Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-10

up a considerable section of the country
over which the flyer is travelling. 1t has
been suggested the machines may carry
two Searchlights, so placed on the aero
plane that the rays when striking the
earth will intersect one another and COW
er more ground.
Signal devices to be used from aero
planes including both wireless and vi
sional signaling, are assigned Capt. Paul
W. Beck At present there is device
being experimental with by rny officers
of signaling from an aeroplane with
semaphore instrument, throwing back
from the aeroplane puffs of smoke, each
puff representing something. The tele-
graphic code * used. short puts of smoke
meaning dots and long puffs of smoke
meaning GasheS. BY this method Ii is
possible to flash MESA ges from the air to
the ground and from one machine to the
other.
\ scheme whereby two aviators in the
air may be able TO communicate with each
other is the problem assigned Lieut..
Frank Kennedy. AS it is today the roar
of the propeller is so great as to make
il almost impossible for one flyer to I'M
derstand another, even in the same ma
chine Some kind of speaking tube de-
vice or small telephone that may be
used between the flyers on the same ma
chine is of the ideas, and the other
is to devise some means by which flyers
on different machines may talk to one an
other while in the air
mother new scheme is that OF paint
ing an aero so that it cannot he seen from
earth. The idea is TO use such color
as to make the aero invisible or nearly so
,ghIe in the air If this scheme is sue
cessful, experts claim it will be one OF the
greatest strides in aviation made in re-
cent years. The plan is to produce a
paint with suci reflective powers as will
make the machine appear about the same
color the sky.
The field to be used by the army flyers
AT Augusta is almost as level and smooth
a billiard table. and contains about
1909 acres. The country surrounding the
field is good for miles, and consequently
the aviatorS will be able to make a num-
Der of long cross-country flights. 1t is
situated just on the outside OF Augusta,
and may he reached by several lines of
trolley cars. Hangers have been erected
and several aerOplane tents are being
used there. These aeroplane tents are
something altogether new and We're tried
out at College Park only few days be-
fore the flyers left for Augusta. The idea
of the new tent is to place the machine
under cover in n few minutes no matter
where it may be. that il will be pro-
te1ted from weather and also to prevent
the frequent taking apart of the machine.
These tents are quite unique In appear
ance and when erected look very much as
though the aeroplane had a big blanket
spread over it.
Brig. Gen James Allen chief of the
United States Signal Corps. who has
charge of Uncle Sans flyers. in speak
ing of the new school at Augusta and the
work to be done there during the winter,
said:
Primarily. of course, We propose to
teach all the officers we can get how to
fly. Now these few words to teach men
how to fly is "a bigger problem than APP
pears on the surface. First and fore
most has been the great difficulty as
have said many times before, of our in
ability to secure a sufficient number Of
officers to undertake the work. There are
not enough officers now in the United
States army to do the work required Of
them, and the authorities have not been