The Columbia evening Missourian., 1921-01-07
STEAM PLANES
TOSUPERSEDE
PRESENT TYPE
New Craft viii Have Crews in
Engine Room as Ships
Captains Duties
Lessened.
NEW ERA PREDICTED
Greater Strength for Bodies of
Machines Necessary
Frames Too Light,
Say Experts.
BY FLETcHER AuLrN

LoSDoN, Dec. Is tby MALL Aerial
navigation in the near future will be as
far ahead Of the present practice as the
steamship is ahead Of the sailing vessel.
The new airplanes will be driven by
siesm turbines, and instead Of all the
manual labor being left to the pilot. he
will simply telegraph his orders to the
engine room and the crew will carry out
his commands leaving him free to use
his brain. instead Of his hands. and less
ening The physical fatigue which has so
frequently been the cause of calamity.
Travel in the air will be more luxurious,
speedy and safe.
According TO Sir z. L. Ellington. the
British vice air-marshal, the program of
the an ministry is proceeding along rev.
oluiionary lines, and promises consider
able change in airplane and airship con-
stTuction. The hurried experiments
carried Oat in the late war were not made
on a strictly scientific basis, but followed
the usual trial and error system of emer.
gency operations so that while certain
results we're obtained they we're not OBJ
iained in the most satisfactory OF econo-
mical manner.
Sir Z. l. Ellington. says that the air
ministry is now concerned with the de-
yeiopment Of the following qualities in
aircraft: Reliability, ease Of control.
landing and iaking-of in the most re-
sirieied places, performance, lie. speed,
climbing, etc.
He couects popular opinion that re-
liability depends principally on the en-
sine. pointing out that modern engines
are far more developed and reliable than
the planes which carry them, and will
stand up under almost any trial that is
put upon them, provided that they are
well-overhauled prior to the fight. Most
failures are due 10 conditions outside the
engine itself. such as petrol supply, lu-
brication and water system.
Experiments in Great Britain, how.
ever, are still principally concerned Wilh
the engine, and are specially directed to
a low weight power ratio. Learning from
the use Of q ''swash-plate" engine in sub |
marine steering, the ministry have under. |
taken = series Of experiments which are |
intended to adapt the 'swash-p plate" en-.
CINE to flight uses. The swash plate |
engine is one in which an inclined disc |
on the shaft takes the place Of the crank
in the ordinary type The advantage Of
such an engine is that a small proportion /
Of the weight Of the plane will be used /
in the power unit, and as the cylinders 1
will lie parallel TO the shaft il will permit
of a more perfect stream-line construc-
lion Of the nacelle or fuselage, to reduce
the wind-resistance.
Great advance is heralded also in con,
siruction, particularly in connection with
'he reduction Of physical effort demand lI
ed Of the pilot, who at present has to
operate the control surfaces. With the
increase of mult-engined planes the ne.
cesslry physical effort is rapidly passing
beyond the strength Of single operator,
and mechanical means Of operating the
control surfaces are being perfected. In
machines at present in the design stage
the pilot will be relieved of control Of
the engine and viii telegraph his orders
to the engine room, much as is now the
practice on board ship.
From military standpoint the most