Evening Star Newspaper, November 1, 1931, Page 88

THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. ® WOVEMBER 1, 1931, T ey e rld Tours by Dirigible Giant Akron of the United States Navy a lorerunner of an Impending Era Which Will Find Earth Travelers and Merchandise Carried to All Points of the Com- pass by Majestic Fleets ofLig/zfcr- Than-Air Craft Soon to Be Con- structed in America. BY RILEY P. MINER. OMMERICIALIZATION of the dirig- ible as & means of transportation of passengers and freight on a large scale is in the immediate future. Now that the U. 8. S. Akron, world's largest lighter-than-air craft, is in the air, officials of the corporation that built this monster of the skies are turning their joint attention to a sister ship for Uncle Sam’s Navy and another of equal or larger size for commer- . cial purposes. It is possible that the commer- cial ship will be completed almost as soon as the Navy's second dirigible. David S. Ingalls, Assistant Secretary for Aercnautics of the United States Navy, is an ardent enthusiast for airships as well as air- planes. He believes the place of airships in the commercial transportation scheme is de- pendent upon what advance in speed over present facilities can be offered along with maintenance of existing standards of comfort and safety. “The successful operations of the Graf Zep- pelin in the commercial field present a picture of great possibilities” Mr. Ingalls declared. “And operations of the U. S. S. Los Angeles as an experimertal and training ship are just cause for great optimism regarding the place of air- ships as public carriers.” . The interest of the United States Navy in the possibilities of airships is being demonstrated in the construction of the U. S. §. Akron and her sister ship, the ZRS-5, Mr. Ingalls pointed out. “The lessons learned from exhaustive research into the technique of construction, which re- search has been carried on during the building of the Akron, will be available to the builders of commercial craft of the same type. In addi- tion, there also will be available the data on cheaper construction methods as brought out in the building of the second Navy airship in sccordance with accepted doctrines of guantity production made possible by duplication and fabrication. “Certainly the saving of time on long-distance trips is becoming more and more of a neces- sity in the rapidly moving world of today. A saving of three days over the present time re- quired to make a trip from New York to Paris, for example, would mean tremendous savings FOR in interest on gold shipments and on commercial papers, and the closer personal contacis with other countries wculd make for better understanding, and, hence, closer co-operation. “The need for speedier long- distance transportation has as- serted itself, and the airship stands ready to take its place and fill that necd.” Allcttment of the Navy air- ship contracts to the Good- vear-Zeppelin Corporation of Akron, Ohio. and the exten- sive trips of the Graf Zeppeiin under command of Dr. Hugo Eckener gave a glinpse into the future for commercial dirigibles to heads of the buiiders, and three distinct groups were formed to study the situation. These commercial groups, the International Zeppelin Corporation and the Pacific Zeppelin Corporation in the United States and the German Zep- pelin Co., are making preparations for the operation of dirigible liners which in time will encircle the world. Extensive surveys already have been made of the possibilities of intercontinental transporta- tion by air. Even terminals in the United States and abroad are being considered, and only one essential factor is holding up the commercial project. That is the passage of the McNary- Parker bill by Congress. This bill provides for the establishment and development of American air transport services overseas, to encourage construction in the United States by American capital of American airships and other aircraft for use in foreign commerce and other purposes. According to Comdr. Jerome C. Hunsaker, U. S. N. (retired), vice president of the Good- year-Zeppelin Corporation and president of the Pacific Zeppelin Corporation, the two American groups are interested in obtaining for American interests a suitable part of what promises to constitute a new transportation industry as well as having been organized to develop trans- atlantic and transpacific airship services. Comdr. Hunsaker during the World War had charge of construction of all the United States Navy's lighter and heavier than air craft. He was retired after the war and joined the Good- year-Zeppelin Corporation in 1928. He has been prominent in planning transoceanic airship travel. “The initial purpose of the Atlantic group,” Comdr. Hunsaker said, “is to study the feasibil- ity and economic merit of airship transporta- tion across the North Atlantic between the United States and Europe. “The purpose of the Pacific group is along the same lines as that of the Atlantic, only to provide service for the present to the Hawaiian Islands and later to be