Omaha daily bee., 1919-06-15
AIRSHIPS and
NOT AiRbOATS
FOR OVERSEE
AIR fig HTS
Navy investigates Usefulness
Of NC Planes From Results
Of Recent Overseas
Flight.

Of Recent Overseas
Flight.
Washington, June 14.-Flyins
ships instead Of flying boats will BIZ
the logical evolution Of navy sea.
planes, navy experts believe, as a
result Of the first air trip acros.
the Atlantic. First impressions oil
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
Lieut.-Corn. A. c. Read had ma
uncovered the NC-4 to safe moor
ing at Plymouth, England.
Strangely enough, it was to the
experience of the NC-1, 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 genius of the
department turned for inspiration;
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 com
nients from the II men who set out
from Rockaway on the great adven-
ture, the experts apparently have
reached certain definite preliminary
conclusions to guide them in future
seaplane designing. They are con-
vinced 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 out on the
surface. 1t mast be able to lift
itself into air Of to plane down ito a
safe landing even when tall seas are
running and il must provide for its
crews safety, shelter and reasonable
comfort under very adverse circunl-
stances for the efficiency of the
plane depends upon the efficiency of
its men.
More Efficient Wireless.
Also, to fulfill its function 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
Com. John H. Towers. fight COM
lrlander aboard, she became dumb.
As scouting unit her value to a
feet was lost from that moment
Whatever her commander might
have learned of vital importance to
the feet could not have been trans
mitted.
The answer to all of these re-
quirements in the minds of the ex-
perts spells larger craft: veritable
flying ships. The vision toward
which the designers are looking is
that of flotillas OF seaplanes. re-
lying wholly upon their own power
for transportation on the surface
or in the air and operating from
swift mother ships" as submarines
and destroyers now operate.
These conclusions will be written
into new designs gradually. As bat
tleshipss have developed from II 600
ton predreadnaughts to the 10000
ton monsters for which the navy
IS now contracting, so naval Off
GERS say, seaplanc 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 department as the
basis for the request recently made
to congress by Secretary Daniels
for $40, 000, 900 for aviation develop
ment in the next fiscal year.
Power Development Lacking.
Naval experts point out that in
both seaplane and dirigible develop
ment. one of the most important
elements to be considered. is that
Of getting efficient power. The Lib
erty motors have proved highly sat
isfactory so far as endurance goes
on the transatlantic fight. bur no
means have yet been evolved to get
full benefit of their power. The
problem is the same as that en-
countered with steam turbines in
surface craft. The efficient engine
speed Of any gasoline motor now
known is too high for efficient pro-
peller speed. Connected direct to
the engine shafts. the propellers re-
volve 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 sys-
! tenn to 60 between the engine and
the propeller. A similar device has
permitted destroyers to use turbine
engines, but it has found a difficult
task to design a lightweight redcc-
tion gear or other aircraft. 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
NC-l and NC-3 indicate to experts
that some way must be found to get
the plane surfaces higher out Of the
water. This would save them from
battering into the sea when riding
the aurfaee. s. {,