Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-01-08
FLYING BOAT
|. PLANT BOOMING
Keyport Industry is Making
Great Progress

KEYPORT, Jan. S-Down on the
shore of Raritan Bay, a few miles east
of Sandy Hook, six hundred men are
busy building flying boats In the
plant of the Aeromarine Plane and
Motor Company of Keyport. The
company Is the only large concern
in his country hat Is limiting its out
put of aircraft to air-and-water ma
chimes. It's policy Of building these
now is founded on the belief of Inglis
NJ. Uppercu, president and his asso-
ciates that the day of the flying boat
In sport and commerce is now here.
For that reason the company has
devoted its energies since the signing
of the armistice solely to the devel-
opment of a planes such as will
be demanded by the pioneers sports
men. aerial tourists and commercial
users.
The result OF this company's wide
experience is the three passenger
cabin flying boat-Aeromarine model
so B-2-which is being exhibited at
the Chicago Air Show. This ship"
improved from the first enclosed fly
ing boat which was developed early
last year, has all the comforts Of the
sedan, and wings besides.
1t Is a good sign when ar airplane
manufacturer starts to worry about
upholstery and spring seats, for IT
indicates that he has successfully fill
ed all requirements Of speed and safe
ty, and Is worried only about the
comfort of his clients. The problem
of comfort: protection from the noise
of the motor, and the cold Of the
higher attitudes has now been solved
by the Aeromarine Company as the
older problems of strength. endur-
ance, safety and motor reliability
were solved.
! The Aeromarine flying boat on ex-
hibition is a three passenger pushei
flying boat with a speed of seventy
five miles an hour. The passengers
the wingsh. the pilot sitting in the
he wings. the pilot sitting in the
behind him. The root Of the cabin Is
constructed of transparent ~celluloid
sheets firmly set in strong frames
The entire cabin is finished in beauti-
full blue leather with polished mahog-
any trimmings. The seats. with
! spring backs. are of similar leather
! The usual comforts of a well-equip-
| ped closed automobile are provided
! The exterior of the boat, including Its
strong, wide-stretched wings, Is In
white, and all the fittings are likewise
white.
The ship is powered with an eight
cylinder, 100 horse power Aeroma-
rine motor of the V type. This Is
! set between the wings some distance
behind the cabin. The main tank Is
in the hull of the boat, behind the
cabin.
The upper wing of the ship has G
| span Of 48 feet six inches, the lower
| OF 81 feet e~ight-inches. The gap be,
/ tween the two wings is six and a hall
feet. The length from bow to ruddel
tip Is 20 feet and the height is twelve
feet seven inches. The ship ttselt
weighs $3.50 pounds and the "usefu
load" that is, the weight Of passen'
| gers, baggage. gasoline, etc, that may
be carried Is $40 pounds.
AS has been said, the maximum
speed of the flying boat is rs miles
| an hour. The landing speed is forty
four miles an hour. The ship car
| climb to a height of 2.20O feet in ter
minutes.
Besides this model the Aeromarine
Company builds also open bodied
planes of the same general dimen'
sions carrying two passengers.
The two motors described were re-
Gently tested by the company in
record-breaking aerial tour, from
Keyport, N. j., to Havana Cuba, and
back again. The "E-8" was tried
out on the run southwark to Key
West and the LID was tested or
the fight across the Gu,f to Havana
and on the return trip up the coast
| to Keyport. The whole trip was
/ made in fifty hours and As minutes
flying time, although no attempt a
| racing time was made. The tour wa!
the longest run ever undertaken by
a sport plane me showed that thi'
type of ship has a cruising ability
| equal or superior to q big sea-goins
yacht, besides five or six times IT.
| speed and only a fraction of its ex
pense. Two men, c. ]. Zimmerman
chief test pilot for the company, and
Richard Griesinger. mechanic, and
Aero, a bull pup, made the trip.