration this week are designed to cover the many new de- velopments in_aircraft design and con- struction developed during the year. | In the main, it was explained by Clarence M. Young, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Aeronautics, the changes are intended to bring about greater safety and reliability in aircraft design and construction. | Alrcraft manufacturers face _the problem of building airplanes which will meet the demands of the natural economic market. This means that painstaking consideration must be given factors of price and economic oper- atlon. Under the pressure brought to bear upon them the manufacturers | cannot devote their time to a product which, though it may be entirely satis- factory from an engineering standpoint, will have no market ‘The need for finding a happy medium makes this week’'s conference of vital importance to manufacturers. Simplicity to Be Urged. | Through their national trade organ- | ization, the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce, the manufacturers will urge upon the department the utmost possible simplicity of regulation in 68 proposed changes in the requirements for manu- facture of aircraft. In addition to the 68 changes advanced by the manufac- | turers, the Department of Commerce has listed 67 proposed changes in the engineering code, which all manufactur- ers of aircraft must follow in detail to | produce aircraft for the commercial market which will meet the approval of the Department of Commerce. The | changes proposed by the department | also point toward an attitude of greater engineering freedom, without sacrifice of safety. The proposed changes in the require- ments are of importance to the aircraft | engineer and manufacturer because they are certain to direct the trend of air- craft engineering. The manufacturers | will seek to prevent adoption of too de- | tailad requirements which might re- sult in the curbing of initiative among designers, whose engineering innovations may improve the science of aviation and result in construction of safer, faster and more economical airplanes. While the conference is expected to | be a peaceful one, it is indicated by members of the industry; nevertheless | they are coming to the Capital prepared to fight for simplicity of regulation. The manufacturers will meet here for two days prior to the joint conference and expect to have their problems ironed out before going into the session with Department of Commerce officials, Against Ironclad Rules, One recommendation which probably | will be made at the conference is that responsible manufacturers be given more latitude in designing and building planes and that the air worthiness requirements of the Department of Commerce be changed gradually to take the form of worthiness requirements changes pro- | | tation of an affidavit. “Engineering inspections and tests as required under the present regulations are keeping the cost of aircraft so high that the persons who want to fly cannot | for the most part afford a plane,” one | manufacturer said in discussing the vital | importance of the conference. WOMEN'S FLYING CORPS MEETS THIS AFTERNOON | Club to Form Ground School Class. Instructor Coming From Bal- timore by Air. The Eagle Wings Flying Club, Flving]: Corps of the Women's City Club, will | | meet at the club house, 22 Jackson | place, this afternoon from 3 to 6 o'clock | to organize an October ground school | class. Weather permitting, the instruc- | tor, Lieut. Louls M. Rawlins, jr, will | fly over from Baltimore to show moving pictures of the national air races. Men and women interested in taking the ground course are invited to attend. ‘The next ground school class will begin early in October, There will be two one-hour lectures, with 10. minutes intermission, every Friday evening at 8 o'clock at the club house. This is a standard ground school course approved by the Department of Commerce. Both men and women are admitted {0 the classes. Application may be made to Mrs. Tyler B. Steever, 2400 Sixteenth street, Columbia 1200, or 22 Jackson place, National 2060. The Eagle Wings Flying Club offers | two classes of memberships. Flying memberships are open to graduates of the ground school, who have passed the physical examination for student | pilots’ permits required by the aero- nautics branch of the Department of Commerce. Non-flylng memberships are | open to people who do not care to fly, but who are interested in aviation and wish to help in its development. LANGLEY W.INS AWARD Gets Engineering Prize for Putting 111 Pilots Through Courses. | The Navy aircraft carrier Langley has been awarded the Navy engineering prize for the cruiser class, a red “E,” | and additional prize money for excei- lence in the training of pilots during | the present aircraft tactical cencentra- | tion, the Navy Department has an- nounced. The award was based on the record |of the Langley in putting 111 pilots | through qualification or refresher courses | without a single major casualty. Army Receives Ten New Planes. The Army Air Corps has just taken delivery of 10 high-speed P-12C Boeing | Wasp-powered pursuit planes on the Army contract for 131 of these fighters. They are similar to the previous Boeing fighters, except for an engine ring cowl. It is expected to develop a speed, with full military load, in excess of that of the P-12B, which flew 184 miles | ' per hour. iCash Prizes Worth $1,800 Offered at Contests at Elmira, N. Y. Edward