The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-06-16
FLYING SHIP WILL
SUCCEED SEAPLANES
That Is Considered BY U. S. Naval Ex-
perts to Be the Logical Evolution
Following the Action of
the NC-4.

ships instead of flying boats will be the
logical evolution of navy seaplanes, navy
experts believe, as result OF the first
air trip across the Atlantic. First i'm
pressions Of the lessons taught by that
trip had already taken definite shape in
the minds OF the men who conceived
and created the NC machines before
Lieutenant Commander A. G. Read had
manouvered the NC.4 to safe moor
ing at Plymouth, England
Strangely enough, it was to the ex-
perience of the NC-l, lost off the Azores,
and the NC-3, battered out of usefulness
by heavy seas before she made port at
Ponta Delgada, that the inventive gen
ius Of the department turned for in
spiration; not to the NC-4 that battled
her way triumphantly through the his
toric journey.
As far as they have yet gone and
lacking detailed reports and comments
| from the IL men who set out from Rock
away on the great adventure, the ex-
perts apparently have reached certain
definite preliminary conclusions to guide
them in future seapane designing They
are convinced that TO play its full part
in naval strategy, the seaplane must be-
come as Independent a unit as a modern
submarine or destroyer 1t must be
able to keep the seas in heavy weather,
riding it ont on the surface. 1t must
be able to lift itself into air or to plane
down to a safe landing even when tall
seas are running and it must provide
| for its crew safety, shelter and reason
able comfort under very adverse crcum
tances, for the efficiency Of the plane de-
ponds upon the efficiency of its men.
/ Also, to fulfill its functions as scout,
/ this plane of the future must be able
| to communicate at all times by radio,
| When the NC-3 was forced down west
of the Azores with Commander John Ii.
| Towers, flight commander aboard, she
| became dumb. As scouting unit her
value to fleet was lost from that mo-
ment. Whatever her commander might
have learned of vital Importance to the
| feet commander could not have been
| transmitted.
The answer to all of these require
ments in the minds of the experts spells
larger craft; veritabe flying ships. The
vision toward which the designers are
looking is that of fiotillas of seaplanes,
relying wholly upon their own power
| for transportation on the surface or in
the air and operating from swift moth
er ships" as submarines and destroyers
now operate.
These conclusions will be written into
new designs gradually. As battleships
/ have developed from ll,000-ton pre-
| dreadnaughts to the 43,000-ton monsters
| for which the navy is now contracting
so naval officers say, seaplane evolution
will come type by type and year by
year, each advance being based on results
obtained with preceding types. This is
! the program laid out by the navy depart
ment as the basis for the request recent
" made to Congress by Secretary Dam
| iels for S45 900 900 for aviation develop
ment in the next fiscal year.
| Part of this appropriation, if granted,
will go into lighter than-air develop
ment, The general board is expected to
recommend immediate purchase of a
British rigid dirigible for personnel train
ing and the construction OF similar
vessel on American designs as pilot ship
of feet of air cruisers. The purchase
of the British Zeppelin would permit
the training Of a crew to handle the first
American craft when completed.
The navy department is said to be
ready to proceed with Zeppelin construc
| ton on its own plans whenever Congress
grants authority and appropriations. The
ship, it is understood, would not be pat
termed exactly on the British modifica-
tions Of German Zeppelin construction.
The discovery of non-comhustible helium
gas to initiate the bags is said to have
/ pointed the way to some radical changes
1 in design. Details of what is contem-
plated, however, have not been disclosed
Naval experts point out that in both
seaplane and dirigihe development one
of the most important elements TO be
considered is that Of getting efficient
power The Liberty motors have proved
4 highly satisfactory so far as endurance
| goes on the trans Atlantic flight but no
means have vet been evolved to get full
benefit of their power. The problem is
! the same as that encountered with steam
| Turbines in surface craft. The efficient
engine speed of any gasoline motor now
| known is too high for efficient propeller
speed Connected direct to the engine
shafts. the propellers revolve so rapidly
that the length and pitch of the blades
cannot be set so as to obtain all of the
lifting power the engine could furnish.
! The navy has been working for months
with a reduction gear system to go be-
tween the engine and the propeller. A
| similar device has permitted destroyers
| to use turbine engines, but it has found
| difficult task to design lightweight
| reduction gear for spaplanes or other air
craft Should this device be worked out,
| the NC seaplanes could be made much
more efficient and their cruising radius
be greatly increased.
| As to the sea keeping qualities Of the
! NC planes, the experience Of the NCl
and NC-3 indicates to experts that some
way must be found to get the plane
! surfaces higher out of water. This
would save them from battering into the
sea when riding the surface. A mono
plane type flying boat is being expert
mented with which may develop enough
| TO warrant search in that direction.
| New gasoline motors for lighter than
! air craft have been worked out and re-
ceiyed their first test on the flight OF
the dirigible C.5 from Montauk Point,
L. l., to st. Johns, n f. So we'll did
they function that decision has been
made to attempt direct flight to
Ireland with the C-5 before the ship was
blown to sea and wrecked. Another at
tempt to cross the Atlantic will be made
as soon as similar engines can be in
stalled in another aircraft of the "C'
type.
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