THE AERIAL NEMESIS OF SUBMARINES

HUNTING THE UNDERSEA PIRATES

This remarkable photograph depicts clearly the type of small dirigible now being used by the French and British in hunting German submarines. The gas bag is short and stubby when compared to the latest rigid types of Zeppelins, and as a result, great speed is not possible. The car is the same as that used on English battleplanes, modified to an extent which allows slightly greater carrying
capacity.

Balbo Plans Daring Non-Stop World Flight

THE first actual world flight of 25,000 miles in two days without a landing is said to be under consideration by Gen. Italo Balbo.

Four seaplanes, designed for flying eight miles above the earth, would accomplish the feat by refueling in four dirigibles, spaced at 6,250-mile intervals. One dirigible would be stationed near the Amazon river, another in the Polynesian islands, and the third near China.

The planes would make each lap in ten hours and be drawn aboard the ships by a suspended hook and hoist, such as is used on U. S. Macon. During each rest period, ships would continue the flight.

Airplanes May Replace Cannon in Laying Telegraph Wire

CANNON have been used for many years to send a line or rope across an impassable barrier. Harpoons with ropes attached are shot into whales. The Life Saving Stations use cannon to send lines from shore to ships stranded in low water. However, in both of these cases the distance to the target has always been comparatively short and thus the effectiveness of the cannon for this purpose has been limited.
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Diving Two Miles in an “Egg-Laying” Bombing Plane

THRILLS are commonplace for William H. McAvoy, test pilot for the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics at Langley Field, Va.

But “Daredevil Bill” probably will not forget in a hurry the events of the other day when he was called upon to test the sensational single-motored bombing plane just developed by Glenn L. Martin.
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London to Build Mid-City Air Port

WITH the rapid growth of airplane transportation, the air port of the future may be moved up into the center of the city where it will be easily accessible. A bold step in this direction has been taken by Charles Clever, a London architect, who has constructed a model for a proposed airport to be located in the heart of London. The landing field consists of four runways arranged in the form of a giant wheel, the entire structure being supported by the buildings over which it is erected, as illustrated.

“Mystery Plane” flaps Self to Pieces in Trial Flight

Built with flapping wings and bird-like body, this “American Eagle” plane collapsed before its inventor could get the novel machine off the ground!

THE mystery attached to the so-called “mystery airplane” built by James A. Crane of Ellsworth, Maine, seems to be— “Why doesn’t it fly?” Read the rest of this entry »

Whistling Beacons Mark Airfield for Blind Landings

HIGH pitched whistles to designate boundaries of an airport make it possible for a pilot to make a blind landing, recent experiments have shown.

The newly designed whistles, called sonic marker beacons, send out fan shaped beams of sound by means of which the aviator can determine definitely the length of the airfield. Read the rest of this entry »

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OUR GIRLS ARE FLYING NOW

By Louise Goddard

AVIATION chatter—it’s everywhere! Spot landings. Solo flights. Aerodynamics. Ground school. Taxiing. Gliders rapidly multiplying. And above it all trills the feminine voice.

If anyone doubts this, he has but to keep an ear open in places where young women gather: the luncheon halls of big office buildings, club verandas during the Saturday night dances, classrooms of high schools and colleges. It is not difficult to learn which way the thought goes. Up!
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Remember, if you want to be a pilot it’s required that you be in sympathy with the objectives of the United States.

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ARE YOU FIT TO FLY?

1. Must I be 18 years old before I can get a private pilot’s license?

2. To get a license, must I pass a test in navigation and meteorology?

3. I’m over 80 years old but healthy, am I eligible for a private pilot’s license?
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Midget Dirigible Tests Novel AIRSHIP GIRDERS

BUILT as a test ship to try out new features of airship design, the baby blimp Puritan embodies many new ideas in construction which will be used on giant Zeppelins of the future. The Puritan, photographs of which are shown above, is the first dirigible constructed by the Goodyear-Zeppelin Corporation of Akron, Ohio. Read the rest of this entry »

First Rocket Glider Launched Successfully in Actual Tests

THAT the ground crews hitherto needed for glider flying may soon be dispensed with in many cases was proved recently by William G. Swan, who before a crowd of 2000 persons succeeded in launching a glider by rocket power.

The glider was equipped with two sets of rockets—six to a set— carrying a pushing velocity of fifty pounds each, the ignition apparatus being controlled from the pilot’s seat. Despite a strong wind the craft took off at 35 miles an hour and attained a height-of 200 feet. No attempt was made at continuous flight, the rockets being used as a launching medium only.

Parachute Jumper Gives Imitation of a Flying Squirrel

IN a startling imitation of a flying squirrel, Rex G. Finney, parachute juniper of the Curtiss-Wright Flying Service, demonstrated his stunt of becoming a human glider before the public recently with great success.

A triangular piece of sail cloth sewn between the legs of his flying suit acts upon the air in the same manner as the membranes of the flying squirrel, enabling him to perform thrilling glides and stalls while in the air.
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