The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1919-07-24

studied by n NavaI Experte IN
WashIngton-To Play lie Full Part
In Naval Strategy seapIans Must
Become a. Independent Unit ~ Mod
ern Destroyer or Submarine.
Flying ships, instead Of flying boats,
will be the logical evolution Of navy
s~eaplanes, navy experts believe, as q
result of the first air trip across the
Atlantic. First impressions of the les
sons taught by that trip had already
taken definite shape In the minds of
the men who conceived and built the
NC machines, one Of which Lieutenant
Commander A. G. Read Unanswered to
a safe mooring at Plymouth, England.
1t was the experience Of the NC-1.
lost off the Azores. and the NC-3. bat
tered out Of usefulness by heavy seas
before she made port at Ponta Del
gada, that the inventive genius Of the
! department turned for inspiration,
rather than to the NC-4.
Experts are convinced that to play
Its full part In naval strategy the sea-
plane must become as independent a
unit as a modern submarine or de-
stroyer. 1t must be able to keep the
seas in heavy weather. riding on the
surface. 1t must be able to lift itself
into the air or to plane down to q
safe landing. even when tall seas are
running. and it must provide for Its
crew. safety, shelter, and reasonable
oovafnrt rpAnr varu oHuarca ofraYrnn-
stances, for the efficiency of the plane
depends upon the efficiency Of its
men.
To fulfill its function as a scout the
seaplane of the future must be able
to communicate at all times by radio.
Plan Fiotiiias Of the Air.
The answer to all of these require
ments In the minds Of the experts Is
larger craft, veritable flying ships. The
vision toward which the designers are
looking Is that OF fiotillas of seaplanes
relying wholly upon their OWE power
for transportation on the surface or In
the air and operating from swift
mother ships" as submarines and de-
stroyers now operate.
AS battleships have developed from
II, OO0-ton predreadnaughts 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 adj
being based on results obtained
with preceding types. This Is the pro-
gram laid out by the navy depart
ment as the basis for the request re-
Gently made to congress by Secretary
Daniels for $45. 100000 for aviation de-
velopment in the next fiscal year.
Part of this appropriation, IL grant
ed, will go into lighter-than-air devel-
opment. The general board Is e
pected t. recommend the immediate
purchase of a British rigid dirigible
for personnel training and the con-
struction of a similar vessel on Amer
lean designs as a pilot ship OF a fleet
of air cruisers. The purchase of the
British Zeppelin would permit the
training Of a crew to handle h first
American craft when completed.
The navy department is said to be
ready to proceed with Zeppelin con-
struction on its OWE plans whenever
congress grants authority and appro-
priations. The ship. 1t Is understood,
would not be patterned exactly on the
British notifications Of German Yep
pelin construction. The discovery OF
n~oncombustible helium gas to initiate
the bags is said to have pointed the
way to SOM radical changes In de-
sign. Details of what Is contemplated
have not been disclosed.
Naval experts point out that In both
seaplane and dirigible development
one Of the most important elements to
be considered Is that Of getting eff
Client power. The Liberty motors have
proved highly satisfactory SO far as
endurance goes on the transatlantic
flight, but no means have yet been
evolved to get the full benefit OF their
power. The problem Is the same as
that encountered with steam turbines
in surface craft.
Testing Reduction Gear.
The navy has been working for
months with a reduction gear system
I'D 20 tue SuBiue huu tHc PA~
peller. A similar device has permit
ted destroyers to use turbine engines,
but 1t has been found a difficult task
to design a lightweight reduction gear
for seaplanes or other craft. Should
this device be worked out, the NC sea
planes could be made much more EN-.
cient and their cruising radius could
be greatly increased. 81,
AS % the s~ea-keeping qualities Of
the NC planes, the experiences OF the
NC-1 and NC-3 Indicate to experts that
some way must be found to get the
plane surfaces higher out Of the wa
ter. This would ave them from bat
tering into the sea when riding the sur.
face.
New gasoline motors for lighter
than-air craft have been worked oul
and received their nrst test on the
flight Of the dirigible CO from Mon.
tauk Point. L. /. to st. Johns, New.
foundland. So well did they function
that decision had been made to At