Evening star., 1927-06-09
AIR LINE TO EUROPE
TO START IN YEAR
PLANNED BY LEVINE
ChamberIin to Be Associated
With CoIumbia'S Owner in
S2,0OO,000 Scheme.
MULTI-M0TORED TYPE
OF PLANE TO BE USED
Pilot of New York to Berlin Craft
May Return to U. S. Aboard
German Warship.
Rv the Associated Press.

BERLIN, June 9.-Charles A. Levine
declared today that he and Clarence
d, Chamberlin planned a regular
transatlantic aerial service, using
multi.motored machines capable of
carrying 1000 pounds each.
Levine stated that he was ready to
put 100000 into the scheme, ana
that both he and Chamberlin thought
1t could become operative within
year.
The plans envisaged by the two
men who spanned the Atlantic from
New York to Germany in the Bellanca
monoplane Columbia would provide
for regular transoceanic lines from
America to various points in Europe.
Plan New Type Machine.
"I am ready at this moment to put
e.. 600 600 into the scheme" Levine
said. 'because / not only believe IT
practicable. but that it can be realized
even within a year.
eve have a definite type of machine
in mind. which will carry 1000 pounds
and will be equipped with more thah
one motor.
Chamberlin said: "The machine we
intend to nave DullL Is uIiIlhS any IAAAiAS
known here in Germany.
AS mart of the development OF trans
atlantic aerial lines, Chamberlin thinks
floating landing places anchored In
various parts of the ocean may be de-
sirable for emergency landings. but
he does not seem to attach prime I'M
portance to this feature, which has
heen discussed in the European press
as an absolute necessity.
"The main thing" he said today. is
the constant development or more eL-
ficient machines which can carry
greater useful load in proportion TO
their weight. During the war we car
ried one pound of mail per horsepower
on Jumps of from 20 to 80 miles.
'Ten years later. we already carry
10 pounds per horsepower on Jumps OF
from 500 to 800 miles. That Is 10
times the former efficiency and shows
what the possibilities Of engineering
development are.
'"The reason we could cross the
ocean was because we carried almost
double the weight of our plane The
plane weighed 1850 pounds. And we
carried almost $780,
He intimated that the transoceanic
machines under consideration might
even take a form and shape hitherto
unused.
'sToo much horsepower is still alb
sorbed by air resistance" he said. 10
reduce this is one of the chief engi-
neering problems"
Describes Emergency Plans.
Clarence Chamberlin told the Amer
fcan newspaper correspondents TO-DAY
what he would have done had the en-
pine failed or had he, for any other
-.c-n,o 11aa,, farnad tO descend on the
ocean.
"In the first place" he said, I'VE had
the landing gear so adjusted that we
could have dropped it quickly.
Secondly, 1 planned to let out all
our fuel through a valve at the bottom
of the tank and then close the valve
again The tank. filled with air, would
then have kept us afioat indefinitely.
provided the storm was not too bad
and the waves too high"
AS to the mileage covered in the
flight, Chamberlain said it was prac-
tically impossible to determine exactly,
as ''the instruments for registering
the number of revolutions (of the en-.
gine) from which distance can be CAL
culated cannot allow for the velocity
of the wind-therefore all estimates
must needs be guesswOrk."
He declined to divulge for the pres
ent what periods of his flight were the
most difficult. Asked whether at any
time he and Levine were in serious
danger, he replied:
"Yes, but never so bad that we
thought we would have to give up"
To the question: WAS this be-
tween America and Ireland, or after
you passed the British Isles?" he
reflected a long time. and finally said
''That would be a long story, which
am not at liberty for the present
to tell"
Discussing German aviation. the
American pilot said:
I'VE were frankly surprised to see
60 few small flying fields. We have
a thousand of them in America, while
here there are only the official fields
OF the Lufthansa German Air League
so far as we have been able to learn
Also, private planes here seem to be
few, while in America private flying
is widely developed. On the other
hand, the Germans have developed
commercial passenger service in q
manner unknown in America"
Doubts Metal Planes Value.
He expressed doubt whether all
metal planes such as are prevalent
in Germany were superior to ma
chimes with wooden frames Tor tnt
wings.
1--WE can recover our wings with
cloth from time to time, which make:
them practically new, while once thu
metal is worn out you must build {
new plane" he said to the German
correspondents.
But isn't there greater danger o
fire with wooden planes?" one asked
Chamberlin smiled, and replied
"When gas blows up. it's hot, M
matter whether you are on metal O
wood"
The transatlantic pilot does no
think that a nonstop flight aroun'
the world is out of the realm of poss
bility, but that it is long way off.
THAT is taking in a lot of space,
he laughingly replied when question
ed as to the feasibility Of such a.
attempt. I'VE would have to hav
a million or two dollars to play wit
% arrange for a flight covering NOR
than 25, 900 miles. Money and motor
are what is needed, but do not loo
for a nonstop round.the-world f1igh
for some time"
Further HOnOrs Proposed,
Feted and feasted ever since the
landed on German soil, after the
flight from New York, Chamberlin an
Levine were on the threshold toda
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