Norwich bulletin., 1919-05-16
NAvY,S PREPARATIONS FOR '
 TRANS. S.ATlANTlC FLIGHT

Trepassey, N. F. May 15.-When the giant American hydroarplanes speed away into sthe east. over the Grand Banks and the broad Atlantic,
 they will enter upon a course. not only. carefully charted. but patroneds by res
 cue and repair ships all the way. to the, Portuguese coast. +., f ..i
 Looking upon The cruise not : as q
 sporting venture. nor as an attempt
 merely to win for the United States the honor of the first trans -Atiantic
 air flight, but as an undertaking for
 the advancement of science and sea-
 ulansaip, fthei American: navy placed
 its own vast resources at the disposal of the aviators. and enlisted. those of other government departments in san effort to assure the saSetyof the crews and to reduce to rn..airnur1 the els-
 ment of a chance in the project
 A f1otilia Of destroye1s, reinforced by battlesnips whose more powerful wire- less equipment was. intended to pick up. messages from the flyers in case the radio Sets Of the smaller vessels failed to function, formed. chain of communication across 'thez Atlantic
 while the planes were proceeding to their base here. The fleet will remain on station until the birdnten haNe passed, the destroyers 50 close to- getheri that an hours steaning would bring one of them to the alighting place of any or the aircraft forced to descend. Mother ships, tenders and other naval units, at intervals along l the course. have mechanics, tools, eI-
 tra parts and gasoline aboard, ready to give aid which would make possible , resumption of it's journey by plane l put out of commission by slight de- fectS.
 ! The patrol fleet, in wireless contact . throughout its length and in touch ! with the United States Weather Bu- reau. as well as ships Of various na- ! tionaHties cruising the Middle Atlantic will keep the avtator-s posted on wea- ] tfer conditions tn the areas they are approaching, also cooperating with the i tlavigators aboard the planes in d. recting tie flight. .@. 1 Give us nc luck, good or bad, and 1 the trans-oceanic voyage should be made without trouble.' said Conanlan-
 der John II. Towers. chief Of the eS- i petition, commenting before the 'rhop
 off' on the completeness of the i1avy's preparations. we are not undertak- l ing the impossible. we are not banking ! on chance. We are attempting a flight wholly within the mechanical pessibtl- ities Of the N. c. planes. hoping to 1 demonstrate, without reckless risk of
 fife or valuable property, that an air
 cruise to Europe is practical propo-
 sitioIl." = :, One Of Commander Tow wers' brother jofficers declared that q new branch of the science of navigation was groya- II iilg up around the NC. planes, thus making the flight .ln undertaking ex-
 pected to contribute materially to the atvancer1sntgtoft the. profession Of the | sea. Giant strides have. been made ii :! deve}opInesft. CT the steering and Mea- ther. charts to be. used on the flight
 and the crews expected to accom- plist
 worth while T,resultss>. in |rt2e ,experi- ' n1ents abose tlaiae water. $, ,' '','3s
 The naval aircraft. the N.C.-i ' N.C.-3 and ,.C.-t. huge flying boats which ascend from ssl take offrt iii tiie ! water and :.fand ," also tofr' the sgf4sace Of the. sea. are driven; by Liberty no. tors, four to 8 plane and aggregatins |, l,c00 horse power They. are of fsttliif , biplane type with q wing span Of f2t
 feet length over ailse9. feet and tengtl
 of hull. 4 feet. The craft weigh .f5, Got
 pounds, with navigating and wireless , equiprent aboard, but without creF'
 and fuel. The total flying weight is $500 pounds AZ. t.34s-.3l <, :. l The planes have a dual control ,svs. celn. with seats side io; side ard for. ward Of the gasoline tailll, for tho pii. sots,, each Of whom has 4 complete se of instruments. including scoIhpasses } Tine navigating station, outfitted vttI . the regulation marine instruments, 1. , il the Bow. while tie. engineer and "a,
 do oHesato. 6e6fln.. the main .cofn., , ,parr.aelis at tne tailtls. Tie planes ar, expected to cruise, withoat winds, 7i l Ga!ld) laiies an hour and the gasolin, l capacity of tf.4o0, pounds viii carr, :, them upwards of j 500 miles,: consider ably in excess of the longest lap o 5 the ocean fiigit--fFem trrepassey t,