Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1919-01-10
Radiophone Will Aid
War Aircraft Growth
ny Fred ric ]. Hasldn

off from all tho rest Of mankind by dis
| tance and the noise of his roaring motors.
| 1t is now possible for him to converse
with persons ON the ground or in other air
planes even when they are miles away He
| NAV call for help, ask about landing con-
| elitions below, send back information
| about the weather.
In that national system Of landing fields
| which in the dream Of all constructive
| minded ayiators and which the army fiierg
arc now beginning TO outline, this radio-
phone will play part, the importance OF
which can scarcely be exaggerated For
il means that passenger and mail planes
will be in almost continuous touch with
| ground stations.
VALUE IN WAR OBVIOUS.
The military value of the radiophone
is even more obvious and indeed was
demonstrated in France before the arrnis-
tice was signed and before the secret OF
the wireless telephone was revealed TO the
public.
The great value Of the radiophone IN
military flying, OF course, ~ that 1T en-
ables great sqtadrons OF planes To act IN
perfect unison under a commander. When
Is planes going at u rate OF loo miles an
hour dip or turn, or rock like one machine
in perfect response TO an order gwen by
1t
them, and the order is simultaneously
audible to n man at the aerial station,
5000 feet below the lowest plane, one
must admit that here - q new wonder OF
the world. There is something quite un-
canny in the whole proceeding TO the nom
scientific listener and onlooker who Is at
the ground aerial station.
II is a proof Of the perfection of the
wireless telephone that in all the tests
and drills which have been held, an order
from commanding officer has never been
misunderstood by man under his com
mand, and no accidents have occurred TO
machines under the control Of this new
and powerful instrument. This is great
satisfaction in itself, and it also shows the
splendid discipline and faith ot an Ameri-
can aviator. As the airplanes, when In
battle formation, fly very close to each
other, the slightest Misunderstanding or
disobedience on the part OF an alrman
would quite likely mean the collision Of two
planes and the probable death of both
pilots.
When in battle tins invention enables
the commander Of fleet Of planes so to
maneuver rs completely 70 surround
enemy planes hidden in clouds, and some
times even those in the open On the
training field, the wireless telephone saves
skilled pilots from unnecessary risks
while directing and correcting their pupils
The instructor on the ground rs enabled by
this device To make his commands per-
fectly audible to the pupil IN the air with
out risking his life 10 the hands Of re-
crliit. Moreover II has been proved be-
yond doubt that the wireless telephone
Is Of supreme value in directing air gun
ncrs and bombcrs.
CREDIT GIVEN cor. CULVER.
Chief credit for the invention IS gwen
to Colonel Clarence Culver Of the De-
partment Of Military Aeronautic6 and
Colonel samuel Rees Of the Royal Fly
ing Corps The idea first took definite
shape when these two officials were on
dlty at the international Aviation Tourna
rnent at Belmont Park in the fall Of 1910
Earlier that same rear Col. Culver and
Capt Fl NJ Horton had established radio
telegraph communication from Z flying
airplane 70 an aerial station at Sleeps
head Bay, New York. Capt. Horton
is credited with having built the trans
mltting set and Col. Culver, the receiving
set.
II was six wears later that the hrst
message was transmitted from one air
plane IN flight 10 another on September
,, 1916. Col. Culver continued his m
ventive work, and early the next year
radio-telephone trial WAS held, which
resulted IN the frst transmission Of the
human voice from an aIrpiane 10 the
ground. Then, in May 1917, General
George O. Squier, chief signal officer, led
conference which included Colonel
ReeS, Col Culver and DR.. L. B. JeRett
of the Western Electric Company. Later,
master telephone engineers We're called
INTO the conference and the following tall
Col Culver carried sample receivers and
transnitteTs abroad with him for trial
work in France. which proved very Sue
cessful. Since February, 1918, American
airplanes here and abroad have been
fully equipped with wireless telephone
apparatus.
SECRET WELL AEPT.
Ever since the successful completion
OF this invention the secret has been
wonderfully we'll kept, and 1t has been
asserted by government officials that, al
though German airmen were cognizant
Of the fact that the Americans had some
unusual method of omnunlcatlon, they
were entirely ignorant OF the exact nature
OF that method.
The flyers of Great Britain and France
have attempted the use of the wireless
telephone The former met with better
SUCCESS tHAu tttt 4ttAfis ottt tut lAicce
marked success has come 70 American
aviator4
Both the receiving ands transmitting
sets for wireless telephoning are very
simple and compact IN appearance More
over, they do not attract attention when
in place on machine. With the consent
of General kenly, Col. Culver has given
out the following information concerning
the mechanism of the radiophone:
The transmitting set consists OF q
power plant, set box, transmltter Of
mcrophone and al antenna system. The
power plant consists OF a generator driven
on the windmill principle BY the passage
Of the airplane through the air. II Is
placed somewhere in the open-u usually
on the running gear or on one of the wings,
and its tiny propeller blade whirls yigor
ously as the airplanc travels along
The so-called set box receives the
power from the generator. converts il
and places 1t on the acrials in the form Of
sustained or llndampened waves The
voice entering the traosmitter varies
the electric current on the wires which