S. Evans’ Duration Award Among Most Popular Contests. By the Associated Press, ELMIRA, N. Y, September 20— America’s aces of motorle: aviation | will compete for cash prizes in a na- | tional gliding contest her beginning | tomorrow and continuing to October 5, | under auspices of the National Glider | Association. Lieut. Ralph S. Barnaby, U. 8. N.; Wil- champion; Jack Barstow, unofficial world record holder, who flew more {than 15 hours at San Diego : few and Capt. Frank Hawks. Cash Prizes Offered. ‘There also will be representatives of glider clubs from several cities |~ Willlam B. Mayo, president of the national association, says the Wright | Aeronautical Corporation has donated prizes totaling $1,000, and about $800 additional prize money is being raised. | Most leading pilots, Mayo says, have indicated a desire to enter the contest |for the Edward S. Evans Duration Trophy and other Events covered by are longest distance, ds, Wright prizes ght line, shut- PILOTS TO BE COMPETITORS IN CONTESTS WITH GLIDERS Participants are expected to_include | liam H. Bowlus, official American glider | | months ago; Dr. Wolfgang Klemp@rrr‘ | WILLIAM H. BOWLUS. | tle distance, rounding two identified points, and duration. Other events probably will include ing closest to a mark on airport from ridge, shock-cord, landing closest to mark, auto towing, and duration soar- ing from airplane towing. There are nearly 300 glider clubs in the United States, with 3,000 members. Many of these will be ineligible to com- pete, due to lack of training and equip- ment: | County Airport, Wayne, Mic] | Louis and Cleveland. | Bureau of Aeronautic altitude above the starting point, land- | 1., BASES LOCATED FOR PLANE TESTS Permanent Steps Taken in Decentralizing Inspection Facilities. Another important step is being taken by the aeronautics branch of the De- partment of Commerce in its program of decentralizing inspection and test facilities so as to keep pace with the growth of the aviation industry. This involves the establishment of engineer- ing test bases in various parts of the country so that every aircraft manu- facturing plant will be within at least two hours’ flying time of one of the bases. At these bases, four of which now | are being established, with others to follow, Department of Commerce in- spectors will be permanently stationed to handle the engineering inspection and flight testing of civil aircraft as to airworthiness and eligibility for | Federal licersse, Today there are no established sta- tions where test work of this nature | may be conducted. It is the policy for | inspectors to go irom one aircraft fac- | tory to another as the demand arises. Greater Number of Tests. Under the new program, it is be- lieved, a greater number of tests can be conducted in a given period due to the saving of travel time on the part of the inspectors, which can be used for test- ing. Two or more engineering inspec- tors will be assigned to each base and this will result in elimination of argu- ments which sometimes arise when questions regarding the flight charac- teristics of an airplane are left to the opinion of an individual inspector, it is believed. Another advantage of the new plan, it was pointed out, is that the manu- facturer of airplanes which must be submitted for flight testing will know definitely where the engineering in- spectors may be reached and will be able to arrange in advance for a defi- nite date for test. ‘The new arrangement, according to the Department of Commerce, not only will expedite the flight testing of air- craft for approved type certificates but also will make it possible to conduct such tests in a more efficient manner than now is possible. The four initial engineering test bases now being established are to be ready for operation about October 1 at Roosevelt Field, Long Island; Wayne Fairfax Alrport, Kansas City, Kans., and Munic- ipal Airport, Los Angeles. ' At each of these stations theregwill be scales for weighing the Mrcr!fl submitted for flight test, ballast for loading the planes to determine load flight characteristics, and instruments for checking qualita- tive flight performance. Other Stations Planned. Other stations have been planned for Oakland, Calif.; Wichita, Kans.; St. They will be equipped as the necessity arises and funds become available. Until they are ready aircraft to be tested at these points will be tested by inspectors from the nearest existing station The first important step in the de- centralizing program was the establish- ment of field facilities for the testing of aircraft engines for approved type certificates, ‘The plan, according to officials of the aeronautics branch, adapis itself to further expansion and the decentralization of other phases of test inspection as developments may warrant. BROADCAST STATIONS AID AIR NAGIVATION Aeronautics Demonstrates Possibilities. The possibllity of using ordinary radio broadcast stations for ' airplane navigation was demonstrated during the last week by Lieut. Comdr. Donald B. Duncan of the radio section, Navy , in a flight from Anacostia Naval Alr Station to Hart- ford, Conn., in an O2U observation plane, Navigation during. the flight was ac- complished almost entirely by means of a radio compass, bearings being taken on numerous broadcast stations, all of which Comdr. Duncan traced down and found to be absolutely ac- curate. During one portion of the flight from Hartford, Conn., to Bound Brook, N. J, on the