The Washington times., 1923-03-31
BIC ]. s. AIRSH|P
WILL CARRY
PLANES
Experiments Reveal Practical
Method of Transporting
Aerial Fighters.
BY HARRY L. ROGERS,
International News Service.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS SERVICE
The giant airship now being
constructed at Akron, Ohio, for
the army air service, will be used
as an airplane carrier, it was
learned officially today.
Carry Fighting Planes.
Plans now are under way foR
equipping the airship, which viii be-
the largest semi-rigid in the worlds
with twelve small fighting planes
which win be able not only to take
off" from the airship, but also tn
effect a landing on he airehiu
while it is in motion.
Experiments just completed ut
Mitchell Field, Long Island, by air
service pilots have proved con-
clusively, it is stated officially, the
feasibility of using airships as air.
plane carriers. Planes equipped
with rings on the upper wings
were caught out OF the air on hooks
suspended from the lower frame
work of the airship, without the
slightest mishap, and these planes
later we're able to loose their cons
nection with the carrier and coTi-
tinue their flight with equal ease.
Not the slightest hitch was en-
countered, air officers assert.
One Of Three Ordered.
The giant semi-rfgid is one Of
three ordered by the War Depart
ment more than year ago. One
of these, the CT-1, has just sue
cessfuIly passed some of her pre-
Iiminary tests, and soon will under
take trial flight from Akron to
Niagara Falls and return.
The CT-1. however, IL much
smaller than the ship which is
to be used as an airplane carrier.
This craft will not be completed
until. about September 1. Her
envelope will have capacity OF
$50 900 cubic feet. or slightly less
than that of the Inflated Roma.
which was burned at Hampton
Roads. Va, more than q year ago
with great loss Of life.
Safer Than Roma.
Though OF slightly less gas
capacity than the Roma, the
new tairship viii have q greater
lifting power, experts assert, and
greater speed. She also will be
safer than the Roma. not only
because she win be equipped for
initiation with heliun, which is nom
inflammable, but also because the
engineers have profited by the
lessons learned from study of the
| weaknesses of construction in the
Roma
when the Roma" was pur.
chased from Italy. the army air
service had in view certain ex'
periments with her as an ai-plane
carrier, but the disaster at Hamp-
ton Roads prevented even the MOST
preliminary experiments under these
rather indefinite plans. The tests
at Mineola have proved. army
filters say, the practicability or the
plans as now worked out.
Britain Has Similar Plan.
Great Britain is believed to be tho
only other nation which has devoted
itself seriously to. the problem OF
afrships as airplame carriers. Some
progress he been made, according
| to officis formation here, but the
American plans and experiments ar9
believed to be much farther ads
vanced.
From the point Of view Of tacticss
especially naval tactics, army ana
navy experts declare, the value or a
successful airship carrier il almost
| incalculable. In naval engagements
| the airship, with it's complement or
| fighting planes, would junction
much as an ordinary naval airplane
carrier, proceeding in advance of the
| fleet and loosing its pursuit planes
T to engage those Of the enemy.
Under the Washington arms cone
| ference agreement there is limitaS
| ton on the number and size of ships
used as airplane carriers. There is
no limitation whatever, on airshipS
as airplane carriers.