Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-13
ANT|-A|RCRAFT TEST
BEING MADE HERE
Defensive Methods Studied
in Series of Flights at
Fort Humphreys.

A long series of tests of the power
OF existing anti-aircraft defensive
methods is being made by air and
ground units assembled In this city and
at Fort Humphreys, Va, under the
direction of the anti-aircraft board of
the War Department, it was learned
today. The tests began this week and
will continue for six weeks, with test
flights every day and every night this
week and on three afternoons and
nights during the coming five weeks.
Two big bombing planes have been
sent here from Langley Field, Va, to
conduct the aerial end of the tests
These planes are stationed at Boiling
Field for the duration of the tests. one
OF them operating on day missions
and the other being used for night
work.
Five Searchlights Used.
At Fort Humphreys five huge search
lights and five ground horns" for To-
eating airplaneS by sound have been
assembled by the 61st Coast Artillery
Searchlight Battery, in charge of four
officers and eight men. The lights
are of the most modern type, perfected
by the Army Engineer Corps, for use
in anti-aircraft defense work, and the
horns were devised by the ordnance
department
The tests are expected to reveal ac-
curately the penetrating qualities and
the amount of field covered at various
heights by the present type of search
light and the accuracy and range of
the horns in locating airplanes by
sound when they cannot be seen be-
cause of darkness or clouds.
Tests already made show that the
lights are sufficiently powerful to reveal
night-fiying planes at heights as great
as $4,000 feet, or nearly three miles.
The tests SO far have been confined al
most entirely to the task of determining
the penetrating power of the search.
lights In these tests the lights are
turned toward the sky and the beams
held stationary while the plane flies
through the beams at fixed ATTITUDES.
In the present tests the plane makes its
first fight through the successive light
beams on course at 6,000-foot alti-
tude. Then the plane rises to 1000 feet
and again flies through the beams. Each
successive flight is made at an increased
altitude of 1000 feet. On one of the
night tests this week the plane made
nine flights over the course, the last
time at an altitude of $4,000 feet, which
is the maximum height to which the
Army allows its pilots to fly without
oxygen tanks and reSpiratorS.
Later on the plane will fly on an
erratic course over the Fort Humphreys
region in test of the ability of the
searchlight crews to locate and hold
the elusive tarket in their beam for
the benefit of simulated anti-aircraft
batteries
Supervising Tests.
The tests are being conducted under
Greet supervision of Col Edward M.
Markham. commandant of the post at
Fort Humphreys, END Mai William H.
flanagan reprcso nting the anti-aircraft
board The night flying is being con-
Quoted in Foiker plane powered with
two Pratt &, Whitney Wasp motors and
the day flying in keystone bombing
plane with two Liberty motors. The
Fokker is piloted by Lieut.. j. Peyton
and the Keystone by Lieut. L. G. Fisher.
Both planes are from Langley Field.
Day flights are made at pm. and
night flights at 2 pm. Flights have
been ordered every afternoon and night
this week, after which the planes will
60 on a schedule of afternoon and night
flights every Tuesday, Thursday and
Friday during the remaining five weeks
of the tests. = 80. So