Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-11-07

~ a SEQ mile-per-hour plane
~ and get enough of them on
hand can do more vital
harm in thirty days than Germany did
in the entire war. Such planes could
sink navies in no time and render in
effectual the work of almost any
army.
1T was really with this idea IN
view-of Americas defense-that we
built our planes for the Gordon Ben
nett cup race. and succeeded in at
tanning a speed of l won't say how
much more than 200 miles per hour.
The time is short!'
And he added:
What / have just seen in France
proves that the new era has already
opened. The United States has not a
day to lose"
The speaker was S. +. J. Cox, called
Lucky Cox. the oil man OF Texas
whose Wildcat airplane was entered
in the classic race on behalf of the
Aero Club of Texas. His newly made
fortune has been put rather credit
ably at the disposition of airplane re-
search. already to the tune of a quar-
ter of a million dollars at one clip.
Such is the total, $250,0O0, which
Cox footed to build two planes for the
race in France and bring them across
the Atlantic with a crew of seven
teen mechanicians, engineers. wood
workers. pilots. etc. The second
plane, which has not yet flown pub
|licly, is entered for the Pulitzer cup
race. to be held on Long Island on
Thanksgiving day: Like its replica
more or less. the wildcat. it result
ed from a consortium> of American
engineers working with Mr.. Cox. and
the Wildcat certainly exceeded 200
miles per hour before it broke its
wheel at Etampes. Mrs. Cox was the
first woman to fly across the American
continent, and their son, Lucky, jr..
the first American boy to fly from
home to boarding school. Thus did
his mamma. as pilot. take him from
Houston, Tex, to the Raymond Rior-
dan School at Highlands, y. Y.
I obtained this talk for publication.
1t is authorized, as it stands. by Mr..
Cox.
"Our War Department" he said
Seems to be neglecting aeronautics in
the next war. which will be fought in
the air, or, rather, superiority in the
air will decide who is to come out
ahead. The American people are part
ly to blame for this neglect, because
even the machine which the War De-
partment sent to the Gordon Bennett
cup race was criticised as a useless
expense; yet it consisted of an old
fuselage that had been used by the
Army during the war, with new en-
CINE put in it. and it was an engine
of a nature which, if successful. is
NV hA var m nj
portunity to try it out was equally
needed and no opportunity could have
been better than the event in France
do you know what the French
ministry of war is doing? 1t is Of
fering substantial inducements to
airplane manufacturers for whole
series Of Notwithstanding off the
ground first. highest altitude. great
est speed, greatest load-carrying Ca
pacity with least wing surface, going
up 900 feet and coming down IN short
est time. etc. 1t is to encourage eX-
ministry of war Meanwhile japan is
straining to get ahead in aviation
When I was building my planes there
were always from two to three Japa-
nese officers on the oh. watching US all
| the time.
Here is the kernel of the hurry
have seen in France a large plane being
manufactured by a famous firm. whose
name / am not sure l. ought TO dlvulge
and which will make those big German
large 600-horsepower engines, all at
| tached to one drive shaft. and they car
be cut off as you please. one. two, three
four engines, to be examined. worked
on and repaired. while the plane is in
| full flight in the air. 1t does not stop
| the remaining engines from working
on the drive shaft: they will still have
! plenty of horsepower. 1t requires
only half the engines to keep the big
plane in the air. running at about 100
miles per hour, whereas the eight en-
gines will carry it at $50 miles per
hour with tremendous load.
/ * x 4 *
ut is a new departure in aviation
, this method of working several engines
| on one single drive shaft" continued
| the owner of the wildcat land. nat
uralIy, it is a secret. The point is that
the French ministry of war is. natural
| ~, behind the manufacturers, is fur
! nishing the francs"
l realized at once that the thing
must be essentially true. 1t was of it
! doubtless. that Capt. Hirschauer. son OF
the general, limited in his .'ofIicious'
leading article on commercial aviation
| few weeks ago. in 'l'Illustration,'
where he said that it's great day had
awaited safety in the air from motor
stoppage-the development of a plane
| whose motor can be watched and cared
| for in full flight in the air.
DO you believe it," I asked.
| II saw it," he answered. 81 was moi
invited to go up close and examine all
its mechanism in detail but that was
| the reason why 1 was taken to see it
Why should the French war department
and such "a firm of manufacturers make