Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-04
IPLAN AVIATION
WEEK DETAILS
| COMMITTEE WORKS DILL
GENTLY ON PLANS
AERIAL CONTESTS TO EXCEL
ANY EVER HELD
Novel Features to Be Added to Pro-
gram Besides Display of Military
Balloon Paraphernaia and
Use of Dictograph

/ The members of the aviation COM
mittee are diligently at work on details
! of finance and management of the big
aviation events January 10 to 20, when
is rapidly assuming the Importance of
a huge exposition. Although already
past the uncertain stage there are
numerous large details which demand
the attention Of the committee and Will
require frequent meetings.
Not the least Of these is the program
of events. which must be arranged on
different plans from any aerial con-
tests yet held in the United States. In
making this up the members of the
committee will have the practical ad-
vice of Roy Knabenshue and G. +.
Willard, who are thoroughly familiar
with the limitations and requirements
for flights with aeroplanes.
1t is the desire of the committee to
have several strong features near the
center of the city, which will be APP
preCiated by the merchants and others
from a business standpoint. In addi-
ton it will make less monotonous the
daily journey to the aviation fields, al
though the car service will be especial
~ rapid, so far as consistent with per
feet safety.
An entire day Of special events on
the balloon grounds inside the city
limits has been suggested TO make it
any hour desired and to take time to
see the city, do shopping and do other
things, affording a variation from the
neck craning which the aeroplane
flights call for
To Display Military Balloon
Another proposition which will be
something of a novelty, suggested by
members of the aeronautical squad of
the signal corps, is the fitting up of a
balloon with the latest equipment avail
able for balloon work, military conf
munication and similar service with a
demonstration by the squad of COM
pany A. Since Prof. Lowe demon
strated the great advantage Of the
balloon in the Civil War many a1-
vances have been made in electrical
and other appliances, and number
of these have never been tried out.
Among these is the oxygen helmet,
which was used by rescuers in the
Cherry mine disaster and the die
tograph, communicating apparatus
which gathers the sound and transmits
it something like a telephone does,
Il have watched the use of the he'll
met" says Capt. II. w. Slotterbeck of
company A, signal corps, "and it seems
to me that it should be valuable to 4
balloonist. If it can be used in sulphur
fumes and in a burning mine to adVan-
tase il should be a help If necessary TO
get inside a partially inflated balloon
or i'm vanishing the interior of one.
When we were initiating the balloon for
our ascension in September some of the
men We're overcome in trying to put the
filling pipe back when it had slipped
from the appendix. With an oxygen
helmet | think a man might crawl
under and make repairs with perfec.
safety Possibly the helmet might ne
utilized To advantage in an ascension
for height
Dictograph to Be Demonstrated
II. l.. Hardness of San Francisco.
who is Introducing the dictOgraph in
Suumcnts i'm Los Angeles, has offered
to place set at the disposal of rha
signal corps for trial in a balloon. The
instrument is an amplifcatiOn of an IN
yentiou to enable the deaf to hear. If
il viii enable the ballOonist to make
observations and keep his eyes on a
moving object, in the meantime talk
ing i'm conversational tone from any
corner of the basket VIII 'le the die
tOgTaph transmits his reports and an
nounccs them to the officer on the
ground, it will have distinct advan-
tage over old-style methods of signal
ing from military observation bal
loon.
1t would substitute regular conversa-
ton between the observer and the
ground party for the old method IF
wig-wagging or use of buzzer or tele-
graph key.
Wireless and other modern instru-
ments may be demonstrated in connee-
ton with their practical use with
balloon and if this is deemed of i'm
portance the aeronautical squad of the
signal corps is willing to undertake it.
The aviation week committee is en-
deavoring to hurry the delegation of
French ayiators, who had planned To
sail on the Bretagne from Havre
December % on the way to Los An
geles. As they should have several
days to overhaul and set up their ma
chimes the committee believes they
should leave within the next two
weeks, and not at any later date, and
they have been cabled accordingly.