Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-02-09
FIRST RADIO BEAM
0.KDFOR PLANES.
New Plant to Control Flights
From Key West to
Havana.

The irst of the series Of radio con-
troi stations 10 be established over the
Nations air lanes for the guidance OF
aircraft in fight has Just been approved
hv the Assistant Secretary OF Commerce
for Aeronautics, William p. MacCrack-
en-. ir. II will be installed at Key Yves.
nv the airwayS division or the Cniteu
states Lighthouse Service 10 insure
safety Of fight between Key west ano
Havana.
The radio control station. accordins
n Mr.. MacCracken'S announcement.
will provide for the exchange OF weather
information between terminal airports.
ra6iotelephone communication to air.
PLANES in flight and radiooeacon SerV-
ices ,.
Two radio stations situated hall
mile apart are planned. one VIII oe
a radiobeacon operated by remote cor
troll for the guidance OF aircraft from
the main station. which an operator VIZ.
stand constant watch. Before a flight
this operator will call Cuba to ascertain
weather and landing conditions, he
will also call ships along the route Tor
weather reports.
Will Follow Plane.
The information will be telephoned
10 the airport. Immediately an ar
olane takes OF. its identity. passenger
list quantity Of mail ana express ano
c,,han destination. Thereafter, the
radio operator will follow the passage
Of the plane over the route by radio
telephone communication directly with
A. In event OF emergency. nearby ships
will be flashed full details.
The radiobeacon will be OF the equi-
signal type. having two crossed loop
entennae and transmitting an inter-
locked signal The pilot receives Morse
signals for letter IN" when north OF
his course, "A" when south and a IT.
formed bv the eoui-signal interlock
when exactly on the course. The air
clane eouipment will be lightweight
transmitter and receiver.
Daily air mail and passenger service
between Key West and Havana is now
IN operation by the Pan-American Air
ways, which employs trimotored Fox
ker planes carrying IL passengers and
two pilots. They leave Meacham Field
Key West, at 8 am. and return at ia
pm The flight covers about 100 miles
OF water over the Florida Straits,
through which passes the Gulf Stream.
Contrary winos are encountered at the
high attitudes. The radio control sta
ton to guide and follow the aircraft
en- route will inaugurate this phase OF
air navigation facilities. which Is grad
uaily TO be extended over the entire
United States.
A concert by the United States
Marine Band and the weekly resume OF
the political situation in Washington by
Frederic William Vile are two Of the
principal attractions tonight on WRC.
The concert viii be broadcast from
to 7:45 o'clock and will be followed i'm
rnediateiy by Mr. Wile's talk xylo-
phone solo, "valse Caprice" by Wilbur
Kieffcr. win be feature Of the concert.
The weekly Dodge presentation. the
Clicquot Eskimos and the Smith Bros
are the other leading attractions. The
Dodge presentation viii feature Earl
Oliver. trumpeter: Joe Green. marimba
eoloist. and Lou Raderman. violinist
The setting for the entertainment of the
Eskinos will be moving picture thea
ter near the North Pole. Six vocal duets.
the majority Of them popular selections
win be sung by the Smith Bros.
The Y. NJ. C. A. Glee Club. under the
direction Of Louis B. Thompson, viii
WMAL. a pFetentiOHs program has been
arranged which introduces q number Of
vocalists as assisting artists. Besides the
musical portion OF the clubs program
there viii be brief addresses by Repre-
tentative Woodrum Of Virginia and VIII
liam Knowles Cooper. general secretary
Of the Washington T. NJ. c. A.
WMAL's other attractions include
supper dance programs by the Column
bans and the Brockway Band and q
talk by Science Service '~e
WRHF's evening program will consist
o. half an hour of old -tirY1e ttiyle8 fol-
bowed by sponsored musical.