The Washington times., 1928-02-02
DESTINE D
FOR OCEAN
FLIGHTS

ny International News Service
NEW YORK, Feb. 2.-Charles A.
Levine, famous transatlantic filler,
IN an interview today predicted that
1923 will eclipse 1927 in spectacular
aviation achievements.
"A round-the.world flight in 70
days is feasible" he remarked, non
chalantly.
Twin you try it?'' he was asked
II might try anything" he re-
piled.
The genial, bald-headed Levine
sat in his office on the fifty-first
floor OF the Woolworth Building
and discussed at length his work
and his hobby
He told the writer he is now
building the largest airship in the
world-a powerful, seven-motored
plane, capable of carrying so pas
sengers across the ocean through
the severest kind OF rain, snow or
wind storms.
Finished In Year
''This airship win be completed in
about year." said Levine, display
ing a model of it. Il fully expect
travelling back and forth between
continents and thinking nothing
about it. Sooner than that this ship
VIII be carrying express mail regu-
larly to and from Europe, and pas
sengers seeking to make quick trips
viii be riding in it.
THE ship will be able to run on
any four OF its seven motors. Three
OF the propellers are in front, two
IN the back, and two inside. AL
seven motors are inside; in the wing.
In fact, nearly everything is inside
the motors, the fuel, the cabins,
staterooms, etc. The ship will have
80 or 40 portfolios and windows. It
will have e wing spread of $50 feet
and a cruising radius of 1000 miles.
''The passenger fare may be pro-
hibitive at the start-probably $500
to So 200 a passenger. Eventually,
however, the fare will drop and
planes such as this one will actually
compete with ocean liners"
Fly to Havana
Levine would not say what long
nonstop flights he contemplates
making. I'll just hop off, he
explained. He is going to make q
nonstop flight to Havana within
two weeks, but he regards this as
quite casual. He will make the
flight in his rebuilt Bellanca plane,
the Columbia, in which he and
Chamberlin flew to Germany. Lee
vine will hop off from Roosevelt
Field and will be accompanied by
Wilmer Stultz, a pilot, and Miss
Mabel Boil, ''the Queen of Dia-
nonds," whom Levine met in Paris.
She will go as passenger and will
not pilot the plane at any time.
But Levine said he was sure that
1928 would witness many attempts
20 break existing records. Some
one Is very likely to break the en-
durance record, he said, and the
long distance flight record, too. Le-
vine and Chamberlin hold the lat
ter record-S.0 23 miles, from New
York to Eisleben, Germany. Also
Gliers will try to Guido the trans
pacific hops to Honolulu, and then
Comdr. Richard e. Byrd and his
companions, Lieut.. G.. o. Neville
and Bernt BaIchen, plan to fly over
the South Pole and probably will do
Il. DIR. Hugo Eckner, of Germany,
the noted Zeppelin builder, Is going
20 construct a Zeppelin designed
for nonstop flight around the
world.
u. s. In Lead. He Says
"Why. aviation is only in its
Infancy" said Levine. People are
taking it up everywhere We in
America are leading but other
countries, notably Germany, are
close behind"
Disasters are bound to happen
and will continue to happen, in
Levine's opinion.
Are you in favor of government
supervision Of flights?" he was
asked.
''No-if we had government SUI.
pervision last year, Lindbergh would
never have made his flight to Paris