New Britain herald., 1924-11-26
ID USE DIRIGIBLE OVER TRIAL ROUTES
Navy Announces Program for
 the Los Angeles

hhnlnElOnt NON Eb,--Flans Tor a flight 10 Panama by the navy Zeppelin Los Angeles, disclosed in Lakehurst last night by Rear Ad- miTal Moffett, have brought up the possibility that the great ship may become the means of revolutionizing long distance air eommunication and commerce.
 The Panama flight, as well as that to England mentioned by Admiral Moifett, is said at the navy depart ment 10 be in a tentative stage, but 1t is one of the trips suggested by 0 special board whose report now is in the hands of the Lakehurst off, cers for study and comment.
 The Panama Trip
 The report sketched a suggested series Of flights which might be of value In determining the ultimate peaceful use to be made of the Los Angeles In exploring the commercial possibilities of Zeppelin air routes from the United States, Officers at the department do net feel that there is any obstacle to making use of the Los Angeles for the Panama flight although to establish any sort of regular Zeppelin route south ward would require an extensive hangar building program at the terminal points selected in Panama or elsewhere.
 In the course of a journey of this kind and with tho extraordinary cruising radius the Zeppelin had demonstrated, 1t is thought, while in the vicinity of Panama the Los An geles also could make flights over the nearest Pan-American capitals if the officials of those governments desired that she be thus exhibited.
 The English Flight
 The trip to England would pre- sent none of the difficulties that might be encountered in landing without hangar or mooring mast in Panama, the British government still possessing several hangars built to accommodate British air cruisers and now unoccupied. One of these adjacent to London could be put at the disposal of the Los Angeles should her nose be turned eastward in an effort to discover the practi- cability of plan for establishing regular air maf1 route across the Atlantic which has been given much consideration by Secretary Wilbur and Admiral Moffett. The British are constructing ships which will not be finished for some time but 1t has occurred to some officials here that If the Los Angeles as pioneer proved it possible to maintain regu- lar mail service by air across the Atlantic the British government would be likely to place one or more of its new aircraft in CO., operation transatlantic service.
 France Has Hangar
 While the French government is doing nothing toward construction of that type, it still has available a hangar in the vicinity of Paris. which could be made the French terminus for the transatlantic air mail route that has been suggested.
 The ultimate employment of the navy's new air liner. however. will not be decided until there have been number of experimental flights to various destinations. It is not ncc- essary that mooring masts be pro- vided at all of these points since the Los Angeles IS to be equipped immediately with the water re- covery devices winch are used in the Shenandoah to offset the less of weight due to consumption of fuel on long trips. The device converts the exhaust gases from the ships motors into water which is piped into the ballast tanks to make up for the weight of gasoline burned,
 Lack of the water recovery de- vices on the Los Angeles accounted for the difficulties the ship en- countered here yesterday when she attempted to land for christening and which she met again on her re- turn to Lakehurst so much weight in fuel had been consumed that she was very light and hard to bring down to earth without letting loose much of her helium gas.