return trip, radio station WJZ was used in taking bearings for navigational purposes. Visibility was poor, the course being directly across Manhattan Island, where considerable smoke and haze were encountered and the value of the radio compass was well demonstrated, Comdr. Duncan reported on his return’ here, YOUNG FASCISTS TRAINED | TO RUN GLIDERS, PLANES | Principles of Flying, Glider Mak- ing Taught Youths in Forty- Day Course. PAVULLO NEL FRIGNANO, Ttaly (). —The Fascists train their aviators while they're young. Here a school has been started to train Fascists between the ages of 14 and 18 in the art of glider flying. Those showing special aptitude may pass on to the air corps. ‘The youth goes in_the school knowing nothing of flying. Forty days later he comes out, not only able to fiy a glider | but also knows how to make one, and he knows the principles of flying in a motored plane. With a diploma of this course he maggbecome a pilot of air- planes in eig! ays. BY GEORGE tricky wind and carried over Southeast section of the city The tiny ship of the outdoor = W. WATERS. OARING high above Bolling Field, the tiny model plane of John Sullivan, champion model plane pilot, was caught by a the Potomac River and into the to set a world’s record. hand-launched type stayed aloft for 18 minutes and 40 seconds until it could be no longer sighted with the binoculars held by offici: al timers. The plane, flying in the finals of the District of Columbia model aircraft tournament, stayed in the air exactly 25 seconds longer than any other plane of its type The new world record was ve in the world. rified by the National Model Alr- craft Committee at New York, officials of the District of Columbia Model Aircraft League announced today. Five to Go to Finals. John, who has distinguished himself here in model plane cir- cles for the past three years, is one of the five District champions who are going to Atlantic City for the national model aircraft tour- nament in October. And his fellow champs are real model plane pilots themselves. One of them is Everett Meeks, who will be remembered for his famous lengthy flight at Bolling Field during the final District tourna- ment in 1929. Meeks’ flight was similar to that of Sullivan’s. His ship also soared over the Potomac River but was carried in the op- posite direction until it passed from view into the Northeast sec- tion of the city. Salisbury Is Entrant. Then there’s Frank Salisbury, champion of the District of Co- lumbia. Frank showed his friends what real flying was during the local contests. Frank was award- ed a silver cup presented by the Aviation School of America for his excellent work during the lo- cal contests. And last but not least are George Shipley and Harry Me- Ginniss, both of whom did them- selves proud during the contests here. Well, fellows, with that quintet in dear old Atlantic City it looks mighty like the well known bacon will be eaten here in Washington this year. All five of the lads have obtained the consent of their parents, and the District of | Columbia Model Aircraft League | has the financial situation well in | hand, they told the writer yes- terday. Legion Has New Class. The District of Columbia Air JOHN SULLIV. Legion announced today that the Legion’s second class in junior aeronautical training would get under way next Saturday. A cup similar to the one awarded to the boy who sets the best record for the entire course will be awarded again at the finish of the new class. The Legion also hopes to award three medals for work done by its members in the glider in- struction class. The Aviation School of Amer- ica’s silver trophy, which -was awarded to Frank Salisbury as District champion, will be on ex= hibit at the Washington Airport Wednesday, Bruce LeGore, presi= dent of the school, informed the writer today. Propellers Reduce Number of Sparrows At Long Island Field | In addition to many visiting | | airplanes, the United States Naval | | Reserve aviation base at Valley Stream, Long Island, has had several squadrons of sparrows basing at its field, according to information received by the Navy Department. “Several of these birds,” it is reported, “have gone down out, of control, having been struck by the propellers of ships taking off. As yet none of the propellers has been damaged and the birds are rapidly dwindling in number. “We believe that the birds, see ing their mates go down to ign minious death before the NY's, have retreated in shame to less active airports.” EFFICIENCY RECORD NEAR TO PERFECTION | Eastern Air Transport to Gulf and| Atlantic Coast Points Regis- ters 99.79 Per Cent. Flying all but 78 miles of 109,345 miles scheduled, Eastern Air Transport | made an almost perfect effciency ARPLANE ENGINE BETTER THAN RS Bulletin Contrasts Perform- ance of Plane and Auto- mobile Motors. ‘The modern airplane engines is far more efficient than the best automobile engines, according to a bulletin issued by airplane engine experts of the Boe- ing system contrasting the performance of the air-cooled radial engines used in air transport work with that of one of the well known automobile engines. The automobile engine is that used in one of the higher priced cars. It develops 80-horsepower at 3,300 revolu~ tions per minute and weighs 700 pounds, or 15 pounds per horsepower. The Hornet airplane engine used for comparison develops 523-horsepower at 1,900 revolutions and produces 1 horse- power for every one and a quarter pounds of