extended to Manila and the Orient. “It is intended that some form of co-opera- tion shall be developed in which the German group will provide German airships and Euro- pean terminals, and the American group provide American airships and American terminals. “The general plan contemplates for the pres- ent a service using four airships, two American and two German, giving a twice-weekly sailing. At first, however, a weekly sailing using only two airships, one from each side of the Atlantic, will be attempted. “While the general program propases com- pletion of an exhaustive study before under- taking construction of the airships, the German group is already satisfied that airship transpor- tation is ripe, and without waiting longer has under construction at Friedrichshafen a new terminal for larger ships and a new airship to replace the Graf Zeppelin. The terminal will be completed this year and the airship in 1933. " EATHER records for the last 20 years have been analyzed for a number of places along the Atlantic seaboard from New York to Georgia. It is already clear that loca- tions on or near the coast are subject to high winds in Winter and in Summer show winds of uncertain direction due to land and sea breeze phenomena. “The regions west of the Chesapeake Bay and east of the mountains escape full force of the ocean gales and are protected by the moun- tains from storms from the north and north- Eyes Up—and Forward! "Cl,l )SER contacts with other countries will make for better understanding and closer co-opcration. The nced for speedier long-distance transpor- tation has asscried itself and the airship stands ready to take its place and fill that necd.”—Dawid S. Ingalls, Assistant Secretary for Aeronautics, United States Navy. * ¥ % % uP_J.\‘SlL\'(:‘L“R traffic that may be developed for a transatlantic airship line will depend on demonstration over a period ef time as to the reliability, safety and comfort of this mew mede of travel.”—Comdr. Jerome C. Hunsaker, U. S. N, retired, president, Pacif Zeppelin Corporation. * ¥ ¥ %X "AIR‘SHH'S belong to the sca the same as airplanes belong to the land. It is probable that creses for commercial rigid airships to be used in trans- occanic fiving will have to be trasned by the United States Nawvy.’—Lieut. Comdr. Charles E. Rosendahl, captan of the U. S. S. Akron. 3 - 80 per cent of the LEVERYBOD With the United States Navy’s Akron, the world's largest diri- gible, successfully launched, aero- nautical experts now turn their at- tention to ships of similar type for commercial purposes. We may be making air cruises all over the world. west, we found in our survey,” Comdr. Hunsaker said. “The selection of a site for our American terminal has been nar- rowed down to four places, one near Philadelphia, one between Washington and Baltémore, one near Richmond and another in Virginia. * “A definite selection of the terminal site will be made within the next few weeks and con- struction of an airdock will follow soon after ward, with the possible building of an airshig there.” : Whether or not the Eastern airdock will be larger than the one now at Akron has not been determined, Comdr. Hunsaker said. In all - probability it will be at least the same sise, since the Akron dock will permit constructiom of airships upward to 10,000,000 cubic feet dise placement. The U. 8. S. Akron, the largest rigid airship in existence, has 6,500,000 cubic feet displace- ment, an overall length of 785 feet, maximuym diameter of 132.9 feet and an overall height of 146.5 feet. The dirigible gross lift is 403,000 pounds and it can carry a useful load of 182,000 pounds, The ship is powered by eight independent May- bach motors of 600 horsepower each, which develop a total of 4,480 horsepower. The cop- tract speed is 84 miles per hour and helium gas is used. “The American position is unique as regards helium gas, the only fireproof lifting gas for airships. To date the United States has a nate ural monopoly of helium. “The possible extraction in volume at low cost is due to the expenditure of more than $12,000,000 of public funds. The export ree strictions on helium by the present laws .j'vc this country a virtual control of international airship development.” ' At cruising speed the Akron can cover 10, 580 miles without refueling. It could stay in the air more than a week or make a non-stop round trip between Detroit and London. In addition to other equipment, the Akrom wil} carry a complement of 16 machine guns and b airplanes. ) Revised for commercial purposes, a similar ship omits the armament and planes and with a slight increase in displacement can ecarry 80 passengers and 25,000 pounds of mail and express across the Atlantic. 'N preparing the proposed schedules of flight across the Atlantic, 520 theoretical flights have been made during the survey, weather reports covering a period of five Through the survey a practical, reliable schedule has been drawn up as follows: < Summer Winter Eastbound . ....58 hours 64 hours Such schedules will be /et or beaten at leasy Mr. Hunsaker de- clared. -