Evening star., 1924-12-07
MITCHELL VISIONS
62-HOUR A|RP[ANE
FLIGHTS TO CHINA
He Outlines Flying Progress
Made Since the World
War.

Feasibility Of airplane flights from
New York to Pekin, China, in 81 hours
over a 6,0o0-mile route along the S0th
parellel; attachment of an airplane in
| flight to dirigible also under way in
the air to bring out the future value
of dirigibles as airplane carriers and
successful performance of aerial tor
pedoes in flight under gyroscopic con-
troll we're the high points Of an IL
Illustrated lecture given last night in
the University Club by Brig. Cen
william Mitchell. assistant chief of
the Army air service.
The flight to China. the general
explained, was entirely possible as 1t
could be made under ideal flying con-
ditions and with land in sight virtually
all the way. In areas at different
parts in the North where the warm
and cold currents do not meet, the
weather is "as clear as a bell' in con-
trast to the fog and rains found where
a warm stream and arctic currents
Join, Gen. Mitchell said. He did not
Indicate however, whether there were
any plans afoot in the Army air
service to take this short cut to China.
The route favored by the general
would not be used once, but would be
a regular airway with mail from tne
metropolis of the United States 10
the heart of the orient obviatlng
weeks of travel by water and land.
VIII Try DirigibIe Flight.
! Gen. Mitchell in discussing dtrigl-
| bles, said orders had gone out Tor
| Can't. Ffnkle to undertake landing
with the semi-rigid dirigible RN-1 at
Scott Field. BeIleviIle, Ill. this week
Cant. FinkIe will fly a Sperry mes
| senger plane, the smallest ship IN
| commission used by the Army. If
successful 1t will be the first time in
the history of aviation that an air
plane in fight has attached itself TO
a dirigible The maneuver will be
carried out by means Of hook To-
Gated on the top wing of the plane
which will be flown right up to an
apparatus aboard the dirigible to
which it can be made fast In Octo-
ber at Wilbur Wright Field, Capt.
Finkle took off attached to a dirigible
and released himself from the air
ship. Prior to this a plane had flown
up and by means of a stick touched a
blimp in flight but was never secured.
A dirigible four times as large as
the Los Angeles would be able to ac-
commodate 25 fighting pursuit planes
aboard in addition to harboring facili-
ties for receiving them while both
dirigible and planes were in fight
and releasing them for attack work.
This. in Gen. Mitchells opinion. is
about the most important work di-
rigibles will serve in war times as
they no longer will be able to hang
at high attitudes and bomb cities, he
said, because we have planes that
can climb 10000 feet in IL minutes"
They also would serve to fight other
- 4--I~- IL
dertake bombing expeditions pro-
vided they were accompanied by a
large force of protecting planes.
Progress With Aerial Torpedo.
The aerial torpedo, the general re-
vealed, has made rapid strides under
the auspices of the Army Air Service.
He declared the maximum perform
ance of this death dealing plane was
134 miles. In construction, he said
it resembles an ordinary airplane and
with gyroscopic control will take off
and climb to the specified altitude and
level off on its mission. When over
the desired point, 1T will plunge
downward, crashing into it's objective
A bi-product of this war machine,
Gen. Mitchell told his audience. is the
gliding bomb-a regular aerial bomb
with wings attached which will per-
nit it to glide to its destination and
obviate the necessity of the bombing
plane flying directly overhead the
place to be bombed This winged
bomb could be released as far as 10
miles away from the place desired
for it and should sail directly to the
desired spot.
Airplanes could carry 12-inch guns
If necessary, the general emphasized
in discussing the rapid strides made
in weight-carrying. The formation
of planes that dropped 80 tons of
bombs in the Argonne during the war
today could carry 3,400 tons under
the knowledge now at hand. He said
the Barling bomber was thought of
first in 1919, and was designed spe-
cifically to patrol course 200 miles
at sea from the shore and at the same
time to carry two bombs that would
be able to sink a battleship. Since
the Barling has been flying, now
more than a year, many valuable
points have been learned from It, The
general said the ship was of the "old
construction" and there was too
much head resistance" but I'VE are
learning from it day by day"
With the perfection of electric alti-
CONTINUED on Page 4, Column A.