Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-05-10
DEVEL OPMENT
OF OVEROCEAN PL ANES
Commander of NC-3 Declares Big Airships Were Not
Primarily Designed for Transatlantic Flights.
Many Difficulties Encountered

the Curtiss engineering staff worked
under the direct supervision Of officers
OF the Bureau OF Construction and
were Commander q. c. ;Wcstcrvelt.
Commander J. c. Hunsakcr and my
sell:
The design work began at the Aus
tin Street plant OF the Curtiss Com
pany in Buffalo After the preliminary
Gesigm negan TO take definite form in
frc-enSin inc design involved too radi-
cal departure, from anything pre-
possibility of failure and expenditure
OF great deal more time and money
IMAM appeared warranted at tho time.
INTO service at the earliest possible
GATE as means of combating the
submarine menace. Hence. tho prim-
cipal detailed Investigations were made
tho thrcc-cncinc job and for this de-
sign the dimensions themselves were
in construction OF the NC-l type
Carries $4,000 Pound Load.
The overall length is sixty-nine feet.
me length of the hull is forty-four
i ie With = ,en-ioot beam. The lift
balloons, is 2.3S0 square feet The
original load contemplated for the
three engines was 1000 pounds. With
as tractors and one Npusher. a load or
Snore than $500 pounds has been car
The NC-I made her first flight on
october 4. 1918. On November she
made successful air voyage from
Roekaway to Washington. Due to the
oreakase oil water connections "a
forced landing was made i'm an eight.
foot sea off BarnegaS. The water Con-
mention was repaired and the radiator
night continued TO Washington after a
getaway made in one minute
ME making this repair and filling
I,nt
Seaplane was ut no time i'm danger OF
me me s s.vn aithough two members OF
again.
There were nine passengers on this
or 10000 pounds. The flying time was
five hours and twenty-five minutes,
e ,gma to train time. though the dis
tomac River
on November, $. with ten passengers.
the plane went to Hampton Roads in
two hours and thirty minutes from
washington. The next day the sc;
Boat Beat sailed sail =, from HAMPTON Roads to
minutes.
First "Stowawny" Found.
An attempted flight with for;y-fvc
passengers pa was entered on November
load dh Of i gaSsd So SnGred at this tine
TO take the air. but with the propeiiers
then 1tted were unable TO stay aIort
Matters assumed different aspect the
next day. y flight was made with lftv
passengers in theory and nfty-onc fact
liere comes the story o. the first
'stowaway' on an airshp. The stow
away represented the nfty-nrst per-
son on board. When we had taken the
AR the stowaway made his appear
ance and We learned that he had come
aboard during the preliminary flight
and had hidden himself until the final
trip.
lie said he had been in service at
the air station for nearly two years
without having satisfied his adj
Tcnturcous soul with jaunt to cloud
land. lie added that ii would be al
Tess such Il shortcoming.
The flight on this date was made
with load OF $4,000 pounds, but be-
cause one OF the wing tip wires show
ed vibration in the preliminary fight
TO effort was made for a sustained
stay in the air.
Next day. carrying a load equal 10
that in which the "stowaway" parti-
cipatcd as passive passenger, the
NC-l made a flight from Rockaway
Point TO Montault Point and back at
the rate OF siNty-fve miles an hour
for siN hours.
On March IS the motors OF the NC-1
lad been changed from the regular
low compression navy type to the high
compression army motor and was fit
ted with new propellers. Under this
arrangement maximum load of "a
200 pounds WAS carried in flight with
three engines.