“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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Plane Carries Tourists on Side Trips

AIR and ocean travel are combined in a Mediterranean steamer which carries a hydroplane on its deck for passengers’ use. When the ship calls at points of historic interest the hydroplane is launched and tourists are given a view of the strange city from the air. Read the rest of this entry »

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Flying Down On The Job

THE first airplane to get off the ground back in 1903 was flown by a prone pilot. Originated by the Wright Brothers, the prone pilot position was soon abandoned in favor of the upright seat and was to all intents and purposes a dead issue until the mid-30’s. Read the rest of this entry »

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Bird-Size Plane Wins Air Race at 140 M.P.H.!

STREAKING low above the ground, a tiny silver plane whines toward the pylon at the National Air Races held at Los Angeles. With speed which seems more comparable to that of a projectile than an airplane she bursts from nowhere and is gone with a whine. It is Ed Heath’s “Baby Bullet,” smaller than a South American Condor!
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New Type Gyro Plane Tested on Electric Rail Carriage

AS interesting as is the new type of gyro plane now undergoing exhaustive experiments in France, the method of testing is perhaps of even more interest.

The trial carriage is electrically driven and attains a speed of from 60 to 80 miles an hour on rails. By means of measuring instruments on the carriage, the wind pressure, lifting power, derivation of lift, and the stresses on various parts are registered.

The plane itself is of the conventional type, except for a pair of large propellers, which turn in opposite directions, mounted on a stub shaft above the plane. These propellers work by wind pressure.

There is an inverse relationship between the likeliness that a design will be produced and the triviality of the items included in the diagram. In this case someone felt the need to point out the landing lights, but neglected to include fuel tanks.

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RUMPLER Designs Largest Plane

Herr Rumpler, famous designer of Germany’s war time fighting planes, is turning his peace time activities to good account in developing the world’s largest airplanes. Rumpler, shown above in a characteristic pose at his drafting board, is now building an enormous monoplane which will have wings large enough to place staterooms in. A new blunt-nosed wing section is used to effect this design. Read the rest of this entry »