Evening star., 1928-12-15
RADIO SEEN BEACON
OF FLYING SUCCESS
Wireless Is Called Aid Which
Will Overcome Aviation
Hazards.

Flying high, wide and handsome 25
years after the first successful fight,
aeronauticS now must look to radio
TO achieve complete success
This, in substance, is what the dele
gates from 40 nations attending the
International Civil Aeronautics Con-
ference were told by two of the worlds
most prominent radio engineers, Dr.
j. H. Dellinger of the Bureau of Stand
Of the General Electric Co.
Radio aids to navigation to over
come the obstacle of adverse weather
conditions and eliminate hazards are
being developed, they said. When they
are realized in practice on a world
wide scale, then the commercial re-
liability Of air travel will be established.
Usefulness of Radio.
The progress and usefulness of radio
communication as a means to this end
were described by DR.. Dellinger who,
as head of the radio laboratory of the
Bureau of Standards, has pioneered in
this development. He spoke of the radio
beacon system which guides the air.
plane along the airway regardless of
fog, informs the pilot of the distance
passed over and brings him to land
ing field.
At present, said DR.. Dellinger, the
transportation of passengers by air is
far from the ideal service expected in
the future. Genuine service can hardly
be said to be available until the air
traveller can count on a scheduled
service as regular as the railroads.
But with the radio beacon to aid him.
the aviator can, regardless of fog, keep
an accurate course, merely by glanc-
ing at his visual indicator on the in
Strument board. It is operated auto
Inatically by two beams of radio waves
emitted from station located at an
airport.
Regular Home Phone.
DR.. Dellinger also outlined means of
navigation by radio on other than the
established courses He also discussed
simple radio communication between
airplane and ground by which pilots
are informed of weather and landing
conditions and which ultimately will
lead to the time when a passenger in
an airplane may have two-way con-
versation with a ground party through
the regular telephone exchange. A num-
Der of demonstrations have shown that
such communication can readily be
provided with quality sufficiently good
to justify regular home phone connec-
tons, he said.
DR.. Alexanderson told of the radio
means developed for ascertaining the
height of an airplane above ground by
radio echo One of the most impor-
tant aids to navigation at sea is depth
sounding, which enables the seaman
to find his way in foggy weather. BY
employing the same fundamental prin-
ciples involved in depth sounding, a
successful method has been worked out
whereby an aviator can determine his
altitude above the ground while in
flight when vision of the landing field
is cut of by adverse flying conditions.
Various methods may be employed
by radio in this vital phase of air navi-
cation. DR.. AleXanderson explained. He
described one successful method, by
which the radio echo or reflection OF
a radio wave emitted by plane in
flight is measured by the pilot, who is
enabled to determine his altitude by
the :.SyYge5e ui time between the sending
of the signal and its echo.
(Copyright 1928, by the Consolidated Press.)