New-York tribune., 1922-02-22
Tragedy Deals
Heavy Blow to
Ail'slnip nipPro;sgrann1
Navigation by Rigid Type
of Craft Is Likely TO Be
Postponed for Years if
Noi Dropped Altogcther
By Jack Binns
Rudio Editor Of The TiJune

NNUtO EG}tOf OF me lJibUJtr
The disaster which bofeM the semi
rigid airship Roma yesterday. comjno.
so soon after the IR-2 catastrophe.
means that alrship navigation viii be
set back IN its development several
years, if not abandoned altogether.
Ihe accident emphasizes two things
which have to certain extent been
overlooked - first, that the govern
ments much heralded helium develop
ment project has been a complete.f fail
ure. and second. that the mechanical
control of airshirs has not been sue
cessfully mastered.
In other words, the designers of air
ships have permitted themselves to
proceed with the construction Of light
er-than-air craft OF much larger dimen-
slonS than the develonmcnt of theu.
control warranted. They have been
fired with the enthusiasm of imaeina
ton, untempered by the caution Of ex-
pericnce.
From the meager reports so FAR OBJ
tanned from survivors and eyewitnesses
1T would appear that the Roma took
her death plunge because of minor
defect in her cumbersome rudders. and
then burst into fame after She had
plunged against a high tension power
transmission wire.
The Roma was equipped with nocu-
liar rudder control. unlike that OF any
other type Of airship. 1t consisted Of
| a boX-klte type of construction. in
which no less than eight vertical rld-
ders were placed at spaced intervals in
the shp-stream between three horizon
tai rudders. All of the rudders, both
vertical and horizontal. were hinged on
small n%ed fins The usual stabilizing
ms upon the envelope proper also we've
lnc!uded IN her construction. The pos
s'ollltY Is that some of these rudders
were out of alignment, with the result
that the mammoth frame becamo nv
manageable. There is not the SLIGHTEST
doubt that had she been allied wifh
heilum gas the explosion would not
nave nave occurred, nor would the loss of
life have been so great.
Inns latter fact therefore stands
cut more Importantly than anNthing
else connected with the disaster If
emphasizes beyond any cavil that after
liVe years of intensive WORK. the GOV
ernment helium production plants have
oeeh complete failure. The fact is
| lhdlsputahie that during those wears
the plants have only been able to turn
out sufficient helium gas to I'll one Of
'ne small navy blimps of the "Cp tvpe
Wmch can transport but three men With
lhe necessary equipment under mill
tary conditions.
so precious is this minute quantjtv
OF the Aammaba lifting gas thai
IL mas to- be taken out Of the airship
pefiodlcal.y and stored away carefully
IN anks to prevent leakage losses. In
addition to this It has to be passed
through the re-purifcation plants ot
intervals in order to restore it 70 its
maX a.; mum lifting capacity
ne accident to the IR-2 was caused
by inadequate strength of the main
glrdefs in the rigid framework of the
hull structure. There is moi The
slightest doubt about this. irrespective
OF statements issued at the time. When
the Ak-2 was turned about in the air
at full speed on her last Inflated
framework was so great it broke in
Two In breaking asunder. the pipes
"nlch carried gasoline from the main
fuel tanks 20 the engines also we're
severed, and sparks from the engines
ignlted the escaping gasoline. which in
turn exploded the hydrogen gas with
winch the envelope was filed.
In anaiyzlng the two disasters there
lofe 1T VII be readily seen that the
question of control and hydrogen gas
were the dominant factors.
In view of these facts, together with
the tremendous cost of constructiNg
TINS type Of aircraft there is no doubt
that the Development Of either the rigid
or semi-rlgld types viii be abandoned
Tor several years and all future experi-
ments continued with the smaller and
more wieldly. "blimps.' or non-ricid
type. Of airship.
Dep as both of these accidents
are they are the necessary price that
must be paid for the CONQUEST of the
ar which is as inevitable as day and
night. In our horror at the terrible
catastrophe we should not allow our
sentiments TO sway our sense Of nro.
portions; nor should we forget thst
thele are two distinct types Of air
hav'satlons-thc lighter than air rep
resented by gasflled airships. and the
heavier than air type, REPRESENTED bv
alfplanes The after are in very ad
yanced stage Of development and have
income reliable and stable means of
engers and freight