The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-03-11
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The United States navy hopes to be
the first body to send an airplane
across the atlantic, In an effort to
beat competitors the navy recently
withdrew it's largest seaplane from
the Aeronautical Exposition at Madi-
son Square Garden.
Now every effort is being made at
the Rockaway Naval Training Station
to start the navy's flying boat on it's
transocean course before Great Brit
aims dirigible or the machines of any
other nation make the flight.
Inquiry as to the cause for with
drawing the navy's largest exhibit, the
N. G. l at the last moment brought
statement from Secretary Daniels in
Washington that his department
wants the credit of making the first
trans-ocean flight.
Aviators and explorers agree that
successful trip over the Atlantic
would be one of the greatest feats OF
the century, and the name Of the pilot
making the flight would be written in
histories for all time.
THE trial will be made in the
N. G. 1 or vessel of that type" SAID
Secretary Daniels. Reports that the
start will be made in the next few
days are slightly premature. 1t will
be some weeks before we can start
our flight"
No Time to Be Lost,
The secretary did not say that the
arrival in Newfoundland Of British
expert to designate landing place
for British machine of the nonrigid
dirigible type soon to leave England
for this side was the cause of with
drawing the n. G. 1 from the exposi-
ton.
1t was learned, however, that the
navy received word there was no time
to be lost If the department is to get
across the ocean ahead of the others.
The days spent in transferring the
giant N. C. ! from Rockaway to Madi
son Square Garden would be a waste
of time that might prove fatal to their
plans, navy officers said today.
The army, too, is making ready for
a transocean fight. Just what type
of plane will be used has not been
decided. Army officers and heads of
the aircraft department were inter
ested in many of the larger types of
nit themselves as to the army plans
Endurance Test Soon.
The n. G. l will receive an endur-
ance test soon. 1t already has made
successful fights as far as Washing
ton and other points along the coast.
The navy has four separate ma
chimes of the same type. The N. c. l
as originally built had an upper wing
span of 126 feet and the lower wings
had span of ninety-four feet. The
body of the craft is eighty-four feet
long. The lower wing Is twenty-four
feet above the ground. 1t may be
driven at will by two pilots sitting
side by side and can carry crew of
five men in its enclosd cabin.
The n. c. has carried in sustained
flight fifty-one passengers and has
made eighty-five miles an hour. 1t
climbs at the rate of 1000 feet in ten
minutes. Commander John II. Towers
is in charge of the overseas flight
The army is building its plane which
will probably be of the Glenn-Martin
bombing type, and strictly a land
machine with no pontoons.
While the navy craft is expected
to make the 1900 miles between New
foundland and Ireland in about fifteen
hours, the army plane will be COM
PEELED, say experts, to make it in
jumps, taking the Azores route and
landing either in England or France
The naval fight will start from Far
Rockaway. Just where the army will
launch its craft has not been decided