New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-11-18

"The practical solution Of the problem Of
directing the aviators in transatlantic
fight was found by accident in 1914. Soon
after the declaration Of war the Aero Club
Of America-the headquarters of the nation
al defence novement-was notified that the
sky over New York was full OF radio code
messages, presumably sent by German
agents In considering what could be done
TO assist the government in finding the
source from which these radio code messages
were sent il was found that the Allies were
using special radio direction finders which
were installed on board ships and permitted
the ships to find the direction from which
radio messages were sent at sea- Reports
were also received stating that the Germans
were using such devices for the Zeppeins
TO find their way over London on very dark
nights.
investigation proved that radio direction
finders were being used and that the nature
of those instruments permitted applying
them for aerial navigation purposes.
with the development that has taken
place in perfecting radio direction finders IL
would be possible to equip Transatlantic
flyer with such a device, which would always
point TO the direction of sending station,
sc that If any station were established at the
Azores the aviator would have no trouble in
finding the Azores, and all possibility Of
losing himself would be precluded.
I'VE have been assured that an instrument
can be obtained weighing less than one hun
dred pounds and having radius Of close to
1900 miles. For a flight across the Atlantic
this instrument would be tuned with the
sending station at the Azores, and then,
with the instrument on the Irish coast,
, the aeropane crew would not have to worry
regarding the possibility Of drifting and
missing the Azores and Ireland The in
strument being tuned to the sending station,
the operator would recognize 'interferences'
caused By radio messages being sent from
ship or other stations, and would have no
way Of being put of his course by them.
Everything seems 20 be ready, in fact,
for the solution of this problem Of deliver
ing to Great Britain the war planes neces-
sary to conduct the aerial operations against
the German U-boat and military bases
The life of large machines like the Ca
prom and the Handley-Page has been esti-
mated at minimum of $50 hours in the air,
after which they must be overhaued. The
fight across the Atlantic, together with the
preliminary flights would take about forty
hours of the aeroplsne's fight. That would
leave 10 hours with which TO conduct ma
jor operations against the German bases.
And the distance between Great Britain and
KEEL, where the German feet is, is about 425
miles, and, as these giant aeroplsnes go at
q speed Of about ninety miles an hour, there
would be an expenditure Of about ten hours
CT flight in each raid. Therefore the aero
planes would last throughout the flight
across the Atlantic and for eleven raids
unless brought down by the enemy.
"Supposing that in the delivery of one
thousand war planes across the Atlantic there
should be 10 per cent loss of aeroplanes
laading in the water; this loss would be
insignificant; the crews would undoubtedly
be saved by the destroyers patrolling the
route, and the motors probably could be
saved But the Allies would get nine hun
bred machines with which to conduct major
aerial operations against the German bases"