The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1917-02-20
win Command Squadron Oh Six
teen Sea Planes For Duty
..r In the Territory
HOPES TO BE At WORK
BY MIDDLE or. The YEAR
Machines Adapted To the lob On
Hand; win Garry Ma
chine Guns

Aeronautics in Oahu have received a
big boost in the arrival Of Capt. John
+. Curry, Of the aviation section Of the
signal corps. He has been sent over to
the Islands to select the site for, and
establish the Fourth Aero Squadron.
which, according to Captain Curry, will
be located near Fort Kamehameha. He
is Junior military aviator, and
graduate of the Aviation Academy at
San Diego. ~ s,.
His command in Oahu win eventually
comprise sixteen seaplanes, sixteen
qualified Junior military ayiators. and
sixteen assistants, with the necessary
complement of mechanics, earetaker.
aad hangers. AT present six seaplanes,
only, of the sixteen contemplated. win
be shipped here. These seaplanes win
DE of the model adopted as the standard
Tor the aviation section. They win be
Curtiss tractor biplanes, with aoat
mount, for rising and landing on the
water; a new feature of their amin.
ment will be machine gun mounted
forward of the propeller, with mecbani. u
cal firing device so arranged that the
gun may be fred either by the aviator,
or his assistant. ~ = ..s Y = =
Suited For the Job 'a@ r..
/ Captain Curry, after brief study
OF the topography of the island, Is
enthusiastic regarding the suitability
or ms unit for the duty expected Of L
here While seaplane must both rise
and land on the water, its radius Of ac.
tlVlty is by no means confined to the
air regions above that element. Even
with dead engine, q seaplane OF the
type to be received here, will "glidej'
one mile in lateral direction for every
thousand feet Of elevation of the fyinn
machine. ti r.. II. 4, s'.s
This being true, it will be easy for
the seaplanes tohnake thorough recon.
naissance Of the entire island without
travelling a dangerous distance from
their safe landing element. +. TIT, H.
VIII Lose No Time n 49,.
Commandant Curry expects to have
his command in condition TO take nm
actual flying about the middle OF. the
year. The members of his command
are to be sent here from the mainland
as they become available. The ayia
tors are all to be qualified fiers before
they come over, and the Fourth Aero
Squadron is to be in no sense an ayia.
ton school. .r ~ 1902 RI 7fTTl
Captain Curry, because Of his posi-,
ton as commandant, is not required by
custom to do any flying, but he viii,
nevertheless, be one of the most active
OF his command in making flights. He
Is an expert on aeroplane motors ana
construction, and will be the Judge Of
the fitness of the planes for flying.
The life of a seaplane motor, for ne.
tual flying of the machine, n sixty
hours. AS this is the limit of its use,
with considerations of safety govern.
ing, 1t is necessary that each seaplane
be equipped with two motors. Both are
not mounted in the machine, however
One of the two motors for each machine
~ held in reserve in the shops, and is
installed and used while the other is
being overhauled after sixty hours of
flying. '. > = -
The cost to the government of one
OF these seaplane motors is in excess
of seven thousand dollars each, SO that
hying is an expensive, as well as dan
ger0us pursuit. The government has
at last recognized this fact, and has,
for this year, appropriated twenty mill.
ion dollars for the aviation development
of our Army and Navy '.@t.I.. - 2 (.