Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-12-24
LOCAL MAN HAD PART
IN WAR ACHIEVEMENT
John Fell, In Wireless Phones
For Airplanes, Branch Of
Aero Service
ONE OF WARS WONDERS

1t has just been learned that an An
napolis man was one OF the few TO
have intimate knowledge of and par
ticipation in the development of one of
the wars greatest wonders, the COM
munication of airplanes with each
other and with the ground by wire
less.
John Fell. son of DR.. Thomas Fell,
of st. Johns college, is one of about
twenty-five men in the aero service
who were engaged upon this phase of
the flying service. The development
of this means of intercommunication
was kept very secret but Mr.. Fell's
family here had some knowledge of
the work Mr.. Fell is still in France.
When the great freight and passen-
ger airplanes of the future are making
flights and carrying burdens now un-
dreamed of, they may be controlled by
dispatcher in an Office many miles
away.
The newly perfected radio telephone
makes students of aeronautics enthusi-
astic in predicting unlimited CONNER
cial possibilities for the airplane of the
future.
In July, 1910, Col c. c. Culver, while
watching airplane trials at Sheepshead
Bay, N ", conceived the idea that the
planes should be in constant commmi-
cation with each other and with the
ground. He Immediately began ex-
periments along the lines of wireless
telegraphy and telephony, and in
August, 1915, was transferred to the
flying field at San Diego, Cal, for the
purpose of continuing his researches
along these lines. Early in 1916 the
apparatus was so far perfected as to
permit telegraphing distance of 140
miles from a moving plane, and in
July, 1916, it was possible to receive
wireless telephone signals from the
ground. In February, 1917, the radio
telephone would transmit messages
from plane to the ground and from
then until now its development has
been rapid
In April, 1917, Colonel Culver had
opportunities to confer with several
European scientists then in this coun-
try, and in May, 1917, DR.. Jewett, of
the General Electric company, and
Colonel Reese, of the United States
army, joined with Colonel Culver in
perfecting the final stages of the
miracle machine. More scientists and
electrical engineers of national reputa-
ton were assigned to the work about
this time, and progress was rapid.
From October. 1917, until February
1918, Colonel Culver was abroad con-
ferring with famous flyers of the Allies
and working out aerial maneuvers and
formations with direct reference. to
their control by telephone from the
plane of the flight commander. June
1, 1918, at Gerstner Field, La, 80 ma
chimes were paraded in review before
Maj.-Gen. w. L. Kenly, who occupied
airplane with the flight commander
and personally directed some of the
formations by wireless telephone
Quantity production of the perfected
apparatus has just begun, and persons
high in the division of military aero
nautics are frank in saying that if the
war had continued until spring the
Hun would have been subjected to an
air offensive on scale hitherto un-
heard of, both in number and size of
planes and in methods of controlling
and maneuvering them in large squad
rons.
/ Marry Chrfsfnnoa