weight. The automobile engine operates on an average of 25 to 35 per cent of capacity, while the engine of & plane operates 75 to 100 per cent capacity. The Boeing system has Hornet en- gines which are 1,800 hours old and which are still running smoothly. That means they have done a minimum of record during the past month on the | New York-Atlanta contract airmail line | passing through the National Capital, | according to reports received here. The | efficiency record for the month was 99.93 per cent, i, was reported. On the company's entire mail run, extending to Florida cities on the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, the mail planes | flew a total of 158,341 miles of the 158,679 miles scheduled for the month, | or an efficiency record of 99.79 per cent for the month over the whole system. ‘The record on the local line was bet- ter than the three-year average for the entire postal airmail network, which in- cluded Winter fying, however. The Post Office Department records show | that over a period of three years the | country’s airmail system has " operated with an efficiency record of 93 per cent. During the fiscal year which ended this Summer a total of 16,228,453 miles were scheduled by the airmail carrfer: and of this a total of 14,939,469 mile were actually flown, bringing the effi- clency rating to 94 per cent. These records are attributed to the Comdr. Duncan of Navy Bureau of | fact that the airmail carriers choose their pilots carefully and maintain their planes under a strict system of inspec- tion and repair. ! Eastern Air Transport, which oper- | ates the new passenger line from New York to Richmond, with local landings at Washington Afrport, in addition to | the mail lines, broke all previous effi- clency records by last month’s opera- tions, it was stated by H. A. Elliott, vic€ president in charge of operations. HOMEMADE PLANE WINS | $6.150 IN RACING PRIZES 90-Horsepower Craft of Airmail Pilot Takes Five Firsts in National Competition. CHICAGO (#).—The 90-horsepower home-made airplane of Ben Howard more than paid for itself at the na- tional air races here, winning $6,150 in prizes. Howard, an airmail pilot, built the tiny machine in his back yard at St. Louis. He won five firsts and took third in_the Thompson Trophy classic. Wiley Post, virtually an unknown, was | high nioney winner, with $7.500 for first | place in ‘the Pacific Coast non-stop race. Gladys O'Donnell, with $5.800, was high for woman fiyers. The Halz. lips, May and Jimmy, added $4,700 to | their joint bankroll FLYING COURSE ENDS Third Plane Placed o;l Flight List at Naval Academy. ‘The Summer flying course for the class of 1932 at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, M4, ended during the past week. A new Martin twin-engined patrol plane has been plwced or the flight list at the academy, making three planes of this type avail- able for operations. An XPN-11 Navy experimental patrol plane and an OL-8 Loening amphibian were flown from the academy to the naval aircraft factory at Philadelphia, where the “fm.rol plane was turned in for overhaul. A |'stationed 180,000 miles. An average automoblle engine which does 50,000 miles at 30 per cent throttle has outlived its major usefulness. It will still run, but not up to par, and yet the airpane engines of today have done approximately 200,000 miles at almost full throttle and stil operate efficienty, SEVERAL LINES SAVED BY NAVAL AIRPLANE Boy Recently Taken to Norfolk From Hatteras by Craft Sta- tioned at Hampton Roads. The Navy's amphibian hospital plane the Naval Air Station, Hampton Roads, Va., has been the means of saving the lives of several sick persons living in the isolated coastal regions of Virginia and North Carolina, according to reports to the Navy Department Despite a_30-mile-per-hour wind, the plane recently was flown to Cape Hat- teras to transport a dangerously sick boy to Norfolk for hospital treatment. The pracicability of using an amphib- fan for this type of work was demon- trated on this fiight, it was reported. There is no landing feld near Cape Hatteras, so a water landing was made, On the return the high winds made the water so rough a ground landing had to be made on the station fleld, Seven emergency flights have been made during the past 40 days to the in- accessible Cape Hatteras area by the hospital plane. Early this month two trips were made in a single day in re- sponse to dispatches from Coast Guard Stations 184 and 187, on the Hatteras coast. Both patients were taken to the Naval Operating Base and trans- ferred to Norfolk hospitals. Both cases were * emergency _appendicitls - opera- tions. AIR-SEA LINE SCHEDULED Freight Service Between U. 8. and Canada and India Proposed. ‘The United States and Canada are to be connected with India and inter- mediate points by a combined air-ses freight service, according to London eports. The White Star and Cunard | steamship lines, it is said, have com- bined with the Imperial Airways for the service. Under its plans, goods will be flown from points in the United States and Canada to the seaports served by shi of the two lines, carried overseas Southampton, forwarded by rail to Waterloo and there taken aboard Imperial air liners for India. AVIATION Aireraft Engineers and Draftsmen COLUMBIA SCHOOL PAUL J. LEVERONE. PRESIDENT Engineering Classes Begin Sept. 20 Drafting Classes Enroll Any Time Day and Evening Sessions Send for Free Catalogue 1319 F’ N.W, Metro. 5626 Veeds