Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-08-14


PORTER ADAMS.
sonally inspects the instrument which
would reveal any landings which
should not have been made. Where
altitude records are involved, the OFF,
cial observer carries the paragraphs
intact to the Bureau of Standards for
official celebration.
Standard Contest Rules.
All aircraft contests in this country
are conducted exactly on the same
standards as they are in the 26 other
membership countries of the f. A. !.
and if the international regulations
are complied with. and it is found
that a certain performance exceeds
that OF the world record then in exist
ence, the +. A. l. does not hesitate to
declare 1t a new world record
When a new performance In this
country supersedes previous one,
the contest committee may declare it
an American record and forward a
report of the flight to the F. A. l..
for homologation as a worlds record.
Frequently technicalities, some of
| them major and some very small, are
not compiled with and experience has
shown that the Paris body lis not prone
to overlook such exceptions to the gem
eral rules.
A most recent example is the bal
loon flight Of Capt. Hawthorne c..
Gray, Army Air Corps of Scott Field,
who. about three months ago, assembled
to an altitude Of 42,470 feet, the highest
| officially calibrated altitude any man
has ever reached. On the descent,
Capt. Gray's balloon fell too rapidly
to insure safe landing for him when
the earth and basket met. Plunging
downward at a terrific speed. the bal.
loon showed no inclination of slowing
down, so Capt. Gray jumped with his
parachute and finished the flight in
that manner.
The Paragraph YVES not damaged and
/, was Celebrated to the foregoing figure
The r. A. I. regulations, however,
specify that the pilot in balloon flights
| must be in personal possession Of the
balloon and his instruments on com.
pleting the fight. and for that reason
apparently. the record has not been al.
| lowed.
Will Fight for Record.
However. the matter comes up to-
morrow at Zurich, Switzerland, where
| the annual conference of the fedora.
ton opens for a four-day session. Mr.
Cabot. vice president of the r. A. I.
and a delegate from America, WIN fight
for the record. Also he will urge q
revision Of the regulations which give
an official record to the nation In
which the fight was made. BY this
present rule Italy was deprived OF
credit for the worlds maximum sea-
plane speed record of 258 miles an
hour, made at Hampton Roads, Va,
last November by Maj. Mario de Der.
| national Seapiane Trophy a few days
before. The United States is officially
credited with the record, but the as.
ISOLATION, carrying out the traditional
American craftsmanship, has refused
to consider 1t when totaling up the
number OF records held by American
airmen. The Aero Club OF Italy like
wise has protested the regulation, ami
| 1t lis believed the conference will bring
ABOUT the desired change.
In addition to Mr.. Wright, the fol.
lowing compose the contest commit.
tee: DIR. George w. Lewis. vice chair
| man, director Of research of the Ma.
tional Advisory Committee for Aero
nautics; Maj. Clarence M. Young, di.
rector Of aeronautics of the Depart.
ment OF Commerce; Brig. Gen. w. E.
Gilmore. chief of the naateriel divi-
sion, Wright Field, Dayton, Ohio; Brig
Gen. r. p. Lahm. chief of the training
section. Kelly Field, San Antonio,
Tex; c. T. Luddington of Philadelphia,
| aircraft operator; Glenn L. Martin.
pioneer aircraft manufacturer Of
Cleveland; c. G. Peterson of the
Wright Aeronauticai Corporation. Pat
erson, n. j.; B. Russell Shaw of the
aeronautical branch, Ford Motor Co.;
Edward p. Warner, Assistant Secre-
tary Of the Navy in charge of aero.
nautics; Comdr. n. II. White, chief Of
the plans division, Bureau Of Aero.
nautics. and Carl F. Schory OF this
city. secretary.
With the exception Of the St.
Joseph, Mo. chapter, the largest in
the country, the District of Columbia
chapter has contributed as much. if
| not more. to the advancement of civil
ian aeronautics among the citizens of
liiS community, dCCOAulHS u itdLaOIldI
headquarters of the association. The
work it now is engaged in is pointed
to as an example for many other chap.
tiers to follow in making the commu
nifty "air minded"
Work for ID. c. Airport.
AS president of the District c. oter
Henry A. Berliner, son OF the noted
inventor. Emile Berliner, has assumed
leadership In the movement for estab-
fishing a permanent airport between
Hunter and Graveily Point on the Vir.
ginia side Of the Potomac and south
| west from Hams Point. He also
placed the facilities of Hoover Field, Of
which he has possession, at the dis
posal OF the District for use as a tenn
| porary landing port for the projected
air mail service which Washington
| will have soon.
Since the first week in April, when
| the Potomac Flying Service, Of which
Mr.. Berliner is president, took over
| the operation Of Hoover Field, about
ii, 500 persons have been given flights
over the city. The majority of these
persons Were on their first trips, and,
| as far as employees Of the field can
| determine. every passenger was elated
| with the new experience.
The company now has three Waco
biplanes OF two-paSsenger capacity in
| service and one cabin monopiane pow
! cred with a Wright Whiriwind engine.
Four more planes are on order and
will be delivered shortly. They are
three of the Waco type and one Fair
child cabin monopiane with Whirl.
| wind engine