Evening star., 1925-08-07
PLANE FLOODL|GHT
IS |SDEMONSTRATED
Landing Beacon Given Night
Tests at HainS Point by
Navy Flyers.

A spectacular and practical demon
stTation of the 800 900 .000-candle-
power flood light. now in use by the
air mail, for seaplane flying, was
. given i'll the area of water bordered
by Hains Point. the Army War Col
lege and the naval air station last
night before a large crowd of spec
tatorS gathered at those places.
The tlUod-light.wa located on a raft
moored to the naval air station
wharf and the light was diffused in a
semi-clrcle more than a mile in di-
ameter, transforming this section into
daylight. Two types of naval air.
craft were used. a hight observation
single-pontoUn plane, known as the
Nought UO-l. and heavy twin-en-
gined scouting boat-seaplane, desig-
mated H-l6.
Fly i'm Light.
Six naval pilots made flights in
these ships. each making two take
offs and two landings. Lieut.. George
T. Cuddihy. executive officer of the
station. opened the demonstration by
racing across the lighted area in the
10 and appearing into the dark
ness. Small red and green navigating
lights on the wings and tail enabled
the spectators to follow his line of
flight until they were extinguished
and then there was only the whiz of
the motor to guide the onlookers.
Lieut.. Cuddihy declared the light to
be of great assistance in landing, eX-
planning that the rays do not rise
more than a few feet above the
water and there is no chance of the
pilot being blinded by the glare on
coming in to land. From the air it
was a beautiful sight. he declared.
= Ian6arCnn
went aloft in the heavy H-16, disap-
pearing down the river and returning
over land on the eastern side of the
water. Lieut.. George Owens followed
with two flights in the 10, and, after
he landed Lieut.. A. j. Williams, jr.,
took the big boat up. Lieut.. Williams
did not get out of the range of spec
tators, making two circles on each
trip over their heads at 1000 feet with
his navigating lights burning. The
audience "ah-ed" on the occasions
Lieut.. Henderson and Lieut.. Williams
touched the hull of the mammoth
craft on the surface of the water
without bump or jolt and then
threw open both motors for a take
off.
Crippled Plane Rumor,
Following Lieut.. Williams flights.
Lieut.. "Tex" Rogers, Marine Corps.
CaNorted about in the 10 and Lieut..
T. P. Jeter of the Bureau of Aero
nautics closed the display by purpose
ly landing the little ship SO that it
was buried in a silver spray in the
heart of the illumination.
Before the demonstration opened the
air station was stirred by report re-
ceived from Boiling Field that an
Army plane was seen to pass over
Aberdeen. Md, without its landing
gear, headed for Washington. 4 land
ing on the ground would mean injury
to the pilot and passenger, and there
fore it was expected the plane would
land in the river giving the flood light
an unexpected test Cf its worth. Lieut.
Guy Fish, medical officer of the sta.
ton, and his assistants. toS -thei' with
all the gear" stood by, and the zap
tain's gig was ready to Ga N out into
the water on the first appearance of
the helpless plane. Tire crippled shin
never arrived, and officers of the sta
ton were of the opinion that some
body at Aberdeen had sighted Lieut..
Cuddihy, who landed here just before
dark on a flight from New York. and
were under the impression his plane 6
landing gear was